Japanese train models and building kits come with stickers, not decals as I have been used to working with. At first I found these hard to work with but after repeated attempts and trying different techniques, I have been getting better results. These stickers are colorful and add quite a bit of realism to the finished structure.
This is the set of stickers that came with the Green Max station kit. In this set there are many of the types of signs you would expect to find around a train station plus some advertising signs.
After figuring out exactly where you want to place a sticker, it time to cut it out from the sheet. I have found the best way to remove the selected sticker from the sheet is to use a straight edge and sharp hobby knife on a hard surface. Press lightly so that only the thin sticker film is cut and not the backing paper.
The sticker film should then be peeled off using the tip of the hobby knife.
The back side of this particular set of stickers had a foil look to it. Later an accidental scratch on the front of the sheet revealed the same foil look suggesting that this is a foil sticker.
To apply the sticker, orient the hobby knife so as to give the desired angle to best place the sticker on the model as shown in this photo. In this case, there was a raised frame around the edges of the sign location so size and positioning was more critical.
The other nice thing about all these stickers is that they can be used on all sorts of buildings! Although you seem to have more success placing them on your structures at the correct angles! I find the hardest thing is getting the decals placed where I want them!
ReplyDeleteYes, they are sticky little things !
ReplyDeleteFor test fitting I will scan the sheet and then print a paper sheet so I have something to practice with. I normally get best results aligning one of the long edges first then laying it down across the shorter axis like in the last photo.
Do your stickers start peeling away after some time, or do you seal them with some sort of sealer after adhering them to your models?
ReplyDeleteSo far I've not had any come off on this model or on the few I had done earlier. I think the surface has to be clean (no finger prints, etc.) for the best results.
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