1/144 Decals WWI Allied Aces France Wog Shapeways # YK-27

Y-Kraft 1/144 Scale ALPs Decals: Allied WWI Aces - France. These generic water-slide decals are suitable for customising 1/144 scale WWI Allied warplane models, including Wings of Glory and Shapeways' replicas. The decals come on pale blue backing paper. For clarity, selected decals may be shown as negatives or with green backgrounds. I apologise for the poor quality of any images.

The actual decals are guaranteed to be crisp and bright. YK-27-1 has decals to complete four aircraft, including all national and ancillary markings. To maintain low cost, no art work is provided with the decals.

They assume the modeller will research the various aircraft for details of insignia placement. The methods described below are for mature modelers and are unsuitable for children. If you have long thumb nails, trim them short before working with ALPs decals. Surface printed film ink lifts off when touched or manipulated by fingernails!

Before commencing, you may find it useful to read the general guide in my e-bay store for applying water slide decals by clicking this link. The decals have been printed on full page film using an ALPs printer. This means that decals should be closely trimmed to remove surplus film before immersing in water. Pre-varnish: To avoid trapped air beneath any water slide decal and the resulting unsightly sheen this imparts to your model after decals dry, before commencing, apply a light coat of high gloss acrylic varnish to the model's surface and leave to dry.

I strongly recommend the use of'decent' small thin-bladed sharp scissors for cutting out decals. Course or blunt scissors can leave rough edges on the backing paper/film, which can result in decal'collapse and death' when trying to remove them from the saturated backing paper. Cut as close to the decal artwork as possible, leaving only a small surround of clear film. It is essential to use'warm' water to soften water-slide decals.

Keep the water warm throughout decaling work. Only soak one decal at a time. Soak each decal for between 10 to 15 seconds, depending on water temperature.

If it is not completely mobile after 15 seconds, to avoid the risk of'floating off', remove decal from water and lay it backing paper down on a dampened sheet of kitchen paper until the decal is fully mobile. Warning: Do not try to force it! Unless the backing paper is saturated and the film adhesive fully softened before you try to slide the decal off, it may collapse! On'gritty' Shapeways' models a hot air gun (commercial paint stripper) can be used for surface smoothing of large surfaces.

The gun must generate enough heat to reduce the surface grittiness quickly. Do not linger on any part of the model for more than approx 2 seconds or the model will melt and distort!

Avoid applying heat to any thin parts such as tails, struts, etc.. A steel ruler is an excellent heat guard to protect thin parts. Afterwards, a light rub with fine wet and dry sand paper over any areas where decals are to be applied provides final smoothness. Use a sable art brush to remove any dust. When clean, apply generous spray coat(s) of acrylic sealer.

When this has dried, apply generous coats of grey acrylic primer. All subsequent art work on my featured models including varnishes are painted by hand.

For that professional printed-on appearance, especially on Shapeways, or if your model has deep paneling or engraving, use a decal softener such as Micro-set. Apply the Micro-set to the model's surface where the decal is to be placed and then carefully position the decal. After a few moments, using a small square of folded damp kitchen towel, apply increasing fingertip pressure to'meld' the softened decal into the surface detail. Where it is necessary to wrap the decal around, for example, the leading edge of a wing, apply additional washes of Micro-set to the decal area being wrapped.

Allow to soak for a few minutes and then reapply pressure with damp paper kitchen towel. Repeat as necessary until you are satisfied with the results. To avoid any confusion, using a DVD permanent marker, I number the blue Micro-set bottle and cap with a large # 1 and the red Micro-sol bottle and cap with # 2.

Micro-Clear I mark with # 3. Where you are applying one decal on top of another, for example Iron Cross on top of streaked camouflage, apply a thin coat of acrylic gloss varnish over the applied streaked decal. Allow to fully dry and then apply the Iron Cross decal using the Micro-set method described above. Where you are covering upper and lower wing surfaces with camouflage decals, I recommend starting with upper wing surfaces.

When applying the decal to the model,'wrap' any surplus over the leading / trailing edges. Next, apply camouflage decals to under wing surfaces. You may wish to use paper templates and an HB pencil, making templates slightly larger than the required size. Where necessary, after any applied decal has dried, edges can be trimmed precisely with a razor-sharp craft knife. I personally use a scalpel for such detailed work.

To further enhance your decal's finished appearance, allow to dry on the model for approx 20 to 30 minutes and then using a soft art brush, apply a quick generous wash of Micro-sol to each decal's surface. The decals may wrinkle but do not touch them!

Wrinkles straighten out while the decals slowly meld to the model's surface. Test the use of Micro-sol on a spare decal before applying to your model!

When you are finally finished all decal work, to protect the full-film decal ink and yield a realistic finish! It is essential to apply a thin coat(s) of'acrylic' mat varnish or other suitable clear coat. Note: avoid enamel and all other spirit-based varnishes. These'dissolve' full-film type decal paint.

First set as per listed price. Please await combined invoice which will include the following.

Models and other bulky goods are mailed twice weekly, normally Wednesday & Friday. Please do not pay for items individually. The item "1/144 Decals WWI Allied Aces France Wog Shapeways # YK-27" is in sale since Sunday, September 01, 2013.

This item is in the category "Toys & Games\Model Kits\Decals". The seller is "mehusla" and is located in Glasgow. This item can be shipped worldwide.

Type: Decal
MPN: Does Not Apply
Model: Aces - German / Austro- Hungarian
Brand: Y-K
Scale: 1:144