A couple of weeks ago, I was checking out Swanny’s site and saw a discussion concerning Techmod brand decals. The reviews were, how shall I put this, unkind. I wish I had seen this earlier as I had purchased a set for my 1/32 Baa Baa Blacksheep Corsiar, mainly to get the stenciling but also just in case the original decals had degraded too badly. Thankfully, the Revell decals held up beautifully over the years, so no problems there. The Techmod set, however, lived down to it’s reputation. I have used AeroMaster, Yellow Wings, and SuperScale brands and have been very pleased with the quality of all three. SuperScale advertises themselves as being the “thinnest” and I messed up a couple of stencils before getting the feel of them, but once I got the groove, no problems. The Techmod’s were also very thin, but no matter how delicately I worked with them, just one disaster after another.
The best set of decals I ever worked with was the one that came in the ProModeller FW190-D11 kit I did several years ago. I think the supplier was Cartograph, but I’m not completely sure.
While I would never recommend Techmod to anyone, I am curious if anyone else has used their product and if so, what were your impressions?
Used them on this one:
Went on with no problems at all, really worked out well. I have a bunch of their sheets in the stash that I’ll be using in the future.
I used their decals for my model of Gabby’s P-47D, and really enjoyed using them. They were very thin, delicate, and took a little getting used to, but by floating them on in a bed of liquid I was able to position them easily. [tup]
I have never had used thier decal sets but I have had some trouble here and there with some aftermarket decals but nothing major. I have had great luck with the OOB decals from old Monogram Revell kits. They have always been easy to work with and react very nicely to Microsol setting solution. I have used Cartograph decals alot and never had a problem with them. OOB decals are not always garbage just because the kit is inexpensive. The decal sheets from the 21st Century kits are top notch. I just build a Pegasus 1/48 Me 109 that I payed $12.00 bucks for and the tulip nose decals for Hartmans plane behaved very well and set down beautifully over the irregular contours and scoops on the nose. A nice surprise.
Soulcrusher[oX)]
It appears that Techmod changed the manufacturing process a while back. They became aware of the problems people were having with them and changed the manufacturing again so the latest decals should not be such a problem. You need to use very strong solutions with the problem ones. See http://www.imex-model.com/displaycases1new.htm for the problems I had and how I dealt with them.
I used Techmod decals on the Do-17 I just finished and some of the decals were quite fragile, so that I could not use a few of them. They didn’t fall apart as bad as they might have and it wasn’t all of them, but they were a poor combination of thin and brittle. Those are the only Techmod decals I’ve used so far.
Glad to hear that not everyone had my problems. Maybe I was too ham handed and impatient.
And to Luftwaffle, that is one fine aeroplane. Excellent results indeed.
Im glad to hear that also. I have a BIG set for my corsair (yes, Im still working on it!)…Harv
The Ira Kepford white #29 set? That’s the one I have. I ended up painting the walkways on the wings. I am hoping to get the “walkway” and “no step” and “fuel” decals to work out. I hope things go better for you than they did for me.
The set I have is for Bunker Hill. I`m doing White 110…Harv
well I guess it’s time to drag out the old Malox bottle as I was planning on using one set of Techmod decales on an FW190f8 in a future project. They had the colors right for a Jabo. Guess I’ll try my had at making masks to just paint the specific insignias I wanted.
gary
It’s a while since I used any Techmod decals, but when I did I found that they were very thin (good) but when down, wouldn’t move without risking breaking up (not so good). This was a problem with many decals printed in Eastern Europe in the mid-late 1990s.
I found, however, that if you spat on the model where you wanted the decal to go, you could then move it around until you got it exactly where you wanted. Press it down in position with a q-tip, clean up, job done. Sounds gross, but it works.
Cheers,
Chris.
I use Techod pretty often. Except some old sets all the new decals are very good. Never had any such problems. Always used Set and Sol to work with them. Once used Agama but later was very sorry (since Agama ate my paint [:(])).
If decals do not lay correctly into panel lines I just cut them along panel lines with a scalpel and treat with more solution. Pushing them with q-tips works too.
I realize this thread is more than a year old, but … not all Techmod decal sheets are apparently created equal.
I have the sheet for the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero and it has been a struggle to get ANY of them to lay down, despite drowing the suckers with Microsol, Solvaset, and even pressing down with a cloth dipped in boiling water. I have had nominal success in making slits along the panel lines, but only nominal success. They are beautifully printed, but after this experience, I don’t know if I’ll ever get another set.
If you read my earlier post you will see that there was a problem with Techmod decals in the past and thet they changed the manufacturing process after receiving complaints. There may still be some of these problem decals about.
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Don’t soak them in water. Wet the back of the paper with a paint brush. Wait until the decal is completely free and moves about with the slightest touch. Add more water if necessary. If the decal still adheres in one of two places it will tear if you push it.
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Float the decal on with plenty of water. The decals will grip the surface of the model if there isn’t any water underneath. They will then tear very easily with the slightest push. If you need to move them make sure there is plenty of water about. Push into place gently using something like a pin. When in place wick the surplus water away with a paintbrush or screwed up corner of a paper towel. If the decal moves out of position when doing this make sure you put back plenty of water before adjusting it.
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They need strong decal solutions and repeated application. I start with Agama’s Tensol and then Hypersol if the Tensol is not having much effect. Leave for 24 hours. If the decal won’t go down into panel lines etc., use a toothpick to push them down and then add more decal solution. NB. Hypersol can affect acrylic paint if you leave puddles of it in corners to soak for a long time.
Agama decal solutions: http://www.jadarhobby.pl/agama-liquids-for-decals-p-7833.html
Thanks for the tip on the different decal solutions - I had not heard of either of those. Might just have to fire up Babblefish and the currency converter and make some purchases, I’m tired of [bnghead] with these. It wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t big, bright red Japanese national insigina …
I used AGAMA once, and this solutions works, however, you must be careful, not to overdose since it may just melt the decal 
and the “US version” of Antoni link:
http://www.jadarhobby.pl/agama-liquids-for-decals-p-7833.html?language=en¤cy=USD
Well I am glad I found this disinterred thread. I was looking at getting a set for my 1/32 Hurricane, but now I will reconsider.
Stik,
Did you end up using TechMod decals?
I have a set for my AM TBM-3 and am wondering if TechMod made any changes since this old thread that improved their product. I also have some SuperScale decals but I would prefer the aircraft on the TechMod set. What’s your opinion?
Not yet. I have used a set of masks from Techmod awhile back. But i found a different set of decals for my Hurricane. And of the Techmod decals that are in my stash, I have not gotten to those builds yet.