Panel lining and top coats are simple and great ways to spruce up a kit. Applying decals is another great way. It's simple, easy and allows one to customize it's appearance.

In general you will find kits come with the decals (wet or dry) and stickers. Usually the better kits come with more decals and less stickers.

Stickers

Fuck 'em. Generally, they look like crap. They're too thick and stand out a lot on any kit. Even with a healthy top coat. Why Bandai bothers to package them with their kits is beyond me.

Dry Rub

Dry rub decals are probably the most common decal when it comes to Bandai kits. They're very easy to apply and look great. They're rather easy to apply...

Use your hobby knife to carefully cut out the decal you want to apply. Most dry rub decals come with some sort of backing sheet that helps prevent the decal from prematurely rubbing off. Make sure to keep this in place when cutting.

Take a bit of scotch tape and place it over the shiny side of the decal and use it to carefully tape the decal into location on the model piece.

With a dull instrument (dull pencil, fingernail, popsicle stick etc) apply pressure to the decal. This will press it onto the model. Usually, from the outside, the decal will appear duller as it separates from the decal sheet. Be careful not to move the sheet around as you apply as you might cause parts to separate and attach on different areas.

After you think the decal has been fully applied, slowly lift up the tape from one end, keeping the other end attached. If you notice any parts missing, lay the decal down again and re-rub. By not fully removing the decal and tape you have a better chance of properly lining the decal up if there's an issue.

After you've applied the decals don't forget a top coat. While stronger than water slide decals they're still susceptible to scratches.

Water Slides

Water slide decals are simple to work with and look great. There are several sites where you can create your own decals or buy predesigned sets. A favorite of mine being Samuel Decal. They're out of Hong Kong, have a great selection, and ship very quickly to the US.

I've tried Testor's own decal creation set. A proper review to come sometime down the road, but if you're out to create your own today, don't bet the house.

Applying water slides is fairly simple...

Spray the area with a single smooth coat of gloss clear coat. The smoother the surface the better the decal adheres. Allow to dry.

Applying the decal on a dull surface will likely result in silvering. As the name suggests silvering causes the decal to appear almost silver. This is the result of tons of little air bubbles underneath the decal. (err, at least to my understanding)

Cut the decal out from the sheet with a sharp knife and a straight edge. Cut as close as you can.

If you're working with something with an irregular shape, such as a thin star with a lot of points, you're better off cutting a less complicated shape. This will make it a lot easier to apply without as much risk of tearing or edges folding over on themselves.

Place the decal in a bit of water and let sit for 30 seconds or so. Meanwhile...

Make sure the surface you're going to apply the decal is clean. I also use a bit of Testor's Decal Set. As far as I know, this is very optional. I only really do it because I bought a bottle once and there must be some reason behind bottling watered down vinegar.

With a pair of tweezers pull the decal out of the water. Remove any extra water pooled on the decal by brushing it gently against the dish.

Now for the tricky part.

When applying the decal I like to hold it just off from where I want. Then, with a thumb on the decal, I slowly slide it off the backing a little bit. Once it's off (keeping my thumb on the decal) I can let go with the tweezers, grab the exposed backing, and slowly pull it away, letting the decal fall upon the surface.

If the decal doesn't slide smoothly off the backing, you did not soak it long enough.

For small decals, I like to put it down on my thumb, pull the backing off, then press my thumb (w/ decal) against where I want it to go. Generally it will stick with the piece without issue. Trying to do this with large pieces will create wrinkling, folding over of the decal, or worse, tearing.

Next, I gently adjust it into a proper position. If the area is too wet it will slide more than you want, so dab with a paper towel to suck up any extra water.

Once I have it in a proper position I dab and slightly brush with a paper towel to dry up any excess water and remove and wrinkles.

Unless you want to adjust the location of the decal make sure to dab vertically. Any little bit of horizontal movement might push it off center.

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After the decal is in a position I'm comfortable with (hard for me because I can be very OCD with how shit lines up) I gently dab on some MicroSol. This will help bond the decal. Note, that after you apply the MicroSol it will become wrinkly, do not touch! This is normal. Let it dry on it's own. Also, once you apply the Micro Sol, don't touch it anymore. At this point the decal is so fragile a slight touch can fuck it up (as I have done far too many times).

After giving the decal some time to dry and straighten out you can then apply whatever top coat you like. Some people like to apply another cover of gloss before dull but I haven't experienced the need.