How to Paint an RC Car
Painting your own color scheme and designs onto a radio-controlled (RC) car is a fun hobby that is easy to learn. Paint only the interior of the car if you want to protect your paint job from the wear of racing and to give it a brilliant finish. You can also paint the exterior if you want to give your car more character by allowing the "battle damage" to show.
Things You'll Need
- Soap and water
- Lexan body
- Window masks
- Light-grade sandpaper (between 600 and 1000 grit)
- Marker
- Lexan paint
- Paintbrush or airbrush
- Rubbing alcohol
Instructions
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1
Use soap and water to wash the Lexan body and to remove any lubricants, mold or other debris from the material. Allow the Lexan body to air dry.
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2
When the Lexan body dries, stick the window masks along the window lines of the interior. Press into the edges of the window masks to ensure that they remain in place when you sand the interior of the body and when you apply paint.
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3
Use light-grade sandpaper to scuff the interior of the Lexan body until it has a cloudy appearance. This ensures that the paint sticks to the surface and gives the body a sharper and more authentic look. Do not scuff the Lexan body if you will use a chrome paint, since it will give the chrome a brushed appearance instead of a sleek look.
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4
Use a marker to draw your painting design onto the exterior of the Lexan body.
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5
Set your can of Lexan paint into a dish of hot water for five minutes to warm the paint and increase pressure within the can. This facilitates a smoother texture if using a paintbrush and a finer mist if using an airbrush.
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6
Paint the interior of the Lexan body with at least three thin coats to ensure a high-quality appearance for the paint. Paint the exterior as well, if desired. If not, use rubbing alcohol to remove the marker design from the exterior of the Lexan body.
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7
Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours before removing the window masks and using the car.
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Tips & Warnings
Thin coats of paint prevent excessive bleeding between colors and are less likely to chip or flake away than thick coats of paint.
