painting rc bodies

stephenmarr

Hey guys ive just purchased a Desert Rat for my tmaxx.
ive heard that Pactra paint is very good or do u recommend a different brand.
where can i buy it over here?
towerhobbies wont air mail it.
i dont have access to an air brush so will be just regular rattle cans. will be a standard white with a red/blue stripe.

g5hn710m4xpdwy

You can get tamiya rattle cans at www.modelsport.co.uk witch I am guessing is not that bad:)

stephenmarr

nice one are these a good paint?

coolwings

I have used an embarrassing quantity of polycarbonate fuelproof paint myself in the past (at a certain stage in my modelling career ! ).
Green Hobby in Dublin used to sell Pactra spray paint cans until recently. A switch was made to Tamiya at the end of 2006 and now Tamiya is stocked instead at their hobby shop in Harolds Cross, Dublin.
There might still be a few Pactra cans left, if Pactra is what you really need, but not many left at this stage I would guess.
The change over from Pactra to Tamiya was made in response to repeated requests by the Orca model car racing club members in Clontarf, Dublin.
I have used both brands of paint in the past myself and I like them both.
However the Orca racers left us in no doubt that they definitely prefer Tamiya carbonate paint to Pactra. But you would have to ask them why. My understanding is the adhesion of the Tamiya paint to the body shell is seen as better. But maybe it is just nicer colours from Tamiya. :-)
There are also a couple of unusual colours in Aeronaut polycarbonate paint too at Green Hobby. The Aeronaut paint cans are about 50% bigger but the same cost as the Tamiya cans, but the coolest flashier colours, flouorescent and metallic colours are mainly Tamiya.

By the way this type of paint is also very handy for cowlings and wheel spats of model planes!

Cmar-Ireland

What would be a good reasonable cost airbrush for painting rc bodies. There is a Desert Rat body for my Revo on the way over. Wouldn't mind trying a simple paint scheme on it.
I have a 25l compressor already, but I assume I need a moisture trap?

Cheers

zt-OctaviaN

Hi Stephen,
If your still looking try the guys at Je Spares in the uk.
Good selection of cans and comp paints:
http://www.jespares.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=319

coolwings

I haven't used an airbrush for this yet ... as I always preferred to stick with artists brushes to get the effects I wanted. But that is mainly due to having had a lot of time and practise at doing it this particular way.
A bottle of masking liquid allows the interaction paint layers of multi colour schemes.
Regarding the airbrushes - there is a thread a bit back where Doktor answered the same questions, and gave suggested sources, and recommended brands of airbrush.

The Doktor

Im just gonna put somthing out there for yas, that I tried a couple of times and seems to work.
Paint the body with what ever paint you like. Say for example you could use some of the tamiya acrylic colours, or their spray paints for static models. I have even used some alclad 2 tone (say blue to uv). Then coat the whole thing with the PC paints to fuel proof it.
If you are not sure if the paint you have put on will react with the paints you used to colour protect it with a coat of water based clear before putting the PC paint on.

Why I started to do this, is I found that the Tamiya PC sprays didnt cover too well, and I didnt have enough control with the spray cans. Also it means that doing this you can use any colour you can lay your hands on.

coolwings

The Doktor wrote:

....Why I started to do this, is I found that the Tamiya PC sprays didnt cover too well, and I didnt have enough control with the spray cans. Also it means that doing this you can use any colour you can lay your hands on.

That is undoubtedly the advantage of an airbrush. Total control of width, and also coverage with the adjustable nozzles.

Both the airbrush and the artists brush allow colour mixing and blending with good control.

The spray can allows a fade-over to another second colour however. this can be enough "special effects" for beginners.

Another feature of the spray can is that it is designed to work best when held in a vertical position. So do not leave the car body upturned on a table, hold the spray upside down and spray!
You hold the body in one hand, in the normal "wheels down" orientation, in one hand, then from the side and slightly below, you spray with the spray can, into the farther inside of the body.
Or:
Place the body upturned on a flat surface - hold the spray can aerosol end upwards, then spray into the far inside surface.
Rotate the body then do the other side. Then front. Then rear. A quarter to half second burst with a gentle sweeping motion is usually about right .

If you are doing this for the first time what you need to know is to get proper coverage with a spray can (which costs a lot less than an airbrush system) it is necessary to spray on a first thin coat, leave for about 20 mins, then go over with another thin spray. The second coat coves little areas still "thin" and gives the required coverage or "body" necessary for a nice finish.

Two thin coats is always superior to one thick coat.

This applies to all spray cans: Tamiya, Aeronaut, Pactra, or any other you happen to use.

vectra

coolwings wrote:

I have used an embarrassing quantity of polycarbonate fuelproof paint myself in the past (at a certain stage in my modelling career ! ).
Green Hobby in Dublin used to sell Pactra spray paint cans until recently. A switch was made to Tamiya at the end of 2006 and now Tamiya is stocked instead at their hobby shop in Harolds Cross, Dublin.
There might still be a few Pactra cans left, if Pactra is what you really need, but not many left at this stage I would guess.
The change over from Pactra to Tamiya was made in response to repeated requests by the Orca model car racing club members in Clontarf, Dublin.
I have used both brands of paint in the past myself and I like them both.
However the Orca racers left us in no doubt that they definitely prefer Tamiya carbonate paint to Pactra. But you would have to ask them why. My understanding is the adhesion of the Tamiya paint to the body shell is seen as better. But maybe it is just nicer colours from Tamiya. :-)
There are also a couple of unusual colours in Aeronaut polycarbonate paint too at Green Hobby. The Aeronaut paint cans are about 50% bigger but the same cost as the Tamiya cans, but the coolest flashier colours, flouorescent and metallic colours are mainly Tamiya.

By the way this type of paint is also very handy for cowlings and wheel spats of model planes!

Tamiya paint has waaayy better adhesion than Pactra. Though saying that there is nothing wrong with the pactra paint if you stick to a couple of golden rules on preparation.

* I wrote a good guide one time on this that several people found quite good. I will post it later once i find it.

@ Coolwings.
Any idea how much the paint is in Green hobby?
I might be needing around 10 cans soon as I have a couple of 1/5 scale shells on the way to me needing painting.

Cmar-Ireland

For simple two tone paint jobs, do you think rattle cans are better than brushing on? I want to do a fairly simple white/blue paint job to the Desert Rat body.
What about internal decals. Can these be applied and then sprayed/painted over?

Cheers

vectra

Cmar-Ireland wrote:

For simple two tone paint jobs, do you think rattle cans are better than brushing on? I want to do a fairly simple white/blue paint job to the Desert Rat body.
What about internal decals. Can these be applied and then sprayed/painted over?

Cheers

Rattle cans are perfect for two-tone jobs. It is all down to the Masking. Make sure you press the edges of the tape down fully as paint will bleed in if you dont and it will mess up your job.
Apply darker colors first.

Internal decals.?
I have used these before with varied results. On one occasion the decal shrank and made a mess of the job

Pics here of a couple of shells I painted in a hurry recently using Pactra paint to show how paint bleeds.










And a single color to show that the end result can often be better.

coolwings

Getting started:
A simple two tone paint job is easily done with just two paint cans, spray front, spray rear, blend-fade in midsection. Looks v nice esp on monster trucks and pickups, when the decals are added over the paint scheme.

Getting artistic with paint cans:
A more elaborate two tone scheme is done with masking tape, a scalpel or hobby knife, and the two paint cans.
Mask parts, spray colour no 1. Lift some masking strips, add a few new smaller masking strips, in area earmarked for colour no 2, spray colour no 2. Lift all masking tape. Spray last time with colour no 1. Looks lovely.
Now add decals.

Try it on a piece of clear plastic with tape, and paint markers. It is amazing what you can do.

Then get a bottle of masking liquid and a brush, and try out even more interesting effects with the "simple" paint cans.

Edit: crossover in posting answers .... nice pics Vectra.

vectra

coolwings wrote:

... nice pics Vectra.

Thanks.
Have you got any idea of the price of cans in Green Hobby?


OK,
This is how I paint my shells.

1st)
Half Fill the kitchen sink with warm soapy water, Dunk the shell into it and use one of those foam pads that you use for washing the dishes with the green scratch surface on the back of it. ( you know the ones? ) Good.
Right use the rough side and give the inside of the shell a light scrubbing with it especially in around the headlights and front bumper as this is the area that gets hit the most and would be most likely to get damaged. The reason for this is to give the paint a good Key ( grip )
One thing though "DO NOT SCRUB THE WINDOWS...!!! "
OK,
Once finished make sure you rince all the suds out of it and dry it completely.

2nd)
Mask up the windows ( If you are going to put more than one color on do all masking now as well. make sure that the masking is well stucl down around the windows etc, or the paint could bleed in under it and destroy your good work.

3rd)
Now for the painting.

OK, Now you are happy with everything done so far, get prepared to paint.
This is how I do it and it hasnt failed me yet.

Gather the following.
first get a dish, ( container of some sort.) put some warm water in it and STAND you r aerosol tin of paint into it to warm up the paint as it sprays better when warm. DO NOT PUT BOILNIG HOT WATER IN THERE..!! or the can will explode..!!

Only hand warm is good. Now stand the can in there for about 10 minutes taking it out every minute or so and give it a good shake.

Get yourself some kitchen paper to dry the can as drops of water onto your sprayed shell will ruin the paint.

Grab your mothers/sisters haridryer.

When you are ready to start fire up the haridryer on low heat and low blow. heat the inside of the shell with the dryer by keeping it moving. do not keep it in the one spot as this is no use. you must get it nice and warm all over. Now make sure you are not spraying indoors or the house will stink. Maybe if you have a decent size garden shed with ventilation?

OK. once the shell is warm, lay it down on a dust free surface and get the can of paint out of the dish, Dry it toroughly and give it a good shake making sure to shake it away from you tshell in case of splashes of water. Dry the can afgain around the nozzle.
Now pick up the shell and give it a very light MIST coat of paint. so light that you will barely notice it.
Stand the can in the water agin for a few mins to keep warm ( change the water if gone cold )

Out with the hairdryer and give the inside of the shell a quick blow on low settings again just to set the paint. Leave it for a few minutes ( dont rush at this stage ) ok, 10 mins. passed. Make sure paint is warm and dry again. hairdryer to warm shell again and another light coat of paint, you can make this one slightly heavier than the first if you wish. Continue this process until you are happy with the results. ( or until the paint is gone.. )

Leave the shell for a few hours before you take the masking off, BE very carefull taking it off as it can pull the paint with it.

Cmar-Ireland

Sounds good Coolwings. I'll go with a nice simple two color design. So I'll need three cans, white, blue and clear PC sealer? Are Tamiya paints the way to go? Will auto electrical tape work for masking?

This is the shell I'm getting, probably use blue in the areas that are red/orange and where the front wings are black.

coolwings

vectra wrote:

Thanks.
Have you got any idea of the price of cans in Green Hobby?

I won't be in there for a couple of weeks. Holidays You would be quicker giving Patrick a call (01-4928776) - tell him you want a box, they're cheaper that way.

vectra wrote:

Leave the shell for a few hours before you take the masking off, BE very carefull taking it off as it can pull the paint with it.

Yes - it is easy to puill off a flake or two of paint astill attached to the edge of the masking tape, when removing the tape. This leaves a "scalloped edge" to your previously perfect job.
The best "cure" I have found to avoid this is to peel the masking tape off after the paint has set, but before it has got rock hard, binding the paint of the tape edge to the paint on the body at that place.
I can't give a time for waiting before doing it, it is the feel of the paint that I have gotten used to that tells me when it is ready.
Another reason to do a "test card!" on some spare polycarbonate!
Save those offcuts from the base and wheel arches, they are valuable for practising on!

nikimere

Cmar-Ireland wrote:

Will auto electrical tape work for masking?

No use Masking tape, it's much better.

Whoever was asking about the prices of the cans of Tamiya paint in GH; they're about €7 - €8 each.

The Doktor

coolwings wrote:

Yes - it is easy to puill off a flake or two of paint astill attached to the edge of the masking tape, when removing the tape. This leaves a "scalloped edge" to your previously perfect job.
The best "cure" I have found to avoid this is to peel the masking tape off after the paint has set, but before it has got rock hard, binding the paint of the tape edge to the paint on the body at that place.
I can't give a time for waiting before doing it, it is the feel of the paint that I have gotten used to that tells me when it is ready.

Totally! if the paint isnt properly cured you can take a big lump of it off and it will cause you to say B******* a lot and possibly throw things around!
Here is another tip for masking. First use the standard masking tape, not the "2 week" or "24hour" or "stencil tape"... just plain masking tape. Clipper or Duck is the brands I normally use. Some of the non brand stuff isnt great, and the paint bleeds easily.
When taking the tape off, as Coolwings says before its totally cured, and after it has dried (id say somewhere between 4 and 12 hours???) when peeling it off, pull the tape off 90 degrees to the line the tape takes. And pull it towards the paint you have just put on. This will give you a nice crisp edge.

If you can get your hands on some Tamiya masking tape, it is excellent. Use it to get the line right, and for the curves, small bites etc. The use the cheaper household tape to fill in the big gaps.