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Help! Decals melted on MK V Tempest!


Neil.C

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I have almost finished my Novo Tempest and being laid up with a virus thought I'd get on with the decals. It's a pretty old kit but I was dismayed to see them immediately split into untold pieces on contact with water.

 

I'm definitely at the budget end of the hobby so has anyone any ideas where I can source  some reasonably priced replacements?

 

 

Feeling a bit fed up at the moment.

 

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Never trust old decals. You can stop them disintegrating by coating with decal film. Just remember to trim around the decal before using. Apologies if this is old news.

John

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40 minutes ago, John R said:

Never trust old decals. You can stop them disintegrating by coating with decal film. Just remember to trim around the decal before using. Apologies if this is old news.

John

That's actually new news to me, thanks.

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It' s not specifically old nor just Novo.  It was a common if not universal occurrence with Eastern European transfers in the 80s, when such things were new.  So word got around, and covering them with a coat of varnish was the established solution.  It was so well known that people were still doing this when it was no longer required.  On reaching the 21st century modellers realised it was not longer a necessity on the current kits, and the older kits gradually disappeared.  So the lesson was kept in the heads of older modellers because the younger ones never encountered the problem and now those newer modellers who turn to the rare surviving kits of older decades fall into the old trap...

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4 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

It' s not specifically old nor just Novo.  It was a common if not universal occurrence with Eastern European transfers in the 80s, when such things were new.  So word got around, and covering them with a coat of varnish was the established solution.  It was so well known that people were still doing this when it was no longer required.  On reaching the 21st century modellers realised it was not longer a necessity on the current kits, and the older kits gradually disappeared.  So the lesson was kept in the heads of older modellers because the younger ones never encountered the problem and now those newer modellers who turn to the rare surviving kits of older decades fall into the old trap...

Cheers Graham.

 

Just came back to the hobby after forty odd years and a lot to learn!

 

This place is a great resource for that. ☺

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As a "just in case" action, I use to airbrush some Clear/Future/Whateveryoucallit over old or not so  trusty decals....I'm "recovering" an old Harrier from the shelf of doom right now, and the decals are a real s***t.

It's an old Tamiya GR.1, but it seems as it had spent 40 years stored in a very damp environment....

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18 hours ago, Artie said:

As a "just in case" action, I use to airbrush some Clear/Future/Whateveryoucallit over old or not so  trusty decals....I'm "recovering" an old Harrier from the shelf of doom right now, and the decals are a real s***t.

It's an old Tamiya GR.1, but it seems as it had spent 40 years stored in a very damp environment....

Clear/Future?

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10 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

 

OK Neil

here you go...

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html

 

yes, floor polish......  a type of acrylic varnish basically

Ah right, basically a sealer then?

 

I see how that would work in holding old decals together.

 

Thanks Troy.

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9 minutes ago, Neil.C said:

Ah right, basically a sealer then?

 

I see how that would work in holding old decals together.

 

Thanks Troy.

 

it's self levelling, selaer varnish,   which is why it works on canopies, it fills in tiny imperfections and then leaves a smooth glossy surface, and it does work.

 

  apparently the stuff to use these days Lakeland Quickshine.   The only thing I have got round to sticking decals on recently I used Kleer on the model, and bed the decals down in it.   Worked a treat.  no silvering.

As with all this new fangled stuff.  experiment on something that doesn't matter first.

 

And Novo decals were always pants.   i remember woollies getting in their first batch of Novo kits in early 77,  cheap as well,  got the Barracuda,  and was very upset when the decals shattered,  as I was 11 I didn't have appropriate spare, or know about the idea of putting on clear varnish, made the cheap Novo's a big disappointment.

But then there ended up being loads of cheap Frog kits about after that anyway.

 

 

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Just remembered my daughter getting an IMC (American Airfix) F-86D because of the dragon on the side, and just touching the transfers caused them to crumble into dust.  So it isn't just Eastern European productions.  To be fair, I don't think that it was new then.

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Would it have been the F-80C? It had a dragon decal for the fuselage.

I'm checking cos those decals on one of my Airfix F-80 kits broke up as well. As did the replacements, and the next replacements. I think it was about the fifth set sent by Airfix did not break up.

I recommend 'Liquid Decal Film' on old decals

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No, I know what you mean about the F-80, but this was an IMC F-86D with non-Airfix markings, basically a red slash/sword down the fuselage with a dragon's head (well, sort of).  I've not seen the scheme on any other decal sheet - not that I've looked for a long time, the kit having been passed on with some Phillipine Air Force markings I happened to have.

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Don’t dismiss all old transfers (I’m old fashioned and hate saying decal!). 

 

If yellowed, Tape then to a window and they will bleach back. Never tried it myself but others say it works.

 

I have a transfers box with with stuff getting on for 40 odd years old in some cases. The ‘seed’ was a bag of surplus FROG sheets I bought in the early 80’s for about £1.00. Best bargain ever and still work perfectly! Here’s a set from a P-47 that I put on the new Airfix Typhoon for a laugh.

 

27627727219_e7e60d0b8f_b.jpg

 

Trevor

 

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What has been said but I'm happy to reinforce. If in doubt Microscale Liquid decal film to stop suspect decals (sorry Trevor, transfers is too long to type, xfers maybe ;) ) breaking up. Klear/Future or its equivalents to settle/bed a decal. I dilute mine about 30-40% & use a puddle of this to float decal into place, wick excess away with corner of paper towel/tissue, roll down with damp q-tip. If decal is not correctly positioned, use a small (#2) stiffish brush to wet with more Klear slution, I've been able to lift the edge of a well stuck decal after some minutes, & reposition. The Klear acts as a glue too so washing away decal adhesive is not an issue. I've never used any of the sol/set combos on the couple of dozen modells I've done in the last few years & not had issues with silvering or lack of conformity to panel lines etc.

Steve.

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15 hours ago, Max Headroom said:

Don’t dismiss all old transfers (I’m old fashioned and hate saying decal!). 

Trevor

 

Aha, a man after my own heart!

 

When I was a youngster all the kits seemed to be Airfix or Frog but I was bought a Revell ME109 and it was in those instructions I first came across the word decal, obviously American in origin. 

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