Advertisement
APPENDIX
Painting the Body
Note: Please read this entire section and plan your paint job before beginning.
Buying Paint
The body supplied with your model is molded from
lightweight and durable clear polycarbonate. It should
be painted on the underside so that the color will not
be scratched off while running. The best way to paint
the body is by using thinned paints sprayed through an
airbrush or spray gun. If you do not have these tools, the
next best way is using spray can paints. Whatever paint
you use, be sure that it is made for painting Lexan® or
polycarbonate. Other types of paints and solvents can
attack the body material and cause it to appear foggy.
Preparing the Body
The body must be washed thoroughly with dish soap and
water to remove any grease or oil (i.e., fingerprints), which
may keep the paint from adhering to it. Dry the body
completely with a soft, lint-free cloth. Use the supplied
masks to mask the windows and any stripes or custom
effects on the truck body. Special tape made for striping is
also available from automotive paint supply stores and will
provide sharper edges. For easy, custom-colored striping,
automotive pin-striping tape can be applied to the inside
of the body and painted over. Be sure that all of your tape
and masks are fully pressed down (burnished) so that the
paint will not run or bleed underneath. Usually, the darker
colors are painted first, followed by the lighter colors. If
your paint scheme would be easier to mask by covering
the dark areas and spraying them last, be sure the lighter
colors are opaque enough to prevent the darker color
from showing through. Lighter colors can be backed with
silver to help make them opaque.
30 • SLASH KIT
Spraying the Body
Read the directions on your bottle or can of paint
and shake, mix, or thin the paint, as required. It is very
important to avoid breathing the paint vapors, as they
are extremely harmful. Spray the paint outdoors in
well-ventilated areas only. Apply the paint to the body
sparingly and in light coats. Be patient! Let the paint
dry fully in between coats. This will prevent accidentally
smearing wet paint. Take extra care when masks are being
removed. After the body is completely painted, remove
the peel coat from the outside of the body.
Decals
You are now ready to apply the decals. The decals have
been die-cut for your convenience. Test the position
of the decals before applying them to the body. Once
the decals have been applied, they cannot be removed
without damaging them. You can spray the body with
window cleaner before applying the decals. This will allow
you to re-position them. Once positioned, squeegee the
cleaner from under the decal. The decal will adhere when
it dries. If you have air bubbles in the decals, puncture the
center of each bubble with a sharp pin and push the air
out. If you have creases along the outer edges of a decal
(especially when applied to curved surfaces), use a hobby
knife to cut along the top of the crease and overlap the
edges.
Advertisement
