First wallpaper decals went on today...
Below are various tools/supplies I use for decal application.
Most are well used.
One new addition I made recently was the purchase of a coffee cup warmer and round metal bowl.
Warm water makes a big difference getting the water slide decal adhesive to release the film from the backing paper prior to sliding it into place on the model; reducing this process from an average 10-15 seconds using room temperature water to a mere 5 seconds or less.
Considering how many decals are involved this is a significant time savings.
Another item recently purchased is the long metal tray
which I got mainly for longer aztec decals like the ones for the nacelles and along the sides of the secondary hull:
[ATTACH=full]86581[/ATTACH]
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Decaling Station by Steve J, on Flickr
The deflector trench looks great IIDSSM:
[ATTACH=full]86582[/ATTACH]
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Trench Decals by Steve J, on Flickr
Lower saucer decals require cutting out the opening for phaser strips using an exacto knife:
[ATTACH=full]86583[/ATTACH]
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Decal Trimming by Steve J, on Flickr
t's easier to cut the phaser strip opening down the centerline for application on either side of the strip rather than try to position the fragile thin decal film around it:
[ATTACH=full]86584[/ATTACH]
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Decal Sectioning by Steve J, on Flickr
After attempting to place the wet decal I found out the opening needed to be lengthened as the phaser strip was too long, this was the result of my attempt to extend the slot using an exacto knife:
[ATTACH=full]86585[/ATTACH]
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Decal Mods on the Fly by Steve J, on Flickr
I wound up sealing the decal with liquid decal film prior to brushing over the decal with thinned enamel,paint to match the dark grey color of the decal:
[ATTACH=full]86586[/ATTACH]
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Decal Repair Using Enamel Paint by Steve J, on Flickr
The secret to working with these thin, fragile aztec decals is to cut them into smaller sections before application. Openings for the recessed windows on the lower saucer were particularly challengiing. Here I decided to cut the decal material framing the recesses into separate top and bottom pieces and apply them separately rather than as one piece. This also applied to the longer sections between the recesses:
[ATTACH=full]86587[/ATTACH]
USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Decali Trimming and Sectioning by Steve J, on Flickr
Today I finished about half of the under saucer aztec decals:
[ATTACH=full]86588[/ATTACH][/url
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2kSq1y8]USS Enterprise E - Nemesis-WIP - Lower Saucer Aztec Progress by Steve J, on Flickr
After positioning each section using MicroSet decal setting solution I waited 15 minutes to set before brushing them lightly with Solvaset. Unfortunately, a few of the decals were too short leaving gaps at their ends. I will probably fill in the gaps using a few shades of light grey enamel to paint the aztec pattern unless I can find some leftover unused aztec decals from prior builds in my decal remnants stash.
Sorry for some of the longer descriptions. I can get a bit wordy sometimes.
NexI post I have pics of the mostly finished lower saucer aztec and the deflector dish with its grills.
Thanks for posting any comments.
