Tamiya Toyota Castrol Supra decal disaster :(

I was almost done with this old kit and then disaster happened... It was all painted, decals on, 4 coats of clear with ts13, sanded and polished. I saved the window trims with semi-gloss black for the end like other kits that I have done, since the window trims are not glossy. I masked it carefully with Tamiya masking tape, painted, and as I pull off the masking tape, the decals came off too! Argh!!!! This never happened on other kits before, wondering if you guys do anything differently. I didn’t want to paint the window trims before decals and clear, cause the trim shouldn’t be glossy, and I didn’t want to paint with a brush at the end. Any better approach? Greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Did you use setting solution for the decals? If so, which type/brand?

Did you use setting solution for the decals? If so, which type/brand?

I used micro set. I wondered if the decals were too old, the white actually turned a bit yellow.

Yes, they lost their adhesion, and clear was not enough to hold them down.

You're using the correct method, I just think as Alex said your decals were too old and the glue has failed through age..

This is one of my biggest fears, I always get sweaty palms when I'm removing the tape because I had some bad experiences like you too.


What I usually do is that I stick tape to the cutting mat multiple times in order to weaken the tape glue. Also I'm using minimum amount of tape required, only 2-3 mm wide strip to get sharp edges. I take fine airbrush in on hand while I hold piece of paper with other hand close to the masking tape so I don't get overspray.

Tamiya makes a decal adhesive which helps with giving decals more grip. It helps with moving the decals in to position too.
https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/87176/index.htm

You can use Post-it papers, they are not so sticky as masking tapes.
On my next build, I plan to paint the window trim black before decals and gloss clear, then use flat or semi-gloss clear applied with fine brush.

Thanks everyone for the great tips. I will need to be very careful and try some of your suggestions the next time. I finished the chassis and the interior already, I now wonder if I should get another kit of the same, since this was a hand me down kit from a friend, and I didn’t actually paid for it. The cheapest i can find is ~US$30 shipped, or I will just sit and wait when I come across a cheaper one :)

You can get spare set of decals from Shunko. Hiroboy has them on stock.

I guess that these are newer than ones from Tamiya because that kit is probably out of production.



Leave body soaked in synthetic brake fluid over night and it will remove even 2K clear without any damage to plastic. After this you will have to properly wash it and wipe with ethanol and you can repeat all the steps like nothing happened.
And of course brake fluid should be collected and properly disposed.

Thanks everyone. I ended up buying another kit, which was sealed and looked like from a more recent production date. I bought it because it was only $10 more than just buying the decals+shipping, and I don't have anything to strip the lacquer paint.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50103445082_ce3417b7cc_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50129339553_d04fc05e63_b.jpg

More photos will be posted in the completed forum. Thanks!

I forgot to mention, the decals from the new box is much better, the white was white, and not yellow, but I still painted the window trims first before decals and clear, just to be safe, it turned out not looking too bad. :)

glad to see your initial disaster had a great-looking ending :)

"Turned out not bad" understatement, that turned out looking fantastic!!!

I've suffered this issue more than too much already. For years I used to mask over coated decals, but recently I've had this issue a couple of times.
I build old WRC kits, so maybe as the guys said, decals lose their adhesive power with time. Anyway now I avoid masking over decals, which doesn't make my life any easier...