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1/35 Armour Decals
Review by Terry Ashley

Yet another decal manufacturer has appeared on the scene with MYK Design from Japan producing vehicle decals in 1/144, 1/72 and 1/35 scales to add to the ever increasing list for armour modellers to choose from.

The sheets are very topical in subject with each measuring just 93mm x 112mm (3 5/8in x 4 1/2in) and have markings for five to six vehicles.
The quality of the decal printing is good with clear artwork and good colour register with thickish carrier film cropped close to the edge of the printed image, but instead of this being a problem it is part of the solution, read on.

Application of the decals:
When first examining these decals I assumed they were the same as any other water slide decal and as the instructions were in Japanese I could not read them immediately. But these decals are not like other waterslide decals, they incorporate an application system (called by MYK as "ASHITA NO DECAL[ASU DEKA]") that when followed completely eliminates the carrier film leaving the decal on the model just like with the dry transfer system.

Application steps:

  1. Cut the required design from the sheet but do not cut into the carrier film (This is important).
  2. Dip the decal into water for about 30 seconds. (As with any water slide decal)
  3. When the decal has loosened slip onto the model as with any waterslide decal and using tweezers or soft cloth move the decal to the correct position. The model must be glossed before hand for the best result.
  4. Use a soft cloth or tissue to press down the decal when in place to remove most of the moisture.
  5. Leave the decal to dry for 12-24 hours depending on ambient temperature and humidity.
  6. Once dry use a small piece of scotch tape and stick this to the corner of the decal carrier film and very slowly pull up the film, you can also use a model knife (X-Acto #11) and tweezers to lift the film being careful not to damage the printed marking.
  7. Once the film is removed any excess glue can be removed with a soft moist tissue and you then have a decal without carrier film.
  8. A final sealing coat of flat varnish would be advisable as with any decals before starting the weathering process.

While this system worked well for me I did have to gloss the model first to get a perfect finish. I experimented applying the decals to a flat finish but the printed marking would just lift off the paint when removing the carrier film. By glossing the model first the film lifted off perfectly after 12 hours drying time leaving the decal clear of carrier film just like dry transfers and completely eliminated any silvering problem.

Included in each pack is a colour sheet with small illustrations of each vehicle showing the location of the markings which consist only of the main vehicle markings, registration numbers and vehicle names. The illustrations are quite small and fairly hard to read in some cases but with careful study you should be able to work out the correct location.

This is a very interesting new decal system that worked very well on a glossed surface and could be a product to keep a close eye on.

Click on the links below for a closer look at each sheet.

MYK Decals are available via the excellent service from Rainbow Ten.
See the MYK Decals web site for full details of sheets available, it's in Japanese but has pics of all the sheets.


Page created 28 April 2004
Page updated 4 May 2004

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