[Tutorial] Different types of stickers/decals 1

Today I'll be sharing a bit of information on how to differentiate the different types of decals or stickers that we get from our kits.

Stickers and decals that come with our kits are important as they give our kits added details. But it's based on personal preference on whether to use them and how much.

Here's a little flowchart on how to determine what type of sticker or decal you have.

Foil Stickers 

Generally, foil stickers are printed with a shiny, metallic finish in a silver background, albeit the term "foil". These stickers come pre-cut to make peeling them off the sticker sheet easier and make sure they fit the part where they go to.

This kind of sticker comes from almost all Gunpla grades and size

Clear Stickers

Clear stickers are like foil stickers. You peel them off from the sheet and stick them in your Gunpla. But unlike foil stickers that are printed on paper, clear stickers are printed on thin clear plastic. Clear stickers usually have a yellow back sheet. They're designed to look like actual decals.

Clear stickers usually comes from larger scale kits like MG's and PG's. But RG 1/144 kits have them also.

Dry Transfer Decals



Decals don't stick to parts like stickers do. Decals don't have a sticky backside that adheres to the part it is attached to. The markings are printed on the underside of the clear sheet and they have a white, almost like wax paper back sheet.  Dry transfer decals are also commonly called "dry rub" decals. To stick it to a part, pressure is applied in front of the decal so the markings "transfer" from the sheet onto the part.

Dry transfer decals usually come from MG and PG, usually 1/100 scales and bigger.

Water Slide Decals



Water slide decals require more effort than stickers or dry transfer decals. They can't be peeled off like stickers and instead of printed on a plastic sheet, They appear printed on a sheet of backing paper, commonly colored blue. They can either be pre-cut or not. Like the name suggests, it uses water to transfer the decal into the part itself. You have to wet the decal to loosen it from the backing paper then slide the decal onto the part.

Some MG and PG kits have water slide decals packed in them. Some models have their own water slide decals sold separately.

These are the common sticker/decals you would encounter in your Gunpla building career. Next time lets discuss how to apply them on our kits.