super skills.
i'm lucky to get through a 1 color job without borking something. much respect to dudes like you who can paint like that.
-- RC Collect -- Doug Carter Style
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Eau Rouge
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Thanks guys, I've been doing this for a long time and just kind of have a knack for it. I spent many of my teen summers avoiding summer jobs and just painting HUNDREDS of bodies.
Scott, I love that Baja VW body you painted! I'm obsessed with seeing people try new things on Lexan and execute them well. It doesn't happen very often, usually. People tend to copy the hot scheme (hara, flames, drips, etc.) and ignore color and composition. There are very few guys pushing the creative limits anymore, that's for sure. That red on red B3 body is one my favorite paint jobs I have ever done--and the hardest--and few people can see the labor and thought behind that paint. I'd love to do a full-on stained glass variation on that design, but I'm waiting for the absolute right body and the right project. Maybe this JRX2 if I can find one of those repro bodies and a V-wing...
doug
Scott, I love that Baja VW body you painted! I'm obsessed with seeing people try new things on Lexan and execute them well. It doesn't happen very often, usually. People tend to copy the hot scheme (hara, flames, drips, etc.) and ignore color and composition. There are very few guys pushing the creative limits anymore, that's for sure. That red on red B3 body is one my favorite paint jobs I have ever done--and the hardest--and few people can see the labor and thought behind that paint. I'd love to do a full-on stained glass variation on that design, but I'm waiting for the absolute right body and the right project. Maybe this JRX2 if I can find one of those repro bodies and a V-wing...
doug
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Eau Rouge
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Ok, so how do I do it all?
Honestly, I use pretty simple methods to get results like the ones you see in the photos. I've tried everything else, screwed up a LOT of bodies, and learned how to either fix the mistakes or decal around them.
Supply List
X-acto knife
Bulk X-acto brand #11 blades
Metal 12" and 6" rulers or straightedge
12" x 12" cutting board
OLFA circle cutter
12" x 12" glass pane
Small Fiskars scissors
Red, blue and black fine and medium tip Sharpie markers
Small Dixie cups or plastic pill cups for paint mixing
3M blue painter's masking tape
3M automotive fine line striping tape
Armor All clear window spray cleaner
Denatured alcohol
Lacquer thinner
Tapered reamer
Various grit fingernail sanding boards
Various countersink bits
Weller heat gun
Dremel rotary tool with various drums and small stone bits
Bob Dively's/Parma Liquid Mask
Clear 2-liter pop bottles & spare cardboard for test painting
Paasche VL dual action airbrush with 3 different needles/tips
3 gallon pancake air compressor with moisture trap and pressure regulator
Lots of patience and an active imagination
Trimming Bodies
For body cutting, I use an X-acto knife with a standard #11 blade. ALWAYS use a new, fresh blade for cutting bodies out. They are cheap, and once the fine tip snaps off, they lose about 50% of their ability to cut well. On any given body trim, I will use 1-2 blades. With a sharp knife, you trim bodies like you are cutting ceramic floor tile. You don't have to push hard to cut through the Lexan, you just need to scribe a line on the cut lines of the body, from the inside or outside of the body. Then, snap the lines just like that piece of tile, and the cuts you made will snap apart clean and sharp. Some bodies without trim lines are helped from a Sharpie line drawn around the edges.
I mount all of my own bodies before they are painted. It makes the job infinitely easier to do when you can see where you are poking holes and wheel wells. A Sharpie marker is your best friend here. Patience pays off here. Mark body mount holes with a marker, drill with a Dremel and a small pointed stone rotary bit and clean up with a tapered reamer and a countersink bit to finish off any rough edges.
I sometimes use a Dremel with a .5" sanding drum to clean up rough edges around the corners of bodies, but most of the time with the method described above, all you need is a fine to medium grit sanding board to clean up rough spots and round off corners.
An OLFA circle cutter/compass is an invaluable tool in making perfect wheel wells every time. It took a little while to get the hang of it, but I don't cut wells by hand ever anymore. The results are worth the purchase.
Body Prep
After you have successfully mounted and trimmed out the body, the absolute next thing you MUST do is wash it out. Besides the silicone oils and dirt from your hands while trimming it out, the body makers use a mold release chemical when they pull the Lexan, and it is really not something you want to try to paint over. I wash all of mine in the kitchen sink using a sponge and dish soap. Let it dry completely before masking.
Some people prefer to scuff the inside of the surface with steel wool or a 3M ScotchBrite pad. I have done it a few times in the past, and not only do I believe it's not necessary for good paint adhesion, but I think it effects the paint finish, as well. I never do it on any bodies that I paint.
Masking
I ONLY use 3M masking products. Period. End of story. Don't waste your time with anything else--you will absolutely regret using cheap masking and pinstriping tapes. I don't care if the 3M tapes cost 10x what other tapes cost--I won't use anything else.
I don't use Liquid Mask very often, but I still keep it in my arsenal of tools. It takes a bit of experimenting to learn how to use it well. You need at least 3-5 coats of the stuff inside of the body for a proper mask thickness. I use a cheap foam 1" wide paintbrush for applying and force dry with a heat gun before the next coat. Once I have at least 4 or 5 coats on, I will let it cure up overnight. I will draw out the design on the outside of the body and lightly cut the design out with a new blade X-acto knife on the inside. I have found that cutting the whole pattern out befor eyou start painting helps after you have laid down some paint. Once you start painting, you tend to not be able to see through the body to find your original outlines to cut. It can be tricky to see where everything is inside the partially painted body.
For most paint jobs, I use 3M fineline tape to outline my design, fill with the larger masking tape, and trim everything on the inside of the body. I don't recommend this for most, because it is easy to cut too hard through the tape to damage the body (remember that cutting tile example). Generally, if I need the tape in a pattern or shape specific to the design, I will cut it out of a 2" wide piece on a glass plate before laying it onto the body.
Burnish ALL exposed edges with the back of your fingernail, a burnishing tool, the bottom of a spoon or the edge of a Sharpie marker cap. This is crucial in getting those sharp, clean lines. You'll be able to see when the tape is pressed down and burnished properly.
Mask off all body post holes, antenna holes and wheel wells so that no spray gets to the other side when you're painting.
I've used airbrush frisket, vinyl decal, cardboard cutouts, sponges, lace, window screen, handmade stencils, and just about anything else as masking tools. Don't be afraid to experiment with stuff around the house. You'd be amazed at what works.
Paint
At this point, all I use for paints are Parma FasKolor, or Createx acryllic water based paints. It's the same stuff, and if you can find the Createx paints at an art store, they are generally $1-2 cheaper per bottle. Some of the specialty pearls and flip-flop colors are not in the Createx line, though. I will sometimes use SpazStix paints, and while I love the way they spray and the colors they have, they are automotive-based and also lacquer-based paints. They require proper ventilation, a respirator and proper chemicals for brush cleanup. You should use a respirator and ventilation with any paints you spray, but the water-based paints are FAR less noxious than any lacquer paints you will ever shoot.
I always thin down my paint for airbrush use. I used to use straight water to thin, and found the results less than perfect. I now use 100% clear window cleaner to thin the paint down. It has some lubricants in it that help the acryllic paint flow better, and it's perfect for cleaning out the gin when you're done.
Some paints require more or less thinning, but generally I do 1:1 paint to thinner. It's a feel thing, and some paints like to be sprayed thicker or thinner, or even with more or less air pressure. I use a piece of cardboard to test all colors to make sure the spray pattern, pressure and consistency is all where I want them. You want the paint to have the consistency of 2% milk. I try to keep my air pressures between 35 and 55 psi for most colors. Less air pressure will spatter or stipple the paint (neat effect if that's what you are looking for), and more air pressure will atomize the paint faster. Too much pressure will cause the paint to dry in the gun or before it hits the surface. Most of the time, I'm right around 45-50 psi.
I ALWAYS use a heat gun to force dry the water-based paints. Once I shoot a decent coat on the body, I'll hit it quickly and briskly with the heat gun to evaporate the air in the paint. You can see it dry before your eyes. Try not to touch it, though, because it can still be scratched off easily, and your hands will leave residue that will effect the next coat.
Apply thin, light, even coats of paint to the unmasked areas. Work slowly, and layer your paint on to get the best results. Too much paint at one time will just bleed under your tape lines, and make for a mess later. This is where your burnished tape edges will shine. Your first one or two coats should always be light and thin, to build up color and give a good edge against the tape.
Work dark to light colors, if at all possible. Because you are painting in reverse, darker colors (especially red, orange, blue and black) will bleed through lighter or thinly applied colors. IF your design forces a light color in a step before darker colors, apply at least 5-6 coats of the light paint. I will even back colors like yellow or white with silver or a custom mixed light grey to keep the light coats opaque. Again, dry every coat with the heat gun, being careful to not hold the gun in one area too long. You could damage the paint or worse--the body or masking.
And speaking of mixing colors--don't be afraid to combine paints. Use those color wheel skills you learned in 2nd grade and experiment with a few drops in a clean Dixie cup. I tend to blend and "fade" colors in light clouds and mix colors in the gun as I shoot, adding different colors to the paint cup as I go. The transitions are usually pretty clean when you get the hang of that trick. You can see more than a few color blends in the photos above that this method was used on.
Finish off your freshly painted design by cleaning the outside of the body with denatured alcohol to remove all Sharpie lines, or in the case of the newer bodies, remove the protective film to reveal a shiny new body underneath. I tend to enjoy applying decals to finish off the appearance, and take my time in selecting the right decals for the right places on the car. Too many or too few can render a great paint job uninspired, IMO. A nice addition of a few sponsor logos or scale racing decals can make all the difference in the world.
I'm going to attempt to show this process a little bit more in-depth with the next body that I paint, which will be a 1941 Willys Pro Mod drag body. I have some interesting things in mind for this car, so you might get to see some complicated painting techniques.
More soon...
doug
Honestly, I use pretty simple methods to get results like the ones you see in the photos. I've tried everything else, screwed up a LOT of bodies, and learned how to either fix the mistakes or decal around them.
Supply List
X-acto knife
Bulk X-acto brand #11 blades
Metal 12" and 6" rulers or straightedge
12" x 12" cutting board
OLFA circle cutter
12" x 12" glass pane
Small Fiskars scissors
Red, blue and black fine and medium tip Sharpie markers
Small Dixie cups or plastic pill cups for paint mixing
3M blue painter's masking tape
3M automotive fine line striping tape
Armor All clear window spray cleaner
Denatured alcohol
Lacquer thinner
Tapered reamer
Various grit fingernail sanding boards
Various countersink bits
Weller heat gun
Dremel rotary tool with various drums and small stone bits
Bob Dively's/Parma Liquid Mask
Clear 2-liter pop bottles & spare cardboard for test painting
Paasche VL dual action airbrush with 3 different needles/tips
3 gallon pancake air compressor with moisture trap and pressure regulator
Lots of patience and an active imagination
Trimming Bodies
For body cutting, I use an X-acto knife with a standard #11 blade. ALWAYS use a new, fresh blade for cutting bodies out. They are cheap, and once the fine tip snaps off, they lose about 50% of their ability to cut well. On any given body trim, I will use 1-2 blades. With a sharp knife, you trim bodies like you are cutting ceramic floor tile. You don't have to push hard to cut through the Lexan, you just need to scribe a line on the cut lines of the body, from the inside or outside of the body. Then, snap the lines just like that piece of tile, and the cuts you made will snap apart clean and sharp. Some bodies without trim lines are helped from a Sharpie line drawn around the edges.
I mount all of my own bodies before they are painted. It makes the job infinitely easier to do when you can see where you are poking holes and wheel wells. A Sharpie marker is your best friend here. Patience pays off here. Mark body mount holes with a marker, drill with a Dremel and a small pointed stone rotary bit and clean up with a tapered reamer and a countersink bit to finish off any rough edges.
I sometimes use a Dremel with a .5" sanding drum to clean up rough edges around the corners of bodies, but most of the time with the method described above, all you need is a fine to medium grit sanding board to clean up rough spots and round off corners.
An OLFA circle cutter/compass is an invaluable tool in making perfect wheel wells every time. It took a little while to get the hang of it, but I don't cut wells by hand ever anymore. The results are worth the purchase.
Body Prep
After you have successfully mounted and trimmed out the body, the absolute next thing you MUST do is wash it out. Besides the silicone oils and dirt from your hands while trimming it out, the body makers use a mold release chemical when they pull the Lexan, and it is really not something you want to try to paint over. I wash all of mine in the kitchen sink using a sponge and dish soap. Let it dry completely before masking.
Some people prefer to scuff the inside of the surface with steel wool or a 3M ScotchBrite pad. I have done it a few times in the past, and not only do I believe it's not necessary for good paint adhesion, but I think it effects the paint finish, as well. I never do it on any bodies that I paint.
Masking
I ONLY use 3M masking products. Period. End of story. Don't waste your time with anything else--you will absolutely regret using cheap masking and pinstriping tapes. I don't care if the 3M tapes cost 10x what other tapes cost--I won't use anything else.
I don't use Liquid Mask very often, but I still keep it in my arsenal of tools. It takes a bit of experimenting to learn how to use it well. You need at least 3-5 coats of the stuff inside of the body for a proper mask thickness. I use a cheap foam 1" wide paintbrush for applying and force dry with a heat gun before the next coat. Once I have at least 4 or 5 coats on, I will let it cure up overnight. I will draw out the design on the outside of the body and lightly cut the design out with a new blade X-acto knife on the inside. I have found that cutting the whole pattern out befor eyou start painting helps after you have laid down some paint. Once you start painting, you tend to not be able to see through the body to find your original outlines to cut. It can be tricky to see where everything is inside the partially painted body.
For most paint jobs, I use 3M fineline tape to outline my design, fill with the larger masking tape, and trim everything on the inside of the body. I don't recommend this for most, because it is easy to cut too hard through the tape to damage the body (remember that cutting tile example). Generally, if I need the tape in a pattern or shape specific to the design, I will cut it out of a 2" wide piece on a glass plate before laying it onto the body.
Burnish ALL exposed edges with the back of your fingernail, a burnishing tool, the bottom of a spoon or the edge of a Sharpie marker cap. This is crucial in getting those sharp, clean lines. You'll be able to see when the tape is pressed down and burnished properly.
Mask off all body post holes, antenna holes and wheel wells so that no spray gets to the other side when you're painting.
I've used airbrush frisket, vinyl decal, cardboard cutouts, sponges, lace, window screen, handmade stencils, and just about anything else as masking tools. Don't be afraid to experiment with stuff around the house. You'd be amazed at what works.
Paint
At this point, all I use for paints are Parma FasKolor, or Createx acryllic water based paints. It's the same stuff, and if you can find the Createx paints at an art store, they are generally $1-2 cheaper per bottle. Some of the specialty pearls and flip-flop colors are not in the Createx line, though. I will sometimes use SpazStix paints, and while I love the way they spray and the colors they have, they are automotive-based and also lacquer-based paints. They require proper ventilation, a respirator and proper chemicals for brush cleanup. You should use a respirator and ventilation with any paints you spray, but the water-based paints are FAR less noxious than any lacquer paints you will ever shoot.
I always thin down my paint for airbrush use. I used to use straight water to thin, and found the results less than perfect. I now use 100% clear window cleaner to thin the paint down. It has some lubricants in it that help the acryllic paint flow better, and it's perfect for cleaning out the gin when you're done.
Some paints require more or less thinning, but generally I do 1:1 paint to thinner. It's a feel thing, and some paints like to be sprayed thicker or thinner, or even with more or less air pressure. I use a piece of cardboard to test all colors to make sure the spray pattern, pressure and consistency is all where I want them. You want the paint to have the consistency of 2% milk. I try to keep my air pressures between 35 and 55 psi for most colors. Less air pressure will spatter or stipple the paint (neat effect if that's what you are looking for), and more air pressure will atomize the paint faster. Too much pressure will cause the paint to dry in the gun or before it hits the surface. Most of the time, I'm right around 45-50 psi.
I ALWAYS use a heat gun to force dry the water-based paints. Once I shoot a decent coat on the body, I'll hit it quickly and briskly with the heat gun to evaporate the air in the paint. You can see it dry before your eyes. Try not to touch it, though, because it can still be scratched off easily, and your hands will leave residue that will effect the next coat.
Apply thin, light, even coats of paint to the unmasked areas. Work slowly, and layer your paint on to get the best results. Too much paint at one time will just bleed under your tape lines, and make for a mess later. This is where your burnished tape edges will shine. Your first one or two coats should always be light and thin, to build up color and give a good edge against the tape.
Work dark to light colors, if at all possible. Because you are painting in reverse, darker colors (especially red, orange, blue and black) will bleed through lighter or thinly applied colors. IF your design forces a light color in a step before darker colors, apply at least 5-6 coats of the light paint. I will even back colors like yellow or white with silver or a custom mixed light grey to keep the light coats opaque. Again, dry every coat with the heat gun, being careful to not hold the gun in one area too long. You could damage the paint or worse--the body or masking.
And speaking of mixing colors--don't be afraid to combine paints. Use those color wheel skills you learned in 2nd grade and experiment with a few drops in a clean Dixie cup. I tend to blend and "fade" colors in light clouds and mix colors in the gun as I shoot, adding different colors to the paint cup as I go. The transitions are usually pretty clean when you get the hang of that trick. You can see more than a few color blends in the photos above that this method was used on.
Finish off your freshly painted design by cleaning the outside of the body with denatured alcohol to remove all Sharpie lines, or in the case of the newer bodies, remove the protective film to reveal a shiny new body underneath. I tend to enjoy applying decals to finish off the appearance, and take my time in selecting the right decals for the right places on the car. Too many or too few can render a great paint job uninspired, IMO. A nice addition of a few sponsor logos or scale racing decals can make all the difference in the world.
I'm going to attempt to show this process a little bit more in-depth with the next body that I paint, which will be a 1941 Willys Pro Mod drag body. I have some interesting things in mind for this car, so you might get to see some complicated painting techniques.
More soon...
doug
-
johnqpublic
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- Location: Portville, NY
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aconsola
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- Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:09 pm
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What Repro body? Did I miss something? I got a body that was new/uncut, but did not have the losi logo or part# on the back, is that a repo?Eau Rouge wrote: Maybe this JRX2 if I can find one of those repro bodies and a V-wing...
doug
Nice writeup on the painting. I have a couple bodies I'm going to try to get creative with once I get the correct supplies. I've had others highly recommend tamiya Masking tapes, have you used those?
-Anthony
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Asso_man!
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months ago, someone put some uncut JRX2 bodies up for auction on Ebay, I bought 4 of them and sold one to you, I still don't know for sure if they were repo or not since I have never owned an original uncut JRX2 body to compare with...aconsola wrote:What Repro body? Did I miss something? I got a body that was new/uncut, but did not have the losi logo or part# on the back, is that a repo?Eau Rouge wrote: Maybe this JRX2 if I can find one of those repro bodies and a V-wing...
doug
Nice writeup on the painting. I have a couple bodies I'm going to try to get creative with once I get the correct supplies. I've had others highly recommend tamiya Masking tapes, have you used those?
-Anthony
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Come and visit the stable
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Eau Rouge
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My understanding was that those bodies were reproductions made from the original Losi bucks, but I don't think that has been verified yet. There has also been some discussion as to whether that is considered a reproduction or a re-release of an original body.
Either way, as long as it is clean and sharp like the original, I'd be all over one.
Either way, as long as it is clean and sharp like the original, I'd be all over one.
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mrlexan
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The seller told me that they were pulled from the original molds. Now, none of us were a part of those pulls, so it is her word we have to go on. So I don't think it will ever be confirmed. But if the mold was recreated, they did a nice job.
As for the terminology to describe what they are defined as.... blah, blah, blah I am not going there again.... doesn't matter to me, I am glad I got a couple of them.
As for the terminology to describe what they are defined as.... blah, blah, blah I am not going there again.... doesn't matter to me, I am glad I got a couple of them.
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Asso_man!
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that's an other very good questionaconsola wrote:Thanks to all for the info. Any idea why the supply dried up if they had access to the mold and the bodies were selling for good $
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Asso_man!
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a girl holding the original JRX2 mould, that would be mean... Jay, do you still have her email? Maybe we could ask her directly 
if not already done...
if not already done..._____________________________________________
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Asso_man!
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here is her email, I have no time right now and must leave the office...
Heather Forsythe ([email protected])
Heather Forsythe ([email protected])_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Come and visit the stable
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