HubertB Posted May 29, 2022 Share Posted May 29, 2022 I am with Rob: not too bad looking considering what you describe. It's going to be a very neat kit when you are over, actually. Ad for decals, I wonder whether, when the manufacturer is unknown, it should not be a policy to spray some decal varnish first, just to be sure the decals will not shatter the way you describe ... Anyway, looking forward to see the finished bird Hubert 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted May 29, 2022 Author Share Posted May 29, 2022 Thaks Hubery Very much appreciated and some very good advice. next airliner and there will be more down the road, areas such the empennage and winglets, I'll mask and airbrush right from the start - end the end, it would be so much less work and no cleanup which is going to be a tough act to do. Keep 'em comin Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 Peter, if the yellow strip is the main problem, you may should 're'-spray it on. While masking with Kabuki,, you can put some paper under one side of the tape, to hinder it sticking to the blue decal area. My very wise wife always says: 'leave it, love it or change it' . I had some builds lately with positive experiences while decaling. Aviattic decals worked great on my Fokker and SSW's, Zoukei's Cartograph decals were also formidable on my Kai Phantom and Tamiya's Ducati decals were good to work with, but other than that, it's mostly a painful act, to get the decals right. I often use masks to get around decaling and tried different products, like HGW's wet transfers, with very mixed results. Not to mention all the risks involved with preparation, sealing and weathering. As you can see, I fear the decaling stage as an error prone possibly project ending phase of a build. Cheers Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted June 1, 2022 Author Share Posted June 1, 2022 Hi Rob Yup, the yellow decal stripe broke apart in the 'wet warm soke water. Then when I finally had it in place on the model and with a light application of Micro Set, it shattered into a million pieces. The remaining yellow stripe decal was sent to the trash immediately. I took some fancy dancing and masking so I could paint the yellow stripes on, masking over existing decals. Just glad all the decaling with the blue and yellow decals are done. Decaling is still my favorite part of a build as I don't expect decals, especially ones I just bought to shatter and be unusable. Decaling for me is the point in a build, that once done, you can see the finish line. Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnB Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 Looks like it's coming along fairly well despite the decal problems. Will be a colorful model for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted June 1, 2022 Author Share Posted June 1, 2022 Thanks John Finally in the home stretch now and should be done and in the books in a few days. Never thought such a simple kit would have so many problems and thank goodness they are all done with. Keep 'em comin Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted June 3, 2022 Author Share Posted June 3, 2022 FINISHED AND ACROSS THE LINE It’s been quite a learning experience as this has been my first airliner and GB on LSM. Picking up the build after landing in “Trouble in Paradise” with the yellow stripe decals cracking and shattering and blue tail decals chipping badly I did my best to work around the issues. The yellow stripe decals were tossed in the bin and with careful masking, air brushed replacement stripes done. Large blue chips kept popping off and it was a struggle to do any sort of paint repair. I used the Life Color Blue paint I bought, which turned out to be way too dark and lightened it with the only other Life Color paint I had, light gray. I did my best until my depleting patience had virtually run the tank dry. My goal was to finish the Embraer, learn from the experience and move on. The gear assembles parts were painted, assembled (not an easy task with such tiny parts) and glued in place with the gear doors - done. The horizontal stabilizers were painted and the leading edges were done in Alclad Polished Aluminum and glued into place so very gingerly, as I had to deal with the Blue Decals again, as there was so little gluing surface to work with. I had no idea if they would start to chip off and so far, Lady Luck has been riding with me on this part of the build. 🤞 The engines and pylon assemblies were built up, primed and painted with no major issues. The last portion of the painting was masking of the leading intake portions, inside and outside and air brushing on Alclad Chrome – fairly happy with the results and oops, I dropped a pylon onto the hard wood floor. A small nick but it stays as it is not noticeable and I’m moving on towards the finish line. Right now, I’m very happy with the overall glossy finish and haven’t applied and clear gloss or polish yet. I’m so very leery that any additional air brush work might peel off come more of the blue decals, I decided to leave well enough alone and roll her out onto the tarmac. Maybe later on I’ll do the clear gloss when I’m up to that stage on the next build but I just don’t want to take any more chances right now. Done and in the books. Keep ‘em comin Peter 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HubertB Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 With all the issues you went through, she looks purdy 👍 ! Hubert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 I second Hubert, what a beautiful result after all the struggles, Peter. I never would have thought, that decals for windows would look the part, but with this scale, they seem to be the better choice, even allowing fine framing. If you later decide to gloss coat the Embrarer, you should mist on a very light coat first and let it dry thoroughly, before really glossing her. This way, the often aggressive component of the gloss, have less time to interact with the decals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted June 4, 2022 Author Share Posted June 4, 2022 Thanks Hubert Much appreciated. For such a small kit, the issues seemed to be mighty big at times, especially the decals, which were AM and I'm pretty sure I will not be using any decals from them in the future. Keep 'em comin Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted June 4, 2022 Author Share Posted June 4, 2022 Thanks Rob Have to say, when done and the struggles are left behind, I am also impressed with how the Embraer looks. I'm planning on doing the clear gloss, either Mr Color or Tamiya when I gloss coat the GT40, which is now back on the bench. Surely will be taking your advice and going with a light mist coat to protect the decals from any further chances of chipping off. Right with you about the windows looking so good as decals in this scale - seems to be a perfect choice. My favorite airliner is the 787 and I have a few already in the stash with Am decals (different companies then the ones I used on the Embraer) and will be building them not to far distant down the road. Keep 'em comin Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinM Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 She fits the bill Very Well Peter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted June 4, 2022 Author Share Posted June 4, 2022 Thanks Kev Much appreciated Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomber_County Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 Wow Peter this is gorgeous, not a genre I have ever tried, congrats…. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted June 12, 2022 Author Share Posted June 12, 2022 Thanks Phil, so very much appreciated. This is actually the first airliner kit I've built and thoroughly enjoyed every minute except with the decal issues, I should have looked ahead a bit more and not trusted an unknown decal manufacturer - live and learn. I plan on building a lot more airlines down the road, as they are a ball to do, especially straight out of the box and the color schemes are a knockout. There are a lifetime of decals out there to allow the builder an unlimited selections of carriers and aircraft. For me, I used the Embraer more of a learning tool and will not rely on the decals for the tail portion at all. Painting, I just did it as I would a race car and no issues at all. I have a few 787's in the stash and they will be the next two and even in this scale, they are larger then a 1/32 Tamiya Spit or Mustang. Keep 'em comin Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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