Having exhausted my supply of custom-made decals for a project it's time to try NOS Champ decals; i.e., the ones that came in the small envelopes.
Never used NOS decals before but have read about pre-treating them with clear coat or decal film to prevent the decal from falling apart.
If you've had experience applying NOS decals, particularly Champ brand, how'd you do it to get a satisfactory result, and what didn't work well. All advice welcome.
TIA.
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It has been a while since I have used Champ decals, but, I did use them quite a lot and liked them because they were easy to use and very forgiving. I had never had any problems with them breaking apart, but, it may be best for you to test some that you can afford to lose just to see if they do tend to break. They are thicker than Micro Scale, so, using Solvaset worked well on them in order to get them to lay down around details such as rivets and seam lines. Being thicker, they are a bit harder to hide. The best that I remember is that they are one sheet, meaning that they are not separate decals. You will need to cut close around what you need to avoid excess decall film.
Old decals in general can be hit or miss. Champ had a fairly thick film, so they last a fairly long time. The best practice is to gloss coat the decals and let that cure prior to application. I had a few sets in PRR and one set went onto a car just fine while the other one gave me trouble with the stripes.
However, it is always worth trying to use the stock you have. Champ made a great product for many years and there are some roads you just can't get outside of used Champ decals these days. Good luck!
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