RC Paint Job: Lunch Box

[LAV25]

Mods, I hope this is in the right place.

Not really much of a build, but I got (another) Tamiya Lunch Box this summer. It's a 1/12th scale 80s Dodge van done as a monster truck. The only thing I really did to it was fill the antenna hole. I don't have access to an airbrush or anyplace to use one (apartment dweller), so all of the painting was done with either rattlecans or brushes. 

I wanted to do a Dark Side of the Moon thing, but when I started mentally mapping out the masking I'd need to do I knew that it wouldn't work in the straight-up album cover version. So I took a different track. Body came in the white, so after priming I painted it Tamiya Gloss Black. Then I started masking out my logo.

After getting the guidelines in for the colors of the spectrum I hand painted them with bottled Tamiya paint.

 

Then I got some 0.7mm masking tape and added all sorts of sound waves (ish) over the rainbow.

 

Edited October 24, 2020 by LAV25
misposted the pictures

[Ctmodeler]

2 minutes ago, LAV25 said:

Mods, I hope this is in the right place.

Not really much of a build, but I got (another) Tamiya Lunch Box this summer. It's a 1/12th scale 80s Dodge van done as a monster truck. The only thing I really did to it was fill the antenna hole. I don't have access to an airbrush or anyplace to use one (apartment dweller), so all of the painting was done with either rattlecans or brushes. 

I wanted to do a Dark Side of the Moon thing, but when I started mentally mapping out the masking I'd need to do I knew that it wouldn't work in the straight-up album cover version. So I took a different track. Body came in the white, so after priming I painted it Tamiya Gloss Black. Then I started masking out my logo. After getting the guidelines in for the colors of the spectrum I hand painted them with bottled Tamiya paint. Then I got some 0.7mm masking tape and added all sorts of sound waves (ish) over the rainbow.

 

 

This site isn't really for remote control cars , but that paint job still looks awesome man !

[LAV25]

Of course, that only took care of the sides. There's still a nice panel on the back that I didn't quite know what to do with. I've got no freehand skills, but it occurred to m e that  there was another pattern I could use. 

 

[LAV25]

3 minutes ago, Ctmodeler said:

This site isn't really for remote control cars , but that paint job still looks awesome man !

Yeah, I hope it's okay. I won't be posting anything not related to the paintwork, and from that standpoint I hope it can be allowed as a 1:12 scale model monster van. Won't be able to prove from my pictures that it can move under its own power

 

[LAV25]

Forgot to mention that I'd put several layers of clear pearl over the gloss black. Once it was all masked up, I sprayed it with a couple of coats of Matte Black. 

Unfortunately, I didn't wait quite long enough between coats or unmasking or something so it didn't turn out perfect, but the idea worked well enough that I was happy. 

[LAV25]

I'll let this marinate for a while and see if the mods have any issues with it. If it it seems okay, I'll post a couple pics of the finished project (fully assembled but on static display). 

[Fat Brian]

The Lunchbox is based on a real monster truck and I've always wanted to build one as the real thing. I'm afraid if I ever go down the RC rabbit hole ill never go back to models.

[LAV25]

11 hours ago, Fat Brian said:

The Lunchbox is based on a real monster truck and I've always wanted to build one as the real thing. I'm afraid if I ever go down the RC rabbit hole ill never go back to models.

Yup! Rolling Thunder was the heaviest monster truck in service at the time. I've seen a couple people who have painted or printed decals to decorate a Lunchbox as Rolling Thunder, but that's outside of my skill set. Beware though, if you go down that hole, you're never going to have a paint job survive your first day of driving intact. Also, while the Lunchbox, Clod Buster, Bullhead, and Sand Scorcher VW bug have hard bodies, most RC cars come with clear lexan bodies that are pretty hard to modify. Not a kitbasher's dream. 

[Fat Brian]

4 hours ago, LAV25 said:

Yup! Rolling Thunder was the heaviest monster truck in service at the time. I've seen a couple people who have painted or printed decals to decorate a Lunchbox as Rolling Thunder, but that's outside of my skill set. Beware though, if you go down that hole, you're never going to have a paint job survive your first day of driving intact. Also, while the Lunchbox, Clod Buster, Bullhead, and Sand Scorcher VW bug have hard bodies, most RC cars come with clear lexan bodies that are pretty hard to modify. Not a kitbasher's dream. 

Someone on ebay used to sell a Rollin' Thunder sticker set for the Lunchbox but I haven't looked at it recently. Yeah, you'd have to drive carefully if you did a super fancy body.

[iamsuperdan]

On 10/24/2020 at 5:27 AM, LAV25 said:

I'll let this marinate for a while and see if the mods have any issues with it. If it it seems okay, I'll post a couple pics of the finished project (fully assembled but on static display). 

I have no problems with this. It's plastic, you're building it, it happens to have an engine.

 

All is good.

 

And I dig the paint scheme.

[Oldmopars]

I think its cool. I am looking into building 1/12 scale kits, I would love to get one of those bodies and make a 1/12 scale normal van out of it. As far as I care, its a 1/12 scale van you are building. 

I used to be really big into the RC car scene. I spent unknown thousands of my hard earned money with nothing to show for it. 

Back in the late 80's early 90's I used to run an extremely modified RC10 and a heavy modded Kyosho Ultima. I raced in Oregon and Phoenix Az. Good times.