Reality Not Matching Expectation! Ford Ranger 150 Resto

[Chasm]

HI, I am Chas, 46, UK, joined the forum last week after spending a considerable time browsing the forum for tips and hints.

I am currently rebuilding a Mk2 type vintage sand scorcher chassis with a vintage but battered Ford Ranger body that I was given some years ago and it has since circulated between various cupboards and the loft.

I suddenly got the bug to have a go at restoring it about 3 months ago, I did not realise what a massive money pit they are, especially the spray cans from Tamiya!

I have been taking pics on the way through and will post them at some point.

I am getting so frustrated at with lack of talent or being too impatient when painting the body wrecking the perfect picture I have in my head! Various paint problems mean that it is not going to be quite the "Box Art" version I was after.

Here are a before and in progress photo of the body, the paint has been mucked up a little since while flatting and varnishing (laquer)

Anyway, the point of this was just asking how many others have the same problem!

(And nice to meet you all)

[Psylence]

I feel your pain.

In fact, I have a confession to make. All of the kits I have built recently are still awaiting paint. It's the part I dread the most. Especially when I see how gorgeous other peoples work is! I'd rather build ball diffs while drunk and with no thumbs... Yours really looks pretty good though. I'd put it on my shelf for sure!

[wolfdogstinkus]

You did a good job repairing that roof, I bet there are members here who would have chucked that in the bin.

I have a blitzer beetle shell that may interest you. :D

[BadWagon]

Bud,

Don't let the paint get ya down. Besides, if the paint is perfect, ya might not want to run it.

Enjoy it. Don't let imperfections in the paint keep you from enjoying it. The great thing about this hobby is that you can always go back and rebuild, restore, repaint, etc.

Throw a pack in it and go get it dirty.

[Chasm]

I feel your pain.

In fact, I have a confession to make. All of the kits I have built recently are still awaiting paint. It's the part I dread the most. Especially when I see how gorgeous other peoples work is! I'd rather build ball diffs while drunk and with no thumbs... Yours really looks pretty good though. I'd put it on my shelf for sure!

Phew, so it's not just me lol and thanks for the compliment.

You did a good job repairing that roof, I bet there are members here who would have chucked that in the bin.

I have a blitzer beetle shell that may interest you. :D

Never say never! there is always room for another project later

Bud,

Don't let the paint get ya down. Besides, if the paint is perfect, ya might not want to run it.

Enjoy it. Don't let imperfections in the paint keep you from enjoying it. The great thing about this hobby is that you can always go back and rebuild, restore, repaint, etc.

Throw a pack in it and go get it dirty.

Thank you, It is a difficult thing, after you have put so much effort in, to risk damaging it! as a kid I would not have thought twice about it, but now, I can't help thinking what a nice ornament it would make too!

[markbt73]

Painting is a skill, and like any skill, it must be practiced. Maybe you shouldn't have jumped straight in with a vintage body, but the great thing about the hard bodies is that you can always strip it off and try again. Most of my hard-body cars are on their second (or third) paint jobs.

Besides, I think it looks great! Can't even see that roof repair.

[Daves956]

I think it looks good and I do feel for you. I keep aiming for shelf queen and ending up with a basher driven by another zombie. I'm improving in the body painting but on the faces for drivers I'm not. I've adjusted my goals accordingly. If the driver looks like he survived my driving and painting then it's all good. I also try not to get too close to the bodies, I'm in the 2 foot catagory, any closer and I start noticing the flaws.

[beefmuffin]

welcome to my life! what i've ended up settling for is redoing bodies that i've mucked up later on when my skills have improved. i also developed a healthy aversion to working on really rare bodies when i don't feel ready. my original new monster beetle shell is still awaiting paint. hopefully not for too much longer. but yeah, sometimes it feels like trying to paint a picture on a canvas. you've seen people just sit down and make incredible art. then when you try it it just turns into a blotchy mess. so there's more finesse to it than quite meets the eye. but i guess this is a good place to get tips and improve.

[JeepnMike]

I'd rather build ball diffs while drunk and with no thumbs...

I just lost a perfectly good mouthful of ale.. That quote is worthy of a signature!!

[MadInventor]

You did a good job repairing that roof, I bet there are members here who would have chucked that in the bin.

Me for one. I have chucked away bodyshells with less damage than that. That's an excellent repair IMO

[bromvw]

Excellent job on saving that body . Dont be too self critical mate . Painting these hard bodys takes time to learn . We all mess up sometimes - even after doing a good many of them . The best tip i can give is to take your time . Try to work in good day light and make sure the body 100% clean , dust free before hitting it with the paint .

One thing i have learned is that automotive spray cans are a lot easier to use ( and better value ) than Tamiya ones . I swear by Halfords own brand hard plastic primer and rattle cans .

Keep up the good work and just enjoy the Hobby and BTW that paint job is a lot better than many i have seen in some peoples showroom photos .

[Sayer]

One thing i have learned is that automotive spray cans are a lot easier to use ( and better value ) than Tamiya ones . I swear by Halfords own brand hard plastic primer and rattle cans .

Automotive is better value, but I went back to Tamiya after trying them - better suited to my limited skills

I once painted and stripped a Mu bodyshell 3 times before I got it reasonably right.

[BadWagon]

So I finally got the images to load, and I think you did a great job on the paint and repair!

I'd be proud to have that body on one of my cars... so what are ya worried about?

The ONLY thing that I see (which I might be one of the few people who would notice it) is: You've got a Ford body and a direct connection sticker on it... which is a Mopar decal... but that's just a very small detail, and the decal looks really good on the body..

Now go throw a battery in it and RUN IT... I can tell, it wants to be run.

[Chasm]

I think it looks good and I do feel for you. I keep aiming for shelf queen and ending up with a basher driven by another zombie. I'm improving in the body painting but on the faces for drivers I'm not. I've adjusted my goals accordingly. If the driver looks like he survived my driving and painting then it's all good. I also try not to get too close to the bodies, I'm in the 2 foot catagory, any closer and I start noticing the flaws.

I think that the 2 foot rule would result in a more relaxed life. lol thank you.

welcome to my life! what i've ended up settling for is redoing bodies that i've mucked up later on when my skills have improved. i also developed a healthy aversion to working on really rare bodies when i don't feel ready. my original new monster beetle shell is still awaiting paint. hopefully not for too much longer. but yeah, sometimes it feels like trying to paint a picture on a canvas. you've seen people just sit down and make incredible art. then when you try it it just turns into a blotchy mess. so there's more finesse to it than quite meets the eye. but i guess this is a good place to get tips and improve.

Me for one. I have chucked away bodyshells with less damage than that. That's an excellent repair IMO

I have looked at quite a few of the beetle paint builds and it still scares me! I also think that one of my problems is not waiting for the paint to fully dry before removing the masking tape, I did this for example after trying to laquer an area where I rubbed through to the paint underneath while flatting back, The paint was soft from the laquer and pulled off with the tape in a new area! Ahh!

Excellent job on saving that body . Dont be too self critical mate . Painting these hard bodys takes time to learn . We all mess up sometimes - even after doing a good many of them . The best tip i can give is to take your time . Try to work in good day light and make sure the body 100% clean , dust free before hitting it with the paint .

One thing i have learned is that automotive spray cans are a lot easier to use ( and better value ) than Tamiya ones . I swear by Halfords own brand hard plastic primer and rattle cans .

Keep up the good work and just enjoy the Hobby and BTW that paint job is a lot better than many i have seen in some peoples showroom photos .

Thanks, I have a compressor and smaller spraygun in the garage I may have to have a go with that one day, I thought painting the 1:1 cars where a pain, but the smaller they are, the larger the problems!

So I finally got the images to load, and I think you did a great job on the paint and repair!

I'd be proud to have that body on one of my cars... so what are ya worried about?

The ONLY thing that I see (which I might be one of the few people who would notice it) is: You've got a Ford body and a direct connection sticker on it... which is a Mopar decal... but that's just a very small detail, and the decal looks really good on the body..

Now go throw a battery in it and RUN IT... I can tell, it wants to be run.

Missed the connection sticker decal fact!. I was so eager to try and replicate the box art. I will watch out for such details in future, cheers

When I put the photos up, you will see that I didn't know about plastic sheets at the beginning! I used a soldering iron and plastic sprue to begin with when bridging the gap initially.

All your comments are very appreciated, thanks you

[THEWILD1]

all my cars are finished in white ABS coloured paint' the finish is so good it looks just like white ABS!

[Fixit]

Nice job saving that body from the bin.

Get yourself some 'modelstrip' its great for removing paint, does what it says on the tin! http://www.wonderlan...rip-modelstrip/

I use auto paint from Halfrauds, so many colours you can match most other paints and its good stuff for RC bodies. Like every one else has said, practice makes perfect (or nearly perfect), take your time and don't try to get it all down in one coat, very light coats until your happy with it.

[Chasm]

Nice job saving that body from the bin.

Get yourself some 'modelstrip' its great for removing paint, does what it says on the tin! http://www.wonderlan...rip-modelstrip/

I use auto paint from Halfrauds, so many colours you can match most other paints and its good stuff for RC bodies. Like every one else has said, practice makes perfect (or nearly perfect), take your time and don't try to get it all down in one coat, very light coats until your happy with it.

Cheers, I left the body in Dot4 brake fluid and gave it a scrub every other day, took nearly three weeks! Then brought some disolveit from homebase and sped things up slightly! the disolveit made a right mess of the tailgate though the second time I stripped it.

[THEWILD1]

I will second the "Halfrauds" paints, the plastic primers are flawless if used right, I used to work in an auto paint shop and let me tell you one thing' preparation is the key to a good paint job, go the extra mile and don't cut corners. Another recommendation is Micro Mesh cloths and pads, expensive yes but much better than sand paper, can smooth out even the worst of paint jobs!

[njmlondon]

I suddenly got the bug to have a go at restoring it about 3 months ago, I did not realise what a massive money pit they are, especially the spray cans from Tamiya!

I have been taking pics on the way through and will post them at some point.

I am getting so frustrated at with lack of talent or being too impatient when painting the body wrecking the perfect picture I have in my head! Various paint problems mean that it is not going to be quite the "Box Art" version I was after.

Hi ChasNice to meet you and welcome.

We all hear your pain!

The answer to your dilema in in your question... "being too impatient".

Like you I found my painting did not live up to expectations and I ruined (or at least did not make the best job of) a lot of bodies until I learnt that in painting there is no such thing as a short cut.

I read a lovely post on here about 5 or more years ago and the TC member used the phrase "I am now at one with the investing in preparation". To get the sort of finishes that some of the chaps on here get, it takes time, sanding, washing, sanding again and washing, applying a primer, sanding again, applying an undercoat, sanding again, and then maybe 2 or 3 more coats like this.

I also chose to buy an airbrush which means you can put down coats as thin as you like. The more thin coats the smoother and more even it will be. Now I have one I will never use rattlecans again (and the paint is much cheaper). It also makes it more enjoyable than just rattling cans so actually the task is something I now look forward to rather than dreading.

I think you have done a great job with that Ranger, really brilliant restoration of a damaged shell. All I can advise, is that if you want it to be perfect it will take a lot of time and patience.

Good luck! Noel

[TA-Mark]

I can spend weeks on a paint job. Between prep and sanding, waiting for paints to dry before moving onto the next step. It's all a patience game, and you are better off waiting one day too long with the dry time than one day too soon. I must admit that I do procrastinate on paint jobs quite a bit because I know how big of a task it is from start to finish. I have many more in the paint queue than in the build queue.

My last spray job was a Mini-Z Subaru 1:24 scale. One colour with black trims around the windows. It took nine days to paint. There's nothing special about the paint either (like I usually do with candys and metal flake and pearls and the like), it's just plain solid yellow.

Another thing to remember is that as you are the one doing it, you know every tiny little imperfection in the finish. Others never notice it until you point it out to them. They see 'perfect paint', you see 'reality that doesn't meet expectations'.

[Chasm]

I can spend weeks on a paint job. Between prep and sanding, waiting for paints to dry before moving onto the next step. It's all a patience game, and you are better off waiting one day too long with the dry time than one day too soon. I must admit that I do procrastinate on paint jobs quite a bit because I know how big of a task it is from start to finish. I have many more in the paint queue than in the build queue.

My last spray job was a Mini-Z Subaru 1:24 scale. One colour with black trims around the windows. It took nine days to paint. There's nothing special about the paint either (like I usually do with candys and metal flake and pearls and the like), it's just plain solid yellow.

Another thing to remember is that as you are the one doing it, you know every tiny little imperfection in the finish. Others never notice it until you point it out to them. They see 'perfect paint', you see 'reality that doesn't meet expectations'.

I can only hope that's true, because I can only see the faults! lol

[Team Rawlings]

G'Day Chas welcome,

As every one has said patience is key with paint. I my self use automotive rattle cans for all my runners, cheaper than the Tamiya stuff and easy to find extra for repairs ect.

I must admit it has taken me awhile to relearn the skills and patience of painting now that I'm back into this great hobby.

And money pit it is but oh what a great way to spend it!:-)

What I can see in you pics you have got some excellent modeling skills.

Look forward to seeing the finished product!

Cheers Shaun

[Chasm]

Photobucket test! First bridging of the damaged roof

[Chasm]

Then the "chewing gum" look

[Chasm]

Then a months worth of dip in DOT 4 brake fluid to get rid of the paint and things moved on again after use of glues, soldering iron, lots of make it up as you go along!

and on to more filling

I made a sunroof out of an old M.S keyboard palm rest I had in the cupboard and fitted it.

and replaced/made/repaired the lower missing corner on the front.