Academy?

mfsob wrote:

Lovely ... I just bought their P-51 Mustang "North Africa" kit. Are you guys saying it would be better to just bite the bullet and get the aftermarket decals now?

mfsob, I've done the North Africa kit and I was able to use the kit decals.  The yellow wing stripes if you use them are a little short so be prepared to touch up the gap with paint. 

Overall the Academy decals do suck (I don't care if that word is not allowed) but I have been able to use most of them so far. 

I used the kit decals for their F-16C, and the experience was unpleasant to say the least.  Thick as a board, mass quantities of decal solvent made little difference, and silvered like grandmother's hair.  Grr!  

I'd recommend getting AM decals for any Academy kit.  It seems to be a persistent problem for them.

i too have a problem with the decals not setteling on my son's p-51

i tried the testors solution for complex curves,and it didn't even touch

them.

Thier UH60 decals were totaly unworkable. I had to make slices in the decal and backfill with Future floor acrylic just to get rid of the silvering.  Nothing, not even hot water and Solvaset, would get these decals to settle.....

David 

I had bad experience with the decals of some of their kits too. 

Their 1/32 F/A-18C Hornet decals were not sticking and were a little on the thick side.

Their 1/35 Huey Frog were simply unusable.  Too thick, and horribly printed.

Their M12 155mm Self-Propelled Gun decals were thick and silvered on the model.

I had no probem with the ones supplied with their M36 Jackson and M18 Hellcat though.

Read the review and/or ask for the quality of the decals here the forum before buying a kit.  That way you'll know if you have to invest in aftermarket ones.