"Custom white decals: source?" Topic

A friend and I are building a model of the Raven from Elysium:

…and we need some decals for the various markings. The graphics are white-on-camo, so the usual tricks used with DIY custom decal paper won't work. Can anyone recommend a source for custom-printed white decals?

Why won't the tricks work? Micromark sells white decal paper. I think I'd try: importing the eland (?) silhouette into Photoshop/The GIMP; skew it a little to take it out of the 3/4 view; knock out the camo background; put a fine stroke on remaining white silhouette; print; cut out; stick on. It's not that different from sticking on white numbers, to my mind.

You can always contact Dom's Decals:

domsdecals.com

and Mustang Game Systems:

mustanggamesystems.com

I do agree with Jeff Ewing though.

The oryx doesn't worry me so much as the tiny text on the 'keep clear' and other text decals. There's no way I could trim each letter by hand and have it look decent.

I understand I would also try I94 Enterprises and Armament in Miniature.

let us know how you make out…Good Luck

For the tiny text, two options, both from any number of military or railway transfer suppliers (Archer, Bison and Fox are among the best IMHO):
1) Find a set of generic transfers with suitable warnings and use these
2) They will often do sets of individual letters you make up what you need. Use masking tape to get it all in line and take it slowly.

Another alternative with the white decal paper is to match you backgrobase coatcoat colour, and producrectangleblge of this with the text left clear so shows white. Can be tricky accurately matching the colour though, even more so if going over multicoloured/camo area.

Also with the home made transfers you have to be aware that light colours, and even the white sheets can be problematic as professionally produced decals will have multiple layers of the lighter colours for intensity and to avoid any translucency,

Best of luck

Leigh

I see your point now, snodipus. I think Fettster 42 is correct though -- I'd be pretty surprised if you can't get "Keep clear" in white from some ordinary aircraft decal set.
Also: *In that particular image* the "Keep clear" is completely on the brown tone. You could print that brown with white letters on and stick it on _en bloc_ over your brown paint.

Or you could go for an alternate paint scheme =) :

Perhaps a more difficult choice.

Paint the area you want the decal white, after it dries gloss the white, after it dries apply a home made decal on clear decal paper. The clear decal paper will allow the white paint to show through.

You might need to overpaint paint any white paint that protrudes beyond the decal

I know somebody who will do them for you but they are very, very expensive relative to the cost of off-the-shelf- decal sheets. I designed a sheet and had them print them for me – the quality of the print was fantastic. This is in the UK. I suspect there are lots of suppliers in the US for this kind of thing.

Hello snodipous,
Im a german film student and currently working on a elysium style short film adaption. i would realy like to use your awesome "raven" model for my film. if your interested please contact me. secondworldfilm@web.de