In the past I have generally used curved lexan scissors to trim polycarbonate bodies.
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| Duratrax lexan scissors |
These scissors are specially designed to aid in trimming excess lexan due to the curved shape of the blades. They work quite well for general trimming and going around outside corners, but I've found them hard to use around tight inside corners, especially if the lexan is thick and won't bend out of the way easily.
Another method modelers use to trim lexan is a technique called scoring. Using a sharp knife, a score line is made along the body either right on or just outside the molded trim line. The depth of the cut does not have to be very deep to be effective although deeper cuts do help in cases where the lexan is fairly thick. Once the body has been scored, strategic cuts can be made using lexan scissors or the knife blade to allow the excess lexan to be bent and or ripped along the score line. The resulting edge is quite clean, similar to how glass is scored and broken to create a clean edge.
I used the scoring technique on this Kyosho Raider reproduction body and wing from Team Bluegroove due to the many curves and thickness of the lexan. Using a brand new X-Acto #11 blade, I scored a trace line on the outside of the body, cutting through the protective blue plastic layer and into the body. The key is to make a continuous score line so the plastic can be bent and ripped apart cleanly. When separating the trimmings from the body it helps to go slowly in case the lexan doesn't want to follow the score line as it is ripped apart. A body can be ruined very quickly if the lexan rips into the wrong location. The knife can be used to help cut in places where it looks like the score isn't deep enough.
Once the excess parts were trimmed and the body was separated from the wing, I used sandpaper and a small set of flat files of various shapes to fine-tune and smooth the edges.
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| Needle file set and 100 grit sandpaper |
I also made sure to round all corners to varying degrees to remove the sharp edges using mostly rough sandpaper. I haven't found a need to use finer sandpaper because the edge is smooth enough already. Finally, I test-fit the body to the chassis and marked the placement of the holes for the body mounts, antenna, and wing. Using a body reamer tool, I made holes in the marked locations, taking care to not make them too large. On this body, the rear body mount hole is actually rectangular, so the X-Acto knife and flat files were used to shape the hole into the final size.
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| Kyosho body reamer |
The trimmed body and wing before final washing, masking and painting:
Since this is a reproduction body, the dimensions are not always exactly the same as the original. Most people would agree that while Team Bluegroove bodies are decent quality, they do not always match the fine detail and dimensions of the original. In the case of this Raider body, I think the length is slightly shorter than the original Kyosho. Due to this, I had to put the rear body mount hole further back than depicted in the Raider manual.
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| The rear body mount hole is supposed to be on the rear part of the roof |
Here is the body mounted on the chassis:
As you can see below, the rear body mount hole is right in the middle of the near vertical area where the rear roof drops and goes to the rear deck of the body between the shock tower posts. This hole location seemed to be the best way to balance the position of the front of the body with the shocks and steering linkage with the rear shock mounts and rear body overhang. The body slightly overhangs the rear gear case which looks great. Thankfully the top hole of the rear body mount is high enough so a body pin just clears the roof deck and keeps the body secured.
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| Rear body mount hole is rearward of the location depicted in the manual |
The front body overhang is almost in line with the front of the suspension arms which I also think is aesthetically pleasing.
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| Front body mount hole is close to the default location |
Given the center line locations of the front and rear body mount holes, the body isn't very stable side-to-side. If the rear body hole was in the correct roof location as shown in the manual, I think the body would have been stabilized by resting the shock tower recesses molded into the body on top the rear shock tower. I can still use the shock tower recesses to stabilize the body by using screws set to the proper depth in the top of the shock tower.
I used Tamiya PS-2 Red (86002) backed by PS-1 White (86001) for a box art look. Perhaps I should have used silver or black as a backing color to darken the red some more. The camera makes it look more neon than it actually is.
Applying the decals is fairly simple to do. I use a small tub of water with a few drops of dishwashing soap mixed in to help apply the decals. After cutting the decal, I dip it into the soapy water and then apply it to the body. The soap allows the decal to slide on the body before the glue grabs. This allows for fine-tuning the placement of the decal on the body but doesn't affect the glue from sticking once the final position has been found. Any water under the decal is pressed out from the middle of the decal to the edge to prevent bubbles. For bends and corners, a hair dryer on medium heat helps soften the decal slightly and activates the glue which prevents the decal from lifting. Just press the decal into place while applying heat making sure not to get the decal or body too hot in the process. Your fingers will be burned before damage is done to the decal in most cases anyway.
Remember the yellowed wheels?
I decided to use paint instead of chemically whitening them using hydrogen peroxide and sunlight because it seemed safer and potentially longer-lasting. I used Tamiya TS-26 Pure White. In the above picture, the four bottom wheels started out approximately the same color as the right-most wheel in the top row.
Here are the painted wheels with tires mounted and white lettering applied using a method that I previously posted about before:
Here are some pictures of the finished Raider:
The red color appears a bit "bright" in these photos, but in reality it isn't quite as intense. One thing to note about the decals is that Kyosho did not specify where all of the decals should be applied in the manual, unlike Tamiya. The major white decals were given specific locations, but the rest, such as the smaller manufacturer logos, were not specified. I referred the to manual cover picture and box top for suggestions, but ultimately relocated some to other places according to my own personal taste. I also omitted a few decals entirely because I thought it would become "too busy" and overwhelming.
Even though it was a fairly simple beginner's car, the Raider was a very popular basher in the late 80's and early 90's, thus making it definitely worthy of a restoration like this.
