scvrobeson Posted June 27, 2023 Author Share Posted June 27, 2023 The decals are on, but they're definitely putting up a fight. The fuselage decals for White 2 went on beautifully and without issue, even the tail was okay. But the underwing decals and the rudder checkerboards have fought me constantly. I've used every setting solution I've got, and still a bunch of silvering, splitting, and decals refusing to suck won. Not even the hairdryer and vinegar is working. I'm debating pulling them off and trying the kit ones, but I don't know if that will be possible. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them. Would hate for this build to go sideways at this late stage. Matt Landrotten Highlander, Gazzas, AlexM and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted June 27, 2023 Share Posted June 27, 2023 That's a shame, Matt. I wish I had some useful advice for you! Kev scvrobeson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 That corrugated wing surface is the ultimate decaling challenge. Did you score each corrugation with a sharp x-acto blade? You could try that or I would consider scoring around the entire square of clear carrier and trying to remove it. Coincidentally, I saw that Will Pattison on Facebook is dealing with the exact seam issue on his PZL build. I hope you find an acceptable course of action Matt, the model looks lovely so far! scvrobeson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted June 28, 2023 Author Share Posted June 28, 2023 2 hours ago, Thunnus said: That corrugated wing surface is the ultimate decaling challenge. Did you score each corrugation with a sharp x-acto blade? You could try that or I would consider scoring around the entire square of clear carrier and trying to remove it. Coincidentally, I saw that Will Pattison on Facebook is dealing with the exact seam issue on his PZL build. I hope you find an acceptable course of action Matt, the model looks lovely so far! Scoring every corrugation has been my current course of action, but that doesn't seem to be completely solving the problem. At least I'm not alone in dealing with this. I'd try to find a mask set to just spray the markings on, but I'd be stuck worrying about the same issues with the corrugations and paint masks. Thanks for checking in John. Hopefully I can vanquish this challenge with enough work Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted June 28, 2023 Author Share Posted June 28, 2023 4 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said: That's a shame, Matt. I wish I had some useful advice for you! Kev Thanks Kev. It's just a challenge, but I'll keep trying to get past it and get the decals to a point of no silvering. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 6 minutes ago, scvrobeson said: Thanks Kev. It's just a challenge, but I'll keep trying to get past it and get the decals to a point of no silvering. Matt If all else fails, you could try touching up the silvered areas with paint. I've had to resort to this in the past, and while it's not ideal, it still looks better than the silvering! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted June 28, 2023 Author Share Posted June 28, 2023 Yeah, that's the last resort option Kev. I'll have to do some retouching anyway from some of the splits, but I'd rather not have to repaint the whole section. Matt LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kahunaminor Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 (edited) Hi Matt, I don’t know if this will assist or be even a reasonable offer of advice at this point. You have some of the top minds already offered you their wisdom. I have a mate that swears by the use of a linen pad dipped in moderately warm to hot water and held firmly over the decal. Apparently the heat is sufficient to stretch the decal without causing an issue? No doubt test it first and I assume you would need to be wary of any splits in the decal so no moving the pad during application. Best of luck, Kent Edited June 29, 2023 by Kahunaminor Volksjager, scvrobeson and LSP_Kevin 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 41 minutes ago, Kahunaminor said: Hi Matt, I don’t know if this will assist or be even a reasonable offer of advice at this point. You have some of the top minds already offered you their wisdom. I have a mate that swears by the use of a linen pad dipped in moderately warm to hot water and held firmly over the decal. Apparently the heat is sufficient to stretch the decal without causing an issue? No doubt test it first and I assume you would need to be wary of any splits in the decal so no moving the pad after application. Best of luck, Kent I've used that technique to good effect in the past - especially on Tamiya decals. You just have to be really careful over acrylic paints, because if the cloth is hot enough (and in my experience, it really needs to be quite hot to work), it can literally make an impression on your paint work. FWIW, my version of the technique involves a wet face washer, wrung out until it's merely damp, and then microwaved on high for 60 seconds. Something with less of a fabric texture than terry towelling would probably be a better choice, however! Kev scvrobeson, Kahunaminor and Volksjager 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzas Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 The painting looks exceptional. It's a shame about the decals. Just like working with Zimmerit on Panzer models, it might be one of those places where masks are the better option. And very low pressure spraying. scvrobeson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted June 29, 2023 Author Share Posted June 29, 2023 I think after a few days of battling with the decals, I'm making progress. Pretty much had to go through every corrugation with a sharp knife, then hit it with MicroSol/Mr. Mark Softer and pressed the decals down into the detail. Still a few last trouble spots, and the touchups will need to be done on places where the decals split. But I think that I can beat it into submission. Matt LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 Just curious Matt... do you have Walthers Solvaset in your arsenal of decal softeners? That's my go-to for tough decals. It's definitely hotter than Micro Sol and it will even soften paint if you let it pool and sit. scvrobeson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted June 29, 2023 Author Share Posted June 29, 2023 4 minutes ago, Thunnus said: Just curious Matt... do you have Walthers Solvaset in your arsenal of decal softeners? That's my go-to for tough decals. It's definitely hotter than Micro Sol and it will even soften paint if you let it pool and sit. Oh yeah. I've got pretty much everything on the market except the Daco stuff. Have the Tamiya, Gunze, Microscale, Solvaset, and Scale Motorsport available for the toughest of decals. I've been using a lot of Solvaset on this build for sure. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozart Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 (edited) This is all exceptionally good work Matt, I very much like the finish that you have achieved on the plane’s surfaces and I hope you succeed with your decals. Also just looked back at your pilot figure, it is of an equally high standard. Edited June 29, 2023 by mozart scvrobeson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 If you go the slicing route, another option besides setting solution is Tamiya decal adhesive.. Has some viscocity but is not gooey or sticky. Disappears when dry. scvrobeson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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