Here are the steps I follow for a great finish:
- Remove flashing and excess material from the kit
- Fix any imperfections in the kit with filler (I use EVERCOAT body filler found at automotive paint stores as it is friendly to plastic and is sandable) super glue or 5-minute epoxy. Squadron brand white and green putty work ok for small areas.
- Use 400-600-1000 wet sand paper to lightly go over the body being careful not to remove any detail and to help shape any repair spots or modifications. This will give the primer something to adhere to.(This is done over clean running warm water)
- Wash and rinse the body after sanding using a mild liquid dish soap. Carefully inspect for any imperfections and repeat step until it is to your liking.
- Let the body air dry in a dust free enviroment.
- Mount the body on a paint stand or coat hanger being extra careful not to to touch the surface being painted and you must be able to rotate and turn the mounted body for complete coverage.
-*** You must have the right weather conditions for painting. Read the mfg. recommendations as stated on the label. Check your local current conditions such as humidity, wind and temperature.
- Use a paint booth or fabricate one. There are model car paint booths and they are a bit expensive. I use a large cardboard box. This allows control of overspray on to areas you don"t want paint to go i.e., floor, carpet, tables etc. I have mine mounted on a pair of saw horses in my garage. I also do not recommend painting in an area that is dusty or windy.
- Prime the body or part with your choice of primer depending on your base color. I use Plasti-Kote primer as this is safe on most plastics, sandable and is safe to use with enamel or laquer paint. Follow mfg. recommendations on the lable. Put a light coat on and let it dry. Check for coverage and repeat until all surfaces are covered. Allow to dry completely!
- Drying*** Let the body or part dry in a dust free enviroment. ***I allow mine to air dry for an hour and then place it inside a food dehydrator.(see next paragraph) When removing from stand be careful not to touch painted surface.
- I purchased a food dehydrator and two extra shelves for the dehydrator. I took the two extra shelves and removed the webbing so that all I had was the plastic rings. This gives the dehydrator a deeper area to hold larger items like a car body. This acts the same as a heated paint booth just like a real automotive paint and body shop and allows the paint to cure. It will cure paint in about 2-3 hours. Turn off dehydrator and allow to cool before touching part. This is part of the curing as the warm surface may be tacky. This drastically decreases the time spent waiting on the body to dry normally.
...read the full guide with pics here
