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Saving old Matchbox decals?

I've got an old 1/32 scale Matchbox Tiger Moth kit. The decals came with a piece of thin paper as an overlay, to protect them from getting scratched, I assume.

My problem is that this light brown colored paper has somehow bonded with the decal over the years, and is now stuck pretty firmly to the decal sheet. Is there a tip for removing this paper and salvaging the decals?

I've seen this problem on a number of old Matchbox and Airfix kits. Usually,. I don't care, as better aftermarket decals are usually available. However, in this case, there are no replacement decals that I know of for the 1/32 scale Tiger Moth......

TIA!

-Bill

Reply to
RC Boater
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in article snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com, RC Boater at snipped-for-privacy@remove.earthlink.net wrote on 17/11/03 17:40:

I cut and use as needed as the light paper cover does come off in water.

Reply to
Rory Manton

I faced this just last night with some old frog decals.Just let them soak a long time,and check that they dont float away or curl up.You may need to rub some of it off with your fingernail.

Reply to
Eyeball2002308

Sometime back I posted the same query. I found that soaking the decal a l-o-n-g time helped but some of the paper would not dislodge. I waited until they were dry and helped it off with a pencil eraser rubbed gently over the decal. There are still some rough patches but they are very minute.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Reply to
Bill Banaszak

will soaking keep them from fragmenting? my glad lifeline decals splintered right up.

Reply to
e

Probably not - you need to add Micro Liquid Decal Film (best) or a coat of clear (such as Future) to prevent fragmenting.

Sten

Reply to
Sten

agreed,but in this case it would seal in the top film,which you don't want.If you can't scrape it off dry,you may have to take your chances...

Reply to
Eyeball2002308

Future didn't help with one sheet I had. It was a set from a Minicraft airliner and it had been flopped between printing the carrier film and the design. The designs were printed over film and paper. A coat of Future did not hold them together. Now I'm going to have to go decal shopping for a replacement.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Reply to
Bill Banaszak

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