For anyone hesitant about making decaled clones for themself, What do you have to lose? Decals are at the point where anyone can buy some and make really cool figures for some of the lowest prices out there. If you mess up on your first few figures, that's completely normal. Everyone has to start off somewhere, and you only lost a few bucks. But when you have a lot of practice, you'll be a god at it. I've been decaling for 3-4 YEARS now, and I sucked at making Decaled figures that whole first year, but I had a blast doing it! And now, I'm selling them in a lego store in my hometown. So if you have a few bucks to spare, along with some time and energy, you will have a lot of fun and end up with some amazing figures.
3-4 years??? That beats my 2 years of experience! My first decaled minifigs looked terrible but I got a lot better over time! Like you said, decals are cheap so there's no reason not to spend a few bucks on some decals and experiment! You never know where it will take you!
@@micahnike18 just checked my email for when my first decal order was, it was around this time in 2020. So it was actually 3 years, not 3-4, but it still feels like last week when I decaled my first ever figure. Also your figures are top tier, I would love to see what you would be able to do with some AV decals!
@@kimura_sannit’s not too hard to get the hang of it. My first batch of decals was not too bad, with some small errors and creases, but after the first 5 clones, I seriously improved and they look amazing now to the point when I sell them. All this over the course of 2-3 months!
I had no idea you would like my decaled minifigs so much! I'm so glad that you are willing to show more custom fans how affordable and good looking decals are! If any of you would like to buy a decaled minifig without having to do all the work yourself, I will be selling some on my website starting in January. Huge shout out to CMD for for the epic designs and thank you MayDay for this opportunity to collab!
I’ve been doing decals on scale models for awhile now, and if I may, there is some things that can be added to improve the look of these. In scale modeling I coat my models in a satin varnish before applying decals. This make the decals look almost painted on, and makes the surface smooth enough to apply decals. Then I use a setting solution (water and vinegar) to soften up the decals. I apply this before and after putting on the decals. After that I would usually put on a matte varnish, but since legos look more shiny, I’d put on another coat of satin varnish. Also if you’re concerned about if the decal looks gritty, be sure if the decal paper is clear or white. White is gritty, but can be applied to any color. Clear is not gritty but can only be applied to white and silver to get the full color. But of course for clones you won’t need to worry about that. This may not be true but if you apply a varnish after the decal is on, it MAY prevent it from peeling when you move the legs if you don’t want to carve the hips. I’m saying this theoretically bc the varnish is supposed to protect the decals. Otherwise Micah you nailed it. Excellent work.
This is some great feedback! I only recently heard of sealing parts before decaling! I might try it on helmets that aren't made with ABS plastic. I use micro set and micro sol on uneven surfaces which I believe is similar to the water and vinegar solution but correct me if I'm wrong. I used to use more satin clear sealant (which looks amazing) but I changed to matte since it dries faster and creates a distinct look that isn't common in the decal space since most people use gloss or ultra gloss. (It also reduces light glare on camera.) You clearly know your stuff! It's always cool to hear how other people decal!
@@micahnike18 thanks! Happy decalling. One of these days I’ve gotta try decalling clones. And yes micro sol is the same thing. I do use a brush on satin sealant from createx I think (they sell them at hobby lobby) That one seems to dry faster.
I think the benefits of decals are that you get way more characters at an affordable price. Pad printed and UV printed figs are very expensive to make, so whenever there’s 100’s if not 1000’s of characters that are made with decals compared to the amount of pad/UV figs it balances out i’d say. It does take a lot of skill and practice, but once you got it down you get some amazing results.
Well said! Decals have a huge variety of designs to choose from compared to UV and pad printed minifigs and are much more affordable. It takes a while to learn but it's worth it! Even if you don't have the patience for it, you can commission someone to decal a minifigure for you for a very reasonable price!
@@micahnike18 you can even commission people to make designs for you. Usually with UV prints or Pad Prints you can only really do that in mass quantities, but with decals it’s seriously one of the best options!
For sure! Whenever I can't find something UV or Pad printed, I search up decals for the minifig and find quite a few different designs! And $1-$2 for a decal is a crazy good price as long as you can get the other materials for cheap!
I’m a huge fan of the bad batch and Wolffe and with Wolffe seen in season 3 I’m really excited to start decalling! I intend to do a commando,Rex and Wolffe!
I use replica minifigure parts to keep costs down and use paint-on sealant because it dries much faster and I have much more control on its application
I started with replica helmets and they aren't as bad as most people think they are (especially if they are made by GCC.) I haven't tried paint-on sealant but might experiment with it at some point!
One thing I dont get is why doesnt someone make clone trooper minifigure stickers? Just like how brickmania does it for their WWII soldiers. Its easier and would look far better.
I agree! The quality of the printing is usually much better on decals than they are on UV prints. Decaled minifigures can also have a similar finish to pad printed minifigures if you use the right sealant
Does anyone know if you can put a decal on a printed fig with the same base print? For example, if you have a white phase 2 clone torso and put on a decal were the only thing that's different is the colour. Sorry for my bad English, it's not my first language. :)
You're right, it is toxic and shouldn't be inhaled. The minifigs in the video were almost completely dry but weren't ready to handle yet. Since they were almost completely dry, I thought it was ok to take them inside
For anyone hesitant about making decaled clones for themself, What do you have to lose? Decals are at the point where anyone can buy some and make really cool figures for some of the lowest prices out there. If you mess up on your first few figures, that's completely normal. Everyone has to start off somewhere, and you only lost a few bucks. But when you have a lot of practice, you'll be a god at it. I've been decaling for 3-4 YEARS now, and I sucked at making Decaled figures that whole first year, but I had a blast doing it! And now, I'm selling them in a lego store in my hometown. So if you have a few bucks to spare, along with some time and energy, you will have a lot of fun and end up with some amazing figures.
3-4 years??? That beats my 2 years of experience! My first decaled minifigs looked terrible but I got a lot better over time! Like you said, decals are cheap so there's no reason not to spend a few bucks on some decals and experiment! You never know where it will take you!
@@micahnike18 just checked my email for when my first decal order was, it was around this time in 2020. So it was actually 3 years, not 3-4, but it still feels like last week when I decaled my first ever figure. Also your figures are top tier, I would love to see what you would be able to do with some AV decals!
Damn, you all slow af getting good at decaling 💀
@@kimura_sannit’s not too hard to get the hang of it. My first batch of decals was not too bad, with some small errors and creases, but after the first 5 clones, I seriously improved and they look amazing now to the point when I sell them. All this over the course of 2-3 months!
@@TheBrickPubliccan confirm, your decals look great!
I had no idea you would like my decaled minifigs so much! I'm so glad that you are willing to show more custom fans how affordable and good looking decals are! If any of you would like to buy a decaled minifig without having to do all the work yourself, I will be selling some on my website starting in January.
Huge shout out to CMD for for the epic designs and thank you MayDay for this opportunity to collab!
HISAAA MICAHNIKESA WHEN ISA YOUR NEXTA STREAM?
I’ve been doing decals on scale models for awhile now, and if I may, there is some things that can be added to improve the look of these. In scale modeling I coat my models in a satin varnish before applying decals. This make the decals look almost painted on, and makes the surface smooth enough to apply decals. Then I use a setting solution (water and vinegar) to soften up the decals. I apply this before and after putting on the decals. After that I would usually put on a matte varnish, but since legos look more shiny, I’d put on another coat of satin varnish. Also if you’re concerned about if the decal looks gritty, be sure if the decal paper is clear or white. White is gritty, but can be applied to any color. Clear is not gritty but can only be applied to white and silver to get the full color. But of course for clones you won’t need to worry about that. This may not be true but if you apply a varnish after the decal is on, it MAY prevent it from peeling when you move the legs if you don’t want to carve the hips. I’m saying this theoretically bc the varnish is supposed to protect the decals. Otherwise Micah you nailed it. Excellent work.
This is some great feedback! I only recently heard of sealing parts before decaling! I might try it on helmets that aren't made with ABS plastic. I use micro set and micro sol on uneven surfaces which I believe is similar to the water and vinegar solution but correct me if I'm wrong. I used to use more satin clear sealant (which looks amazing) but I changed to matte since it dries faster and creates a distinct look that isn't common in the decal space since most people use gloss or ultra gloss. (It also reduces light glare on camera.) You clearly know your stuff! It's always cool to hear how other people decal!
@@micahnike18 thanks! Happy decalling. One of these days I’ve gotta try decalling clones. And yes micro sol is the same thing. I do use a brush on satin sealant from createx I think (they sell them at hobby lobby) That one seems to dry faster.
I think the benefits of decals are that you get way more characters at an affordable price. Pad printed and UV printed figs are very expensive to make, so whenever there’s 100’s if not 1000’s of characters that are made with decals compared to the amount of pad/UV figs it balances out i’d say. It does take a lot of skill and practice, but once you got it down you get some amazing results.
Well said! Decals have a huge variety of designs to choose from compared to UV and pad printed minifigs and are much more affordable. It takes a while to learn but it's worth it! Even if you don't have the patience for it, you can commission someone to decal a minifigure for you for a very reasonable price!
@@micahnike18 you can even commission people to make designs for you. Usually with UV prints or Pad Prints you can only really do that in mass quantities, but with decals it’s seriously one of the best options!
Micahnike & Mayday fans rejoice as we finally get the collab great video Mayday keep up the awesome work!
I've been looking forward to this
~MicahNike (I said it before Count Dooku did)
I found you…
I have a number of figs made by Micah. Master of his craft! Great to see the process!
You're already putting them to use too! It's so cool to see them in epic MOCs that I could never construct myself!
Love it! Glad to see some decal hype! Stay tuned for some exciting stuff soon..!
Lets go CMD!!!
MicahNike is a real pro at doing this! He also has a very good potential in the Lego community when it comes to making decal videos!
Thank you Zoner!!! I hope me and MayDay can make decals and customs as a whole more known in the LEGO community!
6:30 Also, the variety and price are leagues better than that seen in UV and Pad Printed figures.
For sure! Whenever I can't find something UV or Pad printed, I search up decals for the minifig and find quite a few different designs! And $1-$2 for a decal is a crazy good price as long as you can get the other materials for cheap!
ITS FINALLY HERE
Finally some decal love!
I’m a huge fan of the bad batch and Wolffe and with Wolffe seen in season 3 I’m really excited to start decalling! I intend to do a commando,Rex and Wolffe!
Stellar crossover. Micah is rad
Heck yeah Spencer! Thanks so much!
I use replica minifigure parts to keep costs down and use paint-on sealant because it dries much faster and I have much more control on its application
I started with replica helmets and they aren't as bad as most people think they are (especially if they are made by GCC.) I haven't tried paint-on sealant but might experiment with it at some point!
Very nice video! Love to see videos about decaling! But tbf I wouldn’t call him a "pro" decaler… It looks good but not perfect… Still amazing job! 🔥
Let's go new video 😊
honestly this looks way more to do if you were to collect custom clones. so much more versatility
Do you know when kamino bricks are going to restock the new Captain Rex minifingure?
If I’m going custom, I personally need the same level of quality as official LEGO
One thing I dont get is why doesnt someone make clone trooper minifigure stickers? Just like how brickmania does it for their WWII soldiers. Its easier and would look far better.
Been making my own waterslide customs for a few years. What sealants have you used by now that create the best overall look for your customs?
Decals > UV
I agree! The quality of the printing is usually much better on decals than they are on UV prints. Decaled minifigures can also have a similar finish to pad printed minifigures if you use the right sealant
*Hey you can make a video of lego star wars rebels captain rex commander woffle and commando gregor custom*
New video let's gooo
I use the gcc helmet as a base for my helmets and then i just cutout the markings
I would never have the patience for decalling
Where can you make your own decals, I make 8 inch clones and need decals for them.
Ain’t no way you think he’s a pro decaler. I straight up burst out laughing when I saw your IG story 🤣
We found the ninjago fan
@@maydayfigs Best comment I've seen all day
Happe Jesse approved 🎉😊
YEAH HAPPE JESSE!!!
@@micahnike18 more lil goober drawings coming soon 0:
Wouldn't sandpapering the torso make it thinner?
It only removes a very thin layer since the sand paper is so fine. The sealant adds a thin layer on top of the decal too so it all evens out
Does anyone know if you can put a decal on a printed fig with the same base print? For example, if you have a white phase 2 clone torso and put on a decal were the only thing that's different is the colour.
Sorry for my bad English, it's not my first language. :)
It dum the spray I’m trying get decal myself soul out all over Amazon idk which spary would work
Hah “hope there are no ninjago fans” lol
Ninjago fans are gonna kill me for that💀
Holy cr*p!
Yeah I’m definitely not a decal person
Real quick, please let something like a top coat or a sealant dry, that stuff is pretty toxic
You're right, it is toxic and shouldn't be inhaled. The minifigs in the video were almost completely dry but weren't ready to handle yet. Since they were almost completely dry, I thought it was ok to take them inside
Correction it was my table 😂 lmao
Wet sand paper!!!! Ffs make it wet.
Bro use an eraser
Erasers work as well! I found sand paper to be the fastest so that's why I use it
Decals are cheaper
👎