Decal woes

[Lonewolf]

Is anybody having issues with aftermarket decals purchased within the past 6-8 months from Federation Models? I was working on a couple of entries for WF that have now been consigned to the trash bin.

I was using the Gizmotron 1:2500 starship decals. They came off the backing paper after being dipped in water for about 5 seconds, but as soon as they were on the surface of the models, they shattered. And this was after I had airbrushed a couple of light coats of Future over the decals and let them dry for about 2 days.

I've never had this issue with the Gizmotron stuff in the past, but these decals sucked. And it happened with two different sets. The warp nacelle decals shattered before I could even move them off the paper. Five seconds to dip them, gently shake them off, move the tweezers toward the model and . . . decal is already shattering.

I've used Gizmotron decals for 10-12 years and haven't had this happen in a LONG time.

I would have tried to save the models, but when the decals fragmented, there were uneven chunks all over the place. It was nothing I could sand/reprime/repaint.

Any ideas?

[gsb5w]

My best guess is they needed a heavier clear coat over them. Do you have any more of those decals? Future is self leveling so maybe you could brush on some future next time. I have Used decal film from micro mark with success on old decals by just using a brush.

Other than that IDK. I’ve got only a couple of kits from Gizmotron that are still unbuilt. I will keep this topic in mind though. Thanks for the heads up.