Is it possible to get bad decals? I'm trying to finish off a Photon Probe and the decals have to be the worst I have ever worked with. No matter how long I soaked 'em I still had great difficulty getting them to float off of the backing paper. The last one half started to come loose but the other half was stubborn as hell and I eventually tore the decal. And they kind of snapped loose rather than just floating loose. I even had a little soap in the water. Somehow I saved the decal and the rocket came out pretty nice but man, never, ever worked with decals that acted like this.

Chris

How old is the kit? I have had similar problems with decals that are over 5 years or older.

Randy
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Decals are just inconsistent!
With decals now printed overseas, quality control would be hard to test.
Even home print decal quality can vary from the paper batch to the clear coat used to seal them.

I never start with a larger, major decor decal on a model.
Cut something small off the side of the sheet, a small logo or something you may not want to use.
Keep track of how long it takes to release from the backing paper and use that as a guide for the remaining decals.

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Hans "Chris" Michielssen
Old/New NAR # 19086 SR

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Your results may vary
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Did you warm the water? I always heat mine up. Can't say how hot, but it's not hot enough to be painful.

Doug

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Yep, what Doug said. Warm to hot water. If it takes more than a minute for the decal to curl and release, warm up the water some more.

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Can't you coat them with anything first?

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BAR in his second tour of duty.
Nar# 32629

I had bad decals that came with my Estes Airliner kit. Some of the decals would not come off the backing paper tearing the decal. These were new decals as the kit is a recent release.

Yes. You can coat the decals this a clear varnish to keep it from shattering.

Great idea. So obvious; I never would have thought of it.


Bill

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It was an essentially brand new Estes kit. The water was warm but not hot. It was taking like 10-15 minutes for the decals to start to come off. And then only one end would come off and was floating around in the water while the other end was still stuck firm. Just weird. Anyway, I finished the rocket. Thanks for the tips.

Chris