Protecting Stock Car Roof Decals During Assembly

[bobss396]

Sometimes I do the roof decals last. But I did them already on this one.

The roof takes a beating during assembly. I simply tape a piece of scrap paper over it with Tamiya tape, applied lightly.

The car has to be close or completely done before I remove it.

[CaddyDaddy]

I LIKE IT!! I've had the same problem. How about a paper towel or paper napkin to provide a little cushion? Just a thought.......

[bobss396]

22 hours ago, CaddyDaddy said:

I LIKE IT!! I've had the same problem. How about a paper towel or paper napkin to provide a little cushion? Just a thought.......

I have used paper towels in the past, but paper holds the tape better. Maybe a paper towel under the paper next time. On this build, I ran into too many late-stage issues and did a lot of unplanned handling of a near-complete car. Something to avoid in the future.

[espo]

Great idea if you're not clear coating the decals. This is an issue on just about any build when installing the interior and chassis parts. I bought a premade foam pad that is designed for just this sort of job, and it works well to hold the body in place when doing bare metal foil. The foam is 6 inches wide and 1 foot long. The top has two different sized troughs for lake of a better term, that run length wise and helps hold the body in place.  A microfiber towel might also work setting the roof down on that.  

[bill-e-boy]

I have thin board (we call it "Custom Wood" here in NZ) lined with some polar fleece off cuts. Felt would work. Glue on with PVA glue. They are about 9" x 6" - or any size you want really. I have three of them. They are great for mock ups on the hard side too. You can see my most colourfull one in the background with the chassis sitting on it.