Airfix & their inability to make decals!

[spike7451]

Bloody Airfix decals!!!

So I'm just useing the kit decals on my 1/48 Canberra PR9,Everything going sweet so far & then I get to the walkway demarcation lines & nearly ALL of them have spots where they wont come off the backing paper,despite mutcho soaking!!!

After paying £30 (ish) for the kit,you'd think they could get something right!!!!

Edited June 5, 2010 by spike7451

[John]

Bloody Airfix decals!!!

So I'm just useing the kit decals,Everything going sweet so far & then I get to the walkway demarcation lines & nearly ALL of them have spots where they wont come off the backing paper,despite mutcho soaking!!!

After paying £30 (ish) for the kit,you'd think they could get something right!!!!

Which kit decals?

John

[Harvs73]

Yep, they are crap. I complained to them o ntheir site and they nicely sent me more of the exact same decals that I complained about in the first place! Poorly printed and wouldn't stick.

[avro683]

Which kit decals?

John

Tony

[487 Squadron]

I can understand where you are coming from. I have purchased one (or in some cases two) of each of their 1/24th 'Superkits'. In some cases the decals are great, but others are appalling. The local distributor is, frankly, useless. If it transpires that there is some way to get hold of good quality replacements, please post it up here. I've got a few to order

[spike7451]

Sorry,My Canberra PR9 1/48 th.

[CockneyCol]

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure?

[Simon]

You should see some of their efforts from a few years ago. I've the Airfix 1/48 Jaguar GR3, and the decals are printed out of register and offset, so much so that the markings are printed a couple of millimetres off the actual decal backing...

Of course trying to get replacements is like

[CockneyCol]

Sorry folks, misread the thread title, thought it said Airfix and their inability to make decisions.

If i were them I'd give up the decals as a bad job and do what everyone else does....get someone who can make them work to print them instead as I've had some utter utter Sh$te from them decal wise and have to admit normally just head straight for the spares box or aftermarket.

Not as if fantasy printshop or MPD or any other of the decal producers wouldn't leap at the business either, and best of all the punter would be happy (Us happy.....just move onto something else to moan about perhaps?)

Cheers

Col'

[AnonymousAA72]

If i were them I'd give up the decals as a bad job and do what everyone else does....get someone who can make them work to print them instead

Cheers

Col'

I think all new Airfix kits have decals printed by Cartograf...not much help with older kits I know,but at least Airfix have now recognised the problem.

On my B(I)8 the yellow hatched wing walk markings were rubbish and disintigrated, and what colour of Pale Blue and Pale Red were they thinking about on the PR9?

[jenko]

When speaking to Dave Hannant not so long ago, he told me that Airfix decals are now made by Cartograf. I think it's probably the budget end (Cartograf)of their range. Think what the quality could be like if they went to say Aeromaster / freightdog to name but 2 good decal manufacturers.

What they used to say years ago......spoiling the ship for a hapeth of tar!!!

Dick

[avro683]

Unusually the walkway transfers in my B(I)8 kit worked really well; I am hoping that wasn't a fluke!

Tony

[jenko]

Unusually the walkway transfers in my B(I)8 kit worked really well; I am hoping that wasn't a fluke!

Tony

My money is on it being a fluke!!!

Airfix decals are like watching a 3D film with out the glasses on!!!!!!!

Dick

[Julien]

I thought the new ones were OK?

Its not only Airfix, had real trouble with some fujimi ones at the moment. Found they come of the backing well with hot water, however when it starts to go cold they just dont want to move. Ended up with a small pot and a kettle using a small amount of hot water every time! arh!

Julien

[thx6667]

If i were them I'd give up the decals as a bad job and do what everyone else does....get someone who can make them work to print them instead

Col, that's what's been happening pretty much with all the new kits that have come out this year - clearly they've taken on board the comments about the printing quality hence why a lot of the new stuff is being done by Cartograf, but obviously if there's going to be stock out there prior to that.

Jenko, no Cartograf don't work like that - they make a quality decals, there is no "budget" line. The sheets you are alluding to were most probably not printed by Cartograf.

Edited June 5, 2010 by Jonathan Mock

[AnonymousAA72]

When speaking to Dave Hannant not so long ago, he told me that Airfix decals are now made by Cartograf. I think it's probably the budget end (Cartograf)of their range. Think what the quality could be like if they went to say Aeromaster / freightdog to name but 2 good decal manufacturers.

What they used to say years ago......spoiling the ship for a hapeth of tar!!!

Dick

You misconstrue Dick, the decals on the LATEST Airfix kits are by Cartograph..i.e. The 1/72nd scale Hawks, SHars....these are fine - and are typically Cartograf - in fact would they do a "budget end"? Its the earlier Canberra kits that I (and others here) are commenting on. These aren't cartograph!! A shame really - great artwork!!

[487 Squadron]

The recent Cartograf decals in the Airfix 1/24th range are excellent - but their (Airfix) earlier efforts really are crap. Out of register, super shiney, just plain low budget offerings that are a huge disappointment from a brand I grew up with and always thought of as being one of the best. Oh well, I'm learning plenty about making my own decals, I guess. Airfix, if you are listening, how do we sort this issue out? Some of your kits are iconic - but for $225 - $340 I should be able to use the decals!

[silverkite211]

Bloody Airfix decals!!!

So I'm just useing the kit decals on my 1/48 Canberra PR9,Everything going sweet so far & then I get to the walkway demarcation lines & nearly ALL of them have spots where they wont come off the backing paper,despite mutcho soaking!!!

This isn't just a problem with Airfix, I had the very same problem when I built the Classic Airframes Wyvern, the majority of the markings, large and small, stuck to the backing paper somewhere. One of the 'J' designators for the tail tore into three pieces because of this, as an example. Really frustrating, I can appeciate your irritation.

The worst decals I ever tried to deal with, though, were the markings that came with a MPC boxing of the Airfix 1/24 Spitfire. It was bad enough that the carrier film was produced as one sheet and each decal would have to be cut separately from the sheet, to add insult to that the decals simply did not react to any decal solution and would not conform to the surface they were placed on. I decided that I would sacrifice markings from another Airfix boxing of the kit and I lifted off the roundel that I had tried placing on the wing, crumpled it up and threw in the trash. When a friend and customer (I was working at a Hobby Shop at the time and could work on models when things were slow) came in and asked how the project was going I mentioned the problem with the decals and bent over to fish the roundel from the trash to show him how thick it was, imagine my surprise to find that it had unfolded, looking almost none the worse for wear!

[jenko]

You misconstrue Dick, the decals on the LATEST Airfix kits are by Cartograph..i.e. The 1/72nd scale Hawks, SHars....these are fine - and are typically Cartograf - in fact would they do a "budget end"? Its the earlier Canberra kits that I (and others here) are commenting on. These aren't cartograph!! A shame really - great artwork!!

I tried to use the decals from the 1/48 Canberra B1-8. I gave up as they were so far out of register.....am I correct that this is of the Cartograf printing??

Is there a point in time when Airfix started using Cartograf ? If so when was it and what kits ?

Having had my moans about Airfix I did do their 1/48 Spitfire 22/24 OOTB with airfix decals and it went a dream. This was some time back and subsequent spitfire 22/24 models the decals were yuck. No consistancy in quality.

not knowing the workings of Cartograf I was only summising that they did a budget range.

Dick

[Richard M]

When Hornby took over Airfix they started from scratch with new companies for the production of the kits and decals. They tried various companies with various results, learnt from the experience and customer feedback and are now using companies who produce good quality products. Unfortunately this doesn't help with the existing stock and early release kits, but should be reassuring for new releases.

Best

Rich

[thx6667]

I tried to use the decals from the 1/48 Canberra B1-8. I gave up as they were so far out of register.....am I correct that this is of the Cartograf printing??

No, they're not Cartograf.

Is there a point in time when Airfix started using Cartograf ? If so when was it and what kits ?

OK, to clarify so that there can be no confusion:

If its a new kit or reissue released late 2009 onwards it most probably does have Cartograf printed decals.

Anything older probably does not.

Edited June 5, 2010 by Jonathan Mock

[buccymad]

i have spat the dummy with building my buccaneer

got to the final stages and put on the decals!!!absolute now its sitting on a shelf taunting me!!,bought the ma decal sheet but it is devoid of any stencils

might never get this finished

it is the main reason i dont buy airfix kits

terrible fit=thats what putty is for

lack of detail=scratchbuild or etch

crap decals= paint them on ,which unlike the other two usually turns out looking like it was done by a five year old

[jenko]

Many thanks Jonathan for clarifying matters. As I dip in and out of making airfix kits I did not know the situation with decals.

One thing that really does stand out from this thread is that there is a gap in the market for some one to produce sheets of stencils for a variety of Airfix (and I dare say other kit makers) aircraft. Like MA do for the canberra.

Anyone interested out there???

Dick

[AnonymousAA72]

I tried to use the decals from the 1/48 Canberra B1-8. I gave up as they were so far out of register.....am I correct that this is of the Cartograf printing??

No.......as I said originally....

"You misconstrue Dick, the decals on the LATEST Airfix kits are by Cartograph..i.e. The 1/72nd scale Hawks, SHars....these are fine - and are typically Cartograf - in fact would they do a "budget end"? Its the earlier Canberra kits that I (and others here) are commenting on. These aren't cartograph!! A shame really - great artwork!! "

The decals on the Shar's and Hawk are excellent. Fear not hopefully all new Airfix kits will have these decals in!!!

Edited June 5, 2010 by Bill Clark

[thx6667]

Many thanks Jonathan for clarifying matters. As I dip in and out of making airfix kits I did not know the situation with decals.

One thing that really does stand out from this thread is that there is a gap in the market for some one to produce sheets of stencils for a variety of Airfix (and I dare say other kit makers) aircraft. Like MA do for the canberra.

It is going to be a bit of a lottery with the older stuff.

I've got three 1/48 Bucc sheets from a period of a decade, the original Colourslide ones are near perfect, almost a large Modeldecal sheet, but they only ever appeared in the very first boxings before production switched to Heller in France and here the quality takes a sharp nose dive - the first ones were almost usable but the later ones were just dreadful, not only was the registration totally out but some of the small details from the original sheets are just lost on blocky, smudgy printing.

Good point about the Bucc stencils, might be worth popping that question in the MA section here. I take it you're talking about Dark Green/Dark Sea Grey wrap around stencils?

Edited June 5, 2010 by Jonathan Mock