Toning down decals

[BenB]

Thanks, Lee. If I can get the little ******s to lay down, I'll try the pastels, first. They're silvering pretty badly, even on a gloss surface. Haven't run across something like this in a while. Looks like I'll actually have time to fight with them this weekend!

Ben

[Lee_K]

I tone down decals quite often by spraying a highly thinned mix of the base camouflage, particularly with US Navy jets.  Decal stencils are almost always (1) too thick in font size and (2) too intense in color.  It's particularly bad with stencils on prop blades.  Compare a model of a P-51 with the markings on the Hamilton Standard blades to a color photo of the real thing and you'll see how comically bright the model's markings are.  Another thing I also do to tone down stencils is rub them with dark gray pastels after the decal has been applied to the model.  So I think you're on the right track, Ben.  I would try the pastel trick first, and if that isn't sufficient, hit it with a very light overspray of Dark Green.

Lee K

[BenB]

I finally got the stencils printed for my Hunzilla. Unfortunately, because of the nature of ALPS decals, I had to add a layer of white under the red and yellow because those two colors are more or less transparent. Once they are on the model, they are YELLOW!!! and RED!!! to the point where you can see them from across the room (they're silvering badly, but I can deal with that). Would spraying a very thin coat of the underlying color (green) over them tone them down a little. I'd like them to be visible, but not so bright, as if they'd been quickly sprayed on with a stencil and a rattle can. I'm also hoping to tone down the underlying white, which the ALPS printed slightly out of register. This model is cursed, in more ways than one!

Here's the look I'm shooting for:


Thanks!

Ben