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Hello everyone.

I recently finished painting my Space Marines and am now going to be adding some decals or transfers. What I'm wondering, though, is since the GW paints are water based (you can remove them with water from your brush) will the water on the decal cause the paint to flake off or dissolve? All replies are appreciated and sorry if this is a silly question.

No, the paints are pretty water resistant when dry.

This said, I'll refer you to the tutorials section where I have a nice little article on applying decals.

In short, remember to gloss first and all will be well.

If the paint is dry water will have no effect on it. There are lots of tutorials for applying decals but for the best finish put a layer of gloss varnish onto the area where the decal will go. Let this dry and it creates a smooth surface for the decal to adhere to. Then use the decal as normal, soften in water and slide off onto the figure. When dry then paint the glossy area, decal and all, with a matt varnish or something like Revell dull cote and you'll get a perfect finish.

With Space Marines their shoulder pads are very curved and the decal are often quite large, using a gloss surface will certainly help but you can also get agents (Such as Microsol) that soften decals making it easier to apply them and make them conform to the curved shape of the figure.