Some Tips on Applying Vinyl Decals (from the Body Tips and Tricks Page)

Trim the Decals

Using a sharp X-acto knife or pair of scissors, trim the decals that came with the body or the optional HPI decals. Try to trim the vinyl close to the color portion of the decal. A closely-cropped decal will always look better on your car's body than a decal with 1/8" or more of excess clear decal around it.

Window trim lines are easiest to apply if the corners are cut apart from the straight lines. Put the straight lines on first, following the body mold lines for the window, then put the corners on to cover the straight lines. The window lines do a great job of covering any bleeding of the paint or wavy masking lines.

Apply the decals

First, make sure you remove the protective film from the outside of the body! More than one person has forgotten about the film and put on all their decals and had to reapply them once the body film was removed. While this makes a funny story for your friends, you don't want to waste your decals, so make sure you take off the film! It's easy to remove: just peel it back with a fingernail, and pull it off.

Clean the outside of the body with a glass cleaner (Windex, etc.) to make the decals stick better.

The easiest way to put large decals on is to use the glass cleaner and slide the decal into exact position. Smooth the decal with a finger to remove the glass cleaner and any air bubbles. Start with your finger at one side and smooth the decal all the way to the other side. The glass cleaner will evaporate, leaving the decal in perfect place.

Small decals like door handles and fuel caps can be put on without the glass cleaner. Lift them off the paper with the tip of a hobby knife and ease them into position.