LEGO 10240 Cockpit Stickers applied using water?

[Haderach]

Hello,

I came across this video:

You'll see that the builder is using water (or some type of solution) to very cleanly apply the cockpit stickers to 10240. Does anyone have any experience using this technique or potentially a URL to more details?

Thanks

[Piratedave84]

Probably rubbing alcohol; I used a similar technique to apply a shiled to my Iphone, I can't see why it would not work with LEGO stickers.

There is a tutorial here : http://ishieldz.com/apply

[JopieK]

alcohol might be dangerous though, if your stickers are solvent based (like our new ones). Eco solvent is environmentally friendly and water resistant but not alcohol resistant unfortunately. Unless they are treated with some coating of course.

[cavegod]

I just use warm water and fairy liquid spray a light mist in the part then you can slude the sticker into coreect position, sponge off excess and leave to dry.

[jabadala]

Trim off clear area of sticker and eyeball the rest with a tweezer.

[Alternator]

Trim off clear area of sticker and eyeball the rest with a tweezer.

Very nice job

[Hey Joe]

I've heard to put a tiny bit of dishwashing soap in the water? Haven't tried it yet though.

Joe

[cei]

Trim off clear area of sticker and eyeball the rest with a tweezer.

Do you mean that you removed the translucent/clear area with a scalpel, and then applied using tweezers?

[darwin316]

Trim off clear area of sticker and eyeball the rest with a tweezer.

This was gonna be my plan of attack as well for the cockpit decal. Looks good!

[ruxtpin]

I just use warm water and fairy liquid spray a light mist in the part then you can slude the sticker into coreect position, sponge off excess and leave to dry.

Will the water under the sticker dry over time, still leaving the residue (or 'sticky') in tact?

[billfark]

Here are a few pics of how I did with my canopy stickers. I cut the clear portion from the inside part of each sticker, then put some soapy water on the canopy. Just be careful with each sticker and you can move it around slightly to get it in just the right position. I used a hair dryer (medium heat) to dry it out more quickly.

I admit that it's not the best job I could have done, but I think it looks better than not removing the clear portion. I had a mishap with cutting stickers on the first sheet, so I had to make the second one count. Worst case, if you mess up on both sticker sheets you can contact Lego and say your set was missing them to get replacements. Or, you could be honest and say that you were trying to improve on their mistake of not printing the canopy piece and ask for a replacement.

Good luck to anyone who tries to do this!

-Kevin

Edited May 11, 2013 by billfark

[BrickieB]

I finally applied my stickers yesterday.

I simply filled the sink with water and dumped the canopy in. Then, following the instructions from the manual, applied the front sticker first. The manual says to align the corners, where I opted to align the small line in the top. Seemed the more obvious choice.

After that came the sides and the rear. I just stuck them on and, if I didn't like it, pulled them off and tried again. As long as you don't push them down too hard, they can still be removed. After I was satisfied with a sticker, I firmly pressed them down and squeezed all remaining water from underneath. Repeat for all stickers.

Looking at the result, I really didn't like the 'fog' effect of the translucent parts, so they had to go. I took my scalpel and fitted a brand new blade. Then I carefully cut all the small edges, leaving the long, straight ones untouched. Finally, and with the help of a small metal ruler, I cut the long straight pieces too. Yes, you make a small cut into the plastic too, but as long as you do it properly and don't remove the stickers afterwards, you cannot see it.

Then I removed the clear stickers to uncover a right mess of glue. That was removed with 'stain remover' (don't know the correct name in English) - Brand I used was 'eau écarlate', available in stores in Belgium and France, so probably also in other countries.

Some pics:

[Maverick73]

Great advice thanks. Will probably buy another set of stickers and redo mine the proper way.

[Samppu]

I would recommend using water decals instead of stickers. The result is much much better and the application a way easier. With sticker you have only one try to hit it perfectly where you want it to be. With water decals you can adjust as long as you need until you have it spot on.