About LBMS shield transfers and shields in general

[Verderer]

I have now tried it myself, I didn't have any trouble with peeling the film or the backing paper. What I do struggle with is that the transfer doesnt' seem to want to settle down nicely. Part of the problem is that the transfer is so large it 'hangs' on the rims, and the centre hole doesn't seem large enough for the boss. I cut it a little larger, and it seems to help. I am now using Micro-set to see if I can make them sit nicely on the shield.

[Atheling]

I have used LBMS on around 300+ figures and have found trouble with literally a handful of transfers which did not want to split.

This is more akin to my experience too. I merely sent Steve at LBM an e-mail and he replaced the ones that were duds.

i do happen to agree with Captain Blood though, by the time you've faffed about one may as well have painted the shields n some cases.

Darrell.

[Verderer]

Alright, I have applied Micro-sol a couple of times, as some of the more troublesome transfers didn't want to settle in. Great thing about this stuff is you can apply it several times, even after the previous application has dried out, if the transfer doesn't look ok. It didn't seem to affect the transfer either. So that's good.

So the most trouble I got from the centre hole of the transfer, because they were cut maybe too snug, and it was difficult to align the hole properly because view to the transfer is blocked by the backing paper. And it seemed that in this sheet either the backing paper and or the backing papet was cut in a little too small, so setting it in place was rather hard if not impossible. So I cut the holes right up to the lines of the centre graphic image, and that seems to help. You need to be careful with this though.

Likewise the transfers seemed just a little too large when cut along the edge line, so you could maybe cut along the inside of this line, so the transfer would settle quicker inside the rim edge. I guess these are things I will get right quicker with a little experience.

So now the transfers lie pretty good in place, and I will apply varnish and then fix the rim with paint a little, and I should be done. I can post some photos of the end result? I deliberately chose simple images with no heraldic/ornamental graphics, more like texture and damage. So they're not flashy, but the warriors are pretty plain as well.

[Too Bo Coo]

I've used a ton of LBMS decals and cannot recommend them highly enough.  I've never had a problem with them at all.  

1) Paint shield face white.

2) Paint on gloss coat

3)Apply Mocro-set
 
4) apply decal as per instructions

5) apply micro-sol

6) spray gloss then matt in order that Darrell recommended. 

[Captain Blood]

What I do struggle with is that the transfer doesnt' seem to want to settle down nicely.

Yes, that's another problem I've had with them. The decal tends to 'balloon' a little bit around the boss rather than sitting flat right across the surface of the shield. Is this because air or water gets trapped behind the decal? Not sure, but in some cases, I've had to put a tiny slit in the decal with the tip of a craft knife to get it sit down properly on the shield, including around the boss...

Too Boo Coo - I'm glad you've never had a problem with them at all. I've only used about 20, but I've had problems with at least half of them. So I cannot share your enthusiasm. As I say though, I've been using them on very small and rimless shields, which are probably much more fiddly than most larger shields.

[Too Bo Coo]

Yes, that's another problem I've had with them. The decal tends to 'balloon' a little bit around the boss rather than sitting flat right across the surface of the shield. Is this because air or water gets trapped behind the decal? Not sure, but in some cases, I've had to put a tiny slit in the decal with the tip of a craft knife to get it sit down properly on the shield, including around the boss...

Too Boo Coo - I'm glad you've never had a problem with them at all. I've only used about 20, but I've had problems with at least half of them. So I cannot share your enthusiasm. As I say though, I've been using them on very small and rimless shields, which are probably much more fiddly than most larger shields.

I was really surprised to read the problems people have encountered....  Your work is among my favorite on LAF, and I doubt highly that you've suffered a 'user error'.  I guess all products are suitable to bad batches.

[Verderer]

Ok, managed to take a few shots, the light is rather harsh and yellow, but I tried to show if any reflections remain. All in all, I am fairly happy with the result.







Of course, these sort of designs are maybe not the best use for transfers, as you could paint them yourself, and critics might say the end result looks a bit cartoony. I have a feeling transfers will really be best with intricate patterns and designs which would be rather hard to paint (and consistently so) on a bunch of minis?

[Cubs]

They look great.

I've used a few of the LBMS transfers and the shield boss issue is one that annoys me, but after some awkward trimming (tricky shape and angle to work around) it's usually sorted. Never had the ballooning one, though so can't I comment on that. Overall I do think they're worth using, because of the work I'd have to put in to get the same result freehand, but they do need a little work to get right.

PS. I use a paint-on matt varnish over the top when done, which seals it in nicely without being too glossy before the overall spray varnish.

[Atheling]

Never had the ballooning one, though so can't I comment on that.

Me neither though I have had a few transfers that wouldn't come cleanly off the backing paper- having said that, I just got in contact with Steve via e-mail and he sorted it very quickly.

Darrell.

[Paul]

Matt White base, thin smear of PVA, let it go tacky, remove the Transfer with the tip of a Paintbrush and apply. The PVA goes a wee bit runny allowing the Transfer to be positioned, brush down any creases, let dry then add a layer of thinned down PVA. Worked fine with the LBMS Transfers in 1/72nd and for all waterslide Transfers.

[rumacara]

Iīve never used LBMS shield transfers but yours look great.
Nice painting Juha.

[Atheling]

Nothing wrong with these (Wargames Standard):





Same method as described above.

Darrell.

[WillieB]

I'm with Captain Blood here. I do use the LBM decals because they are simply the very best but sometimes they can be a pain in the ...
The real small ones ( like for example the Saxon and Irish bucklers) separate from the carrier sheet with difficulty.
I *think* I've found a way in the meantime but since it involves scratching at the backing like a demented cat with a finger nail, it's a bit hard to explain.

Also, gloss coat the white painted shield with varnish- and wet it with water before applying the transfer- so you have a least a small chance to reposition it somewhat.
I must say I'm intrigued by the PVA glue system and will try that out soonish.

You almost invariably need to touch up the rims with paint and some of the colours are hard to reproduce even when using oil paint like I do.
Added bonus for the oil paint is that you can use something like an impasto technique to cover up all the seams.

After the decals have dried a few of them curl at the edges. Luckily I only had very few doing this. Solution was to trim the edges with a very, very sharp razor blade in a plastic handle.
Same if the decals are too large and overhang the shield.

The real misery is with shield-bosses that aren't exactly in the middle of the shield. Obviously that's not LBM's fault but the figure manufacturer. In those case make it easy on yourself and simply carve off the boss. It's very simple to make a new one with a riveting punch and 0.50 plastic card. Punch out a hole sufficiently large to cover the cut-out and then a smaller one for the actual boss. Use the thinnest plasticard you can find and you'll find they come out slightly convex. Glue together with liquid cement and then the whole thing onto the decalled shield with superglue. With a bit of practice you can easily make 50-60 shield-bosses in an hour.
You can of course also use the punch for enlarging some of the 'holes' on the decals.

[Verderer]

For petey's sake folks, buy some Micro-sol (or equivalent), it's great stuff! No white glue experiments or pressing down with blutak. At least on basis of my experiment, it works a charm in settling the transfer.

[Too Bo Coo]

For petey's sake folks, buy some Micro-sol (or equivalent), it's great stuff! No white glue experiments or pressing down with blutak. At least on basis of my experiment, it works a charm in settling the transfer.

Micro set to set it up for the decal, let dry, then micro sol to get it all snug and melt the edges a bit.  As I wrote, never had a problem.