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For those in the plastic model variety...

As Tako says, tepid water is better than cold water. I have an old coffee percolator that the carafe had broken and I use it to sit my bowl of water on. Then if it needs a little heating, I turn it on for a few minutes (do not let it get hot).

I would say 10 seconds maximum Witt if your water is warm, too long and as Tako says, it will slip off the backing paper, but worst of all, your decal adhesive will be pretty much gone. Should that happen, I use Microscale Krystal Kleer and thin it with some warm water and brush on a little where the decal is to go, then set the decal in place and position it. I rarely use any solvent solution, but do use a setting solution called MicroSet. If I use a solvent solution, I usually will let the decal set for an hour before using it, then I will use a #11 blade to cut any air bubbles or recesses where the decal has not nestled into and apply some MicroSol. I will only use Solvaset for very thick and troublesome decals, watch this stuff on thin decal, it can wrinkle them beyond repair.

Caz
 
Tako i figured a way around them walkway lines on a lanc, make a mask for it and paint them on, may take hours with a craft knife but is worth it for the lines, and the decal can be used, the 'NO STEP - WALKWAY' text being removed then added to the model as a smaller decal, i think a few times i've had to cut larger decals up and place them piece by piece, it's a nightmare but can be rewarding, second my money hits my bank on Monday i'm off to invest in a Good Model kit... not built one for a few years... my last i made was... i think it was a Revell A380 which i painted in BA's Landor Scheme and gave to a Friend as a birthday Gift...
 
I lost one walkway decal on the Lanc when it turned into a pretzel the instant it came off the backing paper and nothing I did could sort it out so I had to mask and paint the lines on in the end. :icon_lol:
 
Although IMHO, the best walkway lines etc are as already mentioned, to mask and paint. Another way is to us blank decal film, paint the colors you want - red, black, white, yellow, etc, then custom cut them for your own use. Cut the paint to where it takes 3 or 4 passes to where you get a good color representation on the film. Let it dry at least over night. Works just like any other decal. As with all things that are worth while, be patient and develop your own technique.

Nice shots Duckie. That is only the south end of the east wall. And the awards are only from 2000 forward, all older awards are boxed. If I get any time today, maybe I'll give all a walk around. I have over 250 completed models, have sold somewhere up to 50, done a dozen or so on commission. But why brow beat, I am no longer in the business. Just stopped cold turkey in May 2008. Got burned out I guess, that and the ever increasing cost of plastic and material. And the Chi-Coms taking over molding of everything and getting nothing right! It just got to be more stress than I allow myself to live with.

Caz
Click to expand...

Would love to see more of your models, Caz, as well as anyone elses who cares to share. The models in my cases are the ones I chose to keep for me. Most all of my others were sold or given away to various individuals and institutions.

I have to agree with you that the products are certainly not what they were when I was heavy into it in the mid to late 90's. Accuracy has always been an issue with manufacturers, one reason after market products have flourished but even they have trouble getting it right sometimes

I did some commission work. But that just got to where it was WORK, not fun. And, as I'm sure you are well aware, the return on investment was nil!

Here are two of my commissions. The jet was my last commission. Both are for and were on display at the NASM. I haven't been there since 2005 so they may have been rotated out by now. They are scratch built 1/16th museum scale, A converted DH-4 and a P-59.
 
Here's my method for doing good looking models.

Buy a model kit I want to build. Take it home and use a sharp pair of scissors, cut the picture of the plane /car out of the top of the box. Throw the model kit into the trash and hang up the picture of the model...I know there is no way in heck that any model I build is going to look as good as the one on the box top...so I just save myself the disappointment and enjoy the pretty picture.

OBIO
 
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