Tutorial with Subbuteo decal template

Here the basic tutorial to you would like to creating their own basic 2k4 Subbuteo team with my decal template, Argentina World Cup 1978 team
away kits. I've tried adopt it through my experiences with military and warhammer figure painting. If you don’t have any experience in miniature
modelling, you will find it very hard to cope with the tasks below. If you possess only one of the skills but you lack the other, a good idea would be
to work as a team with a friend.



Tools you need :
Subbuteo 2k4 figure
“X-Acto” cutter, some Scissors and a pair of tweezers.
Decal softening solution - or decal fix.
Clear Acrylic Spray - or any other sealant type.
And these are waterslide decals. So you'll need a small bowl of filtered water

Step 1. Undercoating the Figure
Research every piece of information regarding the team’s kit. Undercoating the figures will give the colours a bright quality and lets you leave any white areas unpainted as they have already had a coat of white spray. A good way of spraying figures is to punch a series of holes in a cardboard tube with a handle made from stick or old pen. This allows you to spray a whole team in one go. If you use acrylic paints, the time allowed between painting different colours is minimal. If you use enamel paints, you will have to wait for one colour to dry before you apply another one (this can take more than an hour, especially when you apply a light colour over a dark one). For painted I recommended range of water based acrylics such Gunze, Tamiya and the best Citadel paint (from warhammer range) all range available at ‘Games Workshop’ stores.

Step 2. Decals Printing
My decal template included the bonus outline template, done with the a.i formats (Sure no problem with Corel Draw). Print the template on a decal paper sheet. You can use either an inkjet or a laser printer, provided that you use the correct decal paper type. Also, you can use white or transparent paper. My recommendation is not to use transparent when you print white letters on dark background. Cut the decals to the appropriate size, and dip the small pieces into cold water in a shallow small plate. Let them soak for about two/three minutes. With the help of the “X-Acto” cutter put each decal in its place on the figure. Let decals dry for at least I hours. When the decals have dried completely, because these surfaces are curved or domed apply another coat of glossy transparent varnish or decal fixer.

Here few tips:
- The decal itself is on a film, which slides off the backing when you gently slide it with your finger. Slide it onto the element, and iron out any air bubbles with a cotton bud/Q-tip. Make sure not to let it wrinkle. Let dry for about 1 to 5 hours. When the decals have dried completely, apply another coat of glossy transparent varnish or decal fixer.
- All these surfaces are curved or domed, and thus require a softening solution for the decals. (E.g. Humbrol Decal Fix, which works as one.)
- When painting a team, try painting each stage on three or four players at a time. Any more than that, and the process can become to much like a production line. If you need more detailed, visited here, same process with the LEGO decal template.

Step 3. Kits painting
Start by painting the skin areas – facial hair, dreadlocks and different colours and styles of boots. Leave the shirt, short and sock without painting. These time print the shirt, short and stocking template on decal paper. Continue and repeated with the stage 2 process. Start painting around the edges of the applied decals. This is to ensure you are not going to spoil the decals by mistake on a later stage. Complete the painting of the kit, trying to use the closest shades of colours to the printed ones. If you use new unpainted figures, avoid painting the white colour as much as you
can.

Step 4. Finishing touch.
At this stage, you can add the finishing touches. Paint the appropriate flesh tone and hair colour, the drawstring on the shorts and some detail on the boots. If the player has any other particularities (wristband, tattoo etc), painting of these will mark out the individuality of the figure. Shoes colouring and painting of brand logos also adds realism. And last for securing the paint, apply a thick coat of matt transparent enamel varnish all over the figure’s surface. This will protect the paint from peeling and decals from detaching.

You also can request in design for the Subbuteo team kits decal template for a reasonble fee. The services not included the decal paper sheet. Just emailing us at switch_image@yahoo.com for the detailed.