Tuesday, November 26, 2019

I Wish They Didn't Do That - Part 2, Decals

Decals are sometimes a crap shoot! You never know how that sheet is going to transfer until you soak that first decal.

A suggestion for the manufacturers - 
On that decal sheet, add one or two small duplicate decals and mark them "EXTRA" -Something to test the soak times and how well they transfer. With a practice decal you won't ruin the first transfer. If the decal breaks up in the soak water or folds over onto itself, you'll know it needs a coat of clear acrylic to save the remaining decals.

The decal sheet shown on the left has quite a bit of clear space where some small extras could fit. You could also practice using the "DKV-66" part designation at the upper right. But, many times decal sheets only have what is shown on the face card picture.

EDIT: From a comment from Naoto - Sometimes a "make do" practice decal (mentioned above as the "DKV-66" area) won't have a clear coating. When I was a kid building plastic models, every decal had a separate bordered clear coat. Now most decals sheets have an overall clear coat. Hold the decal up to a bright light to see if your practice decal has a clear coat - It should be shiny.
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3 comments:

  1. metalhead100hailNovember 26, 2019 at 6:27 PM

    great idea Chris

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  2. Naoto KimuraNovember 27, 2019 at 2:05 PM

    The lettering (typically indicating the part number) on the sheet might not always have a carrier film.
    Old decal sheets are apt to be problematic -- the carrier film may be fragile, the glue may no longer work, etc.
    Visual inspection of the sheet is always recommended. I have run one or two occasions where the decal sheet was partially or sometimes completely missing the carrier film. Yep, I tested one of the markings (e.g. one that wouldn't be noticed missing or one that could be easily be replaced) and confirmed it was the case.
    Indeed agree that it might be good idea for manufacturer to add a "spare" or two to allow for user to test the decal sheet. You do tend to end up with "spares" if the kit in question (often with plastic model kits, not so much with model rocket kits) where you might have multiple color/marking schemes. Obviously those unused spares could come in handy in the future.
    Nowadays I'm in the habit of scanning the decal sheet before I do anything - mostly as "insurance" in the case I run into some difficulty with the decal sheet.

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