The Energon Pub

Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:44 pm

I've never been one to put decals on any of my transformers due to the fact that I'm extremely impatient and will wind up screwing it up. But since seeing Reprolabel's cool stuff, I decided to take a chance and apply the existing ones I have to my reissues I have had for a while. While most have taken pretty good, it seems that I'm having some trouble with others. It's not applying them, though, it's getting them to stay on.It's mainly with my Insecticons. The decals that wrap around, such as the ones that go around Shrapnel's arms, do not want to stay on. My collection room stays pretty cool at all times. Could this be a problem, or is it the fact that the decals wrap around? Any help or advise would be grateful. I want to start doing more than just collecting them now. I want to start customizing, and I figured applying decals, or the custom decals Reprolabel is making, would be a good start........

News Credits: 241 · Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:23 pm

Decals, especially older ones, do not fare well on curved surfaces. I've yet to find a proper solution for my G1 Sky Garry and GaoGaiGar Big Volfogg.

News Credits: 3 · Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:25 pm

did you make sure to clean the surface that you were applying the decals too? also try your best to not touch the adhesive side too much.

using an exacto knife is really helpful when applying small decals

News Credits: 2 · Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:10 pm

wrap around stickers can be a pain, especially if they are vintage stickers as mentioned by JelZe.
the red wraparound stickers for my European Rotorstorm wouldnt ever stay on. I had to throw them out eventually. He was misb when I got him and still the wraparounds gave me issues.

Tue Jan 11, 2011 8:29 pm

headsortails wrote:While most have taken pretty good, it seems that I'm having some trouble with others. It's not applying them, though, it's getting them to stay on.It's mainly with my Insecticons. The decals that wrap around, such as the ones that go around Shrapnel's arms, do not want to stay on.

I had the exact same problems with the Insecticons. It's a real pain in the rear end.

My other problem is when the sticker doesn't quite match the spot it's supposed to stick to - raised surface, wrong size, etc. I've run into that problem with several figures - G1 Hoist comes to mind.

News Credits: 33 · Tue Jan 11, 2011 8:37 pm

The acids on your skin can make the glue break down and make it useless, so make sure you've given the area a wipe with a dry cloth and try not to touch the back of the sticker.

Just to note - reissue stickers that come with the figures are crap and are more prone to peeling. None of my vintage give me trouble, yet my the couple of reissues I have left are giving me grief.

If you're going to use glue - only use PVA. If you use an acetate-based glue it will wreck the sticker, the plastic on the toy and the paintwork.

Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:15 pm

I've been using tweezers to help with the smaller ones. For the most part , those have been o.k. What about purchasing the decals from Reprolabel. Will they work better than the ones that came with my reissues, or would I be blowing more money away? As the same for the classics reprolabel decals?

News Credits: 20 · Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:36 pm

Reprolabels are made of better materials IMO and work better all around. They're more sticky and made of a more vinyl material so they can wrap better. The only issue I have with Reprolabels is that the images aren't always very crisp or can look very digitized. Take that with a grain of salt though. I don't think I've bought anything new from them in over 3 years. They could have fixed those issues by now. If you have the extra and are tired of stickers not doing what they should, definitely give them a shot. You could always write and ask about the issues I mentioned as well.

News Credits: 3 · Wed Jan 12, 2011 6:58 am

Flux Convoy wrote:Reprolabels are made of better materials IMO and work better all around. They're more sticky and made of a more vinyl material so they can wrap better. The only issue I have with Reprolabels is that the images aren't always very crisp or can look very digitized. Take that with a grain of salt though. I don't think I've bought anything new from them in over 3 years. They could have fixed those issues by now. If you have the extra and are tired of stickers not doing what they should, definitely give them a shot. You could always write and ask about the issues I mentioned as well.

they still have those issues...I just recently had problems w/ some sets I bought.

News Credits: 60 · Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:19 am

Ditto Amelie. The re-issue labels, especially from the international versions are total cr@p! Notorious are the Hasbro Commemorative Seekers and most recently the Insecticons. Haven't experienced any trouble with the Encore sereis though. And I use Elmer glue dabbed on the tip of a toothpick.

Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:42 am

headsortails wrote:It's mainly with my Insecticons. The decals that wrap around, such as the ones that go around Shrapnel's arms, do not want to stay on.

I had a similar problem with my eHobby Insecticon Clones - i recommend Reprolabels...they do a replacement G1 Insecticon set, excellent quality.

Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:00 am

Fistful of Energon wrote:did you make sure to clean the surface that you were applying the decals too?

probably the singlemost important step when applying decals... careful preparation will go a long way.. i will usually spray some streak-free window cleaner onto a paper towel & clean the proposed area, then take a dry paper towel to clean off any leftover residue. then a quick dust-off with an electrostatic duster (well worth the minor investment) to clear off any stray fibers. a final spot check with a flashlight to make sure nothing got stuck in a joint (some fibers can be near invisible until spot-lit).

may sound like a pain, but its worth the effort & i betcha those decals won't come off then

Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:42 pm

I will definitely try out Reprolabels, and take the extra steps mentioned in preparing to apply the decals. Thanks for all the advice. I'm about to start applying the decals on my Predy. I hope everything goes o.k. with this one since it's my favorite...... :KREMZEEK:

News Credits: 60 · Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:44 pm

There's something about Predaking that makes his labels peal off.......though it may just be that mine is sooooooooo old.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:54 pm

My advice would be to clean the area you wish to apply the sicker to, but also wash you hands as well. That way no dirt or grease etc can inadvertently find it's way onto your stickers. If you can, use a pair of tweezers to apply the stickers.

Thu Jan 13, 2011 4:09 pm

fenrir72 wrote:There's something about Predaking that makes his labels peal off.......though it may just be that mine is sooooooooo old.

Mine is the newest Reissue. I wish I had the original G1.......

News Credits: 20 · Thu Jan 13, 2011 5:06 pm

headsortails wrote:I will definitely try out Reprolabels, and take the extra steps mentioned in preparing to apply the decals. Thanks for all the advice. I'm about to start applying the decals on my Predy. I hope everything goes o.k. with this one since it's my favorite......

I have the previous Predaking reissue and I don't recall having issues with his stickers. He should be okay. I did forget to mention, I use a pair of tweezers myself. It helps.