anime52k8 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) Despite the name "water slide" decals, I would really not recommend using water to apply them. Invest in some micro-sol decal solvent. It'll practically melt your decals to the body of your valk, and with a nice clearcoating will make them look like they were painted on instead of applied. you really should still use water. the decal isn't going to come of the backing paper unless you soak it in warm water. and when you go to apply the decal I'd recommended only using micro sol if you've got tight corners or odd shaped parts. basically you want to use water and maybe a little Micro SET (set smells like vinegar and isn't really a solvent at all, it just makes the decal lay down better.) to lay down the decal and move it around, and only once you got it exactly where you want it then you use micro sol to make everything contour well. once you put micro sol on a decal you DO NOT want to move it, or really touch it at all, (micro sol basically turns decals to jelly). also if you really want to make decals look like they were printed on, here's a good tip: clear coat the part you're going to place decals on with a gloss coat BEFORE you put the decals down. the decals lay down on a smooth surface better and the clear excess parts of the decal blend in and dont silver as much when on top of a gloss clear coat. also, after you put the decals on, do one more GLOSS clear coat over them; apply any weathering/panel lines; and then spray a semi-gloss or flat clear coat over everything. Edited March 30, 2009 by anime52k8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVF-Gerwalk Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Here some info that I have found of how to : 1. Cut out the decal with scissors, not a straight edge and razor knife. Our decals are delicate and will easily scratch or flake.. 2. Wet the area on the model BEFORE sliding on the decal. Use either tepid water or Micro Set (the one with the blue label). 3. Dip the decal in water for only 5-10 seconds, remove it from the water and let it sit on your table for about a minute. DO NOT let the decal float off of the backing paper. 4. Pick up the decal with self-locking tweezers, get it in position over the model, hold the decal in placed with either your finger or a soft brush, then pull away the backing paper letting the decal gently drop into place. 5. Adjust the decal position with the brush, apply more water or Micro Set if the decal is hard to move around. 6. Once the decal is in position, let it dry on its own, DO NOT MESS WITH IT unless it is in the wrong position. 7. After the decal is dry AND you are sure it is in the right position, then apply your decal solvent of choice: Micro Sol or Solvaset. 8. Absolutely positively do not touch the decal until it is dry, as the ink is wet and will smear which will ruin the decal. 9. Once the decal is dry, clean up any residue with a Q-tip (swab) soaked with water and mild dish detergent. 10. Apply your clear coat of choice to seal the decal. Do not skip this step!!! This is critical. I hope these steps help, and remember a good decal job does not look like a decal at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 The Bandai VF-25 decals don't seem to like solvaset very well, use microsol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honkhet Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 my humble collection so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
007-vf1 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I don't know if it is the flash but it seems the Luca version needs to be painted... That Hue of green seems a bit too 'pastel' to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwin3060 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I don't know if it is the flash but it seems the Luca version needs to be painted... That Hue of green seems a bit too 'pastel' to me... Might be the flash. My Luca looks anime accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wm cheng Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Wow! Great work everyone!! please keep posting, I'm amazed how much building everyone is getting. I can't even seem to finish my first one?! The best thing about this Bandai kit I feel is that its gotten a lot of potential modelers or toy enthusiasts building - which is great! I hope to get back to my model... someday, when the schedule of life permits... ;-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honkhet Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) its definitely flash should have posted a better picture but its usually already dark by the time i get home from work Edited March 30, 2009 by honkhet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
protostar8 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Yeah, I like the Luca colors. About the decals, for someone like me that doesn't want to clear coat something, stickers would be MUCH better. That's just me. And why I wish I had stickers instead of water slide decals even if it meant a little extra work cutting out the "holes" in the stickers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwin3060 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Wow! Great work everyone!! please keep posting, I'm amazed how much building everyone is getting. I can't even seem to finish my first one?! The best thing about this Bandai kit I feel is that its gotten a lot of potential modelers or toy enthusiasts building - which is great! I hope to get back to my model... someday, when the schedule of life permits... ;-( On my part I'm just dabbling in kit building, just a simple build+panel lining+ stickers, which is probably why it goes so fast! I'm definitely not capable of building anything as amazing as yours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 If they'd only included stickers for the Luca Ghosts, the modeling side would have RAGED after Bandai's been good enough to us to include decals with all the releases so far... The problem is Bandai can never decide with their models if they want to appeal to the snapper-enthusiast modeler who just wants a fun afternoon project that doesn't require any toxic chemicals and yields a fun action figure or the modeler-side who want a glue and paint kit like from every other manufacturer that after hours of work yields a masterpiece model. Bandai kits lean towards the snapper-side, with mostly stickers in their Gundam releases, but with Macross, they know alot of Macross fans are modelers first, as evidenced by Hasegawa's success, so they need to still appeal to that crowd with these releases. Then again I've seen like, what, four people paint and 'model' their VF-25s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwin3060 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 If they'd only included stickers for the Luca Ghosts, the modeling side would have RAGED after Bandai's been good enough to us to include decals with all the releases so far... The problem is Bandai can never decide with their models if they want to appeal to the snapper-enthusiast modeler who just wants a fun afternoon project that doesn't require any toxic chemicals and yields a fun action figure or the modeler-side who want a glue and paint kit like from every other manufacturer that after hours of work yields a masterpiece model. Bandai kits lean towards the snapper-side, with mostly stickers in their Gundam releases, but with Macross, they know alot of Macross fans are modelers first, as evidenced by Hasegawa's success, so they need to still appeal to that crowd with these releases. Then again I've seen like, what, four people paint and 'model' their VF-25s? That's why they should just have included stickers for the Ghosts, to appeal equally to both crowds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wm cheng Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Yeah, they really should of included both sticker and decals. I find that this kit is so complicated and unfriendly towards model makers that a lot of the "fun" has been taken out of it for me (partly due to the fact that its taking so long for me to free up anytime to spend on it) - but I remember the days when I could snap together something in an afternoon and zoom it around the room! Ah, much simplier times then - more fun in the building process - now, its a bit tedious at time, but a bit more satisfaction in the end admiring your masterpiece. ... to be young again... ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westfall Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 These kits are certainly complex but i wouldn't say they're not fun. I'm having a blast, even if i'm progressing slowly. That's more due to lack of time than anything else. What i find so fun in building these guys is that to make an actual part of the craft you have to snap several small parts that don't look like anything separate. Great enginearing. Anyway here's some pics of what i have built so far, from the VF-25F and one of the RVF-25's Ghosts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyp Durron Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 These kits are certainly complex but i wouldn't say they're not fun. I'm having a blast, even if i'm progressing slowly. That's more due to lack of time than anything else. What i find so fun in building these guys is that to make an actual part of the craft you have to snap several small parts that don't look like anything separate. Great enginearing. Anyway here's some pics of what i have built so far, from the VF-25F and one of the RVF-25's Ghosts. Did you use a Gundam marker for the panel lines? -Kyp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westfall Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 (edited) Did you use a Gundam marker for the panel lines? -Kyp In the VF-25F's head and gunpod. for the other parts of the VF-25F i used a Gundam Marker Mechanical Pencil (GNZGP01) wich is easier to remove (too easy at times). The panel lines in the Ghost were done with Pro-Modellers Black wash. I think this last one worked the best, the excess paint is removed with a papel towel (slightly moist, if necessary) and the lines are very crisp, even small detail, like rivets, show through. I will still use the markers but only for smaller paint jobs. I'm not saying they're not a good product, but the Pro-Modellers wash makes panel lining a lot easier and quick, once you get the hang of it. Edited March 31, 2009 by westfall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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