Why do Tamiya decals suck so bad....

[boiss123]

Finally I have to say something after years of dealing with Tamiya decals that are thick and will not conform to panel lines and such, I mean its really bad when you can feel the ridge of the decal on your model with your finger! Paying $271 for a Mosquito and the having spend more for decent set of decals and stencils that by all rights should be included in the kit. Can't they outsource them like other companies? Or make their own with new tooling not from the 1980's which I pulled an 80's kit out and compared the decals and I swear they are of the same tooling! I hope that Mr. Tamiya will read this.

Thanks for reading my rant

Denis

[Dave Morrissette]

He won't. They will not change their decals. They have traditionally been thick and that's just the way it was, is and more than likely will be. FWIW, I haev never had an issue with them conforming BUT they are thick

 

Dave

[cbk57]

I usually replace them, I have used them but I usually go AM just because I tend to not want to do the options in the kit as that is what a lot of people do.  I have found that they can be conformed into panel lines etc with solvent.  I have used them with no major complaint.  Sometimes I like the thicker nature.  For example if I am doing U.S. insignia decals I might want a thicker decal so nothing shows through from behind.  On a positive note airplane wise I remember when I built their P-51D the first time, I did build Petie 2nd with decals out of the box, one of my all time favorite p-51’s.  It had a nice two part decal for the markings I thought it looked great.  I think I used the kit insignias and the works.  There was not much a.m. at the time as I bought it and built it as soon as it was out.  

[Dave Williams]

I use Solvaset and have no problems with Tamiya decals conforming.

[chrish]

Well.....not everyone can be perfect at everything I guess?

Ive found the decals in their 1/12 bikes to be about the same as the previous decals as well. Thick and kind of nonconformist...little rebels that they are. Used all the decal solvents in my stash (even solvaset) with little improvement, until I used Tamiya “Mark fit strong” which kicked those decals butt to the curb.

might be (my conspiracy thinking here) their way of having everything under one controller...I’m sure I’m wrong though

Edited September 25, 2020 by chrish
Typo

[Rick Griewski]

Razor handle and the blade business model?  Sell Tenacious and thick decals and the solution that tames them?  Worthy of a bit of conspiracy consideration perhaps.  

[boiss123]

Never tried Tamiya Mark Fit Strong is it good? Can you buy it in Canada?

Edited September 25, 2020 by boiss123

[jenshb]

The decals were the only thing that really let down my Tamiya Jolly Rogers Tomcat (the 48th scale kit).  The colour printing and colour density is actually quite nice, and they are very complete.  However, the film is really thick, and that is what spoils it.  This is especially noticeable on the black tailfins.  Applying a few coats of clear gloss and micromeshing the decals to blend them in helps, but I would need so many coats of clear there wouldn't be any panel lines left.  I think the film is deliberately printed thick enough for the average modeller to handle them with no problems, and they will snuggle into detail with the MrHobby decal setter and solvent, or Tamiya's own products.  Now, if Tamiya would print decals where you could remove the film afterwards....

[ringleheim]

48 minutes ago, chrish said:

Well.....not everyone can be perfect at everything I guess?

Ive found the decals in their 1/12 bikes to be about the same as the previous decals as well. Thick and kind of nonconformist...little rebels that they are. Used all the decal solvents in my stash (even solvaset) with little improvement, until I used Tamiya “Mark fit strong” which kicked those decals butt to the curb.

might be (my conspiracy thinking here) their way of having everything under one controller...I’m sure I’m wrong though

Many/most of their 1/12 bike decals (at least more recently) are farmed out to Cartograph.  They're great.

 

I find Tamiya decals to be incredibly inconsistent.  They are not always the same from kit to kit.

 

Sometimes they work fine.  Sometimes they are absolutely terrible.  Sometimes they are thick, sometimes not.

 

Sometimes they like to silver.

As a general rule,  I try to avoid using them.

They are, easily, the single worst aspect to almost anything Tamiya does as a company.

 

For a company that has equated its name with "excellence" forever, you would think they would do something about the decal problem.  But they are stubborn.

 

They tend to do what they want, when they feel like it.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by ringleheim

[chrish]

3 hours ago, boiss123 said:

Never tried Tamiya Mark Fit Strong is it good? Can you buy it in Canada?

I buy mine at the local hobby store (Express Hobbies) I’m not sure what’s in it other than PFM. But it does work... so far

[Bob MDC]

If you can get the original Mr Mark Softer/Setter that works. I also saw a clip of a Japanese modeller applying Tamiya decals using a "hair dryer" it worked !!

[LSP_Kevin]

1 hour ago, Bob MDC said:

If you can get the original Mr Mark Softer/Setter that works. I also saw a clip of a Japanese modeller applying Tamiya decals using a "hair dryer" it worked !!

 

I almost always resort to using a heat source with Tamiya decals (either a hairdryer, or my own 'hot compress' method), and usually get pretty good results.

 

 

These a decades-old kit decals from a Tamiya Rufe, coaxed into behaving with a hairdryer.

 

Kev

[Dragon]

Kev - can you explain your approach when using the hair dryer on the decals?

 

Thanks 

Mike

[LSP_Kevin]

19 minutes ago, Dragon said:

Kev - can you explain your approach when using the hair dryer on the decals?

 

Thanks 

Mike

 

There's really not much to it, Mike. Put the decal on as usual - you can even use a bit of decal solvent if you like, but if you do, let it do its work before breaking out the hair dryer. Once everything is dry and secure enough that you're not risking blowing the decal off the model, set the hair dryer to its lowest heat and blow settings, and gently wave it about over the decal. Don't get too close, as even on low heat, there is a risk of warping plastic and resin, or even affecting the paint finish. For the same reason, keep the pointy end moving, just like you would an airbrush.

 

After a minute or so, stop and let any reaction play out for another minute or so, and then repeat. The basic idea is that the heat softens the decal and allows it to settle and conform - much like decal solvents, but without the chemicals, alarming bubbling, or wait time. A couple of caveats to add, though, in addition to not letting the area get too hot. The heat can cause older or brittle decals to crack and shrink up a little, but I reserve this technique mainly for Tamiya decals these days, and I've never seen it happen with them. The other warning is that the reaction can be a little bit delayed as the decal softens and shrinks, so less tends to be more, and it's better to come back and repeat the process than to just keep pointing the hair dryer at the decal.

 

Kev

[Dragon]

Thanks Kev! I'll be giving this a try.

 

Mike