Have just finished a 1/48 Roden Early (OAW) Fokker DVII, so note on the decals - I think the latest production Roden decals are superior to what some of us have experienced at the start of production (though I may have gotten lucky with a batch, freshness of decals in question):
The lozenge decals were sealed in cellophane - there was a level of "freshness" to them, when I've opened them. Decals required quite a bit of Micro-Set / Sol combination to set. If I compare them to the decals from another Fokker from 3-4 years ago, these later ones were a lot less brittle when I was slicing / sanding off the overhanging lozenge along the trailing edge.
National, factory and personalized markings decals were also pretty good - they didn't quite soften up as most decals, but they also didn't break up in the water. All right, two decals sorta came into halfs - but I was removing them off the backing paper with tweazers and not really babying them! In contrast, a Roden Fokker from 3-4 years ago had a couple of decals break up into multiple pieces while in the water.
Rib Tape decals are another story - every other one broke with slightest nudge off the backing paper, they didn't seem to respond to Micro - Set or Sol. Had to coat them over with future for film to adhere to surface. Ended up doing a lot of rib tape touch up with fine liner brush.
So I would certainly use Roden decals again, though still a big fat no on their rib tapes. I did get a rhythm towards the end, but I've came dangerously low to running out of the material - and that's with plenty of painting touch up involved.
There is also a level of surprise with Roden Decals - like them remaining mobile after majority of decals would have set / melted down. It's quite alarming and constant watch must be kept on the model to keep decals from sliding well 20 minutes after application (I constantly re-wet decals with Microsol, which seems to work with all other decals)
JackFlash's link on working with decals is invaluable - I heartily support the hot water application as it does appear to help a lot. So can't recommend his research into the subject enough.
