Tamiya 1/48 A 10A Thunderbolt

[Deleted member 7181]

So, not my best day.

Spent a while applying the decals and I'm not sure I'm ever going to enjoy that bit. Lots of tiny stickers sliding around all over the place then suddenly gripping fast once they are in the wrong place Finding them stuck to my fingers and having no idea where they came from. Then there's the silvering and the mess left behind by the decal fix solution.

Hopefully I'll get better with practice lol





Then I had the bright idea of adding a wash to try and pick out some of the panel lines. As predicted I pretty much ruined it! I've cleaned it off the best I can but now we're left with a patchy, streaky finish with random black smudges.



Looks much worse in real life. Should have taken your advice and left it well alone

Ah well, mistakes are inevitable and I've learned a valuable lesson for next time.

Most of the landing gear is built now too, just waiting for the paint to dry then I can start final assembly. That might take a while though with all those rockets & bombs!

 

[stillp]

Doesn't look bad at all Andy. The residue from the decal solution will come off with a soft brush and warm water. Let the decals dry first though!
Pete

 

[Archetype]

Decals are not easy. I’ll explain how I do it in case it helps.
To hand I have:

shallow dish of tepid water
self closing tweezers
blunted cocktail stick
kitchen roll

Before applying decals I apply a coat of gloss which helps with adhesion and silvering.
I cut out the decals to be applied, clamp in the tweezers and sit in the dish face down (they tend to curl toward the print face).
You can keep the decal moving once applied to the model by applying water and always have a piece of kitchen towel handy to absorb excess once the decals are in place. I also use a blunted cocktail stick to move decals around.
I tend to only use a setting solution once the decals are in place and sparingly too, reapplying if necessary. I only apply the solution first on big decals and work quickly to position.
Also work away from one end to avoid them sticking to your fingers.

This works for me and I hope it helps.

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks Pete. I'm letting it dry overnight then I'll have a go at cleaning it up again, before a final matt (or maybe satin) coat to seal everything in.

Cheers Chris, that's pretty much how I'm doing it, but I clearly need lots of practice before I become proficient. I tried Vallejo Decal Fix in some areas and just water in others. The Decal fix might have helped a little but left a mess afterwards. I'm still a bit clumsy so no matter where I fitted a decal I always seemed to be holding it there when I moved onto the next. Maybe I should try and support it somehow rather than trying to juggle with it while sliding the decals around.

 

[Archetype]

Yep. Try not to handle it when applying decals.
I use micro sol / set which don’t leave residue.

 

[stillp]

Andy, yes, buy or make a stand. Can be as simple as a cardboard box, or more complicated if you feel creative or buy one of the adjustable ones (like I did).
One trick that I found helpful, especially with the smaller decals, is to just dip the transfer in water then leave it on a piece of ceramic tile until the decal is ready to slide. I used to put them in a shallow dish, but they seem to be able to swim away from a pair of tweezers! Hence the tile, no more chasing them around.
Pete

 

[Archetype]

Its true! Occasionally some will make a bid for freedom.

 

[Deleted member 7181]

OK, I'll knock something up for next time thanks. Plenty of timber and wire hanging around in the shed so I'm sure I can fashion something suitable. The top and bottom were easier as I had it sat on the bench but for the sides I was kind of holding it with one wing wedged between my knees. Maybe that's why I keep breaking parts off

The Vallejo just seemed like thinned down PVA glue to me Chris, hence the residue. There's probably a reason why I see so many using the micro twins!

And I've seen people using a tile or flat saucer to rest their decals on too, makes sense now. I've been resting mine on kitchen roll which has probably sucked some of the moisture out.

 

[JR]

Think we have all been there at some point with decals Andy. Jim I think put me on to using a tile, I use a pipette to apply the water just enough to cover the decal. I see from your post your thoughts on Vallejo, I'd never heard of the other when I returned to modelling and bought the first one I read about .
Can't see much wrong though, anyway an A10 wants to look mean and dirty !

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks John, I'm hoping that looking at it with fresh eyes this morning will ease my mind a bit. The wife thought it looked "dirty and battle worn", which is a result I guess

 

[Archetype]

I’m sure it’ll turn out well.

 

[Deleted member 4539]

Looking good to me .
Decals the joy and bane of many modellers.

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks chaps.

I put on some Mr Color matt clear this morning. I need to practice with that as it went on very dusty. I had more success with the Vallejo one I used previously but a quick wipe over with a microfibre cloth sorted it out. Managed to spill a big splash of it on one of the wings though , which pretty much removed the paint. Ended up having to brush some colour back over a small section. Not great but I can live with it.

Then I moved on to fitting the landing gear and ordinance. She's pretty loaded up!





A couple of finishing touches and I'm calling it done. Thanks to everyone that came along for the ride, and all of the great comments, help & advice!

Andy.

Completed build pictures here

 

[scottie3158]

Andy,
That is a great result.

 

[papa 695]

Just caught up Andy, some great work. It’s looking very nice indeed especially with all bombs and rockets on.

 

[rtfoe]

Hi Andy, the decaling doesn't look too bad.
I too hate applying decals especially if there are loads of stencils but they do maketh the look of the plane. This is what I do... first prep the surface with gloss varnish. My tools would be a McD sauce dish to hold the water, a pair of sharp scissors to cut out the decal section to be used, flat nose tweezer to hold and dip the cut decal and place facing up on a flat surface(I don't leave it in the dish), clean small paint brush to move and slide the decals, Mr Decal softener, Q-tips to extract excess water and solution and to roll over the decals pressing away any trapped bubbles and solution, Future varnish to seal the decals in and to protect from weathering with washes. Satin or matt varnish to seal everything.

I know this advise is late but it'll be useful for the next build.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[rtfoe]

The A-10 has always had an impressive ordnance load apart from the Intruder.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Jakko]

I’m sure it’ll look just as impressive the right way up

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Thanks all, and cheers for the continued tips. I'm sure with practice I'll get the hang of decals, and everything else

Some picture of it the right way up in the completed builds section for you Jakko