How did the decals on the spacemarine shoulder pads ever look right?! I trimmed the decals out, dunked them in hot water and carefully placed them. And they looked awful.
The decals would never conform to the shoulder pad, they were bumpy reflected the light. It did not look like the damn picture on the box.
I forget when I finally figured out how it was done, safe to say it was many years ago.
But I feel like the more people that share this the fewer people will end up like me pulling their hair out years ago (before the googles and amazon people) trying to figure out how the hell this effect was achieved.
There are a few things you need for this other than your brush, decal sheet, scissors. and warm water.
These guys right here MicroSet and MicroSol these are the magic makers.
MicroSet is a setting solution. Think of it as decal glue. It dries clear and looks like water but microset is put down to help your decal stick.
MicroSol is a decal solvent solution. MicroSol is going to melt your decal onto your surface given enough coats. And when I mean melt I mean it. That decal can take damn near any form. Here is an extreme example of one used on a cloak.
Here is a step by step on the space wolves I recently gave up on.
1. Cut decal and stuff in warm water.
2. while waiting for decal to slide off prep surface with some brushed on microset.
3. once decal is ready slide decal into place and gently brush micro set of around and under decal as needed removing any excess and being careful not to put so much liquid down the decal moves.
4. let decal dry.
5. Apply microsol. (repeat many times). Using a brush apply the microsol to the decal removing any excess. once dry continue the process until you are happy with the fit of your decal.
6. Seal the decal with the sealant of your choice. I generally run satin or matte varnishes over my models but basically whatever finish you are going for throw it on the decal as well. Generally decals are the last step before sealing and intense weathering on my models.
The sealant is important it will reduce any glare off of the decal and give it a similar texture to whatever is around it on the model be it armor cloth flesh etc.
And there you have it. This stuff can really take your miniature game to the next level. It is easy to do and really opens up a ton of creative options on your projects.
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-falconator