my X

[cdog4w]

Well, no mods yet, but I finally did paint the body. I made lots of mistakes, but it was a lot of fun. I'm only going to post two of the finished images for now, but might make a webpage for some of the intermediary steps I made mistakes in. I had trouble with paint leaking under the window masks, but I discovered that was mainly due to the fact I was hand painting the thing with a brush :P Apparently most people airbrush or use rc model spray paint. Anyway, I think it came out pretty well. You can see the scratches I've already put on the outside of the car :P

http://cstanleyw4.home.comcast.net/finished_on_car_overhead.jpg


http://cstanleyw4.home.comcast.net/finished_on_car_angle.jpg

P.S. I used the little screw/washer/bolt that came with the car to put the spoiler on, is that what they're for?

[Cian]

Hey that looks really well! You wouldn't know it was a hand painted shell! How is it running for you? More importantly, are you having fun with it?
I bought a mini-x ages ago, butI have never gotten around to finishing it.

[cdog4w]

I'm having a blast with it, but temporarily on hold. One of the back wheel nuts came loose and I don't have the special nut driver for it. I've been pestering tiny, but he's not responding. I don't really want to try other tools since I'd be SOL if I stripped them or messed them up somehow. Maybe I'm just paranoid after seeing how soft the body screws are and nearly stripping some of them before being more careful.

Once I get that, my planned list of mods will be to shave down the suspension stops and to throw some OL tires on it to increase ride height. Also going to learn how to solder so I can do some of the more serious mods, yay :P

[Cian]

I think the little red wrench you get with the mini-z'a should fit, I have one of those wrenches, and I know I can use them to remove the stock nuts on the Z...
Worth a shot!

[cdog4w]

Thanks. Unfortunately I don't have a Z or any friends with one. If tiny doesn't wake up soon I'm just going to order from rcmart I guess... tho stupid S/H from HK is so exepensive.

[Cian]

try mailing the shop again, it's soo much cheaper overall

[mde]

Hi cdog4w,

I know this was an old post but I painted my x with a brush and used Liquitex acrylic artist paint, I paint pictures of cars ect so I used what I had.

These paints use high quality pigments and available in many colours. Some of my tubes are 20 years old and still good and you could paint a fleet of bodies with one tube. Coverage depends on the colour but it will take a few coats to get an opaque finish.

Clean up is easy and I'll be able to do some wild paint jobs by treating the shell like a canvas. Look out for the rolling art car! I just have to remember to paint backwards so it looks right on the out side.

Other benefits? No mask required if using a brush but I can also apply it with my air brush. I don't have a compressor so I use a mountain bike wheel and my bike pump. If you have a garage you can use a car tire for more volume.

Acrylic paint is also flexible and peels off quite well if submerged in hot tap water meaning you can re do mistakes. You could even change the colour as well. The paint however is very durable if left alone.

I'm not ready to post a picture yet but I will when its done assuming my next cart wheel doesn't total the body. lol.