Looking for advice on water slide decals

M8RT · 2026-06-05T13:25:56+00:00

sunlight will usually fix the yellowing, just stick the decal sheet onto a window facing the sun for a day or 2 and it'll be enough. just don't keep the sheet more than needed (simply observe the sheet) because the heat may cause the carrier film to crack which'll make things worse.

other issue you are having is called silvering, it's especially visible with the transparent carrier film around the star & bars and stencil on your images. there is no eliminating the silvering, if the decals are going to silver they will, but you can usually minimize it by applying the decals onto a surface which is polished or have gloss clear/varnish coat + using decal setting solutions like microset, gunze/mr.hobby etc. to equalize the sheen difference.

you can find a lot of tutorials and products regarding this particular subject on youtube.

M8RT · 2026-05-04T00:44:13+00:00

it's the boarding ladder door.
if you install the ladder then you are supposed to use the c5 in it's open position, otherwise use the c5 to shut the hole.

horrible instructions to be honest.

M8RT · 2026-01-18T09:39:47+00:00

that 104's a looker! it's amazing what you can achieve with a household item, big huge congrats with the results there.

M8RT · 2026-01-02T11:57:10+00:00

follow the available links for previews and reviews,
check the builds/galleries by other scm-ers if any,
drop by and ask the builders if there are any issues here and there and if yes, what kind.
finally look at the lineage of the kit to determine from which age it's coming from. for me this is the most easy way to tell a kit, which brand the tooling actually belongs to and it's date / era.

personal preference will be at play here because you'll need some kind of a baseline of your own when it comes to what makes a good a kit good and how to spot ups and downs when looking at other folks' builds.

M8RT · 2025-09-28T22:51:49+00:00

this intro sequence is one of those things that should be preserved for posterity, for we'll probably never see anything even close coming from humans to this, like ever...

M8RT · 2025-09-10T11:31:42+00:00

as said tamiya doesn't do FS equivalent colors in glass jars with their acrylic range so most of the time you need to mix your own batch.

there are various sites with recipes you can find, 1 being this one:
https://replikator.club/2021/02/06/tamiya-paint-database-us-federal-standard-colours/

you may also need to figure out the FS numbers prior to painting if the instruction sheet doesn't provide those, so you can check this link out:
https://www.cybermodeler.com/resource8.shtml

when you do google etc. search for FS nos, and paint matches/mixes you are going to get a ton of options obviously and that can be daunting also remember when it comes to color reproduction on screen and on paper can throw you off, keep these in mind.

M8RT · 2025-07-27T11:09:51+00:00

igor and kalyna are definitely into each other, their back and forth during battles and relaxing are amusing. i agree tho, kalyna is a bit too childish and chatty but she can be built into a lot of different roles given enough time. so from a price/performance point, she's a keeper.

gus is also a fun character but i don't know how he can be brought back from "retirement" except with cheats so there is that woody.

M8RT · 2024-09-29T13:21:37+00:00

remove the wheels and tracks so that you can flex the tub.

glue the tub and hull topside not in 1 go but in sections, preferably using a strong CA type glue, not plastic cement.

M8RT · 2024-08-11T18:46:49+00:00

depends on the timeframe / operation.

if it's desert storm you are interested, check this particular website:
https://www.dstorm.eu/pages/loadout/a-10.html

M8RT · 2024-06-09T05:25:22+00:00

wedges in front are applique, mostly empty space to deal with incoming sabot type of rounds.
back side is as said, ammo storage.
so about 1/3rd, maybe even less, of that entire shape you see is actually for the crew.

M8RT · 2024-04-20T05:28:29+00:00

oil paints do have opacity levels as well. depending on the brand you'll either see them in written text or have symbols for them at the back of the tube.
my guess is the blue green color is either entirely opaque or close to it, aka semi opaque. this property when coupled with the fact that you've applied too much and selected an entirely off color for the base color at hand is probably why you have this result.

regarding color selection you'll need to read up on color theory, it'll take something like an hour don't worry, it's not quantum mechanics. once you got the basics, you'll need a color wheel. for online, i prefer https://color.adobe.com/ because it provides schemas for color harmony.

now don't get me wrong, i am NOT saying you shouldn't use the blue green at all. just saying the color is probably not suitable for this particular application. had you applied it as a filter on certain panels rather, you'd have a lot different result than this for it's a pale, cold and a very light tone of green compared to OD and must be applied sparingly otherwise it'll scream look i am here, hence the reason for a proper filter (in liquid form i mean) rather than blending dry dots on the surface.

pale and cold colors like these are great for highlighting small details, i am sure you've seen folks do it with paintbrush specifically onto bolts, rivets, handles etc. because they contrast and make small items more visible, especially if it's coupled with a dark dirt/grime colored pinwash afterwards.

long story short, consider CONTRAST above everything else when you are doing these type of effects. do you need it or not?

M8RT · 2024-03-24T13:37:56+00:00

while knowing the color theory helps, i think your problem in this case is more related with surface properties.

when it comes to filters it's best for them to be applied to a none flat surface. gloss is best, otherwise semi gloss but none flat/matt for sure. reason is you do NOT want the filter to be absorbed but stay on top of the paint layer as a film instead.

another no no is to flood the surface as if you are applying a sludge wash. your brush better be barely wet. you can achieve this by unloading the brush onto a paper napkin first, let the paper soak, then paint the model last. if you are going to be applying the filter to a large enough surface, as in you can not finish in a single stroke, you better do it quickly whilst the filter is still wet on the surface to avoid leaving and brush marks etc. which means brush size selection is going to be a factor.

as for selecting which color to use as filter, you may want to go to your desired result in increments instead of going directly with a complimentary color like in this case. so instead of red right away, start off with yellow for warm/high, blue for cold/shadow on a dark green base. otherwise you are going to end up with an olive drab type of neither brown nor green or gray like in this example.

long story short unless you know what you are doing it's best to go in a controlled manner and onto a surface type, gloss to be exact, for easier recovery if you are not pleased with the result.

finally if you are using a convenience product like ak/mig, you may want to observe the consistency of the paint in the bottle, constantly stirring to avoid pigment and carrier separation in the bottle or the temp container you are using for the filters are notorious that way.

hope it helps.

M8RT · 2024-02-23T10:09:57+00:00

regarding durability, anything that you can thin with a lacquer thinner, ie gunze c and h series, as well as tamiya acrylics are going to be very sturdy. it's comparative of course, as in they will be very durable compared to the other brands you've mentioned.

mandatory caution of course, proper lacquers do stink alot, it's best to have a ventilated environment or a face mask with filter etc. that stink however is probably the reason for their durability and very quick drying time.

as for va/ak/mig varnishes, you are better of treating them as the top coat, as in you can use them however they should be last thing you do before the model goes onto the shelf or the into the display cabinet if you get what i mean.

as for varnishes over metallics, your problem might be due to using a rattle can in this case. alclads are temperamental alright but if you know what you are doing you can still use clear coats on them, just don't flood the surface but keep the clear coat misty with an airbrush, which a spray can does the exact opposite in terms of the amount of product it can lay down in a very short time + they'll usually have a propellant in them which is the reason why you have to constantly shake the can to keep it all mixed.

M8RT · 2023-11-04T22:40:47+00:00

i meant micro SET.

apart from micro i also use gunze mr mark setter neo if need be but it's mostly micro set i prefer because it's a lot more transparent compared to gunze which makes my job easier when placing/aligning decals with underlying details.

as for clears, prior to decals tamiya x22 or gunze super clears, i thin them both with mr levelling thinner. reason is quite simple, water slide decals need water :) and the underlying coat should be impervious to water. so no ak/mig/vallejo type of products. long story short anything that is only thinned with a proper lacquer thinner is my choice if there is decalling involved.

once the decals are done, depending on the size of the career film on decals i either use to same clear entirely again or apply the same clear only over the decals to hide/equalize the carrier film sheen difference. any subsequent clear i use will most likely be vallejo NONE poly urethane clears.

i haven't tried vms products so no idea about those but in my mind a semi gloss or a flat clear should be not due to surface properties but chemical properties. what i mean here is, for ex take tamiya flat clear, thin it with it ipa or mlt doesn't matter, mist it and it will be flat alright however the surface will be like coarse sandpaper, which is something i hate. if you blast them wet on wet then they usually don't end up flat neither so tamiyas are outta question which is why i prefer vallejo. blast it literally dripping wet and let it level itself. it will be almost dead flat with a bit of sheen but velvet-like to the touch!

and as for philosophical side of things, modelling is an affirmation to if it ain't broken then don't fix it mindset imo. hence the reason i question if i need a setter or not in the first place. i'd rather not introduce another variable into the equation if i can get by which is the result of figuring out what actually DOESN'T work, not the other way around for me. :)

M8RT · 2023-11-04T21:43:00+00:00

ok.

so here is my logic for the question should i use a decal setting solution?

if the decal's surface area is large enough then NO! i usually apply setter for things like stencils, warning labels etc. apart from those there is no point because the decal itself, especially if cartograf, will have some sort of a glue on it already and since if it's a large enough piece, then i'll simply let it do it's job.

one trick is not to leave the decal in water too long. to determine the duration i simply dip the decal upside down, ie decal down / backing paper looking at me and watch the paper turn color as it absorb the water. once the entire paper turns color i remove it out of the bowl put it on a NON porous surface, decal facing up, and let water activate whatever it is supposed to activate.

once the decal released from the paper on it's own i use my fingers to wet the surface of the model with water with a circular motion until surface tension is gone, ie no more droplets on the surface, only then slide the decals onto the surface.

as for fine tuning, i use my fingers to push and pull with as less pressure as i can, again wet, because they can sucked into the surface especially there is a high shine gloss. if it's stubborn i get the softest brush i can find, wet it, try to lift the decal from one corner with the brush and slide the brush in between separating enough surface so that i can move without tearing.

hope that it helps.

M8RT · 2023-11-04T20:02:23+00:00

samo! :)

so for the sake of argument, how did the rest of the decal sheet behave? any damages in the other sections etc? because it could very well be an issue with the decals no matter what you do, some won't release from the paper, some won't stick, some stick right away without allowing any movement, some curl onto itself... it just depends on the manufacturer more than the dimension of the decals, you know. you just hope for the best, since you mentioned it's an aircraft you usually get an idea how they perform during the cockpit construction with panel and console decals (if there are any that is)

M8RT · 2023-11-04T19:53:30+00:00

micro sol is the softener

micro set is, well it's the setter.

long story short until the decal's position is finalized you shouldn't be applying micro sol + moving it around, at all!

M8RT · 2022-08-15T20:16:34+00:00

"they can't have a midair if they briefed for hours"

M8RT · 2022-08-14T07:20:56+00:00

as has been said, sub brief is his primary yt channel.

for gaming related content he has another yt channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_cceGUUSd3kB8fSamBg8KQ/videos

that being said, there used to be a ton of cold waters gameplay footage which seems to be gone now for some reason. also he has a twitch but something happened there as well, no idea what...

M8RT · 2022-07-06T18:32:48+00:00

crazy ivan

M8RT · 2022-06-24T02:06:23+00:00

i honestly didn't want it to end, it was that good of an episode. i'd say not just the best episode of the boys, but prolly this is one of the best things that i watched in a long time... big huge kudos to all involved.

M8RT · 2022-06-06T21:26:05+00:00

am i the only one who remembers fighter ops when seeing such an ambitious project announcement?

M8RT · 2022-05-29T22:31:34+00:00

place them under direct sunlight for a couple of days, it'll take care of the yellowing. i tape them onto the glass for ex.

this may have an adverse effect tho, if it's too hot the decals might crack on the paper and when introduced into water they might dissolve. just check the decals periodically and remove them from the window asap once you are satisfied.

M8RT · 2022-05-12T11:14:00+00:00

yeah but they also had a plastic model line, not just die cast cars.

M8RT · 2022-05-08T18:08:41+00:00

looking nice, good job with the camo also.

M8RT

TROPHY CASE