Re-Paint 1:18 Project Help!

Hey Everyone!

I never thought I would say this, but im bored and want to re-paint one of my 1:18 HW 360 Coupe. I would like to repaint this in either Azzuro Cali Blue or Laguna Seca Blue. I have access to any Ferrari PPG paint. As you can see in the photo, I have disassembled the car last summer and tried to paint the seat with Yellow inserts, no success at all. I end up putting the car back before I mess it all up, such a newbie. That is why im here to ask my fellow Fchatters for assistance I would like to know, where do I start as far as what materials, glue, sand paper, paint brush, air brush, clear coat, masking tapes, etc... Also, How do you take the wheels off? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

-B-
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Hi

There are severals threads about repainting on the fchat...started by me, so if you click on "see all threads started by Gimme Fuel" then you might see some of my other stuff as well, I'm not sure you'll be able to see all the pics, most of them got lost in the major harddrive crash at Fchat last year!

OK..
If you wanna repaint a model car then I suggest you do it with a 1/18 and Bburago...cuz Bburago models are much easier to strip rather than the HW models, the HW models are "welded" and very difficult to strip.

1. To get the BEST result as possible, I recommend you to strip down the car completley.
Sort the part's so you wont lose any.

2.Buy a bottle of paint remover (killer) that RAELLY works, not a cheap 2 bucks can - go for the one which are a bit more expensive (it's worth it)
You can buy this in any hardware store I guess, the Paint Killer looks like a gely-kinda-thing.

3.Use a small hobby paint bruch to "paint" the body/doors etc with the Paint Killer.
If you have bought the right stuff, you'll see the old paint starting to bouble...like acid.
USE GLOVES!
Remove as much as you can with the Paint Killer, the remaining paint can be removed by a Dremmel, exelent tool for this kinda job.
Remember to remove ALL the old paint, NOTHING must be left behind - or else this will be visible through the new paint.

4.I dont know about you, but I use spray cans to repaint my models.
Before you start to paint the model, find youself a peice of wood and "kick" in 3 - 4 nails so the model will "hang in the air" - if you're painting the model while it's laying flat on the table, the paint WILL gather up along the bottom edge of the model and it WILL be messed up!
Spray on a couple of layers with coat/primer, let it dry for a couple of hours....place the model outside in the sun or something.
Make sure you wont get any dust or anything while priming/painting - try to do it indoor somewhere (it might smell a bit though)

5.Painting the model.
Paint from a short distance, ca 15 inches from the model, use smooth movements with an easy press on the tap...like this: tssst, tssst, tssst
NOT like this: tssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst - you gotta give the paint a chance to stick to the model.
When you're done, let it dry for a couple of hours and then repeat the progress for another layer.

6.Now the boring part, but the most important - lat the model dry for atlest a couple of days - the paint REALLY need to dry properly before you put it back together.
Sure, you'll see the car is try after a couple of hours when you touch it gently with your finger, but it's NOT - if you try to put the model back together after a couple of hours then you'll DEFFO leave fingerprints in the new pain, belive me
Your Scuderia shields will probably be lost in the Paint Killer prosess, but dont worry - if you like I can send you new ones I've got a "couple" of sets

HOW TO REMOVE THE WHEELS! (Bburago)
Remove the body of the model first, so you can get a solid and equal grip around the wheels with your fingers, then just pull it STRAIGHT off, they might be a bit tough to get off but they will go off...eventually!

HOW TO PAINT THE 360 LIGHT HOUSING
Easy, when you strip the model, they will come off.
You'll figure it out when you look up under the body!

Hope this helps, Good luck
Is there anymore you need to know just PM me, since I'm not so often on the Fchat these days!

Best
Paul

Here you see a couple of my repainted models.....
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It really is a case of practise makes perfect. I've painted a few models now and I'm getting better at it. The main thing is don't rush it.

Remember after each coat of primer or paint to check that the surface is smooth as scratches on the surface metal of the model will probably show through. I recommend using white and not grey primer as it will help give the final colour more intensity.

Also when you apply your first coat of colour don't apply too much. Just enough to cover the primer - you don't really want it to look glossy as this coat will provide a key for the subsequent coats to stick to. Your next coat will be a 'wet' coat which should look uniform and glossy.

You really have to be careful as not enough paint will look matt and give a texture to the surface and too much will give you drips. If you get drips you have 2 options: Wipe it off while it's still wet (which means a lot of re-finishing before you start again) or wait until it's dry (maybe a day or two before sanding it down again).

Once the body work is done, mask it off so you can paint the window surround/rubbers. Use Matt black spray paint as semi-gloss or gloss black just won't look realistic. You can see how effective this is by comparing a standard Mattel F40 with one of their new 'Elite' F40s. If masking these areas is too difficault use a pot of matt black paint, a fine brush and a steady hand!

One other thing I really recommend is to get some proper finishing polish. I just bought three tubes of Tamiya course, fine and finish polish from Ebay. It really does seem to smooth off the surface and give it a real shine which looks very professional. Make sure you have given your model a good few coats of paint though as the polish actually removes the top surface as you'll see on your cloth!

If you're using metallic colours I'd coat it in clear lacquer to finish with as most metallics aren't very glossy on their own.

Also I find Tamiya spray paints very good.

I sound like an expert but I definitely am not!

 

Has anyone had this happen?

I bought a Hot Wheels 1:18th scale of the new '05 Corvette convertible in black intending to customize it (as a gift) to look like the triple black 1:1 scale that a friend was getting. The black model came with tan seats. I disassembled it and spray painted the interior......over a year ago....the seats are still tacky to the touch!!! The paint never fully dried. Ideas? I ended up having to go buy a silver model & simply switch out the interiors to create the black/black car. Now I have a silver car with tacky-to-the-touch black interior that sits on my shelf as a reminder (I guess) of how not to go about doing things. Not sure why the "softer" plastic seats did not take the paint as well. Anyone?

 

Sounds like the paint reacted with the plastic. You can get 'plastic' primer from auto stores (for real cars). You use this on items like plastic bumpers and wing mirrors if you want to colour-code them. It stops the paint reacting with the plastic or flaking off when dry.

 

I've been painting 1/18 cars for a long time, a few more additions....

Stripping paint -

You can buy a aerosal based paint stripper that works great! Its usually about $5 a can at Walmart/Meijers/etc) . Make sure all the plastic is off the car, spray the entire thing & wait 15 minutes. Using some gloves, take the car to a sink and wash all the paint off & use a brush to help the process. Make sure its in an industrial sink, as the wife might not get happy if its in a kitchen or bathroom sink.

Paint -

An airbrush is prefered, but I use automotive spray paint (Duplicolor), usually $4-5 a can. It dries quicker and is eaiser to work with when having to wetsand it, IMO . Make sure you use the same brand paint for everything (primer, color & clear) . After painting the cars , I will wetsand it with 1500-2000 grit sandpaper and follow up with a clear coat compound & finishing wax. It will definatly improve how the paint looks.

You will most likely need to buy a Dremel/drill at some point. Alot of cars now have parts riveted on .

 

If you want to remove the paint you put on plastic parts you can use oven cleaner (Mr. Muscle here in The Netherlands). Spray the plastic part with the cleaner (becomes foam) and put it in a sealed bag and leave it for 24 hours. The paint can then be washed off. Repeat when necessary.

 

So much info! Thanks fellas...

-B-

 

You always put up fun theme settings Paul, and I must say your work looks great. Out of curiosity, the average time you put into repainting a standard Hotwheels 1:18 is how long? Apart from a race car with sponsor labels and added aero accessories, what was the longest time you spent on a single stock Ferrari in a simple exterior and interior repaint? Thanks for the info. Once again, wonderful work though I am eager to see your USA Fchatters competition.

RocketBoy

 

Hey Rocketdude

Thanx for your kind words dude..

First of all, I dont do HW models, they suck to take apart, Bburago is the way to go

I'll say I spend maybe 4 - 6 days on a model, the stripping and repainting progress is not the big issue when it comes to time, but the eeeendless waiting for the paint to dry

The model which I've spend most time on is probably the lime green F50, how long, I dont remember -but it was a PITA to get the right colour all over the car, I think I had to repaint it 3 times before I was happy with the result.
The doors and the body was painted seperatly, and just one small "doze" of extra paint on the door - and you'll see the difference..
Besides, the F50 has a upgraded engine, different tail pipes and a splitted wing. I also have a lime green F40

The toughest model to repaint is the F40.
That car has 7 different parts which need the EXCACT same "dozes" of paint.
Bonnet, front bumper, door, door, body, engine cover and the rear wing.

The easiest model to repaint is probably the 456GT
Only 1 part... (that model can be repainted with the doors open)

Interior.
I've done the interior on most of the F50 Spiders I've done - but I "forgot" to do the int. on the black 360 which you can see in a earlier post in this thread.
I've also made an excact replica of my own 348TB, with black interior and red skirts!

I'll post some pics soon!

 

a couple of pics..
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Paul, your Black 360 is AMAZING! Can you please post up some more pics of that model?

 

Sure dude
Here you go...

PS: If I get the time, maybe I'll paint the interior black/yellow too.
OR do another black 360
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one more
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