Yet another decal softener review

Decal softeners

We all need them, but do they all do what they promise?

There are three reasons for this post:

1. To protect fellow modellers from making the same mistake as I did and save them the disappointment from using a product that simply doesn't deliver what it promises.
2. Funnel my frustration through a constructive channel and
3. Hopefully gather some visits to my blog.

Background

Until a few months ago I had only used one decal softener and I was ignorant enough to believe that all products marketed as decal softeners are equally or at least almost equally good and that the choice of which a modeller uses is either a matter of taste or at worst case a question of availability. Little did I know then that decal softeners that actually work are a rare resource. The decal softener I am talking about was the GSI Creos/Mr Hobby Mr. MARK SOFTER. But just like all good things in life, the one and only bottle I had eventually run out. As I couldn’t find it at the local modelling store in the city where I spent my summer holidays (which also happens to be the city where I grew up), I bought the only one available there and tried it on. The results were downright disappointing. I’m not going to mention which one it was, I’ll just through it in the ring along with all the others. Disappointed as I was with the poor performance of the alternative, I searched the web and found at a Swedish online store the NEO, i.e. Mr. MARK SOFTER NEO. I didn’t think twice, I figured a product called NEO is most likely an improvement of the older product (I happen to be Greek and NEO in my language means – wait for it – “new”. I ordered two bottles and as soon as I received them I used it on my model. And here is where my frustration begins. The “NEO” is totally worthless. No soft words, no diplomacy from me here, Mr. MARK SOFTER NEO is straight down, absolutely, 100% worthless. How someone can take a perfectly good product and reduce is to a pathetic joke is entirely beyond me. But CSI Creos did it. The problem was that I couldn’t find the original (without the designation “NEO”) anywhere. It only existed at Luckymodel.com.
(Disclaimer: I’m not sponsored by or in any way affiliated with luckymodel. It would be nice if I were and I wouldn’t hesitate to admit it, I’d also have some free models to build I guess, but I’m not. Nor am I sponsored by anyone else, this review is 100% unbiased and reflects only my experience and honest opinions).
The problem with Luckymodel is that it doesn’t ship products in liquid form by air mail and my order took about 3 months to arrive. Well, I guess it would be more accurate to say that Luckymodel literally SHIPPED my order, as they sent it by surface mail. And inpatient as I am, I decided to buy any decal softener I could find on Swedish online stores, test them and write my conclusions.
Before I begin I want to make clear that this is a decal SOFTER review. I have never used a decal setter nor have I ever had any need of one. I noticed however that one of the “contestants” presented rather strong “setting” properties. We’ll get to that in due time.

The contestants

Here is the list with the reviewed products:
CSI Creos/Mr Hobby, Mr. MARK SOFTER NEO
Humbrol DecalFix
Microscale, MicroSol
Revell, DECAL Soft
Vallejo, Decal medium
Tamiya, MARK FIT STRONG and
CSI Creos Mr. MARK SOFTER
The first 6 were tested on the same model while the original Mr. MARK SOFTER, which arrived almost two months later was tested individually and compared directly only with the “NEO”, but I draw conclusions from my longer experience with it.
The “victim” which was sacrificed for the review was Tamiya’s 1/48 A-1H Skyraider. Here, after all the suffering it went through:

The process that I follow for placing decals is the same for all the products/combinations of products:
Soaking the decal in mildly warm water, applying some softener on the surface, placing the decal, applying more solution on top and let it dry. More often than not I apply softener on the decal more than once. All decals were applied on glossy surfaces that had been prepared with FUTURE.
On the photos I have marked which solution I have used on each decal.

The test

I started by testing different products on smaller decals that wouldn't significantly affect the final appearance of the model:

It is obvious here that Microscale's Microsol creates little silvering over the transparent areas of the decals. Revell's DECAL Soft and Humbrol's DecalFix are much better at making the undesired effect disappear. Humbrol however had a hard time convincing the decal to follow the 90 degree angle between the fuselage and the step (I assume this is a step for climbing in the cockpit).

Since I was quite satisfied with Revell, I moved on to a harder challenge:

DECAL Soft is a decent softener. It worked well with the easiest curves on the wing and didn't cause any problems with the rather large insignia. The decal was able to follow the recessed panel lines and no silvering was present after it dried.
When things get harder, however, Revell shows its weakness.

If you look closely at the right side of "9", almost in the middle, you will notice that the decal curves outwards a bit.Considering, however, that the spinner was probably the hardest challenge, I'd say that I am reasonably satisfied with the result.

Tamiya's MARK FIT STRONG is the second softener that's presented:

On the flat surface of the wings Tamiya performed just as well as Revell.
The situation wasn't as good though with the larger decal on the upper side of the wing which presented noticeable silvering effect, despite my efforts:

It might however be an isolated incident, considering the age of the kit.
Overall Tamiya is just as good as Revell. It is in fact slightly better, because the decal on the port side of the spinner did follow the curve without any problems.

Vallejo's Decal Medium was the product I had bought in August and since I wasn't crazy happy with it, I only used it with moderation.

It did however perform pretty well on the large stencils on the port side, under the bee and on the rudder. On the same photo you can see that the combination of humbrol under the decal and tamiya on it worked almost perfectly all along the large decal of the bee.

On the starboard side, vallejo under the decal and tamiya over it performed even better, just as well as the combination of humbrol and tamiya for the "USS INTREPID etc" stencil. The "AK" had a minor accident but that was 100% yours truly and had nothing to do with the decal or the softeners used. You may also notice the bit of silvering under the "E". That's why I only used "NEO" very little.

Finally, when the original Mr. MARK SOFTER arrived, I needed to confirm that it still was the good old decal solution that I loved. I only compared the two "brothers from different mothers" though, as the Skyraider was already complete,, but I am confident that the photos will leave you no doubts.

The bomb on the right has been treated with the original Mr. MARK SOFTER while the one on the left with the "NEO". I was a bit clumsy and damaged the decal on the right with the brush, but I think it's pretty obvious how much more effective the original product is.

Here you see another example. These decals actually responded better even to the "NEO" (left). The original Mr. MARK SOFTER though, applied on the bomb on the right, is still the best decal softener.

It's obvious also from this photo. I applied the round Czech insignia on a radar antenna from Italeri's SAAB JAS 39 Gripen, just to see if it would follow the details. You can see for yourselves.

Before I present the final standings and the conclusions of the test I want to point out one more thing:
Tamiya, Revell and GSI Creos provide small brushes that are very handy. Vallejo, Microsol and Humbrol leave it to you to find what you'll use to transfer their product to your decal. Personally I find this to be a bit cheap.

So, without further ado, I present you the final standings of the review, according to my own personal opinion:

1. Mr. MARK SOFTER - original
2. Tamiya MARK FIT STRONG
3. Revell DECAL Soft
4. Humbrol DecalFix
5. Vallejo Decal Medium
6. Microscale MicroSol
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10ⁿ. Mr. MARK SOFTER NEO

No kidding. Buy and use any decal solution you like, either of them work at least a bit. You may as well not use nothing on your decals, that's also acceptable. Just don't buy "NEO". It's a waste of money, a waste of space on your modelling board, a waste of glass for the bottle, plastic for the cap, paper for the tag, simply a waste! If GSI Creos are reading, please pull yourselves together and start producing the original recipe of your decal softener. The world already has one "Neo", the one from Matrix. There's no need for a second one. :)

Before I close, I'd like to publicly thank my patient, kind and talented partner for her help with the photos. She's the sole reason you can actually see what I am talking about in this article.

I hope you enjoyed my review and that you got something useful from it.
Thank you.
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