I've been modelling on and off for 30-odd years, but have rarely done much at what I could consider an advanced level. No weathering, for instance, and compromising on paint colors when I didn't have what I needed. I'm now trying to advance my skills to the next (or *a* next) level.
My current projects are vintage Mustangs, the Revell '66 Shelby GT 350H and the '70 Boss. They're intended to be gifts for my parents, who are (or at least used to be) Shelby Mustang enthusiasts. (My mother is named Shelby, and my birth year is 1970, so I figured this was a somewhat appropriate way to thank them for some of the support they've provided over the past two very rough years.)
The Boss came together pretty much without issue. I utilized elements from both the "street" and "custom" builds to put together something I hope is relatively unique. But the Shelby doesn't have much in the way of customization, at least as regards decals. Just the default set, and I'm running into problems with those.
The stripes simply don't conform properly to the curves, both on the hood and on both bumpers. I don't have decal set at my disposal right now, but based on what I've heard (regarding the Testors product, at any rate), it's really just a dilute acetic acid solution, which I could make myself using distilled vinegar.
Is that all there is to it? I'm not looking for something to fix the decals in place; I can use a light spray of gloss clear to do that. I need something that will "shrink" or otherwise curve the decals onto the underlying surface. I'm not in a financial position to expand on my materials beyond what I have now, at any rate.
My alternative action is to remove the decals altogether and gift the model with just a black gloss paint job.
Thoughts?