Decals for GWR Signal Arms in 4mm Scale
Round-post signal from kit 467
Round-post signal from kit 468
(two kits combined)
These decals are designed to fit the arms of the Ratio 4mm scale signal kits; they may also fit other brands of signals, but this is not guaranteed. Decals are provided for both sides of the signal arms, and there is sufficient on each sheet for at least one kit – see below for exact quantities. These decals can be supplied on either transparent or white-backed waterslide decal paper.
Application Tips
Waterslide decals tend not to adhere very well to bare plastic, so some preparatory work is recommended: use a degreasing fluid (such as sold for preparation for painting), lightly roughen the surface using a fibreglass scratch brush or fine abrasive paper, or paint the arms white first – white minimises the apparent thickness of the arms when complete, and gloss is best for adhesion of the decals. Use of a proprietary decal fixing fluid (such as Humbrol's Decalfix) can also help the decals to settle around moulded detail, such as rivet/bolt heads; follow the manufacturer's instructions.
For those decals that also include the spectacle plates, the edges of that part of the arms will need to be touched up with black paint once the decals have been applied. Otherwise it's best to paint the spectacle plates black before applying the decals, so that the application of the decal gives a crisp edge to the border between the plate and the rest of the arm – in this case, use of the white-backed decals is best.
Where the signal arm moudlings feature holes for the spectacle lenses (or you pierce the mouldings yourself, using an appropriate drill and careful filing), the transparent-backed decals can be used to provide translucent lenses: apply the complete decal to the front face of the arm, but cut the spectacles off the decal for the rear face.
Once the decals have been applied, and painting is complete, it is recommended that an overall coat of varnish is applied (matt is probably most appropriate), to seal and protect the decals and unify the appearance of the whole arm, optionally followed by a dab of gloss varnish on each spectacle lens (where these are included in the decals) to give them a "glassy" appearance. Where the decals have been used over pierced spectacles, applying gloss varnish to the rear too, to partially fill the hollow behind the decal, can help the adhesion of the decal (just be careful not to "poke" the decal too hard with the brush, so that it pushes the decal away from the moulding).
Round Post Signals
These decals are desiged to fit Ratio kits 467 and 468. The arms in these kits differ slightly in shape, so dedicated sheets are available for each kit. Kit 468 also has pierced spectacles as standard; those for kit 467 are solid (and have been manually pierced in the accompanying photos). Each sheet contains decals for 8 home and 2 distant arms, and occupies 1/2 of a sheet of A5 paper. The sheet for kit 468 also includes decals for 2 each of the large and small disc signals provided in this kit.
Kit 467
Kit 468
Square Post Signals
These decals are desiged to fit Ratio kit 466. The arms in this kit have solid spectacles as standard. Each sheet contains decals for 6 home and 2 distant long arms, 2 short arms, 4 ground signal discs, a selection of labels for route indicator boxes and occupies 1/2 of a sheet of A5 paper. One sheet thus supplies sufficient decals for one Ratio kit.
Note: The decals for this kit are fully production-ready, but I haven't produced any finished signals using them, hence the lack of supporting photos.