Tamiya sticker

[rojo21 2]

Just found out the stickers are not pre cut, cut one out and lost the will to live. 😩

Whats the best method, the GWagon stickers are a real pain, lots of curves. 

[wolfdogstinkus 1893]

Get your wife to do it....

[Problemchild 2149]

Hahaha - not much patience haha

I use a £5 medical scalpel from Amazon and score round them 

you can cut them really close then 

JJ

 

[simalarion 2196]

If you have a somehow sturdy hand you can «Surgeon Knife & Kutting board»

ps: just figured out how to use imgur

[Finnsllc 917]

hobby knife and a beer

[Mad Ax 9313]

I use a scalpel, cutting board, lots of patience and, ahem, a clear work area  

That said, I don't really like doing it either - usually end up doing it at my desk with limited space, offcuts of backing paper absolutely everywhere and some lame film on Prime that I see about 5% of 

[JennyMo 3526]

fwiw. although initially it feels like a pain to have to cut each individual part out separately, the problem with pre-cut decals is they almost always have a clear edge around the coloured part, which can look a bit shonky, especially on a nicely painted body...

(...although generally speaking I like Tamiya decals as the plastic they are printed on is very thin, so the clear edges aren't too obvious).

Having to cut them by hand means you can take your time and cut really close to the coloured section - which for the trim details particularly, is going to achieve a far more professional looking end result.

Ultimately though, in this instance, with all the window surrounds etc. I can see how the process is particularly labourious - which is why I prefer hard-bodies and to actually paint the window surrounds and other details like that, rather than rely on stickers.

Sorry I can't be of more help... as Finnsellc suggests - a nice sharp hobby knife (X-acto or similar) plus a metal straight edge I'd suggest; and one or two but not too many beers ought to see you right ;o)

Jenny x

[Superluminal 3750]

1 hour ago, rojo21 said:

Just found out the stickers are not pre cut, cut one out and lost the will to live. 😩

Whats the best method, the GWagon stickers are a real pain, lots of curves. 

Take your time, it always takes longer than you think so dont rush it as it looks like youve made a really good job of the paint and masking, even if you take a few days to finish it.

I just use scissors to trim just slightly around the outside of the printed decal and make sure all cuts around corners have curved smooth cuts, not sharp corners which can lift or catch on things over time. Have a bowl of warm water with some fairy liquid in, submerge the stickers for a few seconds then apply to the shell and gently stretch them around the curves. If they are still wet you can repostion them and when in place flatten down with a paper towel while squeezing out any bubbles. If I need the decal to shrink into a corner or around a tight bend I give it a quick waft over with a ciggy lighter. Any bubbles can later be popped with a bin to release any trapped air/water under the sticker.

Other than that; make sure you peel the film off first and wash your hands, stickers dont stick to well to shells covered in greasy fingerprints and if you inadvertantly get the sticker stuck on your finger and it has a transparent backing you will see your fingerprint in the decal on the shell forever after.

[KEV THE REV 2319]

1 hour ago, JennyMo said:

but not too many beers ought to see you righ

Amen to that if want to keep your digits

[rojo21 2]

superluminal   Some good tips , will try again. Messed up the rear screen surround , the warm water and fair liquid  must make it easier to position  

[Problemchild 2149]

Big decals - scalpel and then use a spray of water 

long thin - cut out and remove a small amount of the backing to position 

using a scalpel enables you to remove as much of the clear as possible 

on my Avante I even spent time removing the inside sections and as much of the clear between letters (without making the sticker fragile) and then laid it on using water 

[KEV THE REV 2319]

Mega !!

[Willsls1 342]

6 hours ago, JennyMo said:

fwiw. although initially it feels like a pain to have to cut each individual part out separately, the problem with pre-cut decals is they almost always have a clear edge around the coloured part, which can look a bit shonky, especially on a nicely painted body...

(...although generally speaking I like Tamiya decals as the plastic they are printed on is very thin, so the clear edges aren't too obvious).

Having to cut them by hand means you can take your time and cut really close to the coloured section - which for the trim details particularly, is going to achieve a far more professional looking end result.

Ultimately though, in this instance, with all the window surrounds etc. I can see how the process is particularly labourious - which is why I prefer hard-bodies and to actually paint the window surrounds and other details like that, rather than rely on stickers.

Sorry I can't be of more help... as Finnsellc suggests - a nice sharp hobby knife (X-acto or similar) plus a metal straight edge I'd suggest; and one or two but not too many beers ought to see you right ;o)

Jenny x

You ain't lyin . Case in point: