Help Needed...

Never seen those!  Is it a dry transfer?  See https://www.gunpla101.com/dry-transfer-decals-101/

Ken, I have had similar problems with old decals, some ended with success, more with failures.  I think these Western transfers are water decals, originally meant to be lightly soaked, given a minute or so to "air out" after being removed from the water, and then v-e-r-y carefully nudged onto the desired surface. Work with only one decal at a time.  I use a very small model paint brush for that nudging.  I have attempted the "cut and glue" method without a single success.  

   I thoroughly enjoy working with these old models, and right now I'm nearing completion of a Mikansue Bentley.  It had NO decals but I decided to use some older white wall tire decals.  Just this morning I had two of them partially disintegrate after I tried to solidify them with a light touch of clear coverage.  Ycchh!!  

  So please accept my best wishes for your success.  Sounds like a great model!

Thanks David and Karl for your replies to my post. David, I did try putting one of the transfers in water but no luck.

Karl, thanks for providing the link on how to apply dry transfers. And yes, that is what they are. Most of the transfers are for the Desoto Adventurer but I changed the trim and converted the model into a Fireflite since I already have a Brooklin Adventurer. I was able to use the D E S O T O for the front of the hood and the emblem that appears on the trunk. These were the 2 most important transfers.They both applied great.I would never have guessed dry transfers as this is the 1st time that I have come across them.I have built quite a few Western Model kits, and as David pointed out, they were all wet transfers. 

The old Faracars Indy STP Turbine car had dry transfers, as well as an old Hobby Technica kit I once owned. I hate those things. Happily for kit builders in the late '70s Cartograph and others showed how wet-soak decals should be done (though their white roundels were a little transluscent).

Here's a couple of pictures of my finished '59 Desoto Fireflite. It can be displayed with either top up or top down.You can see the dry transfer emblem on the trunk.

@kenspear 

Your completed model looks nice. I have used dry transfers, but only on model planes and trains. Glad you found them for your car.

Posted by: @d-m-holcombe

Ken, I have had similar problems with old decals, some ended with success, more with failures.  I think these Western transfers are water decals, originally meant to be lightly soaked, given a minute or so to "air out" after being removed from the water, and then v-e-r-y carefully nudged onto the desired surface. Work with only one decal at a time.  I use a very small model paint brush for that nudging.  I have attempted the "cut and glue" method without a single success.  

   I thoroughly enjoy working with these old models, and right now I'm nearing completion of a Mikansue Bentley.  It had NO decals but I decided to use some older white wall tire decals.  Just this morning I had two of them partially disintegrate after I tried to solidify them with a light touch of clear coverage.  Ycchh!!  

  So please accept my best wishes for your success.  Sounds like a great model!

If the water slide decal is old or in any way suspect, I use Testors Decal Bonder Spray to coat the decal and let dry well before soaking in water for application.  Instructions says, "provides a thin coating over inks that allow decals to be slid off decal paper".

Good looking kit results, Ken.   And thanks to John Quilter for the decal bonder advice.  I'm going to look for it!

  And now I'm going to get back to that confounded Mikansue project.

     David H  

Back when I had the eyesight and manual dexterity to build models, I used Microscale Decal Film - it's a liquid that was designed for old decals - you brush it on the decal sheet and it coats the decal with a thin film that makes it easy to slide and place. Only drawback was that you had to cut each piece since the whole decal sheet became one film.