2nd build in 30 years... Trumpeter 1/32 F4U-1D

[dennismcc]

I am pretty rubbish with decals but there will be someone along soon to help you out properly, however the little knowledge that I have says that you need a gloss finish to lay your decals on, some people use a gloss varnish coat to achieve this, some people also recommend using warm water to soak the decals, I do not leave the decals soaking in water too long just long enough so that they are thoroughly soaked, I then wait until the decal is loose on the backing paper, then wick away excess water with some kitchen roll, I have specific paint brushes to apply Micro sol onto the kit where the decal is going before I put decals on the kit, once I have them in the correct place I gently smooth them out and remove any excess water from underneath them, once any air bubbles are gone then I apply some more micro sol with a brush on top of the decal. Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Edited January 13, 2019 by dennismcc

[Eenyweeny]

Apologies for the lack of updates. I had very nearly finished the model, ll the decals had been applied and painting complete. I was in the process of connecting the wings to the hinges, which I left to dry in the flight position before folding up... Disaster, the hinge on the left wing wouldn't go past 90 degrees, so I carefully manipulated it and then SNAP... Those hinges are utterly hopeless. 

I was so angry that the model very nearly flew for real! I can see no way of easily repairing the hinge and am so annoyed that I've had to put the model away until I can safely come back to it!

I have decided to tackle a Tamiya Spitfire XVi 1/32 next and hopefully that will come out a little better... I will post work in progress in case anyone is interested...

Edited January 17, 2019 by Eenyweeny

[MikeMaben]

Take your time E , no deadlines on WIPs. 

 

[dsahling1]

I once spent about a year on a Tamiya 1/32 F-15C Eagle, I fixed it up with just about any and every piece of aftermarket out there, reference books and photos, etc. and then when I was at the end putting the decals on I got greedy.  I decided to apply a heavy duty decal softening agent that has a VERY short amount time to work with before it starts to soften the decal.  Well the decal got destroyed and then my attempt to fix it made it even worse.  Luckily the decals were still available (for $35.00) and I then had to wait about a week (a small eternity at the time), and I had to strip the paint down to bare plastic and then redo the intricate paint job using a large variety of colors (otherwise it wouldn't match), lucky enough again I had plenty of paint available and fix it.  It took all I could not to smash the damn thing to pieces, lots of screaming, swearing, and violently throwing objects around (plus a pack of cigarettes long after I quit) and it was fixed and turned out wonderfully, but at the time I had a complete meltdown.  One of the things I've learned with modeling is the there will ALWAYS be problems with building kits, whether big or small but learning how to fix and overcome the problems is what modeling is all about.  Sorry you had to go through that, set it down, have a cigarette and a drink and then come back to it.  Let us know how it turns out!

 

Dan