The final piece of the restoration that was missing was the body, under tray and wing. I had bought a reproduction body and decal set from MarwanRC in 2011 with plans to finish the work during the following summer of 2012, but that never happened. Other things came up, plus I didn't feel like I was in the right mood to do it justice. I knew it would be a difficult body to fit to the chassis. I also knew masking the body for the box art color scheme would be a fairly complex undertaking. I figured the painting itself wouldn't be too difficult to do as long as the masking was done properly. It's just two colors, after all. One sticking point was the yellow trim lines between the two main blue and white colors on the body. How would I do that? Triple mask for three colors or trim tape on the outside (or even inside) the body? My own self-doubt prevented me from attempting the work.
Fast forward to now, in the middle of summer 2015 in the northern hemisphere, and I can say that I have finally finished one of the most complex body fitments I've ever done.
Here is a quick overview of the work involved.
There were four main steps to finishing the Lazer ZX body set:
- Cutting, trimming and testing fitment of parts to the chassis
- Masking
- Painting
- Decaling
Trimming the body parts and getting them to fit the chassis took the most time for this body set. There are four parts to the Lazer ZX body set: The main body shell, under tray, main wing and secondary wing. This is twice as many parts as a "normal" car, which usually has just the main body and wing.
Fitting the main body shell to the chassis took the most time due to the complex cutouts required around the front shock tower, rear shock tower and right side gearbox. Lots of fine-tuning the fit was required so that the body did not press or rub against the chassis, gearbox cover, and shock towers.
The main wing was the second hardest part to cut out and trim. As wings go, it's pretty normal in shape but I find that it takes me a while to trim it down to the proper shape while keeping the edges straight and even.
The under tray was fairly simple to cut out and trim due to its mostly flat shape and straight edges. Some extra trimming was required in a couple areas to allow the tray to fit more closely to the underside of the main chassis and prevent it from being stressed at contact points.
The secondary wing piece was the simplest part to trim and fit. It's just a wide U shape with a center notch cut out to fit around the main wing mount bracket. It fits inside the main wing in the finished product to create a "double wing" design.
Masking
Masking the body parts took the second longest amount of time to complete.
For the main body, the main cockpit window was masked first. I know the box art scheme has a black window, but I wanted it clear instead. Then, the areas I wanted white were masked off. Remember, dark colors, like the metallic blue I used, are sprayed first when painting polycarbonate bodies from the inside. After masking was complete, the areas I wanted painted blue were the only sections exposed.
The main wing needed a white stripe down the middle, so I masked it off, making sure it was evenly spaced on both sides.
The under tray and secondary wing pieces needed no masking because they are all blue and all white, respectively.
Painting
I used Tamiya PS-16 Metal Blue and Tamiya PS-1 White straight from the can.
This step is probably the simplest, but at the same time one of the most frustrating. The very narrow space on each side of the main wing makes it practically impossible to get spray paint there. I kept spraying and spraying, but the paint wouldn't go in. In the past I've moved the paint can nozzle closer to the wing but it usually results in too much paint hitting the surface which ruins the metallic effect or results in a dreaded run. I'd rather have it be too light in color than possibly have a drip or run.
The rest of the body parts painted nicely. The main body was easy to do. Many light coats were applied until it became mostly opaque. I wanted a dark, rich metallic blue color and I knew white would be backing it so I made sure the paint was thick enough not to have the white affect it too much. The under tray was the easiest because it was mostly flat which allowed the paint to coat it evenly.
After the blue paint was applied and left to dry for a while, I peeled off the masking which exposed the parts of the body I wanted to be white. The cockpit window mask was left in place. I sprayed the entire main body, main wing and secondary wing with Tamiya PS-1 white until it had nice coverage. After the white was dry, I removed the cockpit window mask and then removed all of the protective film covering each part. I let it dry for a few days before moving on to applying the decals.
Decaling
I think that applying decals to a body is the most enjoyable part of the work. No fiddling with sharp knives under tension, no plastic shards and no dust. Also, there are no smelly paint fumes to deal with. Just plop down in a chair with the TV on and play a bad movie while carefully cutting decals, dipping them in a soapy water solution and sticking them to the body.
It is certainly a time consuming process, but very straightforward. Each decal has a specific location where it needs to go and it is just a matter of cutting it out from the sheet and positioning it precisely on the body. The soapy water really helps with the final positioning. It lets you move the decal around instead of just having it stick where the decal happened to touch the surface of the body. It's also possible to remove the decal, re-dip in the soapy water solution and place it down again to get more time for positioning. The larger decals benefit from this more than the smaller ones, but when trying to get the perfect spacing every trick has to be used.
With the main decals finished, there was just one more thing: That yellow trim line between the main blue and white colors on the main body. I purchased some Pactra Trim Tape in yellow which comes as a roll of 8 different widths ranging from 1/32" to 1/2". I used the 1/16" wide strip.
[Side note: I discovered during my research for trim tape that Testors, the company that owns the Pactra brand, had begun to phase out most Pactra products as of mid-2013, including trim tape. You can still find it, however. It is also available under the Testors name, although the rolls are not as long. It comes in various colors, including blue, red, yellow, silver, white and black.]
I did not use any soapy water with the trim tape. It was strong enough to withstand removing and re-applying it over and over to get it in the correct position, so I decided that the soapy water wasn't necessary. It bends around curves and corners well. It is important to not stretch it as it is being applied, especially on concave surfaces. After a few hours it will try to return to its original length, so it will pull back and away from the surface. Use of a hair dryer or heat gun helps activate the adhesive and relaxes the tape, allowing it to adhere to the surface better.
Final Result
It is perfect? No, certainly not. I made a couple of rookie mistakes, like not ensuring that the masking tape was firmly pressed down in a couple places which allowed some paint to go under the tape where it shouldn't have. I always seem to have a couple spots like this. Luckily the two spots on this body are not too noticeable.
Am I happy with it? Yes, for two reasons: First, it's finally done after all these years. It is certainly a good feeling of accomplishment. Second, it looks quite nice, especially in person. These pictures don't really do it justice. I am my own worst critic because I know every flaw, every mistake and every shortcoming about it. I wish I could have done a better job than I did. But it is what it is.
Enjoy these pictures of the final product.
Vehicle: Kyosho Lazer ZX (originally released in 1989)
Body: MarwanRC Reproduction Lazer ZX
Decals: MarwanRC Reproduction Lazer ZX
Trim Lines: Parma Trim Tape (Yellow, 1/16" width)
Paint Scheme/Layout: Lazer ZX Box Art
This first set of pictures show the vehicle with the following wheels and tires:
- Wheels: J.C. Racing 2.2" Yokomo YZ10 5-Spoke
- Tires: Pro-Line Racing Caliber 2.2" (8211-02 front, 8210-02 rear)
This second set of pictures show the vehicle with the following wheels and tires:
- Wheels: Pargu2000 Aluminum Optima Mid Front Narrow Wheels (ms0020)
- Tires: MarwanRC Reproduction OT66 (rear), Kyosho Square Pin Narrow (front)
