Paint work is 90% preparation. Painting tips: 1) Make sure the body is clean/dry. No finger prints "oils" and of course dust. Mild dish soap works best. 2) Warm up the paint can (or cans) in the sun or warm water. That will help the paint flow a bit better and a slightly higher pressure for better atomization at the nozzle. 3) Speaking of the nozzle, when done painting. Turn the can upside down and depress the nozzle a few times to blow the nozzle. Just so the paint doesn't clog it up. 4) If you can avoid painting in high humidity or if in a controlled environment no worries. Tamiya paints are very good and thats what I use. 5) Take your time (no stress) and the results will be good. Next time: Trim the body first then paint it. Otherwise I think ya did fine. Look at. RC Drivers channel. Greg has some excellent painting videos that would fall right into your wheel house. Cheers!!!
Must wash the body with warm water and Dawn dish soap. And completely let it dry. I also drill the body holes first makes it easier to liberate up as well. Then just put a piece of tape over the holes before painting. Next make sure you got the correct paint for Lexan. Should be PS. TS is for the heard plastic. You can use TS if you put down a PS base first. Whenever you paint it’s best to do the darker colors first if possible. If not you need to give a quick remark so not to bleed. Lastly the flat clear is awesome. But when you do the outside leave the protection cover on and score it with the xacto to leave the mask in place when you want it. Then peel the rest of the covering. Saves a lot of remasking.
That body turned out awesome. As far as tips. Never remove film from outside of body until done painting or ready for matte finish. Always back your paint with a backing color. For fluorescents do white. This will make the color pop. Silver works also. Black will darken the color. Backing is necessary so you don’t get color bleed. Non opaque colors don’t require backing but I still do when done to have a uniform color underneath. As you figured out the matte finish goes on the outside.
@@jdsmidsouthrc909 when painting lexan you paint on the inside of the body. If you use light or opaque colors you need to back them with paint that is not opaque. This backing paint will keep colors from showing through to the outside. White is for light colors black is for dark. Any color that is not see through will work to back with. Some paint manufacturers make backing specific paint.
@@CaseyD406 You're getting your terms mixed up. Opaque is when a color is thick enough you can't see through it. Transparent or translucent colors (candies, pearls, etc) are not opaque and need to be backed 👍
Peeling that window masking and the protective film is the most satisfying part to me! Decent first attempt by the way. Have seen much worse! Having owned a good amount of bodies, especially touring cars, i've come to accept that the paintjob and bodies are temporary. I kinda like when they start to pick up some patina as it indicates that it has been on adventures, living life. Really enjoy the videos. lots of great tips!
I did a body,it was just one color,yellow. I poured in on the inside, from a bottle.moved it around to coat.then drained the excess.put some decals on the out side.lasted over 30 yrs.😊
Trim the body (add body post holes)..wash it..scuff it..mask it..darkest color(s) first..backing the lighter color(s) in white or silver will brighten them up..for matte finish, I spray the exterior of the body & it’s easy to touch-up if needed. Hope this helps a bit 🤙
A bunch of folks added the comments I would've suggested like backing with white paint, trimming the body first, etc. But overall, excellent job for your first time! Especially with the taping job!! That's one of the hardest parts for me so I'm jealous of your taping skills lol. Well done...and love the color!
The only tips i can add that i haven't seen are 1) back the orange with white before you unmask and spray the gunmetal. It will help the orang pop more and look closer to the intended color, and it will prevent the gunmetal from bleeding through. 2) mask off the outside of the body as you did when you were spraying the exterior, but instead of spraying matte clear, take some 400-600 grit sandpaper and scuff it up evenly. That should give you a more permanent marte-looking finish. Great job for your first time, though. Looks way better than my first body from about 20 years ago. 🤣🤣
Looks nice. I like the color choices. I used to paint custom RC car, planes and helicopter bodies for a hobby shop I worked at when I was younger. Helping customers bring their ideas to life. Painting lexan bodies is a little tricky as you need to map out your design and layer in your colors in reverse, darker colors first flowed by lighter colors last. Since you are painting from the inside of the body if it’s lexan, and always using a backing color before moving to the next color so you avoid color bleed. When you are all finished, you can use a backing color over all the inside while the windows are still masked of course to complete it. Another tip is to use lexan paint, as it is made specifically for these bodies and is very flexible and durable.
@@CapeCrawlers Yes. Exactly. With a backing color for each stage too. Black is good for dark colors and white for light ones. Light grey being a great neutral backing color.
This is cool, i just ordered a cliffhanger body recently. I have no idea what i'm gonna paint it but learned something from this video and from reading the comments. I'm thinking of copying the deadbolt body paint design but with flat dark earth and black hood scoop and bed. I have the deep dish version of those wheels, the center hub is too thick and the wheel nut doesn't have enough thread to grab on to. I think it requires an hex extension with barrel nut or just a short barrel nut. The injora brass rings fit those wheels.
Glad you learned something! I learned a ton from these comments. So much so I am going to redo the body this weekend. I’d love to see your body when it’s done!
I don't know why I hadn't thought of painting the outside when making a mistake on the inside of lexan body. I'm putting a cliffhanger body on my Furitek Cayman and looking for to fixing the mistakes made. Thank for the great job including the mistakes made along the way.
Just came across your Channel awesome details awesome information going to watch all your videos would love to see you do a low budget crawler with all your expertise like the Redcat Ridge Rock I know you do all the scale stuff and the high dollar stuff it would just be interesting to see budget stuff for the people that can't afford it thanks for your time and videos.
You need to always scuff the body with scotch brite pad especially if you plan to paint the outside of the body. Lightly scuff between coats but let the coats dry before scuffing.
Awesome video and paint job one reason the orange paint didn’t shine as much as you thought I think is because the outer coat I rarely ever see people paint the outside because if you roll it’s all going to flake off
Blemishes from paint i believe ads charachter, one tip i use is hold the body up to a lamp. It will reveal the paint thickness and point out the bleed areas. Beautiful matte/gloss effect you got going on the outside. The best part is recovering the oops!🤘🤙👊
For your first one bud it looks good! I would have done more orange on the inside after the grey. Still good job! Learn by doing n asking questions, heck yeah. Cheers
I didn’t pay attention to the paint you used. You want paint for polycarbonate, it’s flexible. It will also be mat on the inside, gets it’s gloss from the body itself. I like to back my paint jobs with white, silver, or black depending on what effect you want. Safe those cut off pieces the make great test pieces when thinking about paint schemes. I also like to use 0000 steel wool or a scotch brite on the inside before painting. Be sure to wash it with some Dawn & water before painting & make sure it’s dry. Hold the body up to a light source to look for thin spots. Painting RC bodies is a learning process & your well on your way. Your next body will look better, not that this one looks bad. It looks darn good on the video.
Those were too many coats i would have done two coats orange and one white , yellow orange and red should always be backed up with white or they will turn dark if backed with any other color, the best way to lose the shine is to paint the car on the inside and then cut the protectiv film on the outside with a fresh blade, peal it and apply the flat clear Also i would have trimmed the body first and then painted Always wash the body really well with warm water and dish soap, they usually come dirty with residue from the molde and the paint doesn't stick too well, maybe that's why you paint is flanking
@@CapeCrawlers super simple, I just take off all the stickers and stuff from the exterior, except for the windshield and rear window stickers, then mask off the side windows (If I want them clear) I recently did a blackout where just the front and back were masked and we left the sides black as a style choice. Then I just do a few light coats of the rustolium ultra, ending with a clear coat of gloss or Matte depending on what I want it to look like. I’ve found the paint to bond fairly well to the plastic, sanding lightly with automotive sand paper may work better but I’ve yet to check this. The paint did chip when scraped on Moab rocks but so did the original paint tbh
Yeah as others have said it is not as easy as it seems. The orange is darker because you didn't use a white backing paint. You can change the color by using white or black paint on the inside after you put your primary color down . Now it may not be worth now since you also painted the outside of the body. And a light sandpaper would have helped on the outside. You can use scothbright pad etc. But good job man for your first one 👏
I always paint the outside of my bodywork..you need to get all the shine of the plastic with a scotch bright pad.give the paint a key to adhere to it won't flake then 👍
@@CapeCrawlers Paint on the outside of the body WILL chip, no matter how good the preperation. You can do as suggested to improve adhesion, and you can even add a clear coat (2 part epoxy clears are the strongest) but the paint will eventually start to flake off.
Use scotch brite on the outside of the body after you paint to take the gloss off… that was pretty brutal watching you paint the outside of the body when it would’ve been such a quick easy fix for you… It’s the same thing we do on the racing wings when we want to take the glass off we just simply scuff them with a fine Scotch Brite and it works wonders..
I’m sure but once you sprayed the inside orange could’ve backed it with white afterwards and then did the gray just a thought well we’ll catch on the next one until then, peace and chicken grease 😁👍👍😎
Well, we all have to start somewhere, lol! I mean, you painted the inside with a flat clear, thinking it would stay that way?! 🤣 Next time, paint all your colors on the inside of the body, that protects them from damage. Then, for the areas you want flat, tape the outside of the body, and spray it with a flat clear. That way, when the body gets sratched, it's a simple matter of re-applying the clear. Inside or out, the secret to paint adhering properly is in the preparation/cleaning. When you apply the paint, make numerous light passes and build up the color slowly (your final result was very thick). Do not hold the body up to a light to check opacity - its too harsh and you'll end up adding too much paint. To check opacity, simply place the body on a work table, or over the chassis, and judge by that. If you need to, you can add a finish coat of white or silver that will enhance the main color and prevent bleeding of your second color when you add it. Their are plenty of good painting videos out there, take the time to watch some. We all make mistakes, the secret is to learn from them! 👍
Timestamps
Flat clear: 1:45
Adding color: 2:33
Hood/roof stripe: 4:19
Live and learn: 5:35
Matte finish: 7:50
Finished product: 10:45
Paint work is 90% preparation. Painting tips: 1) Make sure the body is clean/dry. No finger prints "oils" and of course dust. Mild dish soap works best. 2) Warm up the paint can (or cans) in the sun or warm water. That will help the paint flow a bit better and a slightly higher pressure for better atomization at the nozzle. 3) Speaking of the nozzle, when done painting. Turn the can upside down and depress the nozzle a few times to blow the nozzle. Just so the paint doesn't clog it up. 4) If you can avoid painting in high humidity or if in a controlled environment no worries. Tamiya paints are very good and thats what I use. 5) Take your time (no stress) and the results will be good. Next time: Trim the body first then paint it. Otherwise I think ya did fine. Look at. RC Drivers channel. Greg has some excellent painting videos that would fall right into your wheel house. Cheers!!!
Great tips, thank you! I think I'm going to re-do this body and these will be very helpful.
@@CapeCrawlers The "How to Video" Greg (RC Driver) paints a ProLine Bronco body. Worth a look. Have a good one.
Must wash the body with warm water and Dawn dish soap. And completely let it dry.
I also drill the body holes first makes it easier to liberate up as well. Then just put a piece of tape over the holes before painting.
Next make sure you got the correct paint for Lexan. Should be PS. TS is for the heard plastic. You can use TS if you put down a PS base first.
Whenever you paint it’s best to do the darker colors first if possible. If not you need to give a quick remark so not to bleed.
Lastly the flat clear is awesome. But when you do the outside leave the protection cover on and score it with the xacto to leave the mask in place when you want it. Then peel the rest of the covering. Saves a lot of remasking.
This what I love about this channel, not a perfect finish but a real world learning exercise. Many thanks
Much appreciated, thank you!
My husband and I watch your channel all the time and I think you did an excellent paint job on your first job!
Thank you, I appreciate that!
That body turned out awesome. As far as tips. Never remove film from outside of body until done painting or ready for matte finish. Always back your paint with a backing color. For fluorescents do white. This will make the color pop. Silver works also. Black will darken the color. Backing is necessary so you don’t get color bleed. Non opaque colors don’t require backing but I still do when done to have a uniform color underneath. As you figured out the matte finish goes on the outside.
what is a backing color I would like to paint a body havnt done that yet
Fantastic tips - thank you! I'm itching to re-do this now!
@@jdsmidsouthrc909 when painting lexan you paint on the inside of the body. If you use light or opaque colors you need to back them with paint that is not opaque. This backing paint will keep colors from showing through to the outside. White is for light colors black is for dark. Any color that is not see through will work to back with. Some paint manufacturers make backing specific paint.
@@CaseyD406 You're getting your terms mixed up. Opaque is when a color is thick enough you can't see through it. Transparent or translucent colors (candies, pearls, etc) are not opaque and need to be backed 👍
@@jerryvolpini7987 thank you
Peeling that window masking and the protective film is the most satisfying part to me!
Decent first attempt by the way. Have seen much worse!
Having owned a good amount of bodies, especially touring cars, i've come to accept that the paintjob and bodies are temporary. I kinda like when they start to pick up some patina as it indicates that it has been on adventures, living life.
Really enjoy the videos. lots of great tips!
Thanks for watching! I got such good feedback from the comment section in this video I redid the body and it came out 100x better!
I did a body,it was just one color,yellow. I poured in on the inside, from a bottle.moved it around to coat.then drained the excess.put some decals on the out side.lasted over 30 yrs.😊
Trim the body (add body post holes)..wash it..scuff it..mask it..darkest color(s) first..backing the lighter color(s) in white or silver will brighten them up..for matte finish, I spray the exterior of the body & it’s easy to touch-up if needed. Hope this helps a bit 🤙
Perfect! I followed this exact plan and redid the body. It came out 100X better!
And with this one, I'm all caught up on your channel! 🤓
You're doing a great job! Great looking body. Can't wait to see what you do next.
Thanks for watching! Chassis and axle assembly video drops tomorrow. Motor comparisons soon after!
A bunch of folks added the comments I would've suggested like backing with white paint, trimming the body first, etc. But overall, excellent job for your first time! Especially with the taping job!! That's one of the hardest parts for me so I'm jealous of your taping skills lol. Well done...and love the color!
Thanks! The taping is super tedious. I worked hard to be patient there lol
@@CapeCrawlers clearly it paid off! I struggle with the whole patience thing too and usually it gets the best of me 😆 .
The only tips i can add that i haven't seen are 1) back the orange with white before you unmask and spray the gunmetal. It will help the orang pop more and look closer to the intended color, and it will prevent the gunmetal from bleeding through. 2) mask off the outside of the body as you did when you were spraying the exterior, but instead of spraying matte clear, take some 400-600 grit sandpaper and scuff it up evenly. That should give you a more permanent marte-looking finish. Great job for your first time, though. Looks way better than my first body from about 20 years ago. 🤣🤣
Great painting skills it's all part of the learning process great Channel keep it up.
Thanks! I love the process. So much fun!
Turned out awesome dude 👍👍 Yep we’re here watching
Looks nice. I like the color choices. I used to paint custom RC car, planes and helicopter bodies for a hobby shop I worked at when I was younger. Helping customers bring their ideas to life. Painting lexan bodies is a little tricky as you need to map out your design and layer in your colors in reverse, darker colors first flowed by lighter colors last. Since you are painting from the inside of the body if it’s lexan, and always using a backing color before moving to the next color so you avoid color bleed. When you are all finished, you can use a backing color over all the inside while the windows are still masked of course to complete it. Another tip is to use lexan paint, as it is made specifically for these bodies and is very flexible and durable.
Amazing advice! So you would suggest the gray stripes first, then the orange?
@@CapeCrawlers Yes. Exactly. With a backing color for each stage too. Black is good for dark colors and white for light ones. Light grey being a great neutral backing color.
This is cool, i just ordered a cliffhanger body recently. I have no idea what i'm gonna paint it but learned something from this video and from reading the comments. I'm thinking of copying the deadbolt body paint design but with flat dark earth and black hood scoop and bed.
I have the deep dish version of those wheels, the center hub is too thick and the wheel nut doesn't have enough thread to grab on to. I think it requires an hex extension with barrel nut or just a short barrel nut. The injora brass rings fit those wheels.
Glad you learned something! I learned a ton from these comments. So much so I am going to redo the body this weekend. I’d love to see your body when it’s done!
Do you have a video on the magnetic body mounts or the velcro mounts. Thanks in advance
Not yet, but I hope to do a magnetic mount in the near future. I will definitely document it!
I don't know why I hadn't thought of painting the outside when making a mistake on the inside of lexan body. I'm putting a cliffhanger body on my Furitek Cayman and looking for to fixing the mistakes made. Thank for the great job including the mistakes made along the way.
Thanks for watching! Lot's of lessons learned here. It made for a great V2!
Just came across your Channel awesome details awesome information going to watch all your videos would love to see you do a low budget crawler with all your expertise like the Redcat Ridge Rock I know you do all the scale stuff and the high dollar stuff it would just be interesting to see budget stuff for the people that can't afford it thanks for your time and videos.
Thanks for watching! That's a great idea and I would love to do that. I'll look into the Redcat. I like their rigs a lot!
This is great! I'm impressed with the masking because I would definitely mess that up, especially on the windows! 😂
I have an EVO PRO and I purchased a new body to paint. I painted the outside of the body matte black, 5 coats then matte clear coat. Murder one...
You need to always scuff the body with scotch brite pad especially if you plan to paint the outside of the body. Lightly scuff between coats but let the coats dry before scuffing.
I will try that next time for sure!
Dang, I literally just finished painting mine this morning! These tips are useful
The tips on the comment section are gold!!
Awesome video and paint job one reason the orange paint didn’t shine as much as you thought I think is because the outer coat I rarely ever see people paint the outside because if you roll it’s all going to flake off
I can see why they dont paint the outside, the paint does not hold up. But at least it gave me an idea of what I want it to look like!
turned out awesome! love the vids bud keep it up
Thanks for watching!
Ive just purchased a clear body for a heavily modded c10, ill be going with a blue and orange paint scheme similar to the gulf racing livery
Sounds awesome! I thought about blue and orange for mine but the gray spoke to me more
Blemishes from paint i believe ads charachter, one tip i use is hold the body up to a lamp. It will reveal the paint thickness and point out the bleed areas. Beautiful matte/gloss effect you got going on the outside. The best part is recovering the oops!🤘🤙👊
Very true! I like the character idea, it makes me feel better about the blemishes!
@@CapeCrawlers same here😅 but nothing satifies like my image being made real.
For your first one bud it looks good! I would have done more orange on the inside after the grey. Still good job! Learn by doing n asking questions, heck yeah. Cheers
Thanks! Failure is the best teacher 😊
@@CapeCrawlers that it is! 👍👍👍👊👊👊🤘🤘🤘
Looks great!
Thank you!
I didn’t pay attention to the paint you used. You want paint for polycarbonate, it’s flexible. It will also be mat on the inside, gets it’s gloss from the body itself. I like to back my paint jobs with white, silver, or black depending on what effect you want. Safe those cut off pieces the make great test pieces when thinking about paint schemes. I also like to use 0000 steel wool or a scotch brite on the inside before painting. Be sure to wash it with some Dawn & water before painting & make sure it’s dry. Hold the body up to a light source to look for thin spots.
Painting RC bodies is a learning process & your well on your way. Your next body will look better, not that this one looks bad. It looks darn good on the video.
Good insights, thanks! I’m going to redo the body this weekend. Excited to do so with this new info.
Those were too many coats i would have done two coats orange and one white , yellow orange and red should always be backed up with white or they will turn dark if backed with any other color, the best way to lose the shine is to paint the car on the inside and then cut the protectiv film on the outside with a fresh blade, peal it and apply the flat clear
Also i would have trimmed the body first and then painted
Always wash the body really well with warm water and dish soap, they usually come dirty with residue from the molde and the paint doesn't stick too well, maybe that's why you paint is flanking
Really, just two coats orange and one white? And then the gray stripe? This is great advice, I appreciate it!
Always spray darker colors first as well, to help avoid bleed through
@@CapeCrawlers if i may suggest a channel you should watch, hemistorm rc, Chris is a master when it comes to rc painting
Ive actually had a lot of success painting the stock bodies from the exterior
What’s your strategy?
@@CapeCrawlers super simple, I just take off all the stickers and stuff from the exterior, except for the windshield and rear window stickers, then mask off the side windows (If I want them clear) I recently did a blackout where just the front and back were masked and we left the sides black as a style choice. Then I just do a few light coats of the rustolium ultra, ending with a clear coat of gloss or Matte depending on what I want it to look like. I’ve found the paint to bond fairly well to the plastic, sanding lightly with automotive sand paper may work better but I’ve yet to check this. The paint did chip when scraped on Moab rocks but so did the original paint tbh
Yeah as others have said it is not as easy as it seems. The orange is darker because you didn't use a white backing paint. You can change the color by using white or black paint on the inside after you put your primary color down . Now it may not be worth now since you also painted the outside of the body. And a light sandpaper would have helped on the outside. You can use scothbright pad etc. But good job man for your first one 👏
Thanks! I am redoing another body as we speak because these tips were so good. I did a white backing color on the orange and WOW is it bright!!!
I always paint the outside of my bodywork..you need to get all the shine of the plastic with a scotch bright pad.give the paint a key to adhere to it won't flake then 👍
Ahh this is what I needed to hear, thank you!
@@CapeCrawlers Paint on the outside of the body WILL chip, no matter how good the preperation. You can do as suggested to improve adhesion, and you can even add a clear coat (2 part epoxy clears are the strongest) but the paint will eventually start to flake off.
Use scotch brite on the outside of the body after you paint to take the gloss off… that was pretty brutal watching you paint the outside of the body when it would’ve been such a quick easy fix for you… It’s the same thing we do on the racing wings when we want to take the glass off we just simply scuff them with a fine Scotch Brite and it works wonders..
so so so cool
Thank you!
I’m sure but once you sprayed the inside orange could’ve backed it with white afterwards and then did the gray just a thought well we’ll catch on the next one until then, peace and chicken grease 😁👍👍😎
Yep, that’s the step I need! I’m going to redo it and do exactly that. I’m really excited to do it again after all of the tips from the comments here.
Well, we all have to start somewhere, lol! I mean, you painted the inside with a flat clear, thinking it would stay that way?! 🤣 Next time, paint all your colors on the inside of the body, that protects them from damage. Then, for the areas you want flat, tape the outside of the body, and spray it with a flat clear. That way, when the body gets sratched, it's a simple matter of re-applying the clear. Inside or out, the secret to paint adhering properly is in the preparation/cleaning. When you apply the paint, make numerous light passes and build up the color slowly (your final result was very thick). Do not hold the body up to a light to check opacity - its too harsh and you'll end up adding too much paint. To check opacity, simply place the body on a work table, or over the chassis, and judge by that. If you need to, you can add a finish coat of white or silver that will enhance the main color and prevent bleeding of your second color when you add it. Their are plenty of good painting videos out there, take the time to watch some. We all make mistakes, the secret is to learn from them! 👍
Great advice! I ended up doing another new body based on the great info I got in the comment section here. It came out 100X better!
Was that a real spider dropping down from your ceiling? 1:03
Yes it was! Perks of working in my unfinished basement
How did you mount the cliffhanger body in the rear
I did a deadbolt body hinge in the back and magnets up front
What tires are those? Looks great
They are the new 55MM Injora comp tires
Hey I’m new to the hobby and I got a ultra24 rig and I don’t know which way to paint it
I’ve got an ultra 24 I’m going to star soon and I am going to use the Tamiya spray paint.
Okay thank you
Will this fit on the ax24??
It's a little too wide for the ax24 in my opinion.
🥰🤩💥💯👍💪👏👏👏
never paint indoors without proper ventilation bro..or a resperator man