Simon Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 Got this finished off in the week. I'm not sure it was the best colour choice, and the gloss didn't really work out, but it has built up nicely. More or less box stock, apart from covering up the chrome with Alclad (mainly to hide joins and seams on the chrome parts), some blue tint for the windows and some junk for the interior. I also discarded the fancy rear bumper in the kit, I didn't think it was right for a 1980s working truck, and made up some new rear lights and mud flap hangers to finish the rear off. Simple decals printed on a laser printer. A big thank you to the guys who told me the situation on licence plates and fuel decals, especially Mr Shaver, an endless spring of knowledge on trucking regulations.
Old Albion Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 (edited) Simon, Very impressive. The paintwork looks perfect to me the satin sort of finish gives the appearance of aged paint work of a truck that has spent many years on the open road. Yes I like it!! Best Wishes Dave Bates PS Simon how did you go about making your own decals. I fancy having a go it myself but not sure where to start????? What programmes, printers etc are required? Edited January 17, 2009 by Old Albion
SpreadAxle Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 Very realistic. You did a great job. Nice work on the modifications, too.
fordh8r Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 Very impressive. The paintwork looks perfect to me the satin sort of finish gives the appearance of aged paint work of a truck that has spent many years on the open road. Yes I like it!! My thoughts, exactly! I was also thinking, if you weren't opposed to the idea, you could also add some very small silver spots in the front of the cab paint to simulate small rock chips in the paint in addition to the aged appearance of the paint. Maybe even some "worn" areas in the floor mat and steps. Just a thought. Looks great!
crispy Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 I have to agree with the others, the paint turned out perfect. It looks like a well taken care of K100 that works. Beautifully done! Chris
buba39 Posted January 18, 2009 Posted January 18, 2009 if i rember right testors had a cd that u can use to make your own decel
Simon Posted January 18, 2009 Author Posted January 18, 2009 Thanks for the kind comments lads. I think you're right Tommy, a little more visible wear and tear would probably improve it. PS Simon how did you go about making your own decals. I fancy having a go it myself but not sure where to start????? What programmes, printers etc are required? It's simple Dave, as long as you have access to a colour printer. Luckily there is a colour laser printer where I work, though I'm sure any local printing shop could print it out for you if you took your designs to them on a USB memory stick or whatever. You will need special laser printer decal paper too. If you are printing with an inkjet printer, apparently you need inkjet decal paper, plus a clear coat to spray the finished decals with to waterproof them. I didn't use any special software, I just typed out what I wanted in Word, in the colour I wanted and in a kind of 'wild west' font. Then I printed it onto special decal paper which can be bought on Ebay, I think it was a fiver for 3 sheets. I set the printer to a glossy paper setting, and it turned out perfectly. You just have to be careful about getting the size right, and remember that a normal office printer can't print white. It's best to print a few test sheets on normal paper first, so you can check the sizes, quality of the printing, colour reproduction etc. As you have to print a whole A4 sheet at a time, I decided to make up decals for a couple of other projects at the same time, all on the same sheet. Give it a go - if I can do it, anybody can. If I can help you with anything, let me know!
fordh8r Posted January 19, 2009 Posted January 19, 2009 I've often wondered about making my own decals. Other than online, is there someplace that sells the decal sheets, Hobby store, perhaps? What brand are they? 3M or somebody like that?
Simon Posted January 19, 2009 Author Posted January 19, 2009 I didn't manage to find the decal paper for sale in the shops anywhere, Tommy. This US Ebay store has it though: click here As for the brand, it was a name I'd never heard before. I don't know if the big companies also sell it, it is a niche product I suppose.
Simon Posted January 19, 2009 Author Posted January 19, 2009 Thanks Tim. Your website is a major source of inspiration to me. In fact, I blame you personally for the additional K100 and Pete 378 that are now in my stash
fordh8r Posted January 19, 2009 Posted January 19, 2009 (edited) Thanks for the link, Simon. I'll see if I can find out more about that brand. I have searched a little and found that Testors make a decal kit for just this. It seems to be for inkjet type printers which is what I would be using since I don't have access to a laser type. Here's the link...... http://www.testors.com/product/0/9198/_/Custom_Decal_System I don't know if anyone here has used it or not, so I'm curious as to how good it is or how easy it may be to find. I'd buy it online if necessary but I usually like to support my LHS as much as possible even in times like this to help ensure that he'll be there when this economy springs back, hopefully sooner than later. Edit: also found this.... http://www.bare-metal.com/Experts-Choice-Decal-Film.html Edited January 19, 2009 by fordh8r
Jim B Posted January 19, 2009 Posted January 19, 2009 You could try this, too. It's from Micro-Mark. http://www.micromark.com/decal-paper.html
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