Concours corner

Radio Control Car Action, May 1998 by Meyer, Kevin

Keep on NASTruckin'

MANY MODELERS ENJOY creating "theme" vehicles for concours competition. This is my favorite category of concours because I'm free to use my imagination, and I can get as wild as I like.

Sometimes, it's easier to go this route instead of trying to replicate a full- size car or truck. Be forewarned if you're creating a make-believe race team, though;it had better be a solid idea with plenty of outstanding detail, as some judges tend to favor replicas of real vehicles. I'm doing a "Mad Dog" SuperTruck, which is inspired by the fullscale "Red Dog" truck.

Autographics*, Parma* and Slixx Decals* all offer top-quality decal packages that are printed on stretchy vinyl material. This makes it easy to duplicate your favorite race trucks. The "Mad Dog" decal set (part nos. 828 & 170-8A) I chose is by Autographics, and I also used their Truck Cluster (part no. 350) and SuperTruck Ford grill decals (part no. 10831) for this concours project. The graphics will be applied to Hot Bodies'* highly detailed '97 Ford SuperTruck (part no. 10112).

Next time you're glued to ESPN2, take a close look at the headlights on a full-size NASTRUCK. The headlights on a race truck are actually vinyl decals, just like those used on our 1/10-scale vehicles, only bigger. I guess that makes the Autographics decals even more realistic!

I had to trim the headlight decals a little to get the proper fit on the front of the Hot Bodies truck. I made photocopies of the headlight sticker before I actually cut it and then trimmed the paper copy to get the correct size. When you apply the decal, start by lining up the headlight with the grill. Once the placement is right on, apply pressure to the sticker and work from one side to the other, smoothing out the wrinkles and air bubbles as you go. Because these graphics are printed on vinyl, the material can be stretched to conform to the body's shape.

For it to fit nicely into the grill area on the body, the grill decal will also need to be cut. Again, a photocopy for trial fitting ensures the best results. I cut the Autographics grill into strips for easier application. To give a clean-looking, finished edge to the outside of the grill, a stripe of Coverite* or MonoKote* can be used as a border. If you're working with a body that doesn't have clear grill lines, scan any supertruck or race-truck magazine for a close look at the full-size machine's grills; these magazines can be great reference materials.

WRAPPING IT UP

Now it's time to kick back and admire your hard work. A well-done detail job always gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I get an even bigger thrill seeing my scaleddown truck tooling around on the racetrack! With patience, planning and the right materials, you'll have your vehicle in fine shape. I hope you've had as much fun with your project as I've had with mine! Hey, here's the proof; you don't have to win a concours trophy to have a good time with your hobby!

*Addresses are listed alphabetically in the Index of Manufacturers on page 217.