Posts: 1,137
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Joined: Mar 2009
Great job. I'm still a little hesitant on applying decals as I've never done it before. You did a great job on the engines.
Posts: 859
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Joined: Jun 2022
Thanks! Being hesitant is certainly understandable. With anything in this hobby, I found that you might has well try. Even if you fail, who's around to see it? If it's a decal, add a little water to it and pull it off and try another. No better teacher than experience.
There are a couple of products I'd recommend from Microscale - Microsol and Microset. The "sol" preps your surface and makes the decal float a bit until it dries and allows you to tweak things as it sets up. Microset makes the decal recede into the model surface. If you don't like "wet" decals, dry transfers are another option in some cases.
Lots of videos out there as well, and you can always experiment with the inside surface of a model with a decal you don't plan on using before cutting out and emplacing what you really want to put on the outside surface.
Same thing goes for paint. I use mostly acrylics, so I can always add a little water and pull off what I've already put down. I view my models as a canvas, and not something I'm permanently enamored with - there's always room for changes.
Posts: 859
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Joined: Jun 2022
I recently found the appropriate white D&H decals to add to my Ex-Lehigh Valley GP38. Got them from K4 Decals - these are actually for black fish-belly two bay coal hoppers, but after looking at prototype photos, it certainly looks like the D&H slapped these on at least 7324 on the long hood under the dynamic brake air intake. Before I added the decals on the Reading C630 I'm working on currently, I thought I'd dress this one up. Micro Set and Micro Sol have been applied liberally and everythings settling and drying in the photo.