m4inbrain

It's not much, but it's honest work. First time painting, i'm well happy with that so far. Either underestimated the paint needed, or am way too generous though - already went through a full can of TS-29, currently waiting on delivery for the next two. All painted in the kitchen in that airbrush booth - works well enough for TS paint. Bit concerned about the top coat (automotive paint, more volume) - but so far, so good. Won't do a clear coat after reading more into 2k clear, i can't be bothered spending big money on air fed respirators and whatnot just to, well, not die. It'll be fine without. Quite fun and relaxing (unless C clips are involved) so far, apart from the first few painted parts (stressing out lol).

Appreciated mate - but while i haven't picked up the X20, i did buy an X18 (out for delivery tomorrow). Not just for the truck, but i can foresee cinewhoops and boats in the immediate future too. That MT12 might be a decent pick for the wife though, no need to share the NB4 anymore.

Yeah, i did read that it's more powerful. It does have a 120mm 12v, so indeed it's a PC fan - and i do have a few more decent Noctua fans, but i couldn't care less about a china special 12v fan (£3 for a 10 pack from china), so if using it as a pure exhaust without filter works but ruins the fan i'm more than fine with that. Wheelspin do be delivering tomorrow, meaning all the TS (and "X") paints will be here - i'll give painting the rear fenders a shot, i'll figure out rather quickly how possible or not it is. The paints painted in automotive paint are further down the line, i'll figure something out until then. I might just have to spray it inside a box or something and sand it back (can't imagine having a paint cloud inside a box that settles on the fresh paint be an improvement to the overall paintjob) depending on how well or not the booth works without filter.

That's a fair point lol, Orkney is likely similar in conditions. Only that i don't have a shed and would be spraying exposed (can't go straight in front of the door either because that's where my very beloved and pampered car lives). In regards to extraction and filter, that's what the booth was supposed to be. I'll not be spraying PS paint though, but TS paint - i only mentioned it because that's the only paint i've sprayed so far (and it didn't go particularly well). Hm, bit at a loss now, not sure what to do. I could potentially remove the filter from the booth and route the "exhaust pipe" out of the window, that should give enough airflow to extract, would be my guess?

My only option to paint is the kitchen, or don't paint at all. Starting from UK weather (amplified by me living 500m from the coast) preventing me from painting outside due to sand, dust, tree-stuff and general moisture (and salt) in the air, to the kitchen being the only place in my household where pets aren't allowed (no hairs, dander etc). I did paint in a box like that before (well, close enough anyway) - the paint "cloud" just wafted out, plenty of evidence on our bench outside the door now. While that was PS paint, not TS, i don't think that'd make that much a difference. The booth isn't as much for fumes etc, it's to keep the "overspray" inside, rather than layering the kitchen in some kind of pearl blue haze. I intend to use a respirator anyway (required for 2k clear either way), so that doesn't make a difference to me. I'll think about it, maybe i'll get a big box, cut the back out of it and sticky tape the booth there. My only concern is keeping every bit of paint inside whatever i'm spraying in, nothing else. I'll give the booth a test run to see if it keeps the paint in, if not, i'll see what i can do with a big box. I did run it a few minutes ago after seeing your post, and it's indeed a bit on the weak side, but again, it's what i have, gotta make it work one way or another. If only to not have spent £90 for nothing, lol.

That's an awful lot of work for painting a single model.. I'll make that booth work, even with a few modifications. I can extend the size with cardboard/baking paper, and i have plenty of fans (including high static pressure fans, which i assume they didn't use) that i can throw at it to improve airflow. It's what i have, either it works or i can't paint, there's not much in between. Thanks for pointing the issue out with the booth.

Yeah - did say though in the first post that it's an Actros. 13-14 inches should be possible without ruining the bedroom (and my marriage). I'll go with your suggestion, i'll not clear anything but the "main colour", makes it easier. I'll stick to a wet sand if required. Cheers mate, appreciated.

Haven't even started yet lol, but got most paints (all the tamiya paints, like TS-29, TS-17 etc - just missing the "main colour" automotive paint), but thanks. I'm currently trying to figure out how i'm going to do it, most likely i'll go through the manual, cutting out all the pieces that need TS-29 etc and spray them in one go. Edit: also waiting on a set of wet/dry sandpaper ranging from 2000 to 8000 grit. Fender liner refers to the inside, if i'm not mistaken (english not being my mother tongue)? That i'm not that worried about, it's mostly out of the way so i'm not tooooo bothered about it. I meant the other side, over the two rear axles. The pictures show these as kind of.. satin, would be my guess? I'm not sure how "tough" TS paint is, but the model will be used, hence wondering whether or not these fenders should be clear coated (and if so, which one, TS-80?). This is the progress so far, can't really do much more (other than actually bolting the gearbox in) before parts require paint. Can i just say, i really dislike phillips head screws. And E-clips, lol. Other than that, goes together nicely. edit: judging by your picture, i should be spraying those fenders from around 20 inches away then, seems reasonably accurate? Not quite sure if i can even do that, my "paint booth" (ebay job with filter/fan) is pretty small), it's now cold and wet until probably august next year (UK).

Another question, sorted myself out mostly now (with most of the paints ordered now) - but am a bit at a loss now. I do have a rough idea how to paint the cab, but what do you guys do about things like the fenders etc? I'll be spraying as suggested, TS-29 semi gloss black - do you prime those parts too? And more importantly, do you clear coat them - and if so, in what? Flat clear? Also, from what i seem to recall, tamiya clear (TS-80 would be my guess) on acrylic leads to unhappy days? Also, if not possible (or not worth), can you use automotive polish compound directly on TS paint? Questions, questions, sorry.

By stages i mean the stages of the paintjob - primer, base coat, top coat, clear coat, i didn't say stages of coats. Each stage has multiple coats though with pauses in between (first coat "dusting", then 10-15 minutes of letting it tack up before the next coat of whatever i'm spraying). Or do you just spray one coat straight on and then be done? So, too close = orange peel (or runs), too far away grainy finish? I'm assuming that this can/should be fixed by wet sanding then? And yeah of course i'll only sand if there's a problem, but it's delusional to assume that there won't be considering it's my first paint job. Hence gathering the information now so i can fix it when it inevitably happens, rather than screwing it up and not knowing how to fix it.

In which case, wet sand between coats, or wet sand between stages? As in, wet sand between each base coat or do all base coats first, then wet sand, then top coat? Technically you could increase air to paint ratio by increasing distance between can and target, am i understanding this wrong?

It does, although i'll likely skip the entire "shaping" part, since i wouldn't be able to spot anything but huge imperfections. It's the first ever body, i'd like to keep it reasonably simple - so i'll stick to getting the paint right, rather than getting everything right. Unless of course there's a big visible dent in the cab. Other than that, no sanding for potential orange peel (which i'm not entirely sure what it is in the first place, have only seen it mentioned) etc? Keeping in mind that this is a "first" paintjob, so it's not going to be perfect spray pattern etc. I'll very much try to not create paint runs, but the only way to learn distance and speed is by doing it, and getting everything right first try is highly unlikely. The paint i'll be using would require a clear coat, at least according to the manufacturer. As mentioned, it's automotive paint. It's also not a pearl clear, the "pearl" is in the colour top coat - the clear coat is just automotive 2k clear. Thank you, appreciate it.

Hey there, i'm certain that this has probably been answered a thousand times already, just can't find it at the moment (at least not comprehensive in one post), so apologies for once again asking an already elsewhere answered question (or a few). So, on the model-side, i've got everything ordered and am waiting on deliveries (Actros 3363 Gigaspace) - which gave me ample time to think about the colour i'd like the body to be. I've settled on a pearl blue by specialistpaints/Kustom Canz. Here's where the questions come in. From the get-go, i've seen in videos that the ABS body is white plastic. The manufacturer suggests a white base coat for the pearl blue top coat - and their plastic primer is clear. In my shopping cart i do have a can of "base white", but is it necessary? I don't know if there's a difference between spraying white abs > clear primer > white base coat > blue top coat > 2k clear, or the same steps minus the white base coat. Should i spray it, or is it okay to leave that step out? Secondly, and this is stupid basic now: i've watched a few videos, and everyone does things differently by the looks. Some people sand the primer, some people sand the primer and base coat, some people sand after quite literally every step - what's the actual process for "general use"? This is my first real hard body, i intend to paint it reasonably well - i'm not delusional enough to think that i'll get it perfect, i'd just like to get it to where i'm not annoyed by it. In my mind, as someone who hasn't done it yet, the steps are the following: Debur all parts to be painted, then soapy wash. Then scotchbrite all parts, wash again (not sure if necessary, but in my mind there's a chance to push the mould release into fine scratches, so i'd rather scotchbrite without mould release on the body). Plastic primer on (sucks that i can only get clear primer), in two coats. Wet sand it down, soap water again. Base coat on, in 2-3 coats, 10 minutes between coats, fist one being a light "dusting". After it dries.. well, i guess another wet sand, and another wash? After that, top coat on - dusting first, then 10 minutes between coats, around 3-4 coats again. Letting it dry, then 2k clear, then polish/buff as needed. Does that sound right? Which stages are crucial to be sanded after? To i need to sand the top coat (or equally, could i if required? What grit paper to use? Anything else i need other than the paints i've mentioned plus a 50pack of Tac Cloths? Thank you in advance.

I prefer wrenching on my own car, but that ain't happening anymore either - i know what my previous paintjobs look like (even Lexan shells, i just can't get into prep), so that's a great option for me. Otherwise i'd have probably paid someone to paint it. Still might, but in the end, that's where i'll end up for now. Actros 3363 Gigaspace 6x4 in pearl blue, bearing kit, direct steering and carson 80t. Good enough for the first ever truck.

From what i've seen in videos, it's good enough for the girls i'm dating i'll be honest. Certainly not gonna look worse than a paintjob by yours truly. edit: it does have a pearl/metallic effect, so it's not just coloured plastic, i don't think?

Okay, here's another question, since it's not 100% clear from the descriptions. Looking at the "pre-painted variants" of the kits, are they fully painted, or just, well, the cab? Looking in particular at the 3363 Gigaspace in pearl blue. While not necessarily the most exciting of colours, it's good enough, saves some money (well, potentially) and ensures that i'll not ruin the build at that particular stage. Checking the manuals of these trucks, they're just the manual of the general unpainted kit, so.. yeah, not certain?

Cheers, appreciate it. There has been a small development, someone in our local club does have the 620 (in the process of finishing it), i'll have a look at it on friday, to get an impression. But, because he has one, i gotta step it up to the Actros Gigaspace now lol. I definitely will go to the direct steering "upgrade", i'm not too sure about an alternative gearbox - it's the first truck i'll ever build (well, we'll see if it's the first or last depending on how it goes), i'll build it with the parts that are supplied rather than immediately souping it up with reasonably expensive parts (keeping in mind that i do have to start from scratch in regards to radio etc, adding to the bill). That's something for later down the line - but thanks for pointing them out in the first place.

Now that's helpful, thank you very much. I'd probably go the micro servo route, since i don't live in the US (not sure if i can readily get this in the UK) - and i do have a few old micro servos flying around from TRX4 projects. Cheers.

Thanks for the manual, it's very.. german. Not the language, just the amount of abbreviations and exhaustive (exhausting) detail. And i say that as a german. But i think it doesn't apply really, since the SBUS configuration is done all through an app with the GT Power unit, with drop down menus. Not quite sure whether or not it really is that simple, but i can only figure that out once i got everything here. I've not heard the term "direct drive steering servo" yet (the only stuff where i've heard it was in sim-racing, for direct drive wheel setups, but that's something else entirely), so i'm not quite sure what you mean by that. I haven't build nor seen a truck yet, so i don't know how steering works on these rigs - i'm used to servo->horn->some kind of ackermann steering. Does that require some kind of modification? The Montana cans are certainly priced well, but i'll stick with the automotive paint - mainly because i can get literally everything in one go and more importantly, from the same manufacturer (primer, base coat, colour coat, 2k clear), so it saves some potential heartache there later down the line. Being automotive, it should be reasonably resilient too. Sanding and finessing might not be happening considering i'm, well, ham-fisted, but again.. It's not meant to win prices, it's meant to be "my first truck", hence the cheapest one (3axle) available. Later down the line, if i stick with this niche of the hobby, we'll look into improving my handywork - for now, this is more or less an experiment. I mainly want to build another kit, and currently there's no crawlers tickling my fancy - and i've recently built a drifter on the edge of my possible budget, so there's nowhere to go there (other than £1800+ rigs, which i can't afford and don't see a point without going to competitions etc) - so a lorry it is. I'll certainly look into alloy wheels, wheel wobble is one of my biggest pet peeves (especially on open wheel rigs like my Capra, took me hours to get the foams/beadlocks right) - cheers bud.

That's a good point, but if the SBUS stuff on the GT Power was wonky, leading to not being able to control everything as desired, i'd probably control everything through the smart phone and just install one of my Noble NB4 receivers (i'm more of a pistol grip radio person for surface RC ). Of course, the Mini was chosen with space in mind, i have no clue how much space is available for electrics - indeed if it's not that much of a concern, then a more "normal" receiver makes more sense.

Looked at that, talked to a few people now - out of curiosity, why this one over, for example, an Archer RS Plus Mini? The Mini would be much more convenient to install, and if i do understand any of this stuff correctly (might not), the PWM channels are redundant through SBUS anyway?

Yes, through a GT Power 60A Pro unit, controlled via SBUS.

That's good to hear, i landed with them after googling "pearl green", i do enjoy their colour palette - but i think a red truck might be more suitable to the potential trailers i'd have access to. They suggest backing that red (Candy Deep Red) with metallic silver coarse, i did decide on "medium" rather than course because i thought it looks more suitable on a smaller scale vehicle. According to their videos, too (see spoiler). edit: somehow screwed up the spoilers, can't get the sentence out there lol. Did you prime the cab prior?

Hey there, sorry if it's an immediate obvious question to someone who has a bit of experience with FrSky stuff - i have not (yet), trying to understand a few things that aren't mentioned in manuals etc. So, the idea is to order a Truck kit, a GT Power 60A Sound Unit, as well as an FrSky X20. I'm currently trying to figure out what kind of receiver i need, the manual of the GT Power unit explains (in somewhat broken english) that the unit itself has Ch1-4 as PWM outputs, as well as one SBUS/PPM port. The pinout for that is +-S, like a servo wire. Now, as i understand it (and please correct me if i'm wrong, i'm new to all this), this SBUS port from the GT Power unit goes to an SBUS capable receiver. My main issue, and the issue i have trouble wrapping my head around, is that there's multiple things like FPort, SPort etc. Now, i did find a convenient receiver - tiny, light and cheap - the Archer M+. The "pinout" on that is SBUS Out, SPort, +-. The confusing part is this, i've seen other receivers with SBUS In etc, so.. How does this work? I assume that a straight servo connection lead won't work, so lets instead assume i'd take a servo lead, cut the connector off the receiver side and solder straight to the receiver pads. + to +, - to -, and SBUS Out to "SBUS" on the GT Power unit. Would that do the trick, or am i being stupid? I'm sorry if this should be immediately obvious, after reading so much stuff about so many different radios (trying to decide between Paladin, EthOS radios, OpenTX, different receiver protocols and all the other stuff) i just got lost now.

Hey bud - yeah, i could technically get Tamiya TS paint, but there's a few things in regards to PS paint that i didn't like (mainly the fact that certain effects/colours are impossible to achieve without a headache worth of extra work, like Nissans Midnight Purple). They're also considerably more expensive than automotive paint. Translated into doll hairs, a 100ml can is $7.50, whereas a can of this particular colour: is $17.50 for 400ml. It's also kind of a one stop shop, i can get base coat, 2k clear coat etc all from them, including (if required) plastic primer, so zero hassle there, i get big cans that allow me a test run on a scrap piece etc. I understand that the nozzles of TS cans are considered some of the best in the business, i can't attest to that since i've never used anything else (well, PS paint but i'd assume they're the same). It's an "entry level build", if you want.