Ms.Pac decal prep

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I'm prepping my Ms.Pac to install Phoenix' decals (so NOT stencils).

Do I have to make the sides completely blank ? Or can some original artwork stay without shining through the decals ?

If I need to make it blank, do I put the decals on the bare wood or do I need to use primer/paint/anything ?
 
Bare wood and flat primer wouldn't provide very good adhesion with the sticker....

I'd recommend semi gloss paint color matched to your decals(as the stickers aren't supplied for the back, top and small spaces where the cabinet meet in the front). A quick surface sanding of your cab and rolling on the color matched semi gloss will provide a nice base for your sticker to adhere to.
 
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I'm prepping my Ms.Pac to install Phoenix' decals (so NOT stencils).

Do I have to make the sides completely blank ? Or can some original artwork stay without shining through the decals ?

If I need to make it blank, do I put the decals on the bare wood or do I need to use primer/paint/anything ?

Need to be primed and perfectly smooth. Anything felt with your hand will be seen & felt after the decal is applied.
 
Need to be primed and perfectly smooth. Anything felt with your hand will be seen & felt after the decal is applied.

Yup, already decided on that. Luckily Ms.Pac's are plywood and the sides are in excellent condition. Only found one real small dent in one side.

The bottom edges need a bit of attention though.

I think painting the sides in the blue is not a bad idea. I already figured that I would need so little paint for just the top and back side that I'd have a lot extra even with the smallest tin I can have mixed up.

By the way, I think it's best to have the paint color matched to the decals right ? I found some parts of the cab (like under the hand grips on the back) that show the original color but I think it would be better to have the decals scanned so the paint matches that....

It's funny to see how the color faded. The covered parts look more blue, the exposed blue goes more to an aqua color....
 
Guys, don't bust his balls; Ms Pacs towards the end of the run came with factory decals so it's not some huge violation of originality. :)

If it were my cab, I'd paint everything white and apply the decals over that. If you go with blue and the decals let any sub-surface color through, it's going to negatively affect the look of the finished job- especially the yellow areas.

Since it's impossible to line up the new decals with the original stencils, you'll probably see the black outlines in several places- unless you go with a white base coat.

Here's a Pac I did with decals applied over bare wood that was sanded extremely smooth with all dents and nicks filled and feathered. The adhesive on these was more tacky than anything else I've ever applied, so bare wood was no problem.

pac1after.jpg
 
I've done about 5 of these and I sand to bare wood, bondo and sand again. Primer. Paint black around monitor area (3 coats). And paint full cab blue (3 coats). I was able to take the decal to SHERWIN williams and have them color match it flawlessly. As noted by another, this paint will be seen in the front between the t molding and front decal. And the top n bottom.

And yes, any surfaces not sanded smooth will show through the decal.
 
fwiw, my personal MsPac is stenciled and I wish I had done decals to be honest. I did my older brothers MsPac with decals and we all seem to like it better. Now my little brother wants a MsPac and Im thinking Im gonna give him my cab and decal one for myself
 
@Mike: that's one fine Pac !

@Darin: great to see you back ! So what do you suggest for perfect preparation ? Paint ? Bare wood ? Do I have to get rid of all the original artwork ?
Also what kind of paint is best for the blue parts ( my guess would be oil based, semi-gloss) ?
 
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