Academy Decals

First, welcome to the Forum . Yup. Academy decals are usually pretty bad. Either they wont adhere, wont conform, or are translucent, or all of the above. I always use AM decals on an Academy build.

Regards, Rick

Tell me about it. i had applied the thin stripes on the hull of the Catalina and used microsol to shape them down and waited about a week for them to dry.

i thought i'd put a thin coat of flat clear finish to hold them down but they all flew off when i tried to spray them!

i think i have a couple of thin stripes about the right width in my spares box and i'll apply them tonight. fortunately these ones are from a revell kit so they should be ok.

cheers

richard

dickytoo,

I've never had this problem with Academy's decals, (in fact the ones in my M3A1 kit were excellent) but another thought just struck me. Did you say you are using Micro Sol after applying the decals? Unless you are trying to get the decal to conform over texture, you should not use Micro Sol. Micro Set is the product you should use. Mirco Set assists in bonding the decal to the model.

Also, something else. Only soak your decals in water, one at a time, for the absolute minimum time necessary to loosen them from the paper backing and apply them to the model as quickly as possible thereafter. Any further soaking, even sitting on the work bench for a few minutes while you apply another decal, serves to dissolve the decal glue.

One last thought, did you precoat the entire model or areas where the decals go with glosscoat or Future?

Hope this helps.

Enjoy your modeling...

dickytoo, I've had the same experience with Academy's decals on my Me163.

In future I'll just ditch the kit decals, and either go AM, or raid the spares box.

You're not alone in your experience.

Karl

I had the same problem with my BF-109.I found out about it a day later when I went to show it to my friends.when my extra decals come in I am going to strip it and put the new decals on with some solution from testors.good luck!

I think it's hit or miss with Academy. The 1/144 C-97G that I have had great decals, of course they were ScaleMaster, not Academy...but they took FOREVER to loosen from the decal sheet in water...Other than that they were pretty much par for the course, maybe a little thin, but overall, not bad. Then again, an old 1/48 Mirage III in IAF markings sucked big time. I say...they don't make aftermarket decal companies for nothing! Just my

I love academy kits because they're well detailed, have a good fit, and most importantly, they're cheap. Of course, the decals suck... the decals on an old Academy B-17F I have just keep peeling off! so one day, i took a bottle of Tamiya extra fine cement and put less than a drop around the edge of the decal so it would seep underneath... It's a bit dangerous, but i was so upset...

I'm doing the Academy B-17G now the one with the fantastic nose art... I hope these decals are better, but i've decided to reduce the risk, and paint the wing and tail strips myself!

Academy decals are not good. It's worth the money to use AM unless you really want the aggrevation.

Dean

QUOTE: Originally posted by Foster7155 dickytoo, I've never had this problem with Academy's decals, (in fact the ones in my M3A1 kit were excellent) but another thought just struck me. Did you say you are using Micro Sol after applying the decals? Unless you are trying to get the decal to conform over texture, you should not use Micro Sol. Micro Set is the product you should use. Mirco Set assists in bonding the decal to the model. Also, something else. Only soak your decals in water, one at a time, for the absolute minimum time necessary to loosen them from the paper backing and apply them to the model as quickly as possible thereafter. Any further soaking, even sitting on the work bench for a few minutes while you apply another decal, serves to dissolve the decal glue. One last thought, did you precoat the entire model or areas where the decals go with glosscoat or Future? Hope this helps. Enjoy your modeling...

I usually use Micro set first to help the decal settle but if the decal doesn't sit flat, i put on some micro sol to help it conform.

i agree with the guy that says that the academy decals take forever to come loose from the backing sheet.

i really like the fit and detail of the academy kits especially the new range of 1/72 WWII fighter kits. the airacobra was like a revelation after the airfix one. i just completed an airfix blenheim and man, the fit of the canopy kits was excruciating! mind you, the decals worked perfectly.

The last Academy kit I built (1/72 P-40B/C) had Scale Master decals and I had no problems. Just wish there were some way to tell who was the decal maker before you buy the kit. However, the only kits that I consitantly refuse to use the decals from are the Hasagawa kits - they're always too thick and won't suck down over small details no matter how much you try.

Already built a lot of Academy Models and yes their decals are one of the worst I have ever seen in terms of sticking to the model. Their decals seem to lose their stickiness especially if you soak it too long. What I usually do is mix a thin solution of white glue and soak the decals in it for a few seconds before applying it. I then wipe off the excess glue with a moist tissue before it dries up. Works for me. It would also help to apply a clear coat after decaling. Hope it helps.

Good advice for your problem, dickytoo. Some modellers even use Future to stick their decals, but you have to work fast since the Future will be tacky within a minute or so. Good luck!

anyone have a web site where they can order decals from? the model shops in NZ don't seem to have much in stock. they have heaps of german markings from ww2, lots and lots for the me109 but little else. i tried about 3 shops in the auckland region and the best stocked one (acorn) says that it's too expensive to stock them as they have to order about $3,000 worth at a time.