Archer have announced the release of two new sets of Human eyeball decals.



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Thanks!

Pat when I saw this I checked the calender to make sure it wasn't April 1st. There I was thinking only one thing made you blind.

I have mixed feelings on these eyeball sets. It sure makes finishing faces easier, but the eyes look "bugged-out". I think they might look better if they were oval shaped. I usually go back and paint the eye lids after the decal is dry.

Just a thought.

I've seen these used only once, at teh IPMS Nats in VA Beach 2002. They all looked like doll eyes, taking away from the realism of the rest of the face.

How does one apply such a small decal?!

It makes sense on the larger scale 1/16th type stuff in my mind, but 1/35!?! Wow...

I have never seen them used ... but could imagine this looking at the images. Too much of the iris and not enough pupil .... Im imagining they would look like vampyre eyes almost?? If I seen a set being sold, Id probably buy them ... to try them out though. Maybe placing the decal and adding paint (to taste) might be one idea. Painting eyes is not my strong point!

Good idea in theory. But I just can't see these working somehow.

Far to fiddly in 1/35 (given that you'd need to get the position exactly right), plus you'd probably need to blend it in with the surrounding facial paint job anyway, thereby to a great extent defeating the object of the exercise.

Wow,

This certainly won't ever hit my kit bag. What ever happened to improving our painting skills. If this, what next, buying prepainted figures for our dioramas? I can't see judges taking these seriously especially when accuracy and skill are paramount. I say bad idea!


Cheers, Ski.

I know this is an old review (I wish I had more time to spend on these sites but I don't) but there are some misconceptions regarding our iris decals.

First of all, these come in two versions - natural and ghostly. The "natural" decals are actual photos of human eyes. The "ghostly" version is just lightened natural versions for our friends who do fantasy figures.

The very first thing people look at on the human face is the eyes and if they are crossed, looking in two different directions or two different sizes the face is ruined... and model magazines are overflowing with examples of goofy looking eyes. As an individual who has spent most of his adult life as a commercial artist I can tell you that it makes no difference if you paint or decal your eyes, if the proportions are off the eyes look terrible and that's why I created a tutorial on how to correctly render eyes HERE

Since the first day we started selling iris decals we have had one philosophy regarding them: They are for modelers of all skill levels. Using decals will help the novice from becoming discouraged until their skills improve and they can paint eyes. Advanced modelers appreciate the ease of use. But regardless of your skill level if the eyes are messed up the figure is ruined and this is especially true at larger scales.

But most of this is moot in 1/35 scale because at that size the human eye is barely visible and unless the figure's expression is one of shock you are better off not even trying to paint the actual eye. As for using decals that size, I have NO idea how guys use them but they continue to be among our best selling products.

If you are a figure modeler, WORK to improve your skills to the point where you can paint a perfect pair of eyes. Until then (or if you can't) don't ruin all of you other efforts with goofy looking eyes.

Funny story: The first time we took our iris decals to a show was the IPMS Nationals. Guy walks up to out table, buys one of each and when the transaction was complete he announces that he is the head figure judge and has instructed other figure judges to deduct points if they find our decals on a figure.

Oddly enough, no other judges were deducting points if a model used decals instead of hand painted insignias.

Okay, lecture over. You can go back to sleep now. (c:

Woody Vondracek, owner
ARCHER FINE TRANSFERS

Hey Woody, Good insight on how you regard your eyes, I think they are a great concept, but i think a lot of people are of the mindset that the "proof is in the pudding" having not seen them myself, the review of the other set

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/review/6117

Didnt have any in action shots, due to the limitations of Bill's camera. I am a little skeptical, but I do think they are great idea,If work picks up i may try a set!

the news team recently posted your new " eye guide" with this post. https://armorama.kitmaker.net/news/10657
Ps. Just watched your videos, Great stuff, very helpful.
I can't remeber if there was a section on decal care? A while ago I spoiled some PZIII markings with dust ( user error!! ). it may be a good idea to drop in good ways of storing them!

ordered some usmc patches from you today and am looking forward to implimenting them with my figures.

all the best,

James

I see........

James,

First of all regarding "decal care", I assume you are referring to dry transfers? If so, even "operator error" is fully covered under our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If ANYTHING you have EVER bought with the Archer logo on it EVER disappoints you in ANY way we will cheerfully and promptly replace it or give you a full refund. We don't care if your dog ate it, your wife threw it away, it blew out the window... whatever - makes no difference to me. You should get what you shelled out your hard-earned money for. I understand that this may not be the kind of customer service you are used to but Archer isn't your run-of-the-mill company. Our people and our customers are family and they get treated accordingly.

Now, regarding the iris decals: I've said it before and I'll say it again - I have no idea how you guys can work with this stuff at 1/35 but we have sold thousands of those sheets and they continue to be one of our hottest items. Once you get into larger scales and the decals are big enough to see their fine details they are more natural looking than anything you can paint by hand because they are photos of actual human eyes.

But, I have all of the respect in the world for guys who can paint eyes and am not suggesting our stuff is better than their skills. I know I can't do it, but why should guys like me have to risk ruining all that effort trying to get the single most critical items perfect?

If iris decals are controversial, so be it. Figure painting is as close to an art form as you will find in this hobby and I fully understand and appreciate opinions which may differ from mine.

Now, go build something

Woody Vondracek, owner
Archer Fine Transfers

Ummm Is Talent included in the video tutorials

Both myself and my wife have used the decal eyes.

Me in 1/35, and my wife in 1/16.

Yes they are small, yes they are fiddly, but they make doing eyes easy (hence the name I guess! LOL)

In 1/35....while you can see the color of the Iris on the paper, once applied to the figure, you loose most of the color, so it ends up looking like just a black spec. However in 1/16, they do make the eyes pop, (in a good way) and with a coat of future over them look very realistic.

Unfortunately I don't have any really good up close pictures to show.

While the 1/16 are still quite small...they are fairly easy to work with. At 1/35...I think I went through 6-8 eyes to outfit 2 figures.....even a small drop of water will make them float on the eyeball...and then if you hit it with the corner of a tissue to soak the water, the decal sometimes goes with it.

However, anyone that sucks at doing eyes...these are a great alternative.