polishing decals question

this is the first time i have had this issue...there is a huge "step" from my decal to the paint...can i polish this out? if so, what is the best method to do so? i have all three tamiya rubbing compounds, and all the fine grade sandpapers, but i do not want to ruin the decal or the finish! the gloss coat is mr. color super clear.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm11/kans0002/upload/hood1.jpg

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm11/kans0002/upload/hood2.jpg

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm11/kans0002/upload/hood3.jpg

i did have to use microscale's liquid decal film for the first time to save the decals because they were old and fragile, so i am thinking perhaps i did something wrong? any help would be greatly appreciated!

Stuart

oh, and here is a little teaser of the rest of the body...i will post more pics when it is complete!

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm11/kans0002/upload/teaser1.jpg

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm11/kans0002/upload/teaser2.jpg

Stuart, you don't polish (let alone sand) decals. They will not stand up to any sizeable mechanical rubbing.

The only viable way to get rid of that step is to clearcoat the decals (I'd go with several coats with sanding in between) and then polishing the final flat layer. Clearcoating decals is a completely different topic. It's hard to tell from the pics, though, if you've already applied a clearcoat over the decals or not.

From my experience with Microscale Liquid Film i could tell you that one coat of film over decals is invisible! Even two! What is thick is the carrier film of your decal, i suppose from Tamiya.

Have you cleared over the top of the decals? If so very careful sanding followed by more coats and more sanding, etc, will lessen the step. That is what I usually do, but be gentle!
Some deals are just thicker than others.

Watch this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyl8gfnLMWQ&feature=related) it help you with this issue. Unfortunately is in Japanese, unless you understand, anyway, the images talk by itself.
I owned one too. What color did you use for the body car?
Beautiful car, good luck.

From what I can see, I would advise you gently polish the surface first to get rid of the slight orange peel you have. Then apply two or so more coats of clear on top. Then polish it down until it's smooth like glass. I was just about to suggest that video too, beat me to it :p. Difference I think is in the video the decal seems a lot thinner.

Thanks everyone!


What color did you use for the body car? AALmeida. I used Alclad's Scarabeus blue to green...although I would describe it as green with a touch of blue when the sun hits it. I got the idea from another Sonax build on this forum. From what I can tell, it is by far the best match for to the 1:1 car. By the way...I am following your Prokart Zakspeed build with great interest, as I too have that kit and plan to start it as soon as I finish the Sonax!

Stuart

Thanks everyone!


AALmeida. I used Alclad's Scarabeus blue to green...although I would describe it as green with a touch of blue when the sun hits it. I got the idea from another Sonax build on this forum. From what I can tell, it is by far the best match for to the 1:1 car. By the way...I am following your Prokart Zakspeed build with great interest, as I too have that kit and plan to start it as soon as I finish the Sonax!

Stuart

Stuart, Alclad's Scarabeus was my guess, unfortunately it's hard to find here in Brazil, may be I can get with Kevin from StradaSports. My project is on pause for the 60 days curbside project for a forum here, I will be back soon to finish the Zakspeed.

Stuart, Alclad's Scarabeus was my guess, unfortunately it's hard to find here in Brazil, may be I can get with Kevin from StradaSports.

If you want, you can have the remainder of my bottle (i have almost a full bottle). PM me if you are interested.

Stuart