Inxens Waterslide Decal Tool Kit: Felt Squeegee, Tweezers, Ruler

What's in this model decal tool kit?

This model decal tool kit holds three plastic tools for waterslide decals: a squeegee with a soft felt edge, a pair of curved tweezers and a clear ruler, packed together in a clear zip pouch. Together they cover the three steps that go wrong most often in decal work: moving the wet film, lining it up, and pressing the water out from underneath.

How do you apply waterslide decals with these tools?

The routine below is standard model-building practice. Soak times vary from one decal sheet to another, so try a spare decal first.

1. Cut the decal from the sheet with a thin margin of backing paper around it.
2. Dip it in lukewarm water for a few seconds, then lay it on a paper towel until the film slides freely on the paper.
3. Hold the backing paper right against the model and use the curved tweezer tips to slide the film onto the surface. Push the film rather than pinching it.
4. Lay the clear ruler along a panel line or the edge of the part to check that stripes run parallel and numbers sit level. Small corrections are easy while the decal is still wet.
5. Touch a tissue to the edge to wick away pooled water, then work the felt squeegee from the center of the decal outward to push out the remaining water and any trapped air.

Decals settle more cleanly on a glossy surface. Many builders brush on a gloss clear coat before decaling, which helps prevent the frosty "silvering" look under the film, then seal everything with a final clear coat once the decals are dry.

Why a felt squeegee instead of a fingertip or a hard card?

A wet decal is a very thin film. Fingers smear it and can roll up the edges, and a hard plastic card can crease it or mark fresh paint. The felt edge spreads the pressure, so it flattens the film on flat panels and gentle curves without scratching the paint or clear coat underneath. Deep recesses and tight compound curves are beyond any flat squeegee; there, a decal-softening solution and a cotton swab still do the work.

Which model kits is it for?

The tools are sized for hand work on scale models: 1:24 cars, 1:35 tanks, aircraft kits, and robot or mecha kits covered in small caution marks. The smooth, curved tweezer tips can steer tiny markings into place without tearing them, and the clear ruler helps keep stripes and rows of numbers straight. If you also build dioramas or small scenes, browse our miniatures and craft supplies.

The squeegee works outside the hobby room too, for smoothing vinyl wrap film, window tint or wallpaper. At 3.94 in long it suits small pieces, edges and corners rather than a whole window or wall.

What the kit doesn't include

This is a tool set only. There are no decals, decal-setting solutions or hobby knives in the pouch. All three tools are plastic, so treat the tweezers as decal tweezers for lifting and nudging film rather than as general parts tweezers. For other workshop and hobby tools, see tools and hardware.

Care and storage

Blot the felt edge dry after each session and keep it free of grit, because a single speck of sand dragged across a decal will scratch it. Put the squeegee, tweezers and ruler back in the zip pouch so the bent tips aren't knocked out of line in a crowded toolbox.