Dearest Academy,

While I'm almost finished with your Israeli Avia S-199, I came to the part where I am supposed to apply the things you call decals. This is the second kit of yours where these "things" refuse to make friends with the kit itself. I have used much decal solution, enough to cause decals from any normal manufacture to vaporize instantly. Your hapless creations merrily refuse to contour to even the slightest curve, never mind the fine panel lines you shockingly have managed to engineer. These decals have obviously been created by your friendly neighbors to the north as a means to frustrate any Western brain activity. But I shall resist!

From now on, as proclaimed here, a public forum, I will never purchase one of your models again.

Viva La Résistance! And a whole bunch of other cool sounding sayings.

-Derek

Well said.
The first thing I do when buying an Academy kit is to throw the decals away and replace them with, well anything, cardboard, wood, Krupp steel, or even A.M decals, they all conform better.
Andy

Andy, You beat me to It and said exactly what I intended to!

Derek, you have absolutley right, Academys decals are C-R-A-P!

One of the first models I built when returning to aircrafts again was the lovley Academy F-86 Sabre (1/48).
It´s about four years ago, and the decals are peeling off, no matter what I try to "glue" them with.

Today, I still buy Academy kits as they are nice and cheap little buggers, but I always check If I can get any AM decals!

Anybody who wants some Academy decals?

They are wonderful to start a fire with!

Cheers!

Stefan E

I've had similar experiences, but with the addition of horrible silvering, even on high-gloss surfaces. Adhesion could also be better, although varnishing keeps them on. They're so deceptively good-looking on the sheet, but when you use them, their true nature is revealed.
I've done the same thing, get better decals whenever possible.
I remember seeing some more recent ktis with the mention "cartograph decals included" on the box. Perhaps they caught some flak about their decals and shaped up. It was some aircraft kits, so it seems they haven't given up their own decals completely, unfortunately.

The Academy Helldiver has Cartograf decals. I was pleased to find this out, as i had drawn a blank on finding some AM decals

Andy

Nice to hear that I have done the right thing in buying AM decals for the two Academy Bf 109 I recently purchased.

I will use the Academy decals in the Winter for lighting up the fire place

what is the best website for water slide decals? having trouble finding a site, tried the cartograph site they did not have stuka/luftwaffe decals, whats "A.M" short for?, I assume the hasegawa decals are acceptable.

Dave

Can't help with Web site - wrong side of the Pond.

AM refers to After Market - nice and simple really.

Hopefully some one local can answer you with a web site location.

Andy

Dave - Squadron.com is always a "good" place to start http://www.squadron.com/SearchResults.asp?offset=0
but for sure there are others, you may with to try like
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=MILITARY

Like models themselves decals go in and out of favor, so you can't always find exactly what you are looking for from one vendor, you have to shop around, and some times you are stuck with "the only game in town".

I'm gald to hear that my expeirience is not the only one.

You know, "misery loves company"! I was actually going to buy AM decals for the Avia, as I had learned my lesson from the Academy LA-7, but I could not find any Israeli 1948 decals in stock on the web. But at that point I had already spent money on the Eduard PE zoom and did not want to put more into a $20 kit.

I should be done with it in the next day or so and will post pics.

-Derek

P.S., I'm not as angry as I was when I first posted this thread.

thanks!

Is this a problem that their AFV kits have?

Sometimes you can just tell when the decals will suck. This is when I make a trip to the spares box, or the web-store. I have experienced the decals peeling off after a few months myself.

Best advice is to research the kit before building.

Does this happen even after Klear or varnish?

The weird thing about Academy's decals is the look great on the paper. These were in great register, accurate looking color and real fine detail (the stencils are readable) but my goodness are they disobedient. Of course you find this out as you apply them. Thankfully the Avia did not have many decals to apply anyway.

As for using Future to force the issue, it would certainly keep them from silvering on flat surfaces but I'm not sure how effective it would be to get them to bend 'round the corners.

-Derek

Future did not help on mine. It is almost like the have a negative molecular bond. On one kit they pushed away from the kit like opposite magnets, after about 6 months. It is the wierdest thing I have ever seen in modeling.

I've heard decals coming off after a long time, but 6 months, that new to me.
Btw, did you varnish over the decals after applying them?

..only recently picked up their 'Old Crow' P-51 - the decal sheet is/was the main reason for the purchase ...anyone here built this ..?

surely some white glue/ future will keep them on..?

I have found a sure fire way to get them to stick. Scotch Tape!! I toss them in the scrap box as soon as I crack one of their kits open. They really poor decals. "Q"

The problem I had with Academy decals in the past was not a question of the decals adhering to the surface, it was the silvering.Even applied onto Future/Klear as usual they silvered really badly.
Its a real shame, as the Academy kits are very well moulded and good value for money.
It hasnt stopped me building Academy kits, but I dont even consider using the decals.
Nige

Well now Crap and I am building their P-38 and want to do it as Putt Putt Maru which is included Crap.

1/48 scale

Does anybody know where I can find a set of these.

Thanks.