Kyosho Optima Build

[DennisM]

Looking forward to seeing the outcome -

I´ve tried to do a box art, more or less succesfull. Maybe this will inspire me to give it another go

[keithrc]

Can you show step by step pics as you paint the body Bill? Could be handy for anyone wanting to do a box art Optima body.


Keith

[machvolum]

Can you show step by step pics as you paint the body Bill? Could be handy for anyone wanting to do a box art Optima body.


Keith

I will try my best. I painted a sample of the lexan. This looks to be more challenging than I thought with this paint as it doesn't adhere well with a brush. More to come.

[Kyoshojoe]

I will try my best. I painted a sample of the lexan. This looks to be more challenging than I thought with this paint as it doesn't adhere well with a brush. More to come.

I was wondering about that. Mini z bodies are abs plastic so the paint may not work too well on lexan. just a thought.

[machvolum]

I will try my best. I painted a sample of the lexan. This looks to be more challenging than I thought with this paint as it doesn't adhere well with a brush. More to come.

I was wondering about that. Mini z bodies are abs plastic so the paint may not work too well on lexan. just a thought.

It seems as though the best way to paint with this paint is by using an airbrush. A regular brush leaves strokes. I will be picking up a cheap airbrush. In the mean time, the body is cut and masking will commence.



Stay tuned!

[keithrc]

Lookin good Bill, if you can get your hands on a dremel you can tidy up the edges of the body and make it look a lot nicer.


Keith

[Coelacanth]

The rough edges look more like the overspray film curling up...but yes, a Dremel can help remove any burrs or roughness along the edges. I actually use a pointy cone-shaped Dremel bit to make holes for body posts. It's much neater than trying to trim a tiny rectangle, and much less likely to crack or tear.

[tamiyadan]

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[machvolum]

The rough edges look more like the overspray film curling up...but yes, a Dremel can help remove any burrs or roughness along the edges. I actually use a pointy cone-shaped Dremel bit to make holes for body posts. It's much neater than trying to trim a tiny rectangle, and much less likely to crack or tear.

Sorry, I haven't been able to work on it much, I am on a short notice deployment at the moment. As far as the edges curling up, yes it is overspray film on the repro lexan.

when you paint with a brush you must do multiple coats and then you need a backing color.
on dark colors, you use black
on light, silver.

so for example. brush painting white on lexan will be about 3 coats of white followed by one coat of silver.

anything darker then red use black for the backing color.

you must let the paint dry between coats or you will just move the wet paint around and make clear spots.

brushing is the original way to paint, back in the early 80s there was no spray like pactra.

brushing actually makes multiple paint colors on lexan easier because you don't have to get crazy with the masking.
however what you lose is paint blending, so for that you needed an airbrush.

Brushing was the reason lexan didn't come with a protective overspray plastic film.

clean the edges with a dremal and a sander drum you may need to use a razor blade to get ride of the lexan rind that happens when you clean the edges with a dremal.


as i got older i learned to love brushing more, less mess, less smell, less lung damage, it is slower but you can get nice edges without using the liquid mask, for older cars before 1985 it is more correct to brush paint lexan then using the spray which came later. so if you have a early kyosho/cox or grupner or robbe car the originality shows with brush strokes on the body and not spray paint.

back in the day when the ABS shells were around the reason lexan was getting popular was because of brush painting and having the finished high gloss look without wet sanding and polishing the paint, lexan was WAY faster to paint up a body verse the model white plastic bodies that usually needed primer, then color, then clear and polishing to complete.
plus one smack and all your paint work was wrecked on the hard shell, lexan would scratch and you wouldn't even notice unless the body cracked. plus lexan was much lighter, and the racers loved that.

This is very useful information tamiadan thank you! Perhaps I will paint it with a brush.
When I return, I shall have more pics to post.

-Bill