Silvered Decals

I think that I had a similar problem with the decals for the A-7 I am in the process of finishing up. The kit was pretty old (not exactly sure how old since I "inherited" it from another person after it sat around for quite some time, probably 15-20 years old) and the glue on the back ofthe decals seemed to have broken down, so that the decals did not adhere to the model very well. This caused a little bit of silvering, particularly around the edges of the decals, since the decals did not fully adhere to the surface of the model, leaving an air gap between the decal and the model.

Liberal use of Microsol after the original application of Microset helped a little (I think I added about four coats spread over a number of days), but did not solve the problem. After having a "I wonder if this would work " moment, I brushed some Future over the decals and around the edges of the decals. It actually turned out fairly well--it did not completely eliminate the silvering, but it is not noticeable unless you get very close to the model. The Future is thin enough to move between the decal and the model and "fills" the air gap (and helps the decal stick to the model better too!) I don't think that the Future would help silvering in the interior of decals much (since it could not flow into that area of the decal), but the majority of that was eliminated by the Microsol. However, I would assume that the application of Future would probably make pulling off the decals (if it didn't turn out the way you wanted) much more difficult.

However, this was an "experimental" model for me (I am just reentering the hobby after a long hiatus), so I wasn't terribly picky about the final look of the model. If you really want your F4 look great, you may want to pull off the decals you have and try some aftermarket ones (I would think that a number would be available for the Euro I scheme). If you covered the surface with a gloss coat, I am not sure why the decals would have silvered badly, though (unless they are bad, or old, decals).

In the past I have used Future as a coat for the flat paint where the decals were to be positioned, but I ran out and haven't bothered to buy some more. For that purpose, I found Future worked great. I've never tried it after the decals dried, but considering that I've filled the decals with tiny holes maybe it will work as it worked for you. It's worth a shot, because nothing else has worked.

Thanks for the suggestion!
Steve