Print Scale Decals?

[Glynn Jacobs]

Hi All,

 

Anybody here use Print Scale Decals before?  I'm looking at their Puma and Super Frelon decals and wondered about the usuals i.e., thickness, color density and correctness, and print registry, etc.

 

All info would be helpful.

 

Thanks,

WARDOG

 

 

 

[VG 33]

Hello

 

I've tried twice : they are very thin and you should be carefull as they can wrap around the paper when sliding on the kit.

 

Here are a couple of examples :

 

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/301674-172-special-hobby-nakajima-ki-43-iii-french-air-force-in-indochina/

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235022576-172-valom-mc-donnell-rf-101c/

 

Patrick

 

[Bobo1953]

hi glynn.

print scale are good decals as for colors and registry.

as for the correctness i can remember a warning on a uh-1c chopper tail where " keep away" was written "keep awey"...

also, on a va-176 ad-1 skyraider the kill score was less precise than some other brand's, and the wasp's grin was definitely wrong.

all in all it's not bad stuff, but for the excessive thinness.

as vg 33 says the film is too thin and due to surface tension the decal is, to say the least, whimsical, and in general very hard to handle as it curls, slips on the bottom of the paper support instead than on the model, and at worst -but not rare- it sort of rolls into a ball that will stick to itself and is very difficult to undo.

i have two suggestions.

no 1 is to use a lot of water -the more the better- when applying, as the decal tends to "relax" in a water drop, free of the weak forces' action.

no 2, which i definitely recommend, is to shoot the whole sheet a good quantity of microscale's "liquid decal film" thinned about 50/50 or a little less with isopropylalcohol (also home alcohol can do, but it stinks) in order to get a bit thicker and more manageable decals. it cures in minutes and you can proceed with four to six coats almost in no time.

at least, this is the result of my tests. to thicken more will need microsol to have decal to set in some spots, but ain't it the same with most of the decals on market?

all in all you can make your own trials and see how much more thickness is better fit to your inclination.

ah, i was forgetting to say that if you don't have an airbrush, the liquid film can be handbrushed without problems and, if you're careful enough, leaves no brush strokes as it is self-leveling a bit like future.

let me say that printscale has an awesome catalog covering really a lot of subjects. were it not so, i very happily turn to some other brand.

hope this helps.

best ciaos, and happy modeling.

bobo.

 

[bentwaters81tfw]

I bought a sheet for a 1/48 P-38 J. They were well out of scale, and rolled up like an armadillo. They will not see my money again. I know one chap wanted a sheet they produced. He bought it, scanned it, and printed his own.

 

[Glynn Jacobs]

Merci Patrick, Grazie Bobo, and Thanks to you also, Bentwaters.  I had chimed in on someone else's topic a while back and wanted to see if things improved with Print Scale decals lately.  The info given is very helpful and I'll give it a shot for the Super Frelon decals which can't possibly be worse than the Mach2 kit decals!

 

Patrick, I may be contacting you directly for further info on some French subjects, if thats O. K.

 

Glynn

 

 

 

[skyhawk174]

I have a couple of the Print Scale sheets but have only used one. I piced their decal sheet becausd ehtey were the only ones to produce it in 1/48th scale. It was for Sea Furys and the scheme was for the Burmese Air Force. Anyway, I had to use a second sheet for Sea Furys from Aeromaster as I did not think the Print Scale ones matches the references I had. The colours seemed off. Also they were some markingsthat were completely missing, which goes back to the accuracy thing.

 

I did not have too much success using my regular Micro Sol and Micro Set as they did not seem to affect the decals. I did not have the folding problems as others have said. Maybe I got lucky.

[VG 33]

3 hours ago, Glynn Jacobs said:

Merci Patrick, Grazie Bobo, and Thanks to you also, Bentwaters.  I had chimed in on someone else's topic a while back and wanted to see if things improved with Print Scale decals lately.  The info given is very helpful and I'll give it a shot for the Super Frelon decals which can't possibly be worse than the Mach2 kit decals!

 

Patrick, I may be contacting you directly for further info on some French subjects, if thats O. K.

 

Glynn

 

 

 

 

Hi Glynn

 

Yes I would do my best to give you information. Send private messages.

 

Patrick