Trim then paint or paint then trim?

[Pylon80 2628]

I am about to get started on a new car, this time I will be doing a '99 Impreza  Since I dislike doing the bodies and enjoy doing the chassis, I decided to start with the body this time. I want to get it done and finished before I even start touching the chassis.

I have seen a few times people painting the body first and then trimming it. I was curious to know what people preferred doing on TC. Note that I am using the scorch and fold technique to trim the body. I do not own lexan scissors and have never used them.

Thanks!

[silvertriple 3557]

Trim then paint. if you do the opposite, you may damage your paintjob while triming...

[Superluminal 3750]

24 minutes ago, silvertriple said:

Trim then paint. if you do the opposite, you may damage your paintjob while triming...

Totally agree - if i were to paint first then I would probably scratch it or crack it while cutting as sometimes there can be some quite intricate shapes that require nibbling out with the scissors or bending the shell to get clearance for your hands etc.

I know a few people paint fitst but I would really hate to make a perfect job masking then spraying only to ruin it right at the end with some ham fisted scissoring.

[Matty36 267]

I would trim first, but I use a compass cutter for the wheel arches, which is easier to do with a clear body, also making body mount holes is easier with a clear body, but I'm guessing that most have pre drilled holes.

[alvinlwh 5894]

I just cut out a pre painted Tamiya body yesterday and find that the factory paint is extremely hard. It took a good effort to scrap the paint off a piece of scrap, so if you can (most people can't I suppose) do as tough a paint job as Tamiya, I suppose you can paint first. Scratches on the inside of that (or most) shell does not show up outside anyway as PC bodies are unlike the normal paint job where the paint finish matters. Rather the shine is from the PC itself. I got some scratches on mine that is visible, due to my file slipping and scraping the outside, not the paint side. 

[matisse 1581]

Always one to go against the grain I’ve always trimmed after painting, never had an issue with paint cracking.

[Juggular 4964]

Any good pair of scissors would work fine too.  Obviously, curved scissors work the best. But half the magic is in the shortness.  So... keep it short.  Even with a regular pair, you will get the similar effect if you cut it very close to the pivoting point.  The farther away from the pivoting pin, the harder and imprecise it would cut.

You can use a marker on the outside of the shell to draw lines to cut.  You can follow the line.  (Drawing on the outside doesn't matter, because you'll peel the protective film off later.)

I cut first too. I think it's safer, less things to worry about. 

Occasionally, while cutting, the outside film could be damaged.  If that happens, I just tape the exposed part so the paint won't get on the outside.  

 

[Busdriver 6209]

Cut/ trim first for me

[DeadMeat666 1675]

I always trim first and paint after. I've also found that the score and fold technique only works up to a certain thickness of lexan. If you have a really thick body, such as that of my Gmade Buffalo crawler, I found scoring and folding pretty much impossible and had to resort to scissors.

Also I find trimming quite difficult, so if I find I trimmed a body properly, THEN I put money into laying down paint. If I paint first and trim badly later, I lose the value of the body and the paint!

[Shodog 1835]

I do both. I pop the body post holes and get it trimmed out fairly well with a hobby knife. Once painted you can easily see the cut lines. I go in with a dremel with a sanding drum to clean up the body

[Pylon80 2628]

Thanks for all the inputs.

@matisse I too like going against the grain sometimes, all part of experimenting and being an individual I suppose! I am leaning towards doing this one paint then trim, since nobody has provided strong warning of impending doom. I'll never know if I don't try.