Okay, just put the decals on my M3 Stuart... The first one I trimmed slightly wider than the decal itself (when looking at the decal on the sheet, it looks like a small border) I applied it. The other decals I tried to cut as close to the end of the decal as I could, therefore elminated the 'border'.

Is this the correct process, or did I fudge it up? They all look very 'decalish'. *lol* I assume that will be taken care of once I do my clearcoat then weathering?

Thanks guys! Armorama rocks the net!

I always try to trim as close to the printing as possible. It SHOULD look more painted on and less decalish after you put the clear coat on. Did you gloss coat the model before you put the decals on? If not you may be experiencing what's called silvering and that can not be fixed by a clear overcoat. Be sure to gloss coat before decals.

Just in case you didn't gloss coat the model before you applied the decals - you can get rid of the silvering...

Take a pin or needle (sewing kind), prick the decal several times. Do this on the colored part - not over any clear areas. Then dab some "decal set" on the decal. I use "decal set' by Testors. This stuff seeps into the holes you poked in the decal and fills the air space that was causing the silvering.

Then hit the area with a coat of clear gloss, and your silvering problem will be eliminated - or at least dramatically reduced.

HTH
Jeff

Thanks for the tips guys... The model store in town didn't have any 'decal setting' solution... But I did put a 'future' clearcoat on the areas where I was applying the decals before hand. Hadn't noticed any silvering in the decals, but they're drying while I'm at work.

So once I'm satisfied with the decals, then do a clearcoat of my entire model before I do my wash, correct?

(Sorry, but this is my first model. I feel like I'm being babied through the entire process. BUT, I promise to spread the joy of modelling and help out newbs when I'm a grisled ole veteran!)

If you Futured, you should be fine. Hunt down some decal solution when you can for the future, though. It is really handy when decals get stubborn.

Yes, gloss coat, then wash, then dull coat. The gloss will allow the wash to flow into the recess like it should without sticking in other places where shouldn't.

I made a major boo boo when I tried trimming decals for the first time. The decals were of the unit and vehicle numbers on my M88A1. I trimmed the decal edges using my knife, dunked them in water, and slid them off the backing paper and onto the AFV. Then Microsol was applied to the decal to set it.

The next day I looked at the decal and it was way thick. I've heard of thick decals but this was ridiculous. After some head scratching and muttering, I found that some of the backing paper pulled away with the decal when I slid it on! I didn't notice this because the backing paper and the decal's background color were the same. Oh well. Live and learn (++)