Carisma Blog - Part 1
RC guru Dez Chand has fallen under the spell of Carisma's new F14. In this first edition of his new Carisma blog he talks us through cutting and painting the shell to get that sporty look we all want.
Since I saw the F14 EVO at Nuremberg 2010 it literally stopped me in my tracks, here was a gorgeous little F1 that not only looked the part, but looked like it would perform like a proper race car too. There was only one way to find out!
It?s stable mate is the 4WD saloon, the GT14 MK2, another 1/14th scale car that has found a dedicated following around the country but most noticeably at Bedworth where they run them rain or shine on tarmac and over winter on carpet. With improvements based on customer feedback the Mk2 GT14 surely looks the part, and like the F14 it comes ready assembled in the box, though without the steering servo the little F1 car is blessed with as standard, staggering for the price!
The F14 straight from the box.
Over the coming weeks I?ll tell you what I found while assembling and tuning these cars in readiness for their first race outing.
Part 1 - The 14th shells
The GT is mercifully pre-trimmed and all that?s needed is the window masks applying before you can spray the inside with Fastrax Lexan paint. I went for a straight bright distinctive Red, many go for complex paint schemes but I prefer easily recognisable bold patterns, especially on a car so small.
The F14 EVO ARR body comes in several pieces, the lexan parts comprising the main shell, side pods, front deflectors and side skirt, so I took advantage of this to paint it a two tone colour scheme, Red and White details to add contrast and increase the perceived size, while blending with the front and rear wings.
F14 marked for trimming.
Having sprayed it I drew around the trim lines with a marker pen to help me cut it out, not only highlighting the subtle moulding indents, but also allowing to confirm the cut lines required and remove any hesitation or mistakes once I had the scissors in my hand.
With the parts trimmed and the holes drilled where required, it was time to use my Dremel to clean up the edges before removing the over spray film and admire the gleaming bodywork as I assembled the parts using the double sided tape supplied, though 3M double sided tape is a lot thinner, with better adhesion and it?s transparent so makes for a much better assembly without upsetting the colour scheme.
The GT14 body was simply peeled off it?s over spray film and the window masks removed, the rear wing was left clear as is the fashion these days, too small to paint, too easily damaged and flaked, and besides, once it?s stickered up you?d hardly notice the paint, which needs spraying onto the surface beneath the over spray film, so if you are choosing to paint it be sure to peel it first.
It?s only once you peel the over spray film that you realise it?s value, what looked like a nice clean shell simply gleams once peeled and the amount of dull over spray left on the clear peelings is testimony to the job they do helping to produce a quality finish.
The front side deflectors don?t mount to the body but instead to the chassis itself with a thick piece of double sided nestled into the counter sunk lexan moulding so that it sits flush on the fibre deck.
The shell trimmed and assembled.
The body decals include a driver figure to save all the fiddly painting, which is great, though you will have to trim this to fit so do that before peeling the backing paper off.
The sticker sheets are not pre-cut which is a shame as the graphics are typically very small and require a steady hand to cut out let alone apply. I find it helps to attach them to the tip of a scalpel blade to help get them in position.
The F14 soon looked the part even with very few graphics added. I believe less is more, and a simple clean cut appearance makes a better statement than an overly complex shell. These cars are meant to be raced, I don?t build no shelf queens!
In the next part I?ll be looking at Electronics choices and preferences, tyre choice, sizes and additives as well as a closer look at the mechanics of both the F14 and the GT14 MK2.
Dez Chand
The F14 straight from the box.
Over the coming weeks I?ll tell you what I found while assembling and tuning these cars in readiness for their first race outing.
Part 1 - The 14th shells
The GT is mercifully pre-trimmed and all that?s needed is the window masks applying before you can spray the inside with Fastrax Lexan paint. I went for a straight bright distinctive Red, many go for complex paint schemes but I prefer easily recognisable bold patterns, especially on a car so small.
The F14 EVO ARR body comes in several pieces, the lexan parts comprising the main shell, side pods, front deflectors and side skirt, so I took advantage of this to paint it a two tone colour scheme, Red and White details to add contrast and increase the perceived size, while blending with the front and rear wings.
F14 marked for trimming.
Having sprayed it I drew around the trim lines with a marker pen to help me cut it out, not only highlighting the subtle moulding indents, but also allowing to confirm the cut lines required and remove any hesitation or mistakes once I had the scissors in my hand.
With the parts trimmed and the holes drilled where required, it was time to use my Dremel to clean up the edges before removing the over spray film and admire the gleaming bodywork as I assembled the parts using the double sided tape supplied, though 3M double sided tape is a lot thinner, with better adhesion and it?s transparent so makes for a much better assembly without upsetting the colour scheme.
The GT14 body was simply peeled off it?s over spray film and the window masks removed, the rear wing was left clear as is the fashion these days, too small to paint, too easily damaged and flaked, and besides, once it?s stickered up you?d hardly notice the paint, which needs spraying onto the surface beneath the over spray film, so if you are choosing to paint it be sure to peel it first.
It?s only once you peel the over spray film that you realise it?s value, what looked like a nice clean shell simply gleams once peeled and the amount of dull over spray left on the clear peelings is testimony to the job they do helping to produce a quality finish.
The front side deflectors don?t mount to the body but instead to the chassis itself with a thick piece of double sided nestled into the counter sunk lexan moulding so that it sits flush on the fibre deck.
The shell trimmed and assembled.
The body decals include a driver figure to save all the fiddly painting, which is great, though you will have to trim this to fit so do that before peeling the backing paper off.
The sticker sheets are not pre-cut which is a shame as the graphics are typically very small and require a steady hand to cut out let alone apply. I find it helps to attach them to the tip of a scalpel blade to help get them in position.
The F14 soon looked the part even with very few graphics added. I believe less is more, and a simple clean cut appearance makes a better statement than an overly complex shell. These cars are meant to be raced, I don?t build no shelf queens!
In the next part I?ll be looking at Electronics choices and preferences, tyre choice, sizes and additives as well as a closer look at the mechanics of both the F14 and the GT14 MK2.
Dez Chand
Click the images below to view the other parts of the blog.
