How to Cut and Paint a Lexan RC Body for the Axial AX10 Scorpion Rock Crawler

I recently had to shave and paint a Lexan RC body for my AX10 crawler. This article will work as a general "how to" for any Lexan RC body, though. While there is nothing too in-depth or complicated about the process, there are some things to remember which can make the job go so much smoother.

Cut the body first. I used a steel cut-off wheel on a Dremel type tool to shave the RC body for my Scorpion, but there are other ways. Some folks use Lexan scissors and others score the area to be removed with a hobby knife and then bend and break the Lexan off. When I cut the RC body I did not use constant, fluid cuts. Rather, I sank the cutoff wheel in and removed it, over and over again until the entire body was shaped how I wanted it. Doing it that way avoided the wheel "skipping" on me and cutting the body in undesired places and gave me much more control around corners. Keep fitting the body to the chassis as you cut so that you know exactly what you wish to remove.

Sand the RC body. Once I was done shaving all the excess Lexan off, I attached a cylindrical sander piece onto the end of my rotary tool and lightly went over the entire shaved area. Be sure and round off any corners or sharp edges you have, as they will tend to crack when the body flexes or hits something. The Lexan is very easy to shape with a sanding attachment, but if you don't have a rotary tool then regular sand paper will work as well.

Mark your holes and drill before you paint. Once the RC body is shaved, fit it on the chassis and mark the body mount and antenna holes with a black magic marker. A friend of mine made the mistake of painting first and it was extremely difficult to decide where to drill later. Once the body is cut and sanded and your holes are drilled, you are ready to apply stickers and paint.

Apply window decals and paint the RC body. If your kit came with window decals, now is the time to install them. Make sure they are on the inside of the Lexan RC body, where you will be painting. Paint on the outside of the body will not last long. Once the decals are in place, apply at least three coats of Lexan-specific type spray paint. The reason regular rattle-can spray paint is bad is because it will flake off quickly as the RC body flexes. Lexan paint is designed to be flexible once it is dry.

Remove window decals and outer plastic. Once the body is dry, remove the window decals. I did this by putting the tip of a hobby knife carefully under the decal and pulling up slightly until I could get my fingers on it. The last thing you want to do is damage your new paint job. Then remove the clear plastic protective sheeting from the outside of the RC shell, revealing your nifty new paint job. If you are putting stickers on the outside of the RC body you can do that now, too. Finally, try the RC body on your car and see how it looks. Congratulations on a job (hopefully) well done!