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foz75

Realistic looking lights on a lexan body?

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What's the best way to create realistic looking lights on a lexan body? Stickers just look a bit naff. I'm not too worried about them actually working. Are there any techniques for painting or detailing things like this?

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lightbuckets if there is made a set for the specific body shell. some body shells does come with lightbuckets as standard.

i guess it also depends on the lights, with tail lights, some can just be painted with a clear red/orange color. or use transparent red/orange stickers. headlights is much harder to get a realistic depth to with just painting.

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1 hour ago, foz75 said:

What's the best way to create realistic looking lights on a lexan body? Stickers just look a bit naff. I'm not too worried about them actually working. Are there any techniques for painting or detailing things like this?

Rabbit hole runs deep if you’re really serious ;) 

Drift fellas started with proper lightcups then innovators like Overdose progressed to fresnel lines on the clear lexan covers; like these generic ones later cribbed by Pandora 

https://www.pandora-rc.net/drift/vinylgraphic/3d-graphic-decal-headlight/

Then for AE86 fans, there’s even proper popup headlights. 

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I don't think there are any specific light buckets, but I think some generic circular ones should one. I've spent the afternoon on youtube and there are quite a few solutions I had no idea about! I still don't have the shell so will wait until I do and then take measurements, etc. thanks for the help!

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What shell are we talking about exactly?

Best in the biz is yokomo who made proper injection molded chromed buckets for most of their recent shells... and they sell them separate as spares too!!

So the easiest/craziest way is to buy whole range of yokomo buckets to see which one suits your shell best. There’s about 12-15 different Y bucket sprues only... :P same again from Tamiya buy spare parts buckets ain’t as easy to buy. 

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One of the few things my resin printer is good for, is things like light buckets.  It gives a very smooth finish, so chrome paint takes well.  If it's a fully circular light then it should be fairly easy to make up a light bucket to fit.

If you wanted the Fresnel lines also then the link posted by @WillyChang looks like a good one.  Some bodies come with a clear lens option even if they don't come with a light bucket.  IIRC (and I may be wrong here as I haven't had the decals out for a while) the HPI Mini Cooper body comes with a clear option for the front lights, but no actual light buckets.

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I'd be checking the 3D printed scene and see if someone produces a lightbucket for your body.   That's the only way I think they look real.

This is a funny topic b/c you see some guys put the decals on the ABS hard bodies to make them look more real.  I do think they look blah on Lexan bodies.

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