Bandai Snowspeeder WIP - first model

korben44 & Scarecrow Joe:
Apologies, as I mentioned this is not my first hand experience with decals, I only passed on what I read about their use with Future on a particular site.
Please disregard this advice!

thepoynt said:

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

I too like the look of painted details over decals for the interior. It just takes longer But you don't get anything good without working for it...

Any tips on getting decals on flat, matte surfaces to blend in better? Either you put them on and they're glossy and don't blend in, or you put them on, topcoat over them, and the background of the decal ends up slightly lighter in color than the paint around it, and it ends up looking like a thin sticker. I wish there was a way to just transfer the pigment off a decal, like one of those kid's temporary tattoos - that would be amazing.

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I tried using decals with MicroSol on the instrument panels for many Bandai things. it still hides the actual details and in some cases the decals still look messier than painted details.

I find the best results is to paint first, then cut out just certain areas like display screens or dials etc... and apply individually

For the exterior surface decals I paint on some Future to get a glossy surface, then apply the decals after it has dried. The I apply some MicroSol

After a day or so to allow drying or additional applications of MicroSol/Set in case the decal lifted or is over a non-level surface, I apply a matte varnish

The key is to decal onto a gloss surface. Applying to a matte surface will often give the "silvering" effect

Analyzer said:

The key is to decal onto a gloss surface. Applying to a matte surface will often give the "silvering" effect

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That's it! Didn't even cross my mind but makes total sense. Thanks!