Academy decals-is it me.....?

Hobbycraft decals are no better :( I am building the I-16 and it takes forever for the glue to dissolve from the decal sheet so you can slide it off....and I have had two of my red stars split in half just from the sliding. Too freaking fragile.....

I built an Academy F86 Sabre and the decals were terrible. I couldn't get them to soften no matter what kind of solvent I used and I tried Future as an underbase and also when applying them but they still silvered. The bigger problem is aftermarket decals. Let me explain. Years back when we bought a model kit and it had bad features ( details, sink marks, decals etc.) we wouldn't buy from that manufacturer again. (possibly) But now there are so many aftermarket suppliers for cockpits, decals etc. that we buy a kit that's not so good and then spend as much if not more on aftermarket parts to bring it up to snuff. Don't get me wrong, I think the aftermarket is a wonderful thing but I don't think the kit companies are forced into improving when we just work around them. I also subscribe to Aircraft Resource Center and reading the reviews everyday and hearing what the modeling community says repeatedly of kits and even aftermarket parts it's a wonder that some suppliers are still in business. I'll get off my soapbox now but as a final note, with all the great kits and decals out there there's no reason to put up with junk. Don't these companies try out their own products?
gbritnell

gbritnell, I know just what you mean. I try to avoid certain kits because of build or decal problems. But sometimes I see somrthing that I really want to build-so I buy the kit and throw the decal sheets away. What a waste!
I agree with you that some companies have gotten lazy and don't bother with improvements anymore so this is helping the aftermarket guys . But why should I spend £15.00 on a kit and then shell out another £8.00 for decent decals?
Your quite right, there's no reason why we should put up with this. So from now on I'll be voting with my wallet.

Darren.