FLRC Decal Issues?

[TonyGagJr]

I am putting the decals on my Bearcat and the decals barely stick. The adhesion is awful. Has anyone else experienced this? I own the Sea Fury and Tigercat so I am a big fan of the FLRC planes but this is my first experience with their decals.

Thanks,
Tony

[rifleman_btx]

Aren't those waterslide? If they are they need water to activate

[TonyGagJr]

No they are not.

[rifleman_btx]

Crap I know some are some arnt. Sucks man, the only thing I can think of is maybe the foam needs to be wiped down. It could be something on the foam not allowing the decals to stick

[Grossman56]

No they're the ones where you peel the backing off, rub them to seal to the plane then peel the top protecting layer off. Mine worked great!

Grossman56

[rifleman_btx]

The only ones I had problems with were the stencil ones for the p38

[2FewDaysAtFlyingField]

My bearcat graphics were substantially less than awesome too. I literally lost a couple graphics on the maiden flight as well as the servo cover on the tail. They didn't seem that loose when I applied them and figured it was because I flew her on the maiden at about 20 degrees. They should just have Callie do ALL their graphics or better yet, work out a deal where you get a coupon code to apply to any graphics you want from Callie. If so, I suspect Callie had better buckle up and hang on with all the new Biz.

im just going to have Callie do all my future graphics.

[Twowingtj]

The only ones I had problems with were the stencil ones for the p38

Ditto here. I did a full airframe wash/wipdown before trying to apply the "service" decals. Some stuck fair at best, others barely at all. Flightline went to all the trouble to give us a good set of accurate decals with either inconsistent or inadequate adhesive quality. A small, but needed area for future improvement.

[Grossman56]

I hear you, frustrating at the least. I apply the decals on the factory paint, then coat over them with Varathane and they don't come off, however, I find that if I paint the Varathane on then apply the decals, they come off pretty easily. Now, whether you want a matte or glass finish, you're better off coating them with Minwax or Varathane. I prefer the Spar Urethane as you all must know by now as I've posted it like a million times, because its an outdoor Varathane and has a UV protectant, which any dark colored airplane is going to need in the Summer.

Grossman56

[dkalwishky]

I am putting the decals on my Bearcat and the decals barely stick. The adhesion is awful. Has anyone else experienced this? I own the Sea Fury and Tigercat so I am a big fan of the FLRC planes but this is my first experience with their decals.

I had the same issue with my Bearcat decals. One of them departed the plane on it's maiden flight. I'm going to apply Varathane to the airplane to seal the decals and to it and give it some UV protection.

[Grossman56]

It works great dkal, it's a two fer....

Grossman56

[dkalwishky]

I've seen you post about it a million times (well, maybe not a million) so I'm going to give it a try. I plan on trying this in a week or two when my work schedule calms down and I have time. I figure I'll start with the horizontal stab so if I screw it up the replacement cost will be minimal.

[Grossman56]

Another tip from Charlie is to us a fan brush to fether it out, haven't tried that yet, but I can see where it would work great. That is how he's getting such a smooth surface. Going to try another coat on the Bearcat and see how it works.

Grossman56

[dkalwishky]

Fan brush? What the heck is that? Google here I come.

[Grossman56]

https://www.amazon.com/FolkArt-1196-Fan-Brush/dp/B004BPTBV4/ref=sr_1_2?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1485818826&sr=1-2&keywords=fan+brush

Check them out

Grossman56

[dkalwishky]

Follow up question, we had a couple of nice days a few weeks ago and I got another flight in with the Bearcat. At this point pretty much all of the decals are peeling off, I'm a little ticked and the crappy adhesion of these decals.

I don't want to completely remove them as I'm afraid that'll take paint off. Any thoughts / opinions on putting a drop or two of foam tac on the back of the decal and pressing them into place. I'm heading to Menards after work to pick up some Varathane Spar Urathane to coat the plane once he decals are handled. I'm also going to need some for the Tigercat when I assemble it real soon.

[Lon]

What i've done in your situation since your going to put the Varathane on. Put a little Varathane on them to stick, then Varathane over them.

[stemo]

Try coating the backside with Pacer canopy glue. Apply decal, allow to dry, won!t ever come off.

[Grossman56]

Heck, I've even used good ol' Testor's model glue on the back of my Pitts
Grossman56

[dkalwishky]

Thanks guys, went by Menards and they were out of the Varathane that I wanted. I'm going to try a different store tomorrow. My plan is to use this weekend to get the Bearcat coated and then start working on the Tigercat.