Paint

[bowsher925]

Sooooo I'm lookin to paint my new body for my scx10. I am wondering what sould be the best way to do so. I remember when I was young we used to pain the body on the inside. Im clueless of the type of paint or airbrush too. Please Help!

[bowsher925]

By the way I am wanting to paint the body john deere green if that matters

[hotrodsonoma]

You still paint lexan bodies from inside.Color shouldn't matter.Can paint on outside for scratches to show up.

[rcntncrawler]

Cut the body first. Sand down any ruff or uneven spots.
Body should come with a removable over spray film on the outside. Use a sharpy to mark body pin holes and to section the body for different colors, if you're planning to make the truck more than one color. Do this before masking and painting. It will be easier to mask this way, and it will be easier to cut body pin holes after the truck is painted.
Wash the inside of the body with soap and water and dry off before painting or masking.
I like liquid masking for multi-colored paint jobs. Some people still prefer masking with painters tape.
Use only paint designed for Lexan Bodies. It has to be able to flex with the body. You can buy it in rattle cans or in jars for air brushing.
Apply thin coats.
These are basic tips I've learned from painting only 4 lexan bodies.
Read as many threads as possible and watch as many YouTube videos as possible before painting. Removing paint from Lexan bodies is an inexact science, at best, with varied results. So, learn as much as you can before attempting to paint, so you don't have to try to remove the paint and start over.

[gcm2006]

IMO if you plan to paint more bodies down the road an airbrush is the way to go. Really wish I would have invested in one a long time ago.


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[rcntncrawler]

Originally Posted by gcm2006

IMO if you plan to paint more bodies down the road an airbrush is the way to go. Really wish I would have invested in one a long time ago.


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Which airbrush is best for starter?

[gcm2006]

I picked up a paasche single action started kit that included a 1/8 horse compressor from my lhs and so far it has worked great for me. good starter kit to get the basics down with then you can eventually upgrade to a double action brush


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[TrailSnail]

rcntncrawler's has it covered pretty well I think. One thing I would add is to test painting the inside of some of your scrap lexan after you trim the body (not too much, the small cans go quickly). Read the paint can, some paint requires multiple steps. I have some green paint that required a couple very light coats, then a specific black backer paint in order for the color to come through correctly. I use the rattle cans (specific for lexan) and masking tape for mine, nothing fancy.

[bowsher925]

do you guys prefer the liquid masking or the tape? How is the liquid done?

[gcm2006]

Depends on what your trying to accomplish. I like to use liquid mask for more detailed designs but if its a basic one maybe two color paint job then I'll use tape. Liquid mask is nice though because you don't get any bleed like you can with tape sometimes.


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[rcntncrawler]

Originally Posted by TrailSnail

rcntncrawler's has it covered pretty well I think. One thing I would add is to test painting the inside of some of your scrap lexan after you trim the body (not too much, the small cans go quickly). Read the paint can, some paint requires multiple steps. I have some green paint that required a couple very light coats, then a specific black backer paint in order for the color to come through correctly. I use the rattle cans (specific for lexan) and masking tape for mine, nothing fancy.

Thanks, I new I forgot to list something. That's a very important step. My first Lexan paint experience was using Pactra Lime green metallic with black backer. I actually screwed up several test runs on scrap lexan before getting it right. It cost me a can a paint, but saved me a pro-line bronco body. I used liquid mask on that body, because I used four different colors. For simple two-color jobs, tape is much less time consuming.

[bowsher925]

awesome! Thanks for all the help guys!

[Mr.RonGilbert]

They guys have already covered it pretty well.

I am a newb too, and (for now) only needed to paint one body. I masked off the headlights and windshield from the inside and left the plastic film on the outside.

Be sure and cut the holes for your body posts while you can still see them. I just used a sharpie to make an X, then used a reamer to poke the holes... measure twice cut/poke once. When cutting the sides, try not to disturb the film on the outer portion too much.

Cleaned, masked and body holes done, ready for paint:


Paint - the Tamiya was perfect, just the right amount and went on nice and even. I used a black backer (Spaz) - using a good backer will help make the paint stand out.


All done (for now):






I am sure you could but it is hard to mess up if you follow rcntncrawler's instructions and take your time.

[bowsher925]

that rig looks great! I sure hope mine turns out that well. Hopefully I can post some pics soon

[rcntncrawler]

Great job! I love the picture with the 1:1 and the RC beside it. It looks like a Mini-Me Jeep. Are you sure you didn't use a Shrink Ray Gun and just shrink a real Jeep? lol.

[Mr.RonGilbert]

Lol. Thanks it is nice and dirty with new scratches every day. Kinda like the 1:1