It amazes me that most people thought these were store-bought decals.
The process was fairly simple. Funny I should use that word - it takes us to Step 1. I snagged myself two red mechanic's rags, and scrubbed my car twice with Simple Green. That took a lot of elbow grease, but I had to make absolutely sure that the car was clean before I applied paint. If you want to do this, be prepared to break a sweat or two.
At this point, I have to take a minute to thank my Dad. I hadn't the foggiest idea how to begin this project, and he was able to tell me exactly what to do.
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First, I marked off all of the red spaces, excluding the Rebel Flame, with blue Painter's Tape. You have to make sure that you press down the edge of the tape that outlines your block very well, or the line won't be crisp. If you're good about this, people will think that you, too, bought decals. I used two different widths of painter's tape - 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch. The four rolls I bought couldn't have cost more than 11 dollars.
Now, I have to thank my Dad again. While I was marking off the spaces with my tape, Dad was machining an aluminum Rebel Flame template. He used that template to cut four stensils, which were ultimately used on the car. |
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Everything but the spaces to be colored was then meticulously covered with newspaper and tarps, taped to the tape lines, with more tape. I can't stress this enough - get a lot of tape. Especially if your car is bigger than a Toyota Tercel. If you don't cover EVERY LITTLE BIT of exposed automobile that you don't want red, it will get that way. It's amazing how that paint flies, and it does get in everywhere. Including your respiratory system. You also need to be very careful about taping around headlights, door-handles, the key-holes(and this was a real pain), and anything else that runs right up to your red markings. Tape tightly. |
Getting everything clean, marking it off, and covering the rest of the car took the greater part of a day. It really helps, timewise, if you have a very exact idea of what you want. I did about 50 computer-edit simulations, so I knew exactly what I wanted.
Once everything was clean, marked off and covered, the painting could begin. Here, I used Auto-grade Spray paint that I snagged at the auto store up the street. It seems to be a fairly standard brand. Just look for "Victory Red" - another fitting color name for the X-wing car. I suggest two cans or more - they run about 5 or 6 dollars a piece.
Now, let me do a quick run-down of good spray-paint habits.
To ignore this list is to risk dripping. You REALLY don't want dripping. I can basicly guarantee that you WILL get carried away, especially if you're working in a low-ventilation area. Paint fumes go straight to the brain. It's very tempting to go crazy. Don't do it. Be very careful, ESPECIALLY of you're using stensils. There is NO WAY to remove paint of you screw up.
About the stensils - they are the hardest part to get right. Supremely easy to hose. The best way to do these is to lay down a single thin mist, then move to the next one, and continue that rotation until they look solid.
Once you've got the painting done, vacate the area. I went home for dinner. You may have a near-irresistable urge to unmask your vehicle. Make yourself leave. If you peel the tape too early, you could mar your new paint job. On the other hand, if you peel too late, you risk cementing the tape to the car. Yet another reason to go for light coats. So, take off for about an hour.
Now, this part is the most fun. Take off everything that isn't part of your car. It's like... unwrapping the king of all birthday presents. And you get to check out your handiwork.
