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Specifically the aftermarket sheets ESCI used to produce in the 70s. 1/72 & 1/48 sheets for various aircraft. I've never been able to get these to work well...particularl. They REALLY seem to hate solvents or setting solutions if any kind. Which they really kind of need because they're so thick and inflexible. Has anyone ever found workable solutions for these decals? I'm wondering if heat is the only thing that would kind of make them conform...

About 18 months ago I built the 1/32 PCM Mk XIV Spitfire. I was fairly new to airbrushing and ended up painting a very rough surface using alcohol as a thinner (Tamiya Paints). I decaled the model and everything was fine up until the clear coat stage. You guessed it, about half of the decals silvered. My own stupid fault, but the Spitfire sits in hiding, ashamed to show the job I did on it. I have tried all sorts of things to fix it and nothing has worked. I intend to strip the paint and redo it properly, but now I can't find the decals for it. PCM has recently closed their doors, so I don't know how to get a replacement set. Zotz makes a nice set, sheet number 32-033, but I can't find anywhere online that has a set in stock. Does anyone know where I can get replacement decals? Either PCM or the Zotz set. Is there another set that is made for the Mk XIV? Help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Can anyone tell me if there is a set of AM decals in 1/72 for Richard Turner's "Short Fuse Sallee", either cor his P-51B or P-51D, or both. Tried googleing for it yesterday but only came up with 1/48 which is not my scale. TIA DennisTheBear

Wonder if anyone has any good knowledge of decals that can help.... I want to build a few Ryanair 737-800's and have the kits already - the catch is these are just plain kits with no livery included. Does anyone know of any sources that sell decals (with "choose your own registration") for up to 3 Ryanair Aircraft?

A few years ago I could "catch" a 1/72nd scale vacuform kit of the Stinson A. http://www.airliners.net/photo/American-Airlines-Stinson-LLC/Stinson-A-Tri-Motor/1263327 I would like to build this ugly/beautiful model, but I think there are no decals available. (American Airlines prefered) Has somebody an idea how to get decals for this wonderful airplane?

Hi All, Having built two Mk3's in the late 1960s I was really looking forward to the new version. The test shots and the marking looked really good.. I ordered 4 as soon as they were available and bought the xtradecal set as well. I am really pleased with the kit but the decals are another thing. Great schemes but mine do not adhere to any curved surfaces, it looks like cardboard stuck onto the model. I have used the Microscale system but that is struggling to cope. Is there anyone out there with some ideas that work? Kind regards

Hi all, im currently trying to put the number plate decals on my Meng Achzarit Early. Israeli number plates are 'embossed', so the number plates are provided as brass etch, with decals. The trouble is that I can't get the decals to settle down into the relief on the etch at all. I started with MicroSet and MicroSol, and that had no effect. So I reached for my bottle of Walthers' 'Solvaset' - which is a 'hotter' version of the same thing. Solvaset usually turns decals to 'jelly'. But it's had no effect at all. Has anyone else had this problem and what am I to do? Thanks, Phil

Sice months I am looking for decals for the Douglas DC-3 "DST" (Douglas Sleeper Transport), in the colours of American Airlines or others. Do somebody know a maker of those decals? I Built a DC-3, a Lisunov Li-2, a DC-2 is WIP, and so only the DST, what easily can be converted from an italeri DC-3 is still missed in my Douglas "family".

Hello, Wonder if these decals from Xtradecals also useful for wartime aircraft's or are they only for pre-war aircrafts? Or are there other decal's available concerning RAF black letters and numbers in 1/72 for WWII aircrafts? https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X72157 / André

Hi all I don't model with an overriding theme other than buying & making things I quite like the look of (with a strong bias toward good value) I was musing what to build next and was thinking of doing a pair of Thunderbolts and hauled out the two I have as part of bigger sets and Havibg done so I've now realised the box art in the Gabreski set is a nonsense (it should be green & grey with red nose/tail v.similar to the Revell boxing) and both planes only have one decal option Does anyone have a recommendation for a decent priced decal sheet (I only need/want to change one of them) or a partial sheet they'd be willing to sell/swap that'd do? I'm not wildly fussy but it seems a shame to make two nearly the same planes alongside each other (to me anyway - I've seen some amazing work on multiple variations on a theme but I don't think that's for me)

Having spotted that Kits World had released a couple of sets of MSG squadron codes, one of which was 28", I became rather animated. Despite the official requirements for squadron code sizes, it's obvious from studying photographs that these were not always adhered to, and being something of a Battle Of Britain buff, there was a need for some 27"/28" codes (plus 32"/33", but that's another story). Imagine my confusion when confronted with this: That's not Medium Sea Grey! I was sure that squadron codes were Medium Sea Grey in this time frame? Certainly, that's what my references tell me. It has long been a bugbear of mine that many decal manufacturers get MSG so wrong, and and at first appearance, this seems to be yet another. However, I noticed that the decal title states that it's Stores Ref 33B/157 Grey and I have to confess, this is the first time I have encountered this term. Is it known what grey this is? Did it become Medium Sea Grey or was it another colour entirely? If so, which is the correct colour for 1939-40 squadron codes? So many questions! Cheers, a very confused Mark.

Does anyone know where I can find a set of decals for a standard modern German F-4F in 1/32 scale, such as the JG74 decals in Revell's '50th Anniversary' kit 04743? I've contacted Revell Germany but they no longer have any in stock. Thanks. FH67

Hi all, I'm currently in the latter stages of building a 1/48 Aeroclub EE Lightning F1 and made a hash of the squadron markings on the fin and had to remove them Does anybody know of any 111 Squadron decal sheets in 48th apart from the Modellers Alliance sheet as I canst stretch to 15 quid to finish the model, or has anybody got any 111 Squadron bits in the spares box?? Thanks in advance Simon

An nice initiativ from Iliiad designs. http://modelingmadness.com/scott/decals/iliad/id72017.htm There are also decals for aircrafts flewn by James Stewart. He flew mostly B-24 Liberators but during his active duty periods, he remained current as a pilot of Convair B-36 Peacemaker, Boeing B-47 Stratojet and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress intercontinental bombers of the SAC. Gene Roddenbery and Clark gable flew B-17. http://www.iliad-design.com/decals/Stars.html http://www.iliad-design.com/decals/72morestars.html Walter Matthau also flew B-24 Liberator as a radioman-gunner, in the same 453rd Bombardment Group as James Stewart. Charles Bronsom flew B-29 as an tail gunner in the Pacific. Donald Pleaseance flew Lancaster as navigator and was shot down. Denholm Elliot also flew nightbombers and was shot down over Denmark during the war... /André

Tamiya's decals on their Vb kit. Spot of bother what oh! Have started decalling my Vb, and as i usually do, used a spot of X20a as the setter. Being clumsy, think this time I've over done it and ended up with 'scorch marks'. Just wondering if anyone knows possible come backs from here other than repainting? Its AK paint, couple of coats of the 'new' floor care clear stuff, decal and X20a. As can be seen only in places, the whole wing decals were treated the same? Any ideas appreciated.

I will soon finish painting my model (Revell Enterprise NCC1701 (TOS)) and I'm starting to think about decals. I've seen some excellent tips on applying decals in these forums, but I haven't come across anything about surface preparation that answered my nagging doubts/confusion. I've read that I should apply them to a glossy surface, "It is vitally important to have a gloss or semi-gloss surface to apply the decals. If the model is painted with matt/flat paints, then the surface needs to have a couple of thin coats of gloss varnish". So, I already have some 'Revell Clear Matt Acrylic Spray', that I was planning to use to give the model a final protective coat, I chose Matt because I didn't want the model to look too shiny. But it sounds like I would need to use a glossy coat before applying the decals, and then finish with the Matt coat? Would 'Humbrol Gloss Varnish Modellers Spray' be suitable for this purpose? Thanks for any help/tips

Hi all, Seeking advice on this range. According to SAFO they have a long list of great and interesting decal sets but I know nothing about them. What experiences have you had - good? Bad? Indifferent? I'd appreciate your advice. Thanks. Martin

Does anyone produce a decal set in 1:144 scale of the Harrier 'final flight' markings: I have a few Harrier GR.7/GR.9 kits in 1:144 scale and would like to build four of them in the markings of 800NAS FAA, 4Sqn RAF, 1 Sqn RAF and the one painted in 1969 grey/green pattern. cheers Mike

Hi, I have discovered a set of grubby decals in a stash I didn't know I had - I think it's from a 1:72 MiG-29 that I've never got around to building. Apart from the mild yellow-ness, they appear to have got grubby as well. Is there any way I can clean these up, without fundamentally destroying the sheet? - or is it a wasted effort? http://s661.photobucket.com/user/willroney/media/IMG_1978.jpg.html

Where can I get sky decals (YT and E) for mentioned aircraft RAF Mustang IVA KH 695 in 1/72? http://www.forcedlandingcollection.se/RAF/RAF105-KH695.html /André

Hi all, After trying many ways to print decals on several of my Epson inkjet printers over the years, all I can say is I've had varied results -- some good, many bad. Even some of the good ones went bad , however, after trying to trim the decals closely, only to watch the ink bleed out as water got under the decal sealing film, of which I have also tried many kinds. In any event, as I neared the end of my recent B-45A Tornado build, I once again needed some custom decals printed. In my case, rinting on white decal paper would be fine. The only difference for me was that rather than trying to piece together the needed parts to do the job, I ended up using one brand for all the stuff, Papilio, here:http://www.papilio.com/ I ordered 3 of their trial 8.5 x 11 inch white decal paper, the spray-on decal fixative, and something new to me, their Ink Freeze pigment drying powder. I don't know whether one of these was the "magic" item, and it might very well be that they simply all worked together as a team. Anyway, as a rock-bottom, no frills test, here's what I did, using the above-mentioned products: Fist the "stuff": I used my trusty Epson Workforce 625, currently loaded with no-name, cheapie aftermarket inks. I did the artwork in an old copy of Photoshop, mostly because the software allowed me to set the top of page and left margins at .125" (1/8"). This positioned the actual decal print into the upper left corner of the sheet, rather than dead center on it. Also, in the printer driver I selected "best photo" and "best whizz-bang super glossy" paper, borderless. I then ran the print and printed out the decals. I waited about 15 seconds and then shook the Ink Freeze powder-like substance all over the fresh decal ink, and waited for 30 seconds. Then, I took one of the spongy gizmos they sent along with the Ink Dry, and squeegeed off the drying powder. I was really worried here that I'd scrape off some of the ink, but that didn't happen. In fact, I pressed lightly enough that a tiny bit of powder may have been left on, as the result was very sightly grainy in spots. Next, I sprayed the fixative (which has a very fine droplet nozzle (they included two extra nozzles), a medium wet coat. I waited an hour, then sprayed again, and let dry for another 8 hours. Shown below is the result, with a piece of plain paper cut out with a window, to prevent the fixative spray from getting on the rest of the decal sheet -- placed over the top: Note: Pic is blurry, not the decals! I then trimmed these about 1/32" (or less) from the design, put them in a bowl of warm --not hot -- water for 30 seconds. They slid right off and positioned easily. They were thick enough to handle, but not super thin. All in all I was very pleased with this "no special prep" session of home-made decal printing. You can see the results in the RFI section where they wee used on my B-45A. One thing of note. After accidentally stumbling across a mention of the Ink Freeze on their website (recommended for Epson inks), I hard to actually use the search engine on the site to actually buy the stuff. Maybe they're trying to hide it. Anyway the whole process was a breeze, no probs. Your mileage may vary. And no I don't own any stock or have any other interest in the company. I can only say, they solved MY problem. Ed

I'm looking to recreate a 1/72 VFA-122 F/A-18F based on the Revell Super Hornet (its a gift for my brother who was lucky enough to have a ride in one at Farnbrough Airshow in 2012), however since I cannot find any decals for this squadron (except the sold-out CoNA digital camo scheme) can anyone either recommend an alternative (e.g. suitable USN letters and numbers) or is home printing the only solution...? Many thanks in advance, Neil

Hello, Does any one know if there are any other decals for the above kit? What I am really looking for is decals for the RAF machines. I have had a quick look around but as yet no joy. Korean.

Hi, I was sourcing decals to produce a Tornado GR.4 in 1/72 looking like one of the aircraft flying from Akrotiri for Op Shader. Therefor I've 2 questions: Can anyone provide a serial list of the aircraft deployed (public or if that's not possible, through PM?) And for what my research has brought up, it seems they have all rather dull markings without squadron markings and display only a white 3-digit number on the tail (XV Squadron?). I couldn't find any decals to use for this subject, only I stumbled across Xtradecal X72158 RAF White letters, numerals and titles which seem to be the right style of numbers to use, but are they really? I can source the serials from other decal sheets but these 3 digit codes are somewhat difficult to get by seemingly. Thanks in advance!!! Greetings

Hi all Print Scale do attractive decals for Mig-17 without mentioning the exact variant they are destined for. https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/PSL72008 Please any recommendations for a Mig-17 kit in 1/72 scale? In particular the Egyptian version? Are there any pics on the internet that will assist? Thanks in anticipation. M.M.