# My Moebius Galactica with Acreation Armor Decals



## idMonster (Jun 18, 2003)

I finished my 2nd Galactica using the Acreation armor plate decals.

I masked off the engine section of the hull and engine pods and painted the Galactica overall with Testors Metallizer Titanium spray (#1454). The engineering sections were then unmasked and brush-painted with Metallizer Exhaust (#1406).

***The observant among you will notice that I did not bother tackling the "mismatch" between the main hull and the "head". It just didn't bother me enough to go to all of the trouble I'd seen other folks go through to fix it.***

After buffing the non-armor plated areas of the G the armor plates were then dry-brushed with Testors Metallic Silver (#1245) decanted from a spray can (decanted being a fancy way of saying I sprayed some of it into the cap  ) using a flat brush. The flat brush makes it easier to avoid getting the silver into the engraved lines on the armor plates leaving a nice dark line between them. 

The model was not gloss-coated before decal application to preserve the metallic look of the paint scheme. 

Decaling on the whole went surprisingly well. While the decals are quite thin and will roll on you if you give them the chance they were also surprisingly durable. If I had a decal go south on me, I could usually (gently) uncurl it. The only times when this was not successful was when it happened with decals for the smaller of the armor plates. 

A note to Talon, should he read this, in future editions of these decals (or any other subject featuring paneling or aztecing) perhaps you could include a strip of "generic" randon panels a few inches long to be used as replacements if one damages a decal beyond the point of saving.

After the decals were applied they were coated with Gunze Sangyo Mr. Mark Softer, the Gunze equivalent of Micro-Sol. After the decals had dried I took my X-Acto knife and scored them along the engraved lines on the armor plate, followed by another application of decal solvent. This eliminated any chance of decal film "silvering" over those engraved lines.

Finally, the clear engine exhausts were painted chrome silver and, when dry, painted with Tamiya Clear Blue acrylic.

While the decals went on easier than I expected this is still a task involving a fair bit of concentration and I found myself taking frequent breaks, not just to let the decals dry but also to preserve what little sanity I had left.  

My next Galactica build will involve Acreation's rib decals in addition to the armor. I am, however, giong to wait a while before attempting that one!

Gordon


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## Al Loew (Jul 3, 2008)

Nicely done! Also my compliments on the photographs - the focus is very sharp.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Wow!!


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

The decals certainly add a lot of depth to the detailling on the kit. Looks great. I like your engines as well.


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## Tiberious (Nov 20, 2001)

Well done. I'm impressed with your patience. I am not a huge fan of the 100% coverage of models with decals that seems to be fast becoming the trend, but when it works it work!

Kudos!

Tib


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Geez, that looks really nice!!! Great work!!!


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Now thats impressive!! :thumbsup:


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## Kit (Jul 9, 2009)

That looks simply terrific.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

That is a great looking Battlestar. The decals make it so realistic looking. I saw the guy from Acreation at the Fest selling these but spent my money elsewhere. When I order from Cult again I am going to pick up a set for when my kit goes on the bench. So many kits, so little time.

Bob K.


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Great job -- very natural.


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## idMonster (Jun 18, 2003)

Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

Gordon


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