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Anyone know the secert? Factory bodies painted are dime a dozen . Any one got a vid on how they do it?

I'm guessing similar to mass produced oil paintings. Start at one end and as it progresses down the line each station does a single part. Over and over and over... Paint costs would stay low since they're buying huge volumes. I have no evidence to support this though. Just guessing.

They silk screen each colour on a flat sheet of lexan and then they vacuform the sheet into a body. The contour of the body is factored in on the silk screens!

slotcarrod wrote:They silk screen each colour on a flat sheet of lexan and then they vacuform the sheet into a body. The contour of the body is factored in on the silk screens!

That's pretty cool. I never would have guessed that, although it makes perfect sense. I guess it didn't seem obvious because I would think the heat of the vacuum would deform the paint. Thanks for the correct answer.

For interest's sake, I had a close look at a factory-painted HPI 1970 'Cuda body, the ones that come with those kits, comparing the quality and attention to detail of the one I did myself--and was not impressed. The paint application and sticker placement was pretty sloppy.

Coelacanth wrote:For interest's sake, I had a close look at a factory-painted HPI 1970 'Cuda body, the ones that come with those kits, comparing the quality and attention to detail of the one I did myself--and was not impressed. The paint application and sticker placement was pretty sloppy.

Sadly I'm not surprised. Imagine being the poor schlub applying decals to pre-painted bodies all day long for minimum wage(if that). Line madness for sure! I'm still upset that a body and paint cost so much. I love doing it, but $25 for the body and another $26-$28 for the paint. A very expensive part of the hobby(kinda like wheels and tires).

THEYTOOKMYTHUMB wrote:
Sadly I'm not surprised. Imagine being the poor schlub applying decals to pre-painted bodies all day long for minimum wage(if that). Line madness for sure! I'm still upset that a body and paint cost so much. I love doing it, but $25 for the body and another $26-$28 for the paint. A very expensive part of the hobby(kinda like wheels and tires).

what he said