TOPIC:

Hi, The decals that come in a reissue rough rider include the large white section that goes across the rear of the roof and down both sides. On the original, was this a sticker or was it painted with the smaller stickers over the top of the white paint? I realise there were two options for box art schemes but I plan to go with the red or orange and white with Rob Mitchell Racing decals rather than blue and white with ISS. I have managed to aquire an original nos 1979 body and I dont want to spoil it with reissue decals if thats not how it was when new. Thanks.

The white on the original had to be painted. And the painting is not easy because of the narrow orange lines around the cocpit.
The reissue sponsor dacals has more or less the same look but if uou look closely, the names of the sponsors has been changed from the originals to Tamiya's own names.

-Lars

Thanks Lars, will definitely paint it then. White first then mask over the white and apply the orange. Will be easy to get the thin lines you mentioned that way. I have a repro original sticker sheet and was wondering why there was no big white pieces but in the reissue set there is.

Now has anyone ever sprayed clear lacquer over the decals? Does it look any good? Does it interfere with the glue on the decals? Planning on using automotive lacquer which I used on all the others I have restored with no issues but have never sprayed over decals.
Thanks, Steve.

Never tried it myself but I have read about that and it seems to work fine and look good.
Maybe it would be best to try the lacquer on a small (unused) part of the decals first to make sure it doesn't eat it...

sjh70 wrote:

Thanks Lars, will definitely paint it then. White first then mask over the white and apply the orange. Will be easy to get the thin lines you mentioned that way. I have a repro original sticker sheet and was wondering why there was no big white pieces but in the reissue set there is.

Now has anyone ever sprayed clear lacquer over the decals? Does it look any good? Does it interfere with the glue on the decals? Planning on using automotive lacquer which I used on all the others I have restored with no issues but have never sprayed over decals.
Thanks, Steve.

In my experience paint will always bleed under masking - though you can improve things by using decent quality stuff & making sure it's well stuck down ... my #1 tip would be to spray the white, mask up, then spray white again - that way when the paint does bleed, it'll be white paint bleeding onto white paint, if you see what I mean. That extra cost of white will seal the masking, so when you spray the orange, it won't bleed

re laquering decals - i've done it with hycote acrylic, halfords acrylic and humbrol enamel laquers, and home printed, repro and genuine stickers - all permutations - and never had an issue. In theory, laquering over decals seals the edges & helps stop dirt getting in, and also provides some UV protection ... but the best reason is that laquering makes the decals look sharper, and shinier - matching the finish of the paintwork better.

I always put decals on wet (see www.tamiyaclub....cid=109067 :) ) - if you that, make sure you leave adequate drying time (24-48 hours) otherwise you'll be sealing in moisture which could degrade the decals over time.

Thanks boys, good advice. I tried a little piece and the clear did not eat it. Covered it nicely and sealed the edges well, looks pretty good also. I understand what you mean about the bleeding through of different colours but I have found an automotive tape that resembles a pinstripe that is for edge masking on cars and it seals the edges really well. I two toned a sand scorcher in box art with it and had absolutely no bleed through anywhere. Probably wouldnt hurt to give it a quick coat of white first tho and I might just do that to make sure it's perfect. Thanks again.

Anyone here tried to remove original stickers? I'm about to embark on a restore of a RR - and the body has a full set in great condition - but the paintwork is a bit ropey - so my ideal scenario is to remove the stickers in a way I can reuse. Wondering if a good soak and careful drying might work?

Chris

I highly doubt that would be possible. They are very thin and brittle. Just peel them all off and buy a set of repro ones from RCcarstickers.com. They are a very good reproduction and look excellent. You can buy from this bloke over the net and pay with a credit card, about a week or so later, they're on your door step. Too easy.

Removing stickers - easier if you GENTLY warm them with a hairdryer first. Remove any remaining goob with WD40. Laquer - I usually laquer over decals, it stops them peeling later in life & in the case of home-made ones, makes them waterproof. If you're worried about paint incompatibility/leeching under masking etc etc, spray a VERY fine coat of laquer, literally just dust it on, then leave it for several DAYS to go completely hard, or as long as it takes that you can't even smell it any more. Next coat, do with caution & leave at least a day to harden, then proceed as normal. The idea is to seal any nasties in before the solvent in the laquer has a chance to react with or thin what's under it. Of course, the safest way is to only use 1 type/ 1 manufacturer's paint & decals, to avoid any problems