What Is The Best Paint For A Polycarbonate RC Body?

One of the most important things to look out for in an RC car is the color and design. This is also the first thing everyone sees in your remote-controlled car, so it is important to have a beautiful color. However, it is possible to purchase an RC car with excellent features but a poor choice in color and design. What do you do? You can repaint it.

The best paints to use for a polycarbonate RC car body are either enamel or acrylic paints. These paints will do an excellent paint job on your RC car. There are other paints you can also use to paint your car's body. The most reliable paint brands to use are Tamiya and Pactra.

Not all paints will work well on a polycarbonate RC body; this is why you should only use the paints made for it. Most types of paint will not stick to polycarbonate, so it is a waste of time and resources if you use them.

Best Paints For A Polycarbonate RC Body?

With good paint, you would achieve a beautiful design and painting. You would also experience little difficulty when painting with the right paint. If your RC car's body is made from polycarbonate, you should only use these paints.

Enamel Paint

Enamel paint is one of the top options for polycarbonate RC bodies. It is designed to bond with different materials, including polycarbonate, metal, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. The only downside to enamel paint is that it takes a long time to dry, and it emits toxic fumes that can be dangerous to humans. However, enamel paints always leave a clean and smooth finish to the car's body regardless of the painting technique.

Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint is the second option for painting polycarbonate RC bodies. It also bonds well with different materials used to produce RC bodies, just like enamel paints. Acrylic paints dry faster than enamel paint, so you should use acrylic paint if you need to get your RC car's paint job done quickly. Acrylic paints are easy to thin and do not disperse toxic fumes. However, it does not leave a finish as smooth and clean as enamel paint.

Best Paint Brands For A Polycarbonate RC Body?

Now that you know the best types of paints to use for a polycarbonate RC body, you should also know the best brands to use. You do not want to use a brand that will not achieve the finish you hope for.

Tamiya

Tamiya paints come in three different types, TS, AS, and PS.

TS Paint

TS is perfect for large surfaces, and it cures in a short time. These paints are not affected by enamel or acrylic paints. You can use TS as a base coat and enamel or acrylic as the top coat. Combining TS and either acrylic or enamel paint leaves an effective and simple finish.

AS Paint

AS paint is for aircraft models. They are perfect for drones, RC planes, and other aircraft models. Each color provides a unique tone to the aircraft and spraying it produces a subtle finish.

PS Paint

PS paint is perfect for transparent polycarbonate, so you would want to use PS if the body of your RC car is transparent. PS paints are impervious to fuels and oil so that you can use them on nitro-powered RC cars.

Testors Pactra

Testors Pactra paints are durable and leave a flexible finish that can endure the extremes and ruggedness of RC racing. These paints are specifically produced to be used on polycarbonate surfaces. Testors Pactra paints are perfect for DIYs, they are easy to use, and you do not require any expertise to use them.

Painting Techniques

There are three painting techniques you can use to paint an RC body. The technique you will use is determined by the paint, the body size, and how fast you want to paint the RC car. Some people use all three different techniques, depending on the parts they want to paint.

Spray Painting

This is one of the most popular painting techniques used for RC cars; this is also the easiest and fastest technique. However, preparing the RC body for spray painting takes time, patience, and skill. You need to mask the car properly before you start spray painting. Preparing the RC car involves washing the body of the car to remove dirt and oil, as well as masking the parts you are not spray painting with masking tape.

Brushed-Applied Painting

You are familiar with brush-applied painting. This technique is majorly used to apply finishing touches and for detail jobs, like lettering, pin-stripping, and numbering. In this technique, you use a paintbrush to apply paint to the body of the car. This technique requires precision and accuracy. Otherwise, you could ruin the paint job. You can use large brushes to paint the body of the car and a smaller brush to apply details. You also need to mask the body before brush painting.

Airbrush Painting

Airbrushing provides better control and precision than spray painting, and you use less paint to achieve the same results. Using airbrush techniques allows more flexibility when applying custom designs, aesthetics, and effects. However, you need to have an airbrush kit to use this technique.

Airbrushing is the best way to achieve a gloss appearance on your RC car. It is as fast as the spray-painting technique, but you have better precision for detailed works. As long as your RC car is properly masked up, airbrushing is easy and achievable.

How Do You Paint Polycarbonate RC Body?

Painting your RC body is a critical job, and you need to be cautious when painting it. Otherwise, you could have a bad paint job, and your RC car turns out worse than it was. If you want to paint polycarbonate RC bodies, you should follow these steps.

Select The Best Paint

This is one essential thing to do; you need to use good paint. Ensure the paint you want to use is produced for polycarbonate. Otherwise, the paint will not bond with the body. You should also use one brand, avoid using different brands of paint; you could have a splotchy or uneven color.

Paint The Car In A Well-Ventilated Area

You do not want to paint your RC car and develop health issues afterward. This is the reason you should paint it outdoors or in a well-ventilated place. You should also use protective clothing, including safety goggles, gloves, and a face mask.

Prepare The RC Car Body

Preparing the RC car is essential in achieving a beautiful paint job. You need to strip out the old paint, wash the body, draw out the design you want, and cover the parts you are not painting with masking tape.

Start Painting

If you want to spray paint, ensure the paint can is about three inches away from the body, so the coat will not be too heavy. You can use the brush-applied technique for a detailed job. If you want to airbrush, use the airbrush kit to get a good paint job.

Apply Another Layer Of Paint

After applying the base coat of paint, you need to apply another layer to even out the paint. You may need to apply as many coats as needed to achieve the desired color. However, the first coat should be dried before you apply the second coat.

Finish The Painting

After achieving the desired color, you should top it off with a clear coat of spray paint. This is to prevent the top coat from peeling off and gives your RC car a glossy feel. You should ensure you use spray paint for polycarbonate.

Final Thoughts

Painting a polycarbonate RC body can be time-consuming, but it is worth it. You get the opportunity to personalize your RC car. You create a unique and different RC car. Patience, caution, precision, and accuracy are essential in achieving a great paint job.

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