karamazov80 Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 (edited) I haven't noticed many pictures of customs made from Luke's decals, and I wonder if it is because there isn't a good place to post them. As such, I'm creating this thread for all things related to Luke's awesome decals! With the ghosts coming soon, I know I will be making some and wanting to show them off, so yes, this is very self-serving However, this thread can also be used for pointers regarding good 'Mates and parts to use as the base for these customs, best ways you have found to apply the decals, etc. I have only made one complete figure from the ninja set so far. And if you know my interests, then you won't be surprised at what it is --Storm Shadow! based on this design: I need a little Cobra sign to put on his chest, a black belt of some kind, and perhaps, a better sword holster, but I'm very pleased with how he turned out. Unfortunately, his wrist wrappings aren't perfect, as I made them from the wrist guards Luke supplied, along with another piece of white taken from another poor ninja's face strip (the guards are made to go on a white 'Mate's arms, and so are not big enough to wrap all the way around as I needed with these flesh arms). I may give this another shot using a single piece of white at some point. Some notable experiences and thoughts so far: 1) These are way, way easier to work with and apply than I thought they would be. I initially was a little intimidated, afraid that I would just screw these up and waste my time, but seriously, these things are incredibly easy to use. If you are worried in a similar way and haven't tried these out yet, give it a shot! I think you will be pleasantly surprised. 2) I have found that my Exacto knife was actually less accurate cutting these out than a loose straight razor, though this could have been due to my lack of skill with the Exacto knife, and/or its dullness. 3) Luke touches on this in the instructions, but if the decal isn't seeming to stick, wet your finger and press on the decal. Then, it will stick to the Minimate better. I think that Luke discusses this on his custom blog, but you can still move these decals around for several minutes after you initially apply them if you just wet your finger. So, what have you guys done thus far, and do you have any tips or warnings? Edited September 26, 2009 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groundhog7s Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 I actually just did my first decals this evening. I just did two of the standard ninjas to get a feel for it (I do plan on mixing the second sheet with the sheet of ghost decals). Here's my take on the decals: 1) It really is incredibly easy. I had put these off for a long time because of being intimidated. Some of the wording in the instructions don't really make sense unless you try doing one (at least for me). Once I did one, it seemed very easy after that. My first Minimate came out perfectly. 2) Even though my first one was perfect, don't expect perfection. On my second one I tried to keep moving the decals too much after it had sat drying for about ten minutes and ripped the face. I realized I was trying to match everything up too much and really just needed to let it be just a little bit off or should have corrected it when I first started. 3) If you lose the backing when you're trying to get the decal out of the water, don't try putting it on right away-it'll rip very easily and you'll waste one. 4) I used some scissors designed for cutting photos for scrapbooking and the edges came out fine. I'm looking forward to doing more tomorrow and can't wait to start using these more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santos L Halper Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 (edited) Here's the Strom Shadow I made from Luke's decals very easy to use, thanks again Luke. Edited September 27, 2009 by Santos L Halper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke314pi Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Thanks for starting this thread - it is awesome to see what everyone has been making! Do you guys think having diagrams in the instructions would make the first decal application easier and less daunting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted September 27, 2009 Author Share Posted September 27, 2009 (edited) That's hard for me to say. I think the instructions are very straight forward, and I don't think that diagrams would have helped me. Of course, I saw the video you made before I tried it out, so I already knew what to expect, which may have made the instructions easier for me to understand. Made a black ninja last night, as well : Similar to GH, I had more issues the 2nd time around for some reason. More decal rippage, but that was probably due to over-confidence. I also discovered that the shin guards were actually slightly too large for the Minimate legs I was using, so they would need to be cut a little smaller than they appear on the decal sheet. Edited September 27, 2009 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke314pi Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 I also discovered that the shin guards were actually slightly too large for the Minimate legs I was using, so they would need to be cut a little smaller than they appear on the decal sheet. I realized later that these were slightly oversized. I fixed this for the ghost decal kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groundhog7s Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 For what it's worth, I went back to fix one of mine today and busted a super-glue bottle open all over my hand. I have never glued my finders together so badly (or painfully). And in the end, I ended up gluing the decal back on wrong and had to rip it off. It's at that point I gave up for the day. I think a diagram might be helpful, but maybe not necessary. What I couldn't understand was how the deacls would come off until I did the first one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke314pi Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 I should also mention that I fixed the face decals on the ghost kit so they wrap all the way around the head, and made the chest decals slightly wider, based on feedback I received on the ninja kit. I considered making the wrist decals wrap around the entire wrist, but in practice it was too hard to apply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted September 27, 2009 Author Share Posted September 27, 2009 (edited) Face decal change sounds like a great improvement! Though I worry about the widened chest decals. Will they be wider than the chest block itself now? I thought the ninja ones were just about perfect. As for GH--damn. I once stupidly got super glue right near my eye somehow. Since that happened, I have been far more careful with that crap. Edited September 27, 2009 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke314pi Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Face decal change sounds like a great improvement! Though I worry about the widened chest decals. Will they be wider than the chest block itself now? I thought the ninja ones were just about perfect. I received some feedback that they were just slightly too narrow from the blogs that reviewed my set. So the ghost ones will be just barely wider. It shouldn't be wider than the minimate torso. And GH that is never fun. I once glued my fingers together so badly that I had to carefully use a hobby knife to separate them, and luckily only walked away with a small cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie h Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 what red paint matches the red in the ultimate hank pym decal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke314pi Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 what red paint matches the red in the ultimate hank pym decal? It is a mix of red, yellow, and a little bit of black and white. I used citadel paints, but you could probably get a good color match with other paints as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docholliday666 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Face decal change sounds like a great improvement! Though I worry about the widened chest decals. Will they be wider than the chest block itself now? I thought the ninja ones were just about perfect. I received some feedback that they were just slightly too narrow from the blogs that reviewed my set. So the ghost ones will be just barely wider. It shouldn't be wider than the minimate torso. And GH that is never fun. I once glued my fingers together so badly that I had to carefully use a hobby knife to separate them, and luckily only walked away with a small cut. I've used superglue to fix a couple of injuries so I wouldn't have to go the hospital to get stitches (I really hate needles) 2 stab wounds, I extracted someone's tooth from my hand, and closed gashes in my eyebrow a couple of times. FYI superglue in an open wound is extremely painful. It burns like all hell. But I've also glued a couple of fingers together once. And it sucked miserably. And your decals are still nothing short of genius Luke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 (edited) I've used superglue to fix a couple of injuries so I wouldn't have to go the hospital to get stitches (I really hate needles) 2 stab wounds, I extracted someone's tooth from my hand, and closed gashes in my eyebrow a couple of times. FYI superglue in an open wound is extremely painful. It burns like all hell. But I've also glued a couple of fingers together once. And it sucked miserably. I've read your harrowing account of the injuries (above) that you incurred putting on the decals Harley..... so I'm offering you some free advice ......for fucksake trade your Samurai sword in for a decent bloody hobby knife & give up customising blind-folded. Superglue is evil ....look what happened to these poor devils during Luke's last customising seminar "Play safe with Superglue" Edited September 28, 2009 by buttheadsmate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirymate Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 2 stab wounds, I extracted someone's tooth from my hand, and closed gashes in my eyebrow a couple of times. So exactly why were you trying to re-enact all the bar scenses in Road House? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 'Road House' re-enacted the scenes in Harley's bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docholliday666 Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I've used superglue to fix a couple of injuries so I wouldn't have to go the hospital to get stitches (I really hate needles) 2 stab wounds, I extracted someone's tooth from my hand, and closed gashes in my eyebrow a couple of times. FYI superglue in an open wound is extremely painful. It burns like all hell. But I've also glued a couple of fingers together once. And it sucked miserably. I've read your harrowing account of the injuries (above) that you incurred putting on the decals Harley..... so I'm offering you some free advice ......for fucksake trade your Samurai sword in for a decent bloody hobby knife & give up customising blind-folded. Superglue is evil ....look what happened to these poor devils during Luke's last customising seminar "Play safe with Superglue" But customizing blindfolded and with a sword makes it that much more worthwhile. And interesting 2 stab wounds, I extracted someone's tooth from my hand, and closed gashes in my eyebrow a couple of times. So exactly why were you trying to re-enact all the bar scenses in Road House? I was nice. Until it was time to not be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE_CRIPPLER Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Nice to see that I'm not the only one that uses superglue to close wounds. It is so much easier than driving to the E.R. and having to explain to them what happened. Not that I get in fights anymore, but I still occasionally slice myself open cleaning fish, or doing dishes, err...I mean wrestling alligators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 Once my arm got ripped off in a cage fight, but I just superglued that mother right back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I've 'ad worse ......not quite the version I was looking for but...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groundhog7s Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 FYI superglue in an open wound is extremely painful. It burns like all hell. Given your religious affiliation, I suppose you should be considered an expert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docholliday666 Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 FYI superglue in an open wound is extremely painful. It burns like all hell. Given your religious affiliation, I suppose you should be considered an expert. HA! Nice one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 FYI superglue in an open wound is extremely painful. It burns like all hell. Given your religious affiliation, I suppose you should be considered an expert. Henceforth he shalt be called ...... Decal-Day666......The Decal Worshipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TENIME_art Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 I've had two black ninjas (one male, one female), and a demon ninja for awhile now. Just too lazy to take pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punisher Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Oh and Dr. McNinja: He's a doctor who is also a ninja. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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