- STEP 041 > Peel your decal if you printed on full size label sheets. If you used regular paper, you need to apply a good layer of glue stick all over the back of your decal. NEVER EVER USE HOT GLUE TO APPLY A DECAL !!!
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STEP 042 > Carefully align and lower the edge of your decal onto the foamcore. IMPORTANT : Make sure your foamcore is oriented correctly, the .5cm fifference can sometimes play mean tricks on you 🙂
Also VERY IMPORTANT is to KEEP the rest of the decal LIFETED OFF the foamcore. You ONLY want the SIDE to lower and make contact for now.
- STEP 043 > Keeping the rest of the decal lifted and off the surface of the foamcore, gently pass your finger across STARTING AT THE CENTRE OUTWARDS !!! Start at the centre move to the right, lift your finger and return back to the centre, put your finger back on the decal and now slide to the left.
- STEP 044 > Here I am exagerating so you can better understand what I am trying to explain. You want to keep the rest of your decal from making contact with the foamcore just yet. This is to avoid creating bubbles or folds that will make the door look caca 😛
- STEP 045 > To help you finish the decal application, grab one of your other foamcore squares (or a srap wider than the doorframe piece is fine too)
- STEP 046 > You are going to use this 2nd piece (think you are making a sandwich with the foamcores your bread) to facilitate the application and perfectly stick it on the foamcore by slowly moving the top piece with slight pressure over the bottom foamcore (red arrow) as you lower your decal more and more (green arrow) as it moves along.
- STEP 047 > To better understand I divided this photo into 3 frames. As you press down lightly and move the top foamcore towards the outside of the door piece, you lower the decal. The closer you get to the end, the more you lower your decal until the end of the decal completely touches the surface and allows you to finish the movement of the top foamcore.
- STEP 048 > Now that your decal is layed flat with no air pockets or folds, you can use your hand to press more firmly all around to make sure the decal is not going anywhere.
- STEP 049 > Sometimes you will see that the decal doesn't 100% reach the edge of your door piece. This is normal.
- STEP 050 > Simply align the ruler to the edge andcarefully trim off the excess.
- STEP 051 > You will now have a prefect clean edge.
- STEP 052 > Now repeat all steps with your 2nd front octagonal frame decal.
- STEP 053 > Here you can see that other times it is your decal that can stick out slightly from the foamcore shape.
- STEP 054 > Just place the foamcore, decal side down, and carfully slowly move your FULLY EXTENDED X-Acto knife blade across using the edge of your frame as your guide. If you have a sharp new blade for this step, it cuts perfectly every time.
- STEP 055 > The exact shape and thickness of what you slice off will vary but should look similar to this.
- STEP 056 > If you did do any cuts along the decal, you re-exposed the white paper thickness so you will have to grab your black Sharpie and go along the edges again to blend the edges like this.
- STEP 057 > Now to cut out the centre of your frame we need to switch to your X-Acto PEN. Because of the curved corners, using your X-Acto knife would prove harder to do.
- STEP 058 > We want to cut along the bleed colour. Between the white of the inside and the actual decal texture.
- STEP 059 > With a NEW BLADE, you will be cutting with your blade lowered like this to be as parallel to the foamcore as possible. This will give you a cleaner cut.
- STEP 060 > You can poke down straight to begin but soon after, lower your blade angle closer to the surface and then start moving along the bleed.

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Did you already build this Diorama ? At home or at our Star Wars Celebration Diorama Builders workshop ? Would you like to show it in the site’s GALLERY VISITORS DIORAMAS section, YES ? That is Awesome !!! You can find out all the details on how to email me your photos on the VISITORS SUBMISSIONS INFO page … When I get your photos, I will create your very own page just like this one. You may not realize it but work does inspire others to join in the fun of making Action Figure Dioramas.
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NOT FOR RESALE ALL Decals, tutorials and artwork are ©FrankDiorio (dioramaworkshop.com) and offered FOR FREE to the fans – that would be you ? so you can build and display my diorama designs in your very own home. I realize I cannot control what one does with my graphics once I place them on the web, I can only ask you as one fan to another, please respect the artist and do not be that jerk who uses my designs and tutorials to build a copy of my work only to sell it on EBAY or trade/sale groups and forums. Thank You. Frank.
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