Kyosho Pro XRT build

[TRX-1-3]

Looking crisp!! And your build thread as a whole is presented very nicely.

[Lavigna]

Thanks TRX-1-3! A lot of work can go into a build thread. I try to make mine as interesting as possible. It can be a pain to stop and ptotograph the parts and progress, but looking back it's great to have. I have gone back through my own build threads from just a couple years ago, and was surprised by how much I had forgotten.

I am happy to say I finally landed a new body. OG XRT decals as well. The body is in perfect condition. It came straight from a kit. I also got a set of Rampage decals, which I may incorporate a little.

Now the hard part - Paint. I want to do something similar to the box art, but I am not sure about the yellow color. I was thinking of going more gold, but I have been screwed by those metallic colors before. Since there is no fading, I figured I can paint it myself with cans. I am good at taping off, but have screwed up many paint jobs, and I can't afford to ruin this body.

[stickboy007]

I had a feeling you were going to pick that body up I'm glad it didn't go for an arm and a leg.

One thing about the older Kyosho bodies (and I'm sure some other older bodies as well) is the lack of a protective film over the outside. I'm very used to using a sharpie to draw my patterns on the protective film, and then put the masking tape on the inside and cut the patterns out with a razor, using the sharpie lines as a guide. Without that protective layer, I'd have to use some kind of marker that's removable, but not too easily removable (I don't want it smudging as I'm handling the body with the masking tape). The only other thing I can think of outside of that is liquid mask, but I've never used it before.

In what way have you been screwed with metallic colors before? I had done a few jobs with gold here and there, and found it to be much runnier (or much more prone to highlighting where the paint runs) than "normal" colors. The solution I found with gold (or silver) is to use very thin coats, especially for the first few layers, and then you can start going to thicker coats. Takes a lot of patience, but it helps if you use a little space heater to help the paint dry (and to heat up the body before painting it). Also don't use it in tight openings (e.g., those little pockets in the Lazer ZX rear wing....what a pain in the a$$)...that's what she said...

[Lavigna]

^ Thanks Stickboy. I was lucky to get the body for a fair price, especially considering the decal set that came with it.

I have had bad luck with Metallics not spraying evenly. Once backed, they look terrible as you can see all the inconsistency. I have also had them seep right under the tape outline. Quality paint tape applied correctly to a prepped surface, and it bleeds right through. Not to mention they almost always show as a very different color to the can. I have bad luck with painting.

Which is why it's crazy that I am painting this body myself. I layed down the black last night, and it came out well. Pictures to come as it progresses.

[stickboy007]

Yeah, metallics are a pain. My only success with them was to use very, very thin coats, and gradually make them thicker with each pass, letting each pass dry before doing another pass. Do that after warming the body up first, for each pass. The warm body helps the paint re-flow a bit to reduce non-uniformity. Lots of patience....wax on, wax off...

[Coelacanth]

One thing about the older Kyosho bodies (and I'm sure some other older bodies as well) is the lack of a protective film over the outside. I'm very used to using a sharpie to draw my patterns on the protective film, and then put the masking tape on the inside and cut the patterns out with a razor, using the sharpie lines as a guide. Without that protective layer, I'd have to use some kind of marker that's removable, but not too easily removable (I don't want it smudging as I'm handling the body with the masking tape). The only other thing I can think of outside of that is liquid mask, but I've never used it before.

Sharpie marker wipes off easily with a little rubbing alcohol. I've used Sharpies on Lexan bodies often and just wipe it off when I'm done painting. No protective film needed. Try it out on some spare Lexan to confirm.

[Lavigna]

^ This box art design is very straight forward and didn't need any sharpie lines. But I know what you mean - Its really nice to have the protective overfilm. It's great to be able to sketch out lines and designs. Plus, it keeps the body from getting scratched and dirty while painting, taping, and cutting. It's a great feeling to remove the protective film at the end of painting, to reveal a perfectly clean and shiny finish.

I was lucky to find a set of MIP cvd drives for the XRT. I had spent a long time polishing the stock units, but couldn't get them like I wanted. The MIP units look very clean.

[klavy69]

mmnnnnn...shiny

Todd

[Lavigna]

Getting close. I painted the body this weekend. The yellow is a metallic gold, and looks much nicer in person. I thought it was the best match to the box art cover, without using mustard yellow, lol. I painted it very close to box art design, however I added black shading on the center silver stripe. It was a little tricky to get a clean fade with rattle cans, but it turned out well. I decided not to fade the silver sections on each side, which I now think was a mistake. I think it would look nicer having those sections faded as well. It gives depth to what is a pretty plain design. Oh well.

I am still deciding if I should add a rear spoiler, and tint the windows. I still have some finishing touches to complete, but I am glad to be mostly done with the painting. It took a long time to find this body, and I was very nervous I would screw up the paint. Open to suggestions as always. Thanks.

[DennisM]

Okay, I´m envious.

[stickboy007]

Very nice. Countdown to "are you gonna run it?" in 3...2..1...

[XLR8]

Nice job indeed -- the body looks amazing.
Is the metallic gold paint a transparent color applied over a silver base perhaps? It looks great!!

[Lavigna]

Nice job indeed -- the body looks amazing.
Is the metallic gold paint a transparent color applied over a silver base perhaps? It looks great!!

Thanks to all for the kind words.

For the "yellow" color I used Tamiya Gold PS-13 (picture below) and backed it with silver. It is ridiculous how far off this color is from what Tamiya claim. It is nothing close to the cap color! I knew this, but I thought the actual color was a good match to the box art.

[Coelacanth]

Nice job indeed -- the body looks amazing.
Is the metallic gold paint a transparent color applied over a silver base perhaps? It looks great!!

Thanks to all for the kind words.

For the "yellow" color I used Tamiya Gold PS-13 (picture below) and backed it with silver. It is ridiculous how far off this color is from what Tamiya claim. It is nothing close to the cap color! I knew this, but I thought the actual color was a good match to the box art.

That IS quite a bit off from the cap color...but the "yellow gold" color you ended up with is a pretty close match to the RC10 tub's gold anodizing. There's an idea waiting to happen...

[R6cowboy]

Get thread Lavigna, and helpful. Wow, that Tamiya gold/yellow is fantastic, I agree it's much much better than the mustard yellow. Thinking I might start a build thread for my Pro XRT after I get a few more parts/items squared away and when I get closer to actually start building it. Got it disassembled now and currently been searching for unicorns, I mean parts.