Painting Vesla lexan panels

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Ferrebee88

Ferrebee88

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These panel that came with my Vesla SBK are super thick, which is nice, but they do not have overstay film. So here is my question.

If I spray the backside with black and get some overspray on the decal side, will it hinder me putting the decals on smoothly? I am assuming it will still stick to the overspray just fine after letting it cure?
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just mask off the decal side with good quality tape fella (y)(y),
like the yellow translucent tape that hobbynox makes, there are other makers of the same tape as well,
but itsticks well, peels easy and doesn't leave a load of glue residue on the lexan if its left on there a while,
 
spents said:
just mask off the decal side with good quality tape fella (y)(y),
like the yellow translucent tape that hobbynox makes, there are other makers of the same tape as well,
but itsticks well, peels easy and doesn't leave a load of glue residue on the lexan if its left on there a while,
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Gonna be honest here... I didn't think of that:LOL:
 
Ferrebee88 said:
Gonna be honest here... I didn't think of that:LOL:
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glad i said sommat now then (y) ,
kraken are a bit strange with the panels, my vekta panels (that i still need to paint) all havea film on em except for one thats gonna need masking on the outside,
this is the type of tape i mean fella (y),
this is a uk link but its available all over the place (y)
the hobbynox tape is more expensive but is way better for sticking without lifting,
,
https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/hobbynox-masking-tape-gold-utg-19mm-x-50m-438995

or this stuff as well

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/killerbody-body-overspray-vinyl-masking-tape-14m-24cm-390006
 
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I'd suggest saran wrap as it should stick to the body, you can also take wide painters tape and mask off the body mount holes. Also you can tape the sides of the body to build up a wall to keep the paint mist inside the body.
 
smokinwheel said:
This stuff works great. I have used it for painting multiple colors on inside of body. No reason it wouldn't work on the outside for you.

Multiple brands available out there.
View attachment 93903
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This for when you are doing fine work and need good lines. WWAAYYYYY better than tape.

In big coverage areas i use a HVLP paint Pew Pew from Harbor Freight, Amazon etc and use water to thin it out. Comes off in one peel just like saran wrap.
 
Ferrebee88 said:
These panel that came with my Vesla SBK are super thick, which is nice, but they do not have overstay film.
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Actually, incorrect. I also have the SBK. Initially, I thought the same as you...that the panels didn't have overspray film...but, they DO. Unlike almost all others, which are usually blue, Kraken uses a clear film. Also, it's a fairly thin film, making it even harder to detect. On top of all that, it's adhered to the Lexan EXTREMELY well, making it almost impossible to notice.

As I said, I initially thought the same as you. How I discovered the film (since I was curious) was, before I even painted my panels, I took my X-ACTO knife, and scraped along some of the Lexan that would be cut off...and, low-and-behold, I noticed a very thin amount of clear film come away from the surface. As I started to peel it away, I discovered a) they're definitely IS overspray film covering the panels (including the "taillight" piece), and b) it's for a nice 'strong' hold on the plastic but does peel away easily once you get it started.

Hope this helps. Once completed, I'll be posting photos in the VESLA thread, as well as in the VESLA group on Facebook...and, I'll have a video on my YouTube channel (already did an "unboxing & initial thoughts" video).
 
I just finished painting my Vesla body and it %100 does not have overspray film on the outside. I even used an exacto knife to shave some material off to find it, and I was just shaving off small layers of lexan.
And also... the decals that came with mine are useless. The plastic film on the decals is has de-lamination lines throughout... pretty disappointing
 
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Ferrebee88 said:
I just finished painting my Vesla body and it %100 does not have overspray film on the outside.
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It's weird that some people could have receive body panel sets having overspray film, and others received them without overspray film. As I mentioned previously, mine DID have overspray film. There are others who reported theirs having film. Yet, there are also others having reported receiving body sets without film. Even more strange, there's also at least one person who reporting received a body set which had one panel without film, while all the others had film.

It's strange that the factory has produced some 'with', and some 'without'...there's no logical in that. Even worse, to have included in the same body set, one panel 'without', and the rest 'with', that is something I'd like to see Kraken explain.
 
Ferrebee88 said:
I just finished painting my Vesla body and it %100 does not have overspray film on the outside. I even used an exacto knife to shave some material off to find it, and I was just shaving off small layers of lexan.
And also... the decals that came with mine are useless. The plastic film on the decals is has de-lamination lines throughout... pretty disappointing
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I don’t believe mine has film on it either as I did a bunch of picking at it to see. I was going to use the decals that came with it, but I haven’t inspected them yet. Time will tell what ends up happening with the build/paint
 
Looking forward to what you come up with. There are 2 things i hate most in RC are in order, Wiring and painting. For me as long as it has Orange in it then i am happy. Maybe that is why i like stickers so much. I bought a professionally painted body Cha Ching for my Tekno MT410 that i turned into a Bruggy and it just sits on the shelf cause i will ruin it in no time.

Bruggy 20240810_070857.webp
 
The best suggestion I can give...and, this applies to ALL Lexan bodies, not just the body sets from Kraken...is to ALWAYS check for overspray film protection before painting. While most companies produce bodies having overspray film, there are still several who don't. Using Tamiya as one example, while their recent releases contain bodies with overspray film, if you look at almost all of their older releases, none of them had overspray film. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is 'confused' as to how some VESLA body sets could have overspray film, and some don't, but that's a problem for Kraken to resolve.

Honestly, I don't completely blame them, as they are not actually manufacturing these in-house - they have some OEM factory producing the body sets (and all other parts) for them. Speaking of which, something just popped into my mind. Just as certain parts might be produced by different OEMs, it's quite possible that the body panels could be getting manufactured by two different OEMs (I'm not saying they are...only that it's a possibility), with one OEM applying overspray film, and the other OEM foregoing the overspray film. If enough of us contact Kraken about this 'problem', it could help prompt Kraken to look into the matter, leading them to getting the problem corrected. Even though Kraken will no longer be producing kit versions of their vehicles, they will continue to produce replacement body sets...so, my second suggestion is, for everyone who has received body sets without overspray film, contact Kraken, and make them aware of this. In doing so, also reference this forum thread, so that they can see, for themselves, how some have body sets with overspray film.
 
I should have inspected my decals before painting... I painted the body black and then realized my decal sheets are garbage. It looks like the outer laminate was inproperly applied and then the factory just rolled it up without a care. Looks like ill jist have to go for the Black Mamba look. Batman would be proud🤣. Its only yemperary until I get my TSK body all cut out and done up right.1000000985.webp
Ninth Island RC said:
It's weird that some people could have receive body panel sets having overspray film, and others received them without overspray film. As I mentioned previously, mine DID have overspray film. There are others who reported theirs having film. Yet, there are also others having reported receiving body sets without film. Even more strange, there's also at least one person who reporting received a body set which had one panel without film, while all the others had film.

It's strange that the factory has produced some 'with', and some 'without'...there's no logical in that. Even worse, to have included in the same body set, one panel 'without', and the rest 'with', that is something I'd like to see Kraken explain.
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I sent Kraken an email and got a response 15 minutes later. Their customer service is very responsive. They said that due to the thickness of the lexan panels, they were unable to source it with overspray film. As for my defective decal sheet, they offered to send a replacement.
 
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Ferrebee88 said:
I should have inspected my decals before painting... I painted the body black and then realized my decal sheets are garbage. It looks like the outer laminate was inproperly applied and then the factory just rolled it up without a care. Looks like ill jist have to go for the Black Mamba look. Batman would be proud🤣. Its only yemperary until I get my TSK body all cut out and done up right.View attachment 94537

I sent Kraken an email and got a response 15 minutes later. Their customer service is very responsive. They said that due to the thickness of the lexan panels, they were unable to source it with overspray film. As for my defective decal sheet, they offered to send a replacement.
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I went the opposite route so to speak. I peeled all the Kracken Stickers off of mine. No free advertising and keeps people guessing a little bit on what it actually is.
Not the first one I have done this to.

I would think if you contacted them that they would send you a new sheet for your body.


EDIT: Sorry it is early. Just re-read your post and you have been in touch. Coffee not working yet this AM
 
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