Painting an R/C Mustang to...
Painting an R/C Mustang to match your ride is a great father/son (or grandfather/grandson) project. Here's Editor Farr's '66 GT hardtop in a
When it comes to car enthusiasts, just about anything related to their favorite vehicle becomes a bullet point on their wish list of toys, be it that big neon Ford sign for the garage, a detailed die-cast ride for the office desk, or even a radio controlled car for their kid or grandkid. But who says that only the kids can have the scale radio control action to themselves? Certainly not us!
We've been "adult" fans of hobby grade radio control cars and trucks for over a decade and the hobby has certainly come a long way from the slow electric cars you might remember from the 1980s. What's this "hobby grade" you're asking? Well, hobby grade is the true hobbyist level R/C car you buy at a hobby store that can be repaired or upgraded, and is capable of some ear-to-ear grinning speeds. We're not talking about the R/C "toys" you find at Wal-Mart or Target here. Of course, the price point is a bit higher, but you get what you pay for in this hobby.
To start your R/C project,...
To start your R/C project, you're going to need a chassis to mount your body. Prices range from about $175 to over $500 and have features, power, and handling that go hand in hand with these prices. For the average enthusiast looking to have a little fun and the rest of the time have their car on a display shelf, the HPI E10 chassis is a nice budget solution. Even better, you can actually buy one with a '12 Mustang drift body package. We chose our pal Vaughn Gittin Jr's Monster Energy Falken Tire ride to start with.
Several years ago, the crew at HPI Racing, one of the top names in hobby grade R/C cars and trucks, worked out a licensing deal with Ford for the Mustang (and F-series, Bronco, and other vehicles), and HPI has been cranking out some awesome Mustang bodies ever since (eight different bodies at last count). We've screwed together a few R/C cars over the years with these Mustang bodies for friends and family and they never fail to draw a crowd when we take them on the road with us to events or even have one sitting on the corner of our desk here at Mustang Monthly HQ. However, when their '66 Mustang hardtop body was released last year, we painted one to match our own '66 hardtop and everyone we showed it to wanted an R/C Mustang that replicated their real ride.
That's when the light bulb went off!
How many times have you been at a car show and seen a plastic or die-cast model sitting on an air cleaner, core support, or fold-down seat detailed out to match the owner's real Mustang? Exactly! So why not take that idea one step further and create a matching scale ride you can actually zip around the show field with or have a little fun in the hotel parking lot after the show day is done. Best of all, as your Mustang changes (add stripes, new wheels, etc.), you can change the look of your R/C Mustang to match.
Lastly, if you're the performance oriented type, these R/C chassis are highly tunable and upgrades like faster motors, sway bars, springs, and more are just a click or call away to make your ride haul and handle just like your real ride. Check out the HPI R/C cars we've built here with their licensed Mustang bodies to match some very real Mustangs and we'll look forward to seeing more scale replicas on the show field.
The E10 chassis is a "tub"...
The E10 chassis is a "tub" style setup with plastic suspension components that are non-adjustable, but that's fine - we're not doing competitive racing here or anything. Four wheel independent suspension makes for a smooth ride and the big foam bumper helps those amateur drivers just starting out. While the drift package includes Falken Azenis RT615K replica drift tires, the great thing about the E10 chassis is you can reconfigure the motor and electronics layout from front motor to rear motor and install some soft rubber tires for nice controlled touring car driving versus the wild drift/sliding action as the car comes out of the box.
For our main build efforts,...
For our main build efforts, we're going to be creating a '70 Boss 302 in Grabber Blue in honor of the Boss that Editor Farr once owned. However, the folks at HPI dropped a few goodies in our lap to make the E10 handle a little better. Just like a real Monte Carlo bar or late-model strut brace, these aluminum tower braces reduce chassis flex when cornering.
An aluminum driveshaft is...
An aluminum driveshaft is stronger and lighter than the stock plastic part, freeing up power.
Meanwhile, the aluminum motor...
Meanwhile, the aluminum motor mount reduces motor flex/twist and allows for easier pinion gear changes. The finned top helps dissipated motor heat too.
HPI's bodies are made from...
HPI's bodies are made from clear polycarbonate and must be fitted/trimmed to the chassis. A little work with some curved hobby scissors and our Boss 302 is dropped down on the R/C chassis for inspection. The E10, like all of HPI's cars, use adjustable body mounts, making body swaps a breeze.
R/C bodies require special...
R/C bodies require special hobby paint for polycarbonate. It is lacquer based and can be found at any hobby store or online. After trimming the body per the included instructions, the inside is washed and dried (the paint is applied to the inside) and the included window masks are applied. Follow the paint's instructions to apply light even coats.
HPI's included decal sheets...
HPI's included decal sheets feature all of the car's details, such as headlights, windshield trim, door handles, and so forth. Depending upon the body, you'll also have stripe options, number "meatballs" and even vintage road race sponsors. Once the paint has dried, carefully remove the body's overspray film and then apply the graphics per the instruction sheet included with the body.
You may have noticed the licensed...
You may have noticed the licensed replica HRE wheels on our chassis in "Monster Green." While a perfect scale look for Vaughn Gittin Jr's Mustang drifter, we needed something decidedly old school for our Boss 302. HPI has a cool line of vintage wheels and tires, including a popular five-spoke look (shown here), as well as an eight-spoke, and more. They use a special vintage tire that gives the combination a sweet "60-series" look to the tire without reducing handling or traction.
We opted for the eight-spoke...
We opted for the eight-spoke "Minilite" look for our Boss to give it a Trans-Am vibe. Note too that while the tires are standard 1:10th scale 26mm width, the vintage wheel and tire line offers a slick 31mm wide rear wheel for that staggered/deep dish look we've captured here.
While our Boss was a single...
While our Boss was a single shot of "Grabber Blue," if your Mustang rocks a two-tone paint scheme or Le Mans style stripes, you can still match your paint scheme with a little painter's tape and some effort. Here we have a '66 Mustang fastback we're painting for a club member that will match his real '66 that is white with red Le Mans stripes.
The finished paint job is...
The finished paint job is spot on and all we have left to do is hit the local hobby store for some red tape to make our custom GT rocker stripe. Note the vintage five-spokes we added to match his real wheels too.
Pre-packaged paints can be...
Pre-packaged paints can be somewhat limiting if you’re looking for an exact match to your real Mustang. For those wanting to recreate exact colors, your best bet will be an airbrush and mixing your own paint colors. The folks at Grex (www.grexusa.com: 888/447-3926) can help you with one of their combo kits, like the GCK03 shown here. These combo kits include a mini air compressor with regulator, hose, airbrush, and more to get you started. Don’t consider an airbrush just for R/C bodies either, as you can use it to refinish restoration parts and other jobs around the house too!
For those that follow our...
For those that follow our blogs/Facebook page, you might remember this '66 hardtop body painted up last year to match our '66 Anniversary Gold tribute Mustang. Custom colors like this metallic gold finish can be hard to find in spray cans and often require the use of an airbrush like the Grex we just showed you, which is what we used for this body.
Don't think all the R/C fun...
Don't think all the R/C fun will be had by the vintage owners. HPI has several great looking late-model bodies, including the '99-'04 Mustang, '05-'09 Mustang, and their latest, the '10-'12 Mustang.
Each comes with a specific...
Each comes with a specific licensed graphics package, but you can easily make the bodies look just like your real ride. No word on '67-'68 fastbacks or '87-'93 Fox hatchbacks (two very popular Mustang styles), but we'll keep twisting HPI's arms to make them!