Diesel Gypsy Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Something a bit different for me. This started out as the Micky Thompson pontiac Grand Am flopper that I was building as part of a club project. I'd finished the model apart from the decaling when disaster struck.I started by applying the large decals, in this case the "Micky Thompson" decal that ran the length of the fenders & doors.Carefully I cut the decal out & placed it in a dish of tepid water, you guessed it, the decal broke up into lots of tiny pieces. A total right off.At that point I lost interest & the project stalled. To cut a long story short I was looking for something just before Christmas when I came across the box & inside was the dragster.Several things had struck me about the model first time round. Firstly the finished stance seamed a bit too high for my liking, especially the front end. So after stripping the old paint from the body I began the lowering process.I don't want to bour you all with long explanations of how I achieved it, but if you'd like more detail I'd be happy to elaborate. Here's where I am right now.The body has been primed & several rough areas touched up. It now needs another coat of primer, a light cut back & colour. The frame, engine & cockpit need some tidying up but its almost good to go. I'm still not settled on a body colour, maybe bright orange but then again maybe not.Any suggestions you guys have would be appreciated.I thought I might try my hand at home made decals as well. I've not tried doing this before, could be fun. Your comments are always welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
live steamer Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 will it lift off the cutting board dave or have you stupid glue it there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Gypsy Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Jerry, take that & that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddball Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Good to see you back on Dave, fab subject as well. Odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Gypsy Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Cheers Oddball, tiz good to be back. I'm pleased you like the subject. My only regret is that I can't finish it as Sticky Micky's ride, maybe I'll run another kit to ground one day & be more prepared for the dodgy decals.I was very heavy handed stripping the old paint which has given me a lot more prep work. Gouges, scrapes & dings means lots of filler, primer & wet'n'dry. Once finished thought I should have a nice glassy smooth surface to lay the primer on.Here's where I am at present; I've just got the front clip to do now which is probably the most fiddly part of the whole body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
live steamer Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 put any more paint and crap on that and you need to put another engine on it to blast it up the strip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Gypsy Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 Right thats it Jerry I'm telling my Dad of you !! He's going to come round your house & tell you off see, Cuz he's bigger than yooou & ...&. ......& I won't be your friend ever EVER again..... ,so there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Body colour? How about one of the American Military drag racers? Marines, Navy, Air Force, Army? Even National guard? Who is ever going to say it is wrong? Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Gypsy Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 Good suggestion Pete thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Gypsy Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 `Ow do's folks. Well its been a while since my last post but I've done a bit more to the body. After what seems an age of perpetual filler-primer sanding & polishing I got to a point where I was happy enough with the surface to lay down the final primer. In this case I used Tamiya grey fine surface primer. A quick cut back with some fine Micromesh & the jobs a goodun. Now for some colour & I chose Tamiya TS-22 which I "cooked" on. I'm very pleased with the finish. I'll give it a few days to cure then give it a quick polish. At the moment its a bit bright but once I've decided on graphics & applyed them things should tone down a little. Catch you all again soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddball Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Flippin' 'eck Dave, that green is positively luminescent! How do you mean by cooked on? Keep 'er going. Odd. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 will it lift off the cutting board dave or have you stupid glue it there. You do have a reputation don't you Dave? I thought your speciality was only assembling the axles upside down!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Gypsy Posted February 18, 2013 Author Share Posted February 18, 2013 Flippin' 'eck Dave, that green is positively luminescent! How do you mean by cooked on? Keep 'er going. Odd. It actually looks more luminescent in the pictures than in natural light. I recon its to do with the way I've got the camera set up & the artificial light. Anyway, on to "cooking" paint; As it implies, heat is at the centre of the process but in a very controlled way. Too much & disaster, melted styrene. Too little & you'll get a flat powdery finish. First I warm both the model & the rattle can. I put them both in the oven at a very low temp, about 60-70 degrees leaving the door open & watching closely. Obviously you'll be using an electric oven. When I think things are thoroughly warm I remove them, turn off the oven & close the door.I then take can & model to the spray booth. I then spray the model in the booth with the assistance of warm air from a fan heater set on its lowest heat & fan setting. The fan is set up about two feet behind me & blowing over/round my right shoulder into the booth. I'm right handed so when I spray I'm spraying into the stream of warm air from the fan. Experimentation is vital. If the fan is too close or blowing too hot the paint will dry in the air between the can & the model & you'll get a very grainy finish. I think I'm fortunate that the air speed from the fan matches the speed of the extractor fan on the booth so I get a very constant air flow. When I've finished spraying I take the model back to the now slightly cooler oven & leave it there for 20 minutes or so to bake. If I think the oven is too hot then I leave the door ajar. The fan in the oven keeps the warm air circulating & the model safe.. Just to finish off & to let the paint cure I remove the model from the oven & put it somewhere safe under a large tupperwear container propped up on four pegs. The end result is a nice smooth shiny paint job that may or may not require polishing. This is all a bit long winded, if you like I'll go through the process with pictures & post them here. What you you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddball Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 Nah mate, you've explained that one perfectly. I shall definitely be giving it a go. Odd. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richellis Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Nice, its a bright colour! I know about the heat 'thing' I spent an age converting a VW Golf from 5 door to 3 door. Painted the shell, blast with the heat and melted the A and B pillers! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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