Brief:
As the proud owner of a couple of BSD Rocketry kits, I was always blown away by how much the application of vinyl decals really dresses up the appearance of larger rockets. I had little luck though finding a printer who didn't charge what I felt was an exhorbitant price for vinyl decals. That all changed when I stumbled upon a recent issue of Sport Rocketry magazine and saw an advertisement for Graphix & Stuff. Not only do they offer a variety of cool rocketry apparel and products, but they offer custom vinyl decals for your rockets.

Construction:
GnS offers a simple but adequate list of fonts to choose from. After selecting the font, you enter the text you want printed, select the decal color, and finally what height you want the decals to be. There is an option for you to have a maximum length that you want your text to be as well, although that option does not affect the price. Pricing is per letter (including any spaces) and based on the height of the letters. Shipping via USPS is free. GnS can also print images, but you need to contact them through email to discuss pricing and file formats for the image.

However, I initiated my order by emailing GnS through their website since I had some specific ideas in mind even though I could have placed the order through the website. Dave at GnS was very easy to work with not to mention that he responded to all of my emails within a few hours of sending them to him! When it came time for me to submit my order, I went through the website to send payment via PayPal and then emailed Dave the fonts I wanted for my decals. (It is worth noting that Dave says that GnS has thousands of available fonts to choose from, so you may not have to go to such great lengths as I did.)

The decals arrived a couple of days later and came packaged in a sealed water-resistant envelope, which wrapped around some cardboard to prevent any potential damage from folding or creasing. The envelope was clearly labeled with the text 'DO NOT BEND'. Upon opening the envelope, there were some extras: a copy of my PayPal receipt and 3 extra vinyl decals--a nice gesture to say the least!

The decals were in pristine condition. They come sandwiched between the backing paper and the application paper. I had ordered 3 items, 2 were for my LOC/Precision Nuke Pro Maxx and one was for my upscale scratchbuild of a Binder Design Dragonfly.

Finishing:
Application of the decals is simple. I had already painted both rockets. They were wiped down with a lint free cloth. Next I used a piece of angle iron to lightly mark the rockets with a reference line to make sure that I put the decal on straight. Then I carefully measured the decals and made a reference mark along the length of the application paper. I peeled back a corner of the backing paper and slowly removed it while ensuring that the decals remained stuck on the application paper. Once the backing paper was removed I carefully aligned and laid the decal onto the rocket. [NOTE: The decal adhesive is very tacky so it is very important to get it right on the first try because that's all you get!] Starting from the center of decal and wiping towards the ends using the cloth, I gently smoothed out the decal. I went backa second time with the cloth and rubbed the application paper in a circular motion to ensure proper application. The final step was to peel off the application paper. Stunning!

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
If you are looking for high quality, affordable, and easy to apply vinyl decals for your latest rocket project(s), definitely check out Graphix & Stuff. They are very easy to work with and offer a wide range of products as well as custom decals.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5