mcc1

It works for me on almost all decals i've tried so far, its cheap, widely available and will last for a long time.

Wilkos white primer does the job for me, only about £4 for a big tin. Gloss or matt varnish over the top, nice finish the couple of times I've used it.

Revell aqua might be worth a try too. The range is a bit small but they thin well with water and brush really nicely if thinned correctly. I like vallejo paints, unbelievable range of colours but I sometimes have problems with chipping and lifting under masking tape. Loads of choice out there and I don't think anyone should limit their collection to one brand.

Watch out for the front windscreen, had massive trouble joining the top of the doors to the clear roof piece with massive gaps either side. All fitted nicely before glue was applied as is usually the case with my models. My seahawk might be the first to take flight (out of the window) been a long hard fight with it and have nothing but admiration for your skills and patience. Keep up the good work

Sorry, double post. Keep up the good work

Building this kit at the moment, it's a bit of a pig to get together but should build into an impressive model. Keep up the good work, can't believe the detail you are managing to fit in. Please let me know how you get on with the decals,never used anything as frustrating.

Keep up the good work, it's a fine tribute you are constructing. The shuttle is one of the most iconic things from when I was younger and it's extremely sad to see the fleet retired without an adequate replacement. Can't wait to see this finished, what will you do next?

Thanks for the tips everyone. Will let you know how I get on. I have never encountered any decals like these before, they look really nice on the sheet.

Having a few problems with academy my decals in a helicopter kit. Does anyone have any tips for making the decals stick? Don't really want to use the nuclear option of tamiya thinner, is there any way of applying glue from a spare decal sheet or any other methods. Decalfix will not do a thing. Thanks

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234944044-how-to-make-photo-etched-parts-at-home/ Other half would throw me out the house faster than the bin bags containing my clothes if I ever tried anything like this but I found it a really interesting read.

Really nice. Thanks for the tip with the tyre markings.

Very nice indeed. Think the shade of red looks perfect, trying to build the Revell 1/24 at the moment and wouldn't mind knowing how you added the white markings to the tyre treads. Not too sure if you can fill the tread and wipe away any excess, really don't want to mess the tyres up but they just don't look right without the markings.

Picked up the California from the Seaforth branch this morning. They only had the golf, california and a BA Airbus 319. Cant complain for £12, might pick up the golf too