FAQ
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Q) How much for a paint job?
This is the most common question - just as it's written here.
What would be hugely helpful in this case is if you could provide
some kind of description of what you want in your paintjob.
A 1-colour shot on a 1/10-touring car shell using supplied vinyl window
masks starts at $20.
Add painted-in head/taillights for $10. The same process on a 1/5 car
starts at $100. Pricing is primarily predicated on the level of detail,
not necessarily
the number of colours used in a design. I've added "Price Codes"
to most of the portfolios on the site, these are meant to help give
you a rough idea of what a given design might cost. You can see what they are on the Quotes page. |
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Q) How can I order from you?
Check out the Ordering page, found here. |
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Q) How do you...
There are actually plenty of variants on this one,
and to cover all of them in this format would be
a daunting task to say the least.
In the meantime, a few samples; |
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1) How do I apply liquid masking fluid?
-You can brush it on with either a bristle or a sponge brush, but I
highly recommend spraying it on instead. To spray it, it must first be
thinned so it will flow easily through your airbrush. Thinner is
better, but it also means you have to apply more coats to get it thick
enough - but often 7 coats that go down easily is actually quicker than
3 coats that fight you tooth and nail. To test the thickness of the
applied liquid mask, cut a small 'V' in an inconspicuous spot on the
shell, like a wheel well or something. Then grab the tip of the 'V'
with your tweezers (you do have
tweezers, don't you?) and pull. If the mask breaks right away,
it's too thin and needs another coat. If it pulls up a round 'tent'
around the base of the 'V', you've got it thick enough and it won't
break on you while you peel for painting. |
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2) How do I outline my flames?
-First, draw them out 'till you've got them the way you want 'em. If
I'm outlining, I try to draw 'em a little bit fat, just to leave room
for the pinstripe on the inside of the first cut. You can do it on the
outside too, just leave room. But that's jumping ahead. Anyway.. once
it's drawn, make your first cut. Follow the lines, and make sure you're
leaving enough room for your pinstripe cut, be it on the inside or
outside of your first cut. Ok, once you've got the whole flame design
cut once, wipe away your drawn lines so they're not in the way anymore.
Now, if you hold the lexan up to a light source (a window complete with streaming daylight is perfect)
you will see your first cut lines by way of the light refracting off
them. You need to see these lines clearly so you can follow them for
your second cut. You can't just follow your drawn lines, because your
actual cut is always going
to be slightly different than what's drawn, and if you want to pull off
the pinstripe effectively, it has to have a nice uniform thickness
along its whole length. So anyway, with the light showing you the
way, decide on a pinstripe thickness and stick with it, following your
first cut with a fresh blade. Ok, that's all going to need much more
explanation and even some drawings, along with some more detail. But
for now, it should cover the basic concept. Also, if you've got a
specific question,
feel free to ask it, and I'll add it to the list of Q&A here. |
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Q) What paint do you use?
Well:
I use, almost exclusively, Createx Airbrush Acrylics. They are formulated specifically for airbrush use, flow quite well, and carry plenty of pigment. They were originally designed for use on T-shirts and other flexible substrates, so the paint remains particularly flexible once it's dry. I even use it on R/C bodies. I've NEVER had this stuff flake or chip off an R/C body. It will of course with effort scratch or rub off, but once you drag a piece of polycarbonate along the pavement at 50kmh it's gonna look pretty well done-over anyway... Recently the R/C car world has discovered Alclad II Lacquer, particularly their #107 Chrome. This stuff is the Holy Grail of R/C painting - true chrome via painting. It can be a bit fiddly to work with, but it makes for quite the effect. It'll be showing up in lots of places I'm sure. |
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Q) What airbrush do you use?
My current stable is comprised of 4 Iwata Eclipse's.
I keep a pair of my old Thayer&Chandler Vega 2000's around as well.Both are highly capable multi-use brushes. If you're new to airbrushing, the Vega would be your better choice, but if you're looking for an upgrade, I strongly encourage you to try an Eclipse. Try to stay away from the clone brushes that have popped up at a particular US mail-order house in the last few years. The genuine article is the only way to fly. |
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Q) Where do you keep your website?
KMaynesPaint.com has seen several web hosts, the most recent of which is Alentus. (www.alentus.com)
They're a local company, they're fairly priced, and so far have proven to be the most consistent and reliable provider we've been associated with. I can recommend them highly. |
