stevej60 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) Hi folks,I,m a bit gutted as while decaling an Airfix Chinook I,ve dicovered how bad the decals are! I knew the minute one of the roundels went on they were thick,too matt and the carrier film was a milky gray,I cured the few I did by glossing/sticking then glossing over but do not relish the thought of this for the many still to do,will Decalfix help? My son gave me a bottle but I have never needed to use it before. Edited February 26, 2015 by stevej60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) Hi Steve. I've recently had a long battle with both Tamiya and Airfix decals and I think I found a similar problem to you in that the Airfix decals seemed quite thick and, in my case, very brittle. Any Airfix decal on a flat srface wasn't too bad although I had a few just break up in the water. I did cut away as much carrier film as possible - such as completely cutting out the code letters. If you go down this route you'll need sharp scissors and a knife as I found even a slightly rough cut was possibly the start of a tear. I cut the carrier film away from the outside of the roundels with scissors. I did use DecalFix but it still took a long time for it to have any effect and then it wasn't brilliant. I ended up doing a lot of touching up with paint and reassembling bits of decal. Perhaps someone else may have some ideas to help. What ever you do try and practice with spare decals first if you have any. Kind regards, Stix Edited February 26, 2015 by PlaStix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Hi Steve. I've recently had a long battle with both Tamiya and Airfix decals and I think I found a similar problem to you in that the Airfix decals seemed quite thick and, in my case, very brittle. Any Airfix decal on a flat srface wasn't too bad although I had a few just break up in the water. I did cut away as much carrier film as possible - such as completely cutting out the code letters. If you go down this route you'll need sharp scissors and a knife as I found even a slightly rough cut was possibly the start of a tear. I cut the carrier film away from the outside of the roundels with scissors. I did use DecalFix but it still took a long time for it to have any effect and then it wasn't brilliant. I ended up doing a lot of touching up with paint and reassembling bits of decal. Perhaps someone else may have some ideas to help. What ever you do try and practice with spare decals first if you have any. Kind regards, Stix Thank,s Stix I think I will go with the slower but proven glossing I have used already it,s dried fine I was worried about the large full length starboard walkway decal but just applied it after cutting in three and it looks great.just a bit tedious! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Glad you've got a good way of sorting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 Glad you've got a good way of sorting it. Thanks Stix,yea rather put up with the slower method rather than spoil the work done so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarpete247 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I hung on recalling the Spitfire I recently built until I got some decalfix. Today I got some from local Hobbycraft. I watched YouTube clip on Airfix sight about how to use it. It seems to have left a shiny residue on the paint finish. Is this normal? How to I get rid of it? Decals went on brilliantly onto acrylic, brushed on, paint. Vid says it is suitable for matt finish but doesn't mention leaving residue. Do I just leave it overnight and dab off with wet tissue or do I need to add a clear (matt) varnish? Any advice or links welcome. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 I hung on recalling the Spitfire I recently built until I got some decalfix. Today I got some from local Hobbycraft. I watched YouTube clip on Airfix sight about how to use it. It seems to have left a shiny residue on the paint finish. Is this normal? How to I get rid of it? Decals went on brilliantly onto acrylic, brushed on, paint. Vid says it is suitable for matt finish but doesn't mention leaving residue. Do I just leave it overnight and dab off with wet tissue or do I need to add a clear (matt) varnish? Any advice or links welcome. Pete Pete,was the kit glossed for decalling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old thumper Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I hung on recalling the Spitfire I recently built until I got some decalfix. Today I got some from local Hobbycraft. I watched YouTube clip on Airfix sight about how to use it. It seems to have left a shiny residue on the paint finish. Is this normal? How to I get rid of it? Decals went on brilliantly onto acrylic, brushed on, paint. Vid says it is suitable for matt finish but doesn't mention leaving residue. Do I just leave it overnight and dab off with wet tissue or do I need to add a clear (matt) varnish? Any advice or links welcome. Pete I always leave it to dry over night then wipe off the residue. I always use enamel sprayed with gloss cote though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarpete247 Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Pete,was the kit glossed for decalling?No gloss coat or gloss finish. I want a matt finish so no reflections. I will have a go at sponging the residue after dinner (which I'm just about to have). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarpete247 Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Just checked, after letting sponged water dry and it seems OK. What do others do to get a matt finish after decalling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 Just checked, after letting sponged water dry and it seems OK. What do others do to get a matt finish after decalling? I use Vallejo matt varnish Pete,hand brushed on 1/72 kits,sprayed on larger ones,there are a lot of products out there everyone has their faves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old thumper Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I first spray on humbrol gloss cote (I find it better than klear), then apply the transfers and then finally spray over with matt cote. When you do it this way matt paint doesn't look quite as flat as it would without anything on top but it gains a certain sort of texture that I like. WW2 aircraft were generally not painted in total matt anyway, if you leave a car for example outdoors in all weathers without washing or polishing it then it will lose it's shine naturally, it was a bit like that with WW2 aircraft. Transfers sit on a gloss finish way better than matt, plus matt paint is rather porous and can stain even with just water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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