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paint spray is too intermittent, chinese tat

Wife bought me one as a gift, was not impressed. I think it is a chinese cheapy AK has marketed.

Any thought on applying decals on german zimmerit?

I saw another modeler who is having a different technique. He is putting SolvaSet on the decal, and 24hrs later he is peeling off the decal support with a pair of tweezers. Very simple

Hello! Thank you very, very much! I have a very lame question - how should I dilute Vallejo Primer, paints and varnishes for an airbrush with a needle 0.35-0.2? Really sorry for a such basic question.

I use Humbrol DecalFix and it works / seems to work for me. Humbrol DecalFix wasn't in the video but I can image lots of decal solutions are there and you have to choose what to test. Thanks anyway.

For $30 you can buy Knipex nippers which appear to be better quality.

Is it still possible to de-silver decals after airbrushing one Matt Varnish layer over them? Thanks

Thanks for this. I applied my decals on a gloss coated surface using a decal solution and I didn’t leave the decals too long in the water on applying. And I was much relieved as that would give the best results according to your research. The decals on my model look good and I hope and expect them to still look good after some days / weeks. I will put a second gloss coat on the decals within a few days after they have dried.

Looking forward to hearing about this show, wish I could make it a few states over to check it out but not this year.

Thanks, Cameron. I'm really looking forward to this show. I hope it is a huge success!

Great idea all people want is some recognition for their work and how to improve.

Looking forward to the Expo, really like this judging style and I can't wait to see how it all runs. Thanks for putting it on!

I wish more shows would go after this approach

Can a flat topcoat spray be used directly on decals to seal them in? If so which spray?

Very nice, thanks.

Lovely spit

Thanks for sharing.

If the performance is comparable to Tamiya then it is a solid option

Sorry , I didn't finish watching the video , Like the SNL lady used to say , NEVER MIND 😁😁

Great heads up, Thank You for sharing. How does the AK cement compare to Tamiya Extra Thin? I get the Tamiya Airbrush cleaner to refill my extra thin. You get a 250 ML bottle (Pink Top) for about $10. Is the same formula, been using it for years, no complaints. And you get 6 refills of the regular Extra Thin bottles. (that's about $36) Hope you and your loved ones have a great/safe weekend. Take care, Tony

Thanks grabbed a pair

I'm bramd new to the hobby, and I'm watching vids as I cut and sand before painting. It looks like putting decals on over gloss was producing best results. However, what if I wanted to end with a flat coat? Lay down gloss, apply decals, then hit it with flat coat to finish? That is, if I decide that to emd with flat coat. This was well done experiment!

love this...where's part 3

A good comparison would be the tamiya 1/48 spitfire mk1....yes smaller scale but a lot off similarities in the kit pieces!

Wow, very cool camouflage: you rendered the original Viper perfectly 🔝 May I ask if the initial overall black is just Mr.Surfacer primer, or you also applied a light coat of very dark gray to lighten a little bit the pure black? Thanks

You can reuse them.

why why why? the paint works great with the appropriate such as AK11500 or Vallejo 71.261 . I am humble enough to trust Vallejo information...the professionals.. you seem like a nice guy, best wishes to you.

Thank you, I was wondering about these decals. So what is the benefit of these decals compared to the typical water slide with no film?

nice I saw my Elefant!! Thank you!!

Excellent video, just subscribed to you. I have tamiya 1 32 mk. VIII to build, very happy with the detail, but when I do an early Spit, Kotare is who I will buy, looks stunning. I know people have said about lack of engine, but there are other ones with that detail, so it's courses for horses.

Yes, great explanation, I think the best combo currently is Tamiya Decal adhesive and then Mark Fit Super Stong.

Great video brother!!!

Boy the Mark Fit Strong looks like it did the best out of the bunch. Better than the DSPIAE. A couple questions: 1. What is the substrate? Is it paint? Varnish? 2. Which of the decals were just Mr. Mark Setter used on, vs. Setter and Softer? I’m sure you know they’re big fans of Setter over Softer on SMCG group. I think Solvaset was neutered a couple years ago. I don’t have proof, other than rumor and my latest bottle doesn’t seem stronger than anything else I’ve used. It would be great to get back to the basics. A lot of people using different techniques: - Cold or hot water? - How long to let the decal sit in the water? Some people think you don’t want to wash the adhesive off the back. - Some people think squeezing the moisture out from underneath once on the model is actually counterproductive - squeezing the adhesive out. - I apply a “bubble” of softener to the decal from edge to edge once applied and dry, letting it work and evaporate. Some people apply it, let it sit for a few minutes then mop it up.

You shouldnt end your review with "i dont know"

I like your comparative approach and the use of the clear base to see what happens underneath the decal. Thanks for the tips!

Great follow on! This test (now test SERIES) is a wonderful departure point for whats next. Because you tried to be so inclusive, there are many avenues that someone could focus in on - chemical makeup of the solvent, paint or varnishes, light exposure after finish, exposure to dust, physical handling (especially for mini painters!)... I plan on looking into where the decals I have come from and how I'm going to apply them more carefully. My little library of zip-locked treasures definitely comes from a variety of sources. I use the MiniPaints app to track my paint inventory and some project progression and paint formula (which I'm bad at 😢). What would be great would be an app that lets me take a pic of my decal sheet, then scratch off the ones I used - maybe with notes that would help me remember things about the decals themselves and the processes I used / results I got. Heck, even a note on the date of apllication would help me ID problems down the line in terms of age and degradation. Certainly I coukd do this with a vector image program, but an app would be more convenient. 😉

Thanks for this - I'm just getting back into hobby painting after many years. I knew a little bit about decals - mostly stuff my dad showed me when I was 10. After watching your video, I'd say I may have thought of myself as a brown belt - but really I was a yellow belt. Gonna go watch the next vid now.😊

Thanks again for your time that you put into this. Lots of good information.

I think when it comes to positioning a decal on a surface, it is always easier and safer for the decal to do so on a gloss surface.

Thank you for sharing your experiment results!! 👍🙇‍♂️🙏🏻

Wait so you were rubbing those Eduard decal films off through a varnish coat??

Appreciate you doing this. I have been hearing a lot of back and forth about this topic from different modelers. I'm glad you showed that it is just more than a yes or no answer. Just like the washing models and priming debate. Do you have to? No..... Will it help? Probably. I think Clint Eastwood said it best.... "Do you feel lucky?"

Nicely done - I love the experimentation. Those decals took one for the team.

In the words of Mike Rinaldi, “no chip is too small”.

There is no end to the You Tube videos that tell you the "right" way to do anything related to building plastic scale models. As for decals. I just finished up a Tamiya tank model kit. I put a touch of Micro Sol down first, laid the decal down, and let it dry completely. I then laid a single coat of watered down Mod Poge over the decal, and let it dry. Had no "silvering", no nothing. It looks great, and the decal is protected.

The concern I have with this is you’re using sheet styrene for your tests rather than kit surfaces which contain things like rivets and panel lines. As such, it doesn’t reflect real world conditions.

I say screw the decals. Silhoutte cutter to the rescue…

Wait a minute, Ruitools seriously just took our description pics and put them in their manual smh...

Excellent stash!👍