I've finally found a bit of time to finish off my latest batch of Gorn ships (will post pics of my fleet someday) and would like opinions on decals.
When I put the decals on you can see the shine/outline of the decal. I can't remember whether or not I need to gloss coat, decal, then dullcote the miniature.
Any opinions will be appreciated.
Putting on decals
Moderators: mjwest, Albiegamer
You've got it right.
Gloss-coat (or spray with Future), apply decals, swab off excess decal glue, allow to dry, then dull-coat.
Some folks (like me) use gloss paints for the base-coat and forgo the initial gloss-coat stage.
Another couple of tips:
- Trimming the decal as close to the art as possible reduces the amount of clear carrier-film that can show.
- Swabbing off the excess decal adhesive and using solvents like Micro-Sol/Set can help reduce "silvering".
- Gloss-coating the mini after the decals dry provides a thicker more protective clear-coat which protects better against handling.
Since it is thicker, it also tends to hide the edges of decal film.
Some folks spray a coat of Future instead. I've also heard of just dunking the mini in Future, but I'd be afraid of pooling and drips.
A dull-coat can be applied over the gloss-coat to cut the shine. Dull-coat alone tends to be too thin and gets rubbed-through easily (allowing damage to the decals).
Gloss-coat (or spray with Future), apply decals, swab off excess decal glue, allow to dry, then dull-coat.
Some folks (like me) use gloss paints for the base-coat and forgo the initial gloss-coat stage.
Another couple of tips:
- Trimming the decal as close to the art as possible reduces the amount of clear carrier-film that can show.
- Swabbing off the excess decal adhesive and using solvents like Micro-Sol/Set can help reduce "silvering".
- Gloss-coating the mini after the decals dry provides a thicker more protective clear-coat which protects better against handling.
Since it is thicker, it also tends to hide the edges of decal film.
Some folks spray a coat of Future instead. I've also heard of just dunking the mini in Future, but I'd be afraid of pooling and drips.
A dull-coat can be applied over the gloss-coat to cut the shine. Dull-coat alone tends to be too thin and gets rubbed-through easily (allowing damage to the decals).
I took one of my completed test miniatures w/ decals on the flat paint and hit it with a coat of the Wal-Mart brand clear. The decal blended in to where you had to look real hard to see the lines. A 2nd coat of dullcoat brought the shine down to a reasonable level. Hopefully they'll get finished off this weekend.
