Painted Bodies

Nothing makes a RC vehicle stand out like a killer painted body. In this section you'll find walkthroughs for some of the bodies I've painted. I am, by no means, an expert at airbrushing or painting bodies. However painting is like anything else, the more you practice the easier it gets and the better the outcome looks. I've learned a lot so far, and I only hope to go up from here.

One thing I should point out before you go any further and browse through the galleries on the left, is that most of these bodies do not have body mounting holes in them. This is because I end up selling the majority of the bodies I paint. I do a lot of this for practice, and to experiment with various pattern and color combinations. Since I have no idea what the recipient vehicle will be, when I sell a body on Ebay or through other means, it would ruin the body if I went ahead and put holes in it and they ended up being in the wrong place. However to allow the gallery viewer to see what the body would look like mounted on a vehicle, I do take some pictures with the body sitting on the body posts. In some cases due to the body posts that are installed on the display truck, the body may not sit exactly how you would run it. However it should give you a general idea of how it will look on that vehicle.

In case you're curious I use a Paasche VL Airbrush. I chose this model after it was recommended to me by the guy who does airbrushed bodies for the local hobby store. So far it has served me well.

I also use a small Husky oil free compressor. I bought this compressor at Home Depot, but it can easily be purchased online as well. It's actually made by Campbell Hausfeld for Home Depot under the Husky name. Here's a link to the Campbell Hausfeld version of the compressor. If you plan on using an airbrush much, I encourage you to use a compressor. Sure, you can use the little cans of compressed air, but at around $10.00 a can it can get expensive real quick. The cans also do not give you a consistent flow of air. A budget alternative to a compressor is to use a compressed air tank. You can refill anywhere there is a source of compressed air, such as a gas station, and you can buy one for around $20.00. The downside to this method is having to refill the tank every so often.

If you decide you are serious about learning to airbrush, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Painting and Detailing RC Bodies. The majority of the articles in the book are written by Bob Hastings when he was working with RCCA magazine. If you've ever seen his bodywork and painting column in the magazine, you'll know what kind of exceptional work he is capable of. You'll find many tips and techniques to help you begin to master the art of airbrushing your lexan bodies.

In additon to the book mentioned above, there's also a few other places that may be of interest to you if you are looking for some information to help get you started. The first is an outstanding FAQ written by a guy who goes by the name of HauntedMyst on several internet forums. It's called R/C Car Painting and Airbrushing. The other is similar in nature and is called RC Car Airbrush Painting Guide and FAQ. Both of these guides should give you plenty of reading material to help you started, but if you still find the desire for more material, be sure to check out the Painting Section of my Links area.