c-flo77
01-06-2005, 08:30 PM
Painting your X-MOD
The materials I prefer to use are:
Tamilya Masking Tape
Tamilya Grey Primer
Tamilya TS# Color Paint
Tamilya TS-13 Clear Coat
You can use other brands, but I would at least recommend using the same brand primer, paint, and clear coat.
Other tools & materials:
X-acto Knife or Hobby Knife
Dremel or Hobby Knife
Dish Soap
Cup or something to sit car body on.
Something with a small flat edge. (I use the Zip Zaps screwdriver built into the controller.)
Very thin clear double sided tape.
Remove the headlight and taillight lenses:
1. Use the Dremel or hobby knife to scrape away at where the little tabs from the lenses are melted to the inside of the body. Remove enough until you see just the round shape of the tab itself.
2. Gently push the tabs outward from the body by alternating between the 2 tabs a little at a time for each lense as not to bind the lense or crack it.
3. Clean off the tabs edges for easy reinstallation later.
Make sure all body parts are tightened down:
1. I paint all my bodies in one piece. If you prefer not to, then disassemble them now.
Wash body and body parts:
1. Run the body or body parts under warm water and add a little dish soap and throughly wash body parts.
2. Rinse away ALL soap with warm water.
3. Let parts air dry completely or use a lint free rag to dry.
4. Make sure no water is in any cracks or openings.
Masking of windows and other parts.
1. Apply the masking tape so that it overlaps the window edges.
2. Use multiple pieces to cover entire window by overlapping each piece.3. Press all tape firmly down around all edges.
4. Use that flat edge to gently press the tape down into the window edges where you want to cut. I go along the edge in steps instead of dragging the flat edge which may cut in to your tape wrong.
5. Use your X-acto knife and follow the groove of the window edge and cut out your window mask.
6. Remove the tape on the outside of the window edges.
7. Press down the edges again to insure no bleed thru.
8. Repeat the process for all windows.
For masking vents, etc. use the same techniques by pressing your tape into the corners and cutting along those lines/corners with the X-acto knife.
Setting body up for painting:
This is for painting the entire body in one piece like I do. If you paint the body kit parts separately, then you must find a way to secure them.
1. Turn the cup over and apply your masking tape over so that the sticky part is facing out.
2. Stick the body over the cup bottom and make it secure to the masking tape.
3. Make sure body will not move at different angles.
Applying paint: All distances and times are based on Tamilya paint. The paint may dry slower or be thicker and require more time or farther spray distance.
I always heat my cans up in hot water for about 10 minutes, not higher than 120 deg, F. This thins the paint out and builds pressure up in the can for better flow when spraying. Remember to shake your can good to mix up the paint.
Applying primer:
1. Make one very light pass on all sides from about 12" away with a semi fast motion. This lets the primer seal the edges of the masking tape and prevent bleeding.
2. Wait 5 minutes.
2. Go back with 2 good coats on all sides from about 12", but a slower motion. 10 minutes between each coat.
3. Make sure the entire body is covered including vents and openings. You may have to spray from different angles.
Let primer dry 10 minutes.
Applying color coat:
1. Use the same technique as before, starting the first coat very light.
2. Wait 10 minutes and apply the second coat a little heavier from 12" away.3. Wait 10 minutes and repeat on all sides.
4. Wait 10 minutes and repeat.
5. I usually do about 5-6 color coats, 10 minutes between.
Let color coat dry 10 minutes.
Applying clear coat:
1. Apply one light coat from 12" away on all sides.
2. Wait 10 minutes.
3. Apply second coat a little bit heavier from 12" away.
4. I usually put 2-3 good clear coats on it.
Let everything dry until it is still a little bit tacky. This is where some will disagree and say let it dry completely, but I have good success removing the tape before it is completely dry. It is your choice. Sometimes the paint will crack on the edges when it is completely dry.
Removing the masking:
1. Take the point of your X-acto knife and gently pick one corner of you masked window, etc. and slowly pull away the tape until you can grab it with your fingers. The slowly pull away the rest.
2. Use something with a clean straightedge to push down any ridges as a result of the mask line. Don't rub, but use "steps".
3. Continue on all masked parts.
Let the entire body completely dry. (Tamilya usually is good to handle after 6 hours.)
Paint the details:
1. Use a hobby brush to paint your details like the headlights and taillights and markers.
2. Only a steady hand can help you here. What I do is hold the brush in one hand, and the model in the other and interlock my remaining fingers from each hand. That way, if one hand moves, everything moves together and I am less likely to mess up.
Reinstall the lenses.
1. Cut up small pieces of the very thin clear double sided tape and apply them to the corners of each lense.
2. Push the lenses back into place.
3. You could skip the tape and just add some glue to where the tabs stick thru the body on the inside.
You're all done.
Painting fades:
Here is how I do it with rattle cans....
Top to Bottom Fade:
Spray the first color from an angle underneath the body moving up and pulling the can farther away as I approach the fade line. Then use the second color, doing the same from above. Not much else, just takes practice. You can use a piece of cardboard to control your spray pattern too. Just hold it along the line you want to fade slightly above the model, and the paint will kinda sneak under the cardboard. The closer you get, the more it will sneak thru.
Front to Back Fade:
Same as the Top to Bottom, but going side to side. One color from a front angle pulling back as you get closer to the rear, and the other color from rear angle pulling back as you get closer to the front.
Sometimes I spray a third matching color from way far away to add little speckles that mix into both colors and bring the blend together more. :bigwink:
The materials I prefer to use are:
Tamilya Masking Tape
Tamilya Grey Primer
Tamilya TS# Color Paint
Tamilya TS-13 Clear Coat
You can use other brands, but I would at least recommend using the same brand primer, paint, and clear coat.
Other tools & materials:
X-acto Knife or Hobby Knife
Dremel or Hobby Knife
Dish Soap
Cup or something to sit car body on.
Something with a small flat edge. (I use the Zip Zaps screwdriver built into the controller.)
Very thin clear double sided tape.
Remove the headlight and taillight lenses:
1. Use the Dremel or hobby knife to scrape away at where the little tabs from the lenses are melted to the inside of the body. Remove enough until you see just the round shape of the tab itself.
2. Gently push the tabs outward from the body by alternating between the 2 tabs a little at a time for each lense as not to bind the lense or crack it.
3. Clean off the tabs edges for easy reinstallation later.
Make sure all body parts are tightened down:
1. I paint all my bodies in one piece. If you prefer not to, then disassemble them now.
Wash body and body parts:
1. Run the body or body parts under warm water and add a little dish soap and throughly wash body parts.
2. Rinse away ALL soap with warm water.
3. Let parts air dry completely or use a lint free rag to dry.
4. Make sure no water is in any cracks or openings.
Masking of windows and other parts.
1. Apply the masking tape so that it overlaps the window edges.
2. Use multiple pieces to cover entire window by overlapping each piece.3. Press all tape firmly down around all edges.
4. Use that flat edge to gently press the tape down into the window edges where you want to cut. I go along the edge in steps instead of dragging the flat edge which may cut in to your tape wrong.
5. Use your X-acto knife and follow the groove of the window edge and cut out your window mask.
6. Remove the tape on the outside of the window edges.
7. Press down the edges again to insure no bleed thru.
8. Repeat the process for all windows.
For masking vents, etc. use the same techniques by pressing your tape into the corners and cutting along those lines/corners with the X-acto knife.
Setting body up for painting:
This is for painting the entire body in one piece like I do. If you paint the body kit parts separately, then you must find a way to secure them.
1. Turn the cup over and apply your masking tape over so that the sticky part is facing out.
2. Stick the body over the cup bottom and make it secure to the masking tape.
3. Make sure body will not move at different angles.
Applying paint: All distances and times are based on Tamilya paint. The paint may dry slower or be thicker and require more time or farther spray distance.
I always heat my cans up in hot water for about 10 minutes, not higher than 120 deg, F. This thins the paint out and builds pressure up in the can for better flow when spraying. Remember to shake your can good to mix up the paint.
Applying primer:
1. Make one very light pass on all sides from about 12" away with a semi fast motion. This lets the primer seal the edges of the masking tape and prevent bleeding.
2. Wait 5 minutes.
2. Go back with 2 good coats on all sides from about 12", but a slower motion. 10 minutes between each coat.
3. Make sure the entire body is covered including vents and openings. You may have to spray from different angles.
Let primer dry 10 minutes.
Applying color coat:
1. Use the same technique as before, starting the first coat very light.
2. Wait 10 minutes and apply the second coat a little heavier from 12" away.3. Wait 10 minutes and repeat on all sides.
4. Wait 10 minutes and repeat.
5. I usually do about 5-6 color coats, 10 minutes between.
Let color coat dry 10 minutes.
Applying clear coat:
1. Apply one light coat from 12" away on all sides.
2. Wait 10 minutes.
3. Apply second coat a little bit heavier from 12" away.
4. I usually put 2-3 good clear coats on it.
Let everything dry until it is still a little bit tacky. This is where some will disagree and say let it dry completely, but I have good success removing the tape before it is completely dry. It is your choice. Sometimes the paint will crack on the edges when it is completely dry.
Removing the masking:
1. Take the point of your X-acto knife and gently pick one corner of you masked window, etc. and slowly pull away the tape until you can grab it with your fingers. The slowly pull away the rest.
2. Use something with a clean straightedge to push down any ridges as a result of the mask line. Don't rub, but use "steps".
3. Continue on all masked parts.
Let the entire body completely dry. (Tamilya usually is good to handle after 6 hours.)
Paint the details:
1. Use a hobby brush to paint your details like the headlights and taillights and markers.
2. Only a steady hand can help you here. What I do is hold the brush in one hand, and the model in the other and interlock my remaining fingers from each hand. That way, if one hand moves, everything moves together and I am less likely to mess up.
Reinstall the lenses.
1. Cut up small pieces of the very thin clear double sided tape and apply them to the corners of each lense.
2. Push the lenses back into place.
3. You could skip the tape and just add some glue to where the tabs stick thru the body on the inside.
You're all done.
Painting fades:
Here is how I do it with rattle cans....
Top to Bottom Fade:
Spray the first color from an angle underneath the body moving up and pulling the can farther away as I approach the fade line. Then use the second color, doing the same from above. Not much else, just takes practice. You can use a piece of cardboard to control your spray pattern too. Just hold it along the line you want to fade slightly above the model, and the paint will kinda sneak under the cardboard. The closer you get, the more it will sneak thru.
Front to Back Fade:
Same as the Top to Bottom, but going side to side. One color from a front angle pulling back as you get closer to the rear, and the other color from rear angle pulling back as you get closer to the front.
Sometimes I spray a third matching color from way far away to add little speckles that mix into both colors and bring the blend together more. :bigwink: