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     Body Talk: Painting and decaling a tamiya body.
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lafficus





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posted on 21-1-2008 at 20:11 Reply With Quote
Painting and decaling a tamiya body.



Hi. I'm fairly new at this game, and the only plastic model-kit I've built before is the nissan skyline for the 2007 worlds, that did'nt turn out to good. I have some basic questions regarding priming, painting, clear coating and decaling a modelcar. First things first..

-Priming, do you prime the tamiya plastic kits, and do you use the primer-spraycans from tamiya? I tried that and ended up with a kind of rough surface. Where did I go wrong? Do you sand the car after priming? How much primer should I use?

-Painting. Would the tamiya spraycans be OK, or do you guys use something else?

-Decaling. I would say this is some tricky business, I used for ages on my skyline, and it didn't turn out too well, I had some problems with the decals curling and sometimes almost dissapearing when i started laying layers of clear coat. I have no idea what I did wrong, as it's my first time. I've bought something called "micro sol" & "micro set", but I'm not sure how to use it..

-And finally clear coating, how many layers?

I know this is a lot of questions, but if I'm going to get any better at this I really could use som guidance.

Regards, Kristian
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tamar





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posted on 22-1-2008 at 00:55 Reply With Quote
First things first



WHOw Kristian...That is a lot of questions to answer...in one post

O.K first things first

The stuff you've bought is ok, most guys use tamiya spray cans, and micro set & sol is good as well.
The only thing that sometimes causes problems is the Tamiya clear.



The trick in using spray cans is knowing just how much paint you need to get a nice and even surface.
This depends on the thickness of the layer of paint. I'm probably over explaining here, but you are applying paint in very small droplets. As these drops hit the surface of the body they're suppost to merge with the drops that landed right next to it. As all the droplets come together the surface tension flattness them out and creates a thin and smooth coating.

If you press the button of the Spray it always gives the same amount of paint, so to control how much of that paint gets on your body you have but 2 ways.


  1. The distance that you hold the spraycan from the body
  2. The speed at which you move the spraycan over the body


And of course only the right combination of both give a really good result.
here's what can go wrong



  • Too fast and/or too far away: too little paint gets on the body. the droplets can't merge and you get a rough surface
  • Too slow and/or too close: too much paint, the droplest merge so at first you get a smooth and shiny surface. but there's too much paint for the surface tension to flatten it. So it will run and or sag



But as with everything there's no short cuts on the route to experiance. Its all trail and error.
Most plastic kits have a very smooth surface and if put together wel (no glue smears or big gaps to fill) need just a very light coat of primer.
You sand the car lightly (600 to 1000grit wet emery paper) and wash (just use a home detergent) before you apply the primer.


Look Kristian, you're a slotter, and although some guys on this forum do really great stuff and are willing to help out and give tips, there are no tutorials on "how to paint" on this site. And that's what you need to get started.

I would suggest that you check out the Car Modeling section of www.automotiveforums.com
Ther you c an find some realy good tutorials with pictures and all :holy:holy:holy




With kind regards
Tamar
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Big Al





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posted on 22-1-2008 at 12:38 Reply With Quote


Hiya Kristian,

Here's some more info..

1. Everything you spray, primer, colour, or clear coat, make sure you heat the Tamiya Tin up in some hot water in a basin.. basically, the spray MUST be warm.. this helps to mix the paint as well, and it's a lot more uniform when you spray it on. Also, have a hair dryer nearby, so you can airdry the body straight after you've sprayed it.. And Don't spray if there is moisture or rain in the air.. Must be as warm as possible.

Tamiya Primer is fine, either white or light grey. Depending on the car you're building, or if it's using the same colour scheme as the box, or a custom colour scheme, usually one or two light layers of primer, to hide any imperfections on the body. You can then water-sand this with waterpaper, and after this, wash the body with a liquid soap, like dishwashing liquid. Dry very thoroughly before spraying colour.

Spraying colour, as Tamar said, you basically "mist" the colour onto the body. You spray colour about 3 to 4 times, so you'll understand how thick, or light, these haze coats are.. Hold the car body at arms length from you, and move the warmed up tin from side to side, try cover the body evenly, but NOT thickly. After letting it dry in-between coats, and about 3 to 4 coats, it should be perfectly covered, and SHINY GLOSS smooth.

Micro Sol is usually used to help position the waterslide decals on the body.. So you paint that on just before you put the wetted decal on the body. Then you can move the decal lightly into it's exact position. When it's there, Dab it dry with paper towels.

Once you're totally happy with the body, and you're not going to add anything more to it, then, again, warm up the clear coat in hot water so it's warm to hot. Shake it really well ok, and then again, HAZE the body from left to right. If you're too think, it's going to attack the decals, and you'll get fat runs on the body. Lightly haze the body, then let it dry, blow with hair dryer. Then another haze, and blow with hair dryer. the more of this you do, the better, the body will become glossy shiny, and the when you'ra happy, then it's done.

Leave the body alone for 1 to 2 days, don't touch it.. your fingers will leave marks on the clear coat. but it will get hard, and look perfect..

Hope this helps a little.

Kind regards

Big Al
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fola





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posted on 22-1-2008 at 18:26 Reply With Quote


NICE!!! Well said.
Don't forget... the decals must be perfectly dry before clear coating other wise
you'll get a bad decal reaction.
I stopped using Tamiya clear years ago after for no apparent reason the stuff
got sick on the decals of a car i was doing. I now use GUNZE /Mr HOBBY Clear
and I am living happily ever after... the stuff is good and very forgiving.

All the best,
Fola
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lafficus





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posted on 23-1-2008 at 18:24 Reply With Quote


Thanks a lot guys. I appreciate it.
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