Painting a car for my son

[McCoey]

Hey guys, just thought I'd throw this out there for some ideas. My wife is pregnant and due in about 9 weeks. And with this change in my life comes lots of spoiling our child. We inherited an Electric Tonka Toy that you can sit in and drive, its AWESOME! It has a high and low plus a reverse gear, its powered by two electric engines that suck their power from two 6 volt battteries.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/KIJIMA/tonka3.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/KIJIMA/tonka6.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/KIJIMA/tonka4.jpg

I have just replaced the old batteries with some newer ones, and it goes great. I'm just in the throws of chaning some of the blown globes for the front and rear lights, my question though is about the body work. The entire body of the TONKA is red plastic, and being red its faded. There were some stickers on the TONKA which I have removed, you can see where they were located fairly clearly.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/KIJIMA/tonka8.jpg

So, the question is. 'Can I paint the plastic faded body?' 'What paint and prep work would be involved?' (I want to paint it yellow to match the grille and wheels)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/KIJIMA/tonka2.jpg

I know this isnt JDM as its a toy, but I also know some of you guys are into RC cars, and lets face it... I want my little fella to share the same passion about cars as I do, so I'm starting him off at an early age. :rolleyes:

Top speed 750kmh!!!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/KIJIMA/tonka5.jpg

On the Dyno!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/KIJIMA/tonka7.jpg

Zorst baby zorst!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a126/KIJIMA/tonka1.jpg

Any help would be appreciated.

~ Cheers Dan

[dotty]

LOL
That's so cool, gl with it

[lovesil]

So, your kid's not out yet and you already done up a elec car for him. Cool man ;) Triple exhaust system ftw :D

[van]

Keep it pink ;)

Prep work for it shouldn't be any different to a model kit. Clean the surface thoroughly (using rubbing alcohol or turps in the final stage of cleaning), spray it with a primer, then hit it up with paint.

[Jing]

hey how bout a jdm theme? White with cf bonnet and black wheels :d

[Sp33dY]

Make a dead panda ... red and black :P maybe print out some photos of some SPINNERS or .... classic Volk TE37z and stock them over the front of the yellow wheels :)

[McCoey]

So, your kid's not out yet and you already done up a elec car for him. Cool man ;)

Yup ;)

van, what sort of paint though? I was thinking automotive paint, cos its tough, but I'm worried auto paint will eat the plastic.

[van]

Yeah good question, I've never painted plastic with anything other than model paint before, so the question of whether automotive paint would warp/dissolve the plastic is one I can't answer. Is there a hidden spot you could try painting with auto paint? There's a dozen different types of plastics, so the only easy way - unless you know what kind of plastic it is - is to just paint a spot and see what happens.

Unless someone here knows heaps about painting plastic, because beyond models, I don't!

Finding a primer that won't damage the plastic should also allow you to use automotive paint.

[rupewrecht]

do a test on the underside, or somewhere not visible.

it's a soft type of plastic (ie you can dent it with your fingernail) i'd be careful painting it. if it's pretty resilient, i'd just rattle can it.

a sand with some 800 wet and dry to give the paint something to adhere to should be enough.

[Bodgy Racing Developments]

cut the springs and drop it hehe.

congrats on the upcoming child too!

[deez]

As rupewrecht said, sand the thing first so you get a nice consistency in the surface. I used to spray model cars and was into RC cars too...what I'd suggest is hit up your local hobby shop for some bendable spray paint by Tamiya...its referred as bendable because its spray paint that's especially designed for the knocks and scraps that RC cars are frequently exposed to. Unlike regular modelling spray paint, bendable paint wont chip off in chunks no matter how you bend or twist the plastic which is awesome :D I think that would suit your purpose.

Good luck with it, your kid is lucky to have a dad like urself ;)

[Ad]

that 'bendable' paint deez is referring to is polycarbonate paint :)

[deez]

haha thanks for clearing that up Ad....the term just escaped my noggin. it was a long time ago :lol:

[Andy Wana]

Dan,

1. Clean the surfaces first with mild dishwashing liquid/ detergent and water, and then towel it dry
2. Sand the surfaces you want to paint with wet and dry sandpaper (600-800 grit would do). This will help to make the paint adhere better later on
3. Spray it with automotive primer (K&H is a good brand, look for the grey coloured primer - not etch primer, primer filler or spray putty)
4. Spray it evenly from about 25 - 30 cm away in parallel lines, don't build up a thick coat in the first go. Consistency is the key here. Let it dry.
5. Sand the primer with wet and dry sandpaper till you get a smooth finish (Start with 600 and work your way up to 1200). Dip the sandpaper in soapy water and wipe the surface with paper towel every now and then to check the surface finish.
6. A great way to check the smoothness of the surface is to use a plastic bag and the back of your hand. Put your hand in a plastic bag and run the back of your hand on the surface on the object. If it feels grainy, back to wet and dry.
7. Let the object dry well. Proceed to spray painting (again I would recommend K&H - don't go for any of the enamel or water based rubbish on the shelves, they will crack, fade, run and not last). Spray 25 - 30 cm away from the object in parralel lines and don't get tempted to do a thick coat at the first go. Let it dry for about 15 mins before the next coat. Do a second coat, dry it, a third coat, dry it etc till you get a consistent finish.
8. Top it off with a gloss coat (or two) for that JDM shine and protection. Makes it easy to wash as well later on when it gets dirty.
9. You smile. Kid smiles. Happy family.
10. Post pics of the truck here at JDMST. We smile. Happy JDMST family.

[McCoey]

Dan,

1. Clean the surfaces first with mild dishwashing liquid/ detergent and water, and then towel it dry
2. Sand the surfaces you want to paint with wet and dry sandpaper (600-800 grit would do). This will help to make the paint adhere better later on
3. Spray it with automotive primer (K&H is a good brand, look for the grey coloured primer - not etch primer, primer filler or spray putty)
4. Spray it evenly from about 25 - 30 cm away in parallel lines, don't build up a thick coat in the first go. Consistency is the key here. Let it dry.
5. Sand the primer with wet and dry sandpaper till you get a smooth finish (Start with 600 and work your way up to 1200). Dip the sandpaper in soapy water and wipe the surface with paper towel every now and then to check the surface finish.
6. A great way to check the smoothness of the surface is to use a plastic bag and the back of your hand. Put your hand in a plastic bag and run the back of your hand on the surface on the object. If it feels grainy, back to wet and dry.
7. Let the object dry well. Proceed to spray painting (again I would recommend K&H - don't go for any of the enamel or water based rubbish on the shelves, they will crack, fade, run and not last). Spray 25 - 30 cm away from the object in parralel lines and don't get tempted to do a thick coat at the first go. Let it dry for about 15 mins before the next coat. Do a second coat, dry it, a third coat, dry it etc till you get a consistent finish.
8. Top it off with a gloss coat (or two) for that JDM shine and protection. Makes it easy to wash as well later on when it gets dirty.
9. You smile. Kid smiles. Happy family.
10. Post pics of the truck here at JDMST. We smile. Happy JDMST family.


Hey Andy, Ive gone with your method, as it sems the most logical, and the most labor intensive...Its not like I dont have the time, mrs kijima is due in nearly 7 weeks, and Ive got at least another 2 years before he can drive the damned thing.

So, Ive stripped the TONKA of all the red plastic body parts, and have started the laborious sanding process. I'll make a thread about it all, when I've finished it all. Oh, and the seat has been sent of to be trimmed in lether. :lol: