Testors Custom Detail stuff

[Scalebowler]

I was looking at the Testors Custom Detail stuff that they make and I was thinking instead of having to buy the kit with the software and then the upgrade disc so you can make your own custom decals and not the ones on the disc wouldnt it be easier to just buy the paper and the decal transfer spray and print them out and make your own? Or would it be cheaper in the long run to buy the kit that Testors sells?

Edited July 11, 2009 by Scalebowler

[Huey Gunner]

I support people and companies who make am decals. Gives me more time to build models.

Edited July 11, 2009 by Huey Gunner

[terryt]

I was looking at the Testors Custom Detail stuff that they make and I was thinking instead of having to buy the kit with the software and then the upgrade disc so you can make your own custom decals and not the ones on the disc wouldnt it be easier to just buy the paper and the decal transfer spray and print them out and make your own? Or would it be cheaper in the long run to buy the kit that Testors sells?

I bought the Testors Custom Decal kit years ago and was not happy with the software or the size of the decal paper. I just got it to see what it came with.

The software it came with didn't allow you to open anything but their artwork, it only had 3 examples. To get be able to open more artwork you have to buy the upgraded software.

The problem with making your own decals is the artwork. You can create your own artwork with a vector program like Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw or Inkscape. If you are not familiar with those programs there is a huge learning curve. Inkscape is free, here is a link: http://www.inkscape.org/download/?lang=en

You can buy decal paper at numerous places on the internet, just search for decal paper.

Here is a link to how to print your own. http://www.bare-metal.com/Experts-Choice-Decal-Film.html

Testors decal spray is exactly the same as their gloss coat/dull coat in a spray can.

I use Microscale Decal Film, it can be purchased at Bear Metal Foil.

[richter111]

The testors kit is a good starter set up

but as the others have said you can do better, and with better results.

The software with the package is junk, aimed at little kids

[Scalebowler]

The problem with making your own decals is the artwork. You can create your own artwork with a vector program like Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw or Inkscape. If you are not familiar with those programs there is a huge learning curve. Inkscape is free, here is a link: http://www.inkscape.org/download/?lang=en

What if you all ready have the artwork that you want to use as a file on your computer? Do you still need that program to make a decal?

[terryt]

What if you all ready have the artwork that you want to use as a file on your computer? Do you still need that program to make a decal?

It depends on what format the decal files are. I would be best to print from a good graphics program. Here is a link to a good program to print your files.

http://www.irfanview.com/

[Scalebowler]

It depends on what format the decal files are. I would be best to print from a good graphics program. Here is a link to a good program to print your files.

http://www.irfanview.com/

Is JPEG allright?

[Jinxter13]

Unless someone knows different, I've only seen retail decal paper in white or clear, I'd love to get me hands on some of the light blue or light green. The white would drive me nutz trying to do decals like those on the tail of VF-211 "Checkmates" with the red and white chess board pattern or one with a predominant white over a darker color; with white being in the foreground.

[terryt]

Is JPEG allright?

Yes a jpeg is ok but it has to be sharp and large to get a good print. Usually a jpg won't be as sharp as vector art, thats because a jpg has jagged edges and vector doesn't.

Edited July 13, 2009 by terryt

[Aaronw]

You don't need a fancy program to make decals. I used Microsoft word, Microsoft Paint and Adobe Photoshop for several years to make my own custom decals, they were not spectacular but they were decent and met my needs. I now use Corel Draw which made a huge improvement. Using JPEG artwork words became unreadable somewhere between 1/8 to 1/16" tall, using Corel Draw which is a vector based program with the same printer I can make clear lettering I need a magnifying glass to read. The other big advantage to a vector based program like Corel Draw is you can adjust the size without the image pixilating, so I can design my artwork at dinner plate size making it easier to draw, then shrink it down to 1/2" or smaller without losing any quality.

There is a pretty steep learning curve with Corel Draw along with an expense, but I found several tutorials that helped me with the program, and you can get a good deal on the program with a student / teacher edition (if you are in school or have kids in school). You can also find older editions on ebay, often for less than $50. You will not be at much of a disadvantage using Draw 12 or X3 vs the latest and greatest version (currently X4).

Unless someone knows different, I've only seen retail decal paper in white or clear, I'd love to get me hands on some of the light blue or light green. The white would drive me nutz trying to do decals like those on the tail of VF-211 "Checkmates" with the red and white chess board pattern or one with a predominant white over a darker color; with white being in the foreground.

You can get clear paper with a light blue background. I get mine from Tango Papa, but it only works with laser or ALPS printers. Of course if you are printing white decals you need an ALPS anyway so that isn't really a problem.

I have not found the white decal paper very useful, because the colored ink tends to chip away on the edges when you cut it out, so it leaves a white halo around the edge. There are a few cases where it works but I found it was generally not worth while, when I needed white I used clear paper and painted white under the area I was placing the decal.

Edited July 18, 2009 by Aaronw

[hooknladderno1]

You can get clear paper with a light blue background. I get mine from Tango Papa, but it only works with laser or ALPS printers. Of course if you are printing white decals you need an ALPS anyway so that isn't really a problem.

Aaron I second that! I have had great success with Tango Papa decal paper. Tom is great to deal with, and his product is always "fresh" By this, I mean that he makes it up in small batches, so that the decal film works better. He explains the technical side of it better on his website - www.tangopapadecals.com I have no affiliation to Tango Papa other than being a satisfied customer. The blue tint to the backing paper does make viewing and handling white graphics easier. White decal film can be useful for making stripes on emergency vehicles.

David

[Scalebowler]

It depends on what format the decal files are. I would be best to print from a good graphics program. Here is a link to a good program to print your files.

http://www.irfanview.com/

Would Microsoft Visio work?

[terryt]

Would Microsoft Visio work?

I've never used Microsoft's Visio so I couldn't give you an opinion.

[Scalebowler]

I've never used Microsoft's Visio so I couldn't give you an opinion.

Thats allright. I am going to try this program and get some logos made at different sizes and see what happens.

[Scalebowler]

Ok I tried visio and I am really impressed with the results. I want to get your guys opinion on these decals that I made tonight for my airport fuel truck. They are not done yet but this is what I have right now. I still need the words Phillips 66. Let me know what you think.

[terryt]

They look great.

Did you scan the artwork, download them from the internet or did you hand draw them?

Edited July 25, 2009 by terryt

[Scalebowler]

They look great.

Did you scan the artwork, download them from the internet or did you hand draw them?

Thank you! I downloaded the phillips 66 logo from the internet and the words Aviation fuel are just the font Arial Narrow that I made bold. I then scaled them down in Microsoft Visio and I think it turned out really well. I am kind of trying to replicate the decals on this truck which is pretty hard because the truck in the picture is really worn down and the logos and stuff like that are all faded really bad.

Edited July 26, 2009 by Scalebowler

[terryt]

If the logos are in vector format you can take the letters out of the emblem and enlarge them.

Like this:

Edited July 26, 2009 by terryt

[Scalebowler]

If the logos are in vector format you can take the letters out of the emblem and enlarge them.

Like this:

The logos are in gif format when I put them into visio and I am not sure how to get them into vector format if that is even possible. But I can crop the pictures to get the stuff I need and in visio images do not distort when I sale them up or down. They look as good as the origional just a different size.

Edited July 26, 2009 by Scalebowler

[terryt]

Visio is a vector program that will also handle bitmaps such as gif, jpg and tif files. I'm not sure if it will import other programs vector files such as Illustrator or Corel Draw. From what I found out when I Googled Visio I couldn't find any information on the compatibility with other files.

If you are serious about producing artwork for decals you should start with this free vector drawing program. It does have a learning curve, however, it will import and edit most raster and vector graphics.

Its Inkscape: http://www.inkscape.org/

Once you have Inkscape you can open .eps files from here.

http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/

That's where I got the Phillips Logos.

[Scalebowler]

Visio actually worked out pretty well for me. Here is what I ended up with. The reason that they are pink is because to get a picture like this I have to print them out then scan them and since I was running low on ink I put the printer on fast economical printing. They should be red like the ones I posted earlier.

[terryt]

If you do the artwork in vector format the print out won't be ragged. When you print bitmap artwork the edges will be jagged. The link I provided to the logos has the files in vector format. You should download the .eps files and see if Visio will open them.

[Scalebowler]

If you do the artwork in vector format the print out won't be ragged. When you print bitmap artwork the edges will be jagged. The link I provided to the logos has the files in vector format. You should download the .eps files and see if Visio will open them.

Actually the print out was not jagged like the picture. When I uploaded the picture to photobucket it made the edges jagged. I will try to get a better picture.

[Scalebowler]

Also where do they sell inkjet decal paper? Would the hobby store sell that? And what do I need to make them?

[terryt]

I get my decal paper at Bedecal. http://www.decalpaper.com/category-s/2.htm

There are other places on the internet, however they have the best price.

Don't worry about getting better pictures. Use whatever program you like to make your decals, I just suggested a program that would probably do better than Visio.