Ideas on cutting thick bodyshells

[mikevillena]

Just wanted to share ideas with everyone about cutting thick bodyshells ( Tamiya and others ).

If I have to make a cut and have no edge to start with (like cutting out hoods, doors, etc.), I begin by using my mototool chucked up with a fine tooth plastic round saw set at the slowest (almost stalling) speed. WARNING: This is extremely dangerous. Unless you are comfortable using a saw bit on your mototool, skip this part. I assume no responsibility for your safety!
Assuming that I had the forethought to mark my cuts with a marker first, I pick out the highest point of the arc (if the surface i.e. hood is curved) and make a short cut (about 3/4"). This will allow me to insert a hand razor saw to begin cutting out the section. See the pics.

[mikevillena]

With a slit made by the mototool, I slip the (Zona) razor saw and begin the cut.
Using a little bit of soapy water will keep the saw blade from dragging too much.
Use gentle pressure and let the saw do the work. This will ensure that your cut will be smooth and minimize material loss when you clean up with a sanding block later.

[mikevillena]

As I get to the end of the cut or when I encounter a curved section, I switch to an X-Acto no. 11 with a fine saw blade to continue or finish the cut. Again, use soapy water to lube things up and gentle pressure.

[mikevillena]

That no.11 saw blade comes in handy with the doors too. In this example, I first ground out the door window so that I have a place to start my cuts.

[mikevillena]

To finish cuts or for small and tight radius cuts, I switch to my Revlon (you can laugh) small curved scissors. These scissors are great (stainless steel, sharp but pricey) and I like them better than that chunky Kyosho curved set.

[mikevillena]

They were just the thing for making some of the really tough cuts on the Miata's trunk (small radii and curved surfaces...wow, I can't believe I actually made those cuts!). You can gently twist the almost freed panel to make the cut easier.

[mikevillena]

some final thoughts on wheelwells..... use a mototool with a small drum sander and grind close to your finished outline.

[mikevillena]

and finish off the wheelwell with some sandpaper warpped around a spray can. Start off with coarse (120) and progress through to very fine (600). This is important: any jagged cuts in these areas cause fracture points that will ensure cracks the first time you tap the wall.

Anyway, thanks for reading my stuff. Please feel free to suggest or comment.

Mike V.

[Piggy89373]

Mike, excellent post! Since you're shopping in the Revlon section for scissor, pick up the pink colored emory board. It's a medium to fine grit and great for smoothing semi-flat areas like along the window edge.

Also, you might want to look into a web hosting for your pics to keep the resolution and clarity of your pics. I have a distinct impression that you could go much further in detail, but your pics would lose you.

[mikevillena]

Mike, excellent post! Since you're shopping in the Revlon section for scissor, pick up the pink colored emory board. It's a medium to fine grit and great for smoothing semi-flat areas like along the window edge.

Also, you might want to look into a web hosting for your pics to keep the resolution and clarity of your pics. I have a distinct impression that you could go much further in detail, but your pics would lose you.

Hey Piggy,

Thanks man. I've got that emery board too. (My nails aren't manicured because I save that stuff for my projects :D ). There's also a larger board with two sides, one side has two grits and the other side has a polishing cloth bonded to it. I've used this to polish scratches on the bodyshell and on the clear winshield area. Plastic modelers use this and Flex-I-File makes it too.
For flat areas like edges, I use a sanding block (sandpaper wrapped around a scrap wood block).
I'll try to post more stuff on scratch building.

Mike V.

[Piggy89373]

Mike, I also have both files you mentioned. For static models, can't beat the polishing boards. If you're into static displays and want a glass finish, put down the testors paints and use nail polish. Go back to the Revlon section, pick up the "dries looking like liquid stuff" in the color of your choice. Thin it with acetone (never use nail polish remover, there's too many impurities in that crap) and spray it for an unbelievable finish. It'll look smoother and deeper than any model paints ever could.

If you want to clear coat it for an even deeper finish, find the stuff called Hoof Lacquer. It comes in a small brown bottle. It dries hard as steel and will definitely give your paint job some real depth.

[mikevillena]

Mike, I also have both files you mentioned. For static models, can't beat the polishing boards. If you're into static displays and want a glass finish, put down the testors paints and use nail polish. Go back to the Revlon section, pick up the "dries looking like liquid stuff" in the color of your choice. Thin it with acetone (never use nail polish remover, there's too many impurities in that crap) and spray it for an unbelievable finish. It'll look smoother and deeper than any model paints ever could.

If you want to clear coat it for an even deeper finish, find something called Hoof Lacquer. It dries hard as steel and will definitely give your paint job some real depth.

You know, that sounds good. I've never tried that before. I think I still have a beat up old badger lying around somewhere. I've been using spray cans all this time.....forgive me gang :o
Thanks Piggy :D

[Piggy89373]

I heard of it several years ago, and tried it with a really cheap external mix airbrush. Even with all the problems I had spraying, it still came out with an awesome finish. Nail polishes have some of the widest selection of colors that look great on cars. Too bad they don't work on lexan.

[mikevillena]

I heard of it several years ago, and tried it with a really cheap external mix airbrush. Even with all the problems I had spraying, it still came out with an awesome finish. Nail polishes have some of the widest selection of colors that look great on cars. Too bad they don't work on lexan.
Sounds like you know your way around static plastic.... a lot of the guys at Scale Auto use nailpolish. I've been a whimp and stuck to my Tamiya TS lacquers or Duplicolor for my statics. I've tried to upload a pic of my GTI that I built many years ago. I took it to the North American Model Car Championship where I got some mileage out of it. What turned me off was that the judges told me that I needed to use more aftermarket crap to score a few more points.... practically the whole car was scratchbuilt except for the driver's seat!
Turns out a few of the judges owned aftermarket companies :mad: . Go figure!
Any chance I can see some of your static plastic? Thanks man.

Mike V

[Piggy89373]

The last static model I did was more than 4 years ago. I grew bored with them all and eventually gave them away to my nephews. I've done a few resin kits of anime figures, but thanks to the wife's moving abilities, those were trashed about 2 years ago. Since then, I've more or less given up on plastic and resin kits. Every once in a while, I'll paint lead miniatures, but those are far and few between. I might be able to come up with a few pics of those.

Although, looking at your stuff, I just might have to break down and build a plastic one soon.

[mikevillena]

Nah, Piggy...my stuff ain't special. A little different maybe. I'm going to try uploading the GTI....I had to scan a pic and wash it through two programs (this is like pulling teeth) BTW, I don't have the guts to tackle resin and I don't have the skills to detail paint miniatures. You the man :)

[Piggy89373]

Ok, color me stupid, but you don't have the guts for resin or miniatures, yet you willingly create realistic looking stuff like that (including the guages)?!?! Dude, you're uber humble and have some mad skills, and you da' man.

[mikevillena]

Ok, color me stupid, but you don't have the guts for resin or miniatures, yet you willingly create realistic looking stuff like that (including the guages)?!?! Dude, you're uber humble and have some mad skills, and you da' man.

Piggy,

Nah...You should see some of the stuff that I've seen on FineScale Modeler or Scale Auto.... :eek: .makes my best stuff look like SnapKits! But thanks for the compliments. BTW...What would you recommend as masking material for a painting rookie?

Mike V.

[Piggy89373]

Depends on what you're wanting to mask. If you masking lexan, there's no better masking material than liquid mask. For doing straight lines, electrical tape works like a charm. Next is 3M paint masking tape. Usually, you'll go with a low tack painting tape. If you're doing repetitive small identical graphics, a small piece of frisket film works great.

If you're masking plastic models or resin, electrical tape works great again as well as regular masking tape. Frisket film is another great one for this.

I've been to one fine scale auto competition just to see what they were doing. I agree, that's some seriously tough competition when you have to add a bit of rust to lug nuts to increase the realism scale.

[mikevillena]

Depends on what you're wanting to mask. If you masking lexan, there's no better masking material than liquid mask. For doing straight lines, electrical tape works like a charm. Next is 3M paint masking tape. Usually, you'll go with a low tack painting tape. If you're doing repetitive small identical graphics, a small piece of frisket film works great.

If you're masking plastic models or resin, electrical tape works great again as well as regular masking tape. Frisket film is another great one for this.

I've been to one fine scale auto competition just to see what they were doing. I agree, that's some seriously tough competition when you have to add a bit of rust to lug nuts to increase the realism scale.

Thanks for answering my post Piggy :) . Question..I always aggresively sand my bodyshells prior to painting (old habit from slotcar days). Will the liquid mask be a real pain to peel off when I'm done? I've got the Focus body sanded but not painted yet. I was going to go all white but thanks to the stuff that I've seen you guys do, I feel a little braver.
I've never used electrical tape for static plastic before, but I'll give it a shot.
Yeah, they're real ASSASINS in some of those venues.... A lot of them are REALLY GOOD builders, while most rely on aftermarket (resin and photo-etched) parts to score points. :rolleyes: Not that there is anything wrong with using aftermarket parts....I just prefer the challenge of scratching... :cool:

[Piggy89373]

I've always agressively sanded, and still do. On lexan bodies, I see the difference at the end of the race season. My bodies, although dinged on the outside still have the paint in tact, while theirs looks cracked, chipped, and on their last legs. The liquid mask comes off quite easily.

I use Bob Dively's exclusively, based on my experience and the better artists on here. I put on a 4-5 medium to thin coats and haven't had a problem peeling it off.

I'm by no means a great painter, I'm more of a hack with really good notes.

Lastly, for chrome, don't sand unless you want a brushed aluminum look.

[mikevillena]

Piggy,

Sounds good. I'll try it on the Focus. I think I have an idea...What do you think of "KLM" sponsored WRC Focus with Vincent VanGough's Self-Portrait all over it? I'll try to sketch it up and post it later.
You're not a hack man.
For chrome, I tried "BareMetal" foil on the outside of the Alfa for window trim...it was way too fragile. I'll have to try that Alclad II that I've been saving (at 7.50 a small bottle, I didn't want to use it...I'm cheap).
M.V.

[mikevillena]

Piggy,

I almost forgot, do you brush your liquid masking on or do you spray it on?

clueless painter

[Piggy89373]

I brush it on. I bought a couple of cheap 2" paint brushes, dip in the jug O' masking and paint it on. After it dries, another coat, and so on. Another idea that a very talented painter, Haunted Myst, came up with uses an empty Elmer's Glue bottle.

The idea is to fill a clean elmer's glue bottle with 2 parts liquid mask and one part water. Mix thoroughly and squirt mixture coating the inside of the shell. Drain off the excess into a bowl (and eventually back into your elmer's glue bottle) and allow to dry. Once dry, repeat proces 3 or 4 times.

I haven't done this yet, but I'm seriously considering it because of it's ease. I've sprayed it on before and it works great, however, it's a royal PITA to clean the airbrush afterwards.

When you get the chance, take a look at Haunted Myst's tutorial (http://www.rctech.net/articles/painting_hauntedmyst.shtml). It's a pretty comprehensive guide to do some great work.

[mikevillena]

'kay Piggy. I feel a little braver now (gulp).. maybe the VanGough is a little out of my league....

WE who are about to die salute you! HAIL TO THE PIG!

[Piggy89373]

Mike, it's not really as tough as it looks. The toughest part is the patience it takes. But, if you have the patience to do the detail work you do, you shouldn't have any problems learning to airbrush. There's a lot of methods to use to make things easier. You've made a great impression on here, and I'm sure if you asked for assistance, you'd have number of folks jumping over themselves trying to return the favor of helping you out.

A little research and some practice and you'll be able to pick apart the artistry done by folks like AirBoston, Tripple, CharlieB, Cosmo, Adrcracing, Leadfoot, and many others, and figure out their technique. If all else fails, ask questions.

[mikevillena]

Okay, I'm going to try as soon as I finish checking out all of those sites that the members have given shortcuts too...(I still get lost because I'm still new to this navigating thing.). I'll post whatever I can come up with. Your help and everybody's suggestions are truly appreciated and most welcome. If I can only reciprocate the kindness... now where'd I put that old badger? :D
Mike V.

[kitty]

Hey guys, I've been using some cheapie brushes that I bought at the hobby shop for doing various things and when I finally get time to do some airbrush work, I was planning on using one of them for applying the liquid mask. I don't know how well they'll work for applying the mask, but you guys might find other uses for them. I just bought a big bagful of them at Harbor Freight with like 25 of them in the bag for $2. That's way better than the price I paid for the previous two at the LHS. If y'all don't get a chance to try them out, I'll let you know how it goes when I try one. Oh yeah, the bristles are horse hair.

<edit>These (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXBH59&P=7) are pretty darned close to what I have, except that the hair isn't dyed black on mine.
</edit>

[mikevillena]

Thanks Piggy and Kitty......I'm waiting for my order of liquid mask to arrive (and to think that I used to use rubber cement to mask with in my old slot car days....). Kitty, I think I have some similar brushes...I use one to sometimes apply gesso on canvas. That is pretty abrasive and so I use cheap brushes and keep my Winsor Newton's and DaVinci's for painting.

[mikevillena]

I thought this might be an appropriate "bump" since I was making a big deal about trimming bodyshells. It's an old "sleeping dog" so I hope this might be useful to someone.

[mikevillena]

An update on scissors: I started using a pair of Singer Non-stick straight scissors (sewing dept. at Wal-Mart). They're not bad price wise and are great for cutting stickers (non-stick). Just don't run with them!!!!!