I tried Archer decals on a T-34/75 for the 1st time yesterday. They are super easy to use and look absolutely authentic because they are technically painted on the surface. I love the fact that no water, no Micro Set and no Micro Sol are involved. I guess it’ll be hard to go back to water slide decals…
Some people like them, some don’t, but they do take a little adjustment in technique.
The technique is often called ‘dry-transfer,’ ‘rub-down,’ or ‘Letra-Set’ (trade-name) on this side of the pond.
I like them as well, & they also do ‘wet-transfers’ and if you read their website, they have a method if turning the ‘drys’ into ‘wets’, so best of all worlds. (no affiliation, just use them a lot!)
The Train stuff is also very useful for Military modelling, esp. the rivets, welds etc.
The big problem for me is that the number of sets of dry transfer is miniscule compared to decals. If more people used them, maybe more sets would become available. I have never seen a set for a specific project I was working on. Only thing I have used is the fonts if they are appropriate for a model I am building. Last project I used them on was for gold lettering for a Stagecoach (the Lindberg 1:16 kit).
It is possible to make composite “decals” by applying dry transfer lettering to clear decal paper to make them a little easier to apply. The wax adhesive does seem to work okay while the decal sheet is wet. It is easier to get the position of individual numbers and letters right while the paper is flat, then apply to a curved model surface.