Microscale... Not the Decalpocalypse?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I was looking through Microscale's on-line catalog and noticed that they have lots of new monthly releases but they have also been quietly restocking old releases. Several Conrail set that have not been available for a while are back in stock. They also seem to be updating old sets too. Conrail's Data set is in it's third version (though currently out of stock).

So despite what we may have heard, all is not lost in decal land. I hope they continue.

[ljudice]

Same here...

At The Model RR Shop in Piscataway, they said MS had stopped "automatic shipment" of new releases several years ago. That may be why it's not clear they are doing a lot of new stuff.

I tend to order from their website - it gets here in 2-3 days via regular 1st class mail.

I have their latest CSXT sets - which are really nice - except the reporting mark lettering is too "light" (not bold enough).  Kind of strange they would get this wrong.

Lou

[Brakie]

I know several modelers that still like to paint and decal their cars and locomotives..

Next time you hear or see a topic concerning the lack of decals think of all the decals on the market..ShellScale Decals specializes in N&W,NS and Southern decals..

[Erik W]

They're only discontinuing decals for 5th tier railroads . . .

Erik

[Denver Road Doug]

Great to hear.  I'll admit I am one that has perpetuated this issue or non-issue as may be the case but it has seemed almost impossible to find many Microscale decals.  I suppose the answer is just to order direct.  I just placed a large order with Oddball Decals and I'm also looking for some decals for some "stand-in" rock hoppers I'm working on. (dog's breakfast of schemes: SP, Golden West, UP, Gifford Hill, Hansen, MKT)  So if anyone has sugeestions I'm all ears.  Basically I'm just shaving the peaked ends of the old Atlas (?) 2-bay hoppers and adding etched stirrups and brakewheel.  Yes, it's like putting lipstick on a pig but I have a ton of 'em I've bought for $3-4 at shows and they'll do until something better comes along.

[ljudice]

The only other suggestion is to design your stuff in a vector graphics program and send it out to be made - it is pretty inexpensive to have them done if you do all the design work. And actually, it can be cheaper and EASIER than Microscale. For example you can do complete reporting marks with correct spacing. Cutting apart numbers is really the reason I have about 20 unfinished decal projects sitting waiting for numbers here.

If you're doing a unit train (I am currently working on a kitbashed ballast train and a rail train) - custom is the only way to go unless you want to go insane from cutting numbers apart.

Another nice use for custom is roller jobs/paintouts.  Just do a white stencil over black field. Lots of free stencil fonts on the web, BTW.

Lou

[C855B]

... send it out to be made...  it can be cheaper and EASIER than Microscale. ...

Reading my mind. One thing between me and making progress on the queue of loco projects on the bench is lettering, particularly the tiny end lettering including the road number, a special misery for UP modelers. My eyes are rolling back in my head at the prospect of picking out white 3" numbers one-by-one and getting them to line up, and properly spaced. It ought'a be worth my while to send this stuff out to get whole numbers in a single piece.

[BN1970]

Actually I've already done that for boxcar numbers including on the really small numbers on the car ends.  I sent the art work, basically you pick a font  and then size it, to someone who has an ALPS printer.  It saved me a ton of time.

Brian

[Walkercolt]

I can't swear about Microscale, but several armor/aircraft decal companies are using the new super-quality HP and Xerox laser printers to make decals. These machines can put out greater opacity than other "thin-film" decals and with much better registration and finer lettering. In time, the price of these will come down (like laser-cutters) to where guys can put one in a spare room and custom make decals for a fraction of the current prices. Minolta/Konica sells an office laser color copier for $8000 +/- on the 'net right now. They have nearly the output per hour of an offset press and color fidelity to the Munsell Color Standards.

[NYC1956]

 :-\Yeah- but....
...can they print white?

[Ian MacMillan]

They're only discontinuing decals for 5th tier railroads . . .

Erik

Good bye PRR! Oh sorry thought this was a Kato thread...