Thank you for taking the time to visit my article on learning to paint r/c cars. In the nine short months this article has been on this site, it has become the most popular "Painting How To" on the net receiving nearly 100,000 hits. I have received hundreds of emails as a result of it. The version posted here is now version 3! You'll find sections have been expanded and simplified, hyperlinks added for manufacturers so you can visit them while you are here, and new sections on additional paint styles and types! The goal of this article is to help you learn more about how to paint and the tools of the trade. I will continue to expand it as long as people continue to innovate paint processes and painting tools!

Let's face it, one of the coolest things about RC cars is the wide variety of bodies and paint schemes out there You've probably seen some of the incredible airbrush work on R/C car bodies in magazines or on the boards and thought "It would be very cool to have one of those on top of my ride!" You've also probably thought it would be cool to spray your own bodies like that but the idea of learning the techniques seems mind boggling. It is my hope that this tutorial on painting will help you learn to enjoy the process as much as I have since painting and seeing the results is one of the most immediately rewarding parts of our hobby!

For those of you who don't know me, I am known as HauntedMyst on R/C Tech, Xtreme RC Cars and HPI and other popular boards on the net. I've been involved in R/C for about 10 years and have been painting and building my own kits since then. I don't claim to be the definitive expert at painting by any means but my work has been very well received. I am also freelance writer in the R/C industry, frequently covering painting topics. I am learning new tips and tricks all the time and my goal here is to share them with you! You will also find tips I've picked up on my cyber travels through RC bulletin boards and will credit the users who posted them when possible.

When it comes to painting, everyone has his or her own opinions on what is right and wrong, what works and what doesn't. If you ask 10 car painters for their opinion on something, you'll get 10 different answers, which only adds to the confusion around painting. I have definite opinions on some things and will share them, but only you can determine if they work for you, so experiment! Learning to paint R/C car Lexan bodies, like anything else, takes practice and commitment but the results are well worth it. I will cover doing basic one or two color spray can painting as well as more complicated paint schemes. I've sort of made a specialty out of painting wicked looking bodies that don't take 5 to 6 hours to mask and paint. You can get some really great results without the painstaking work concourse cars require. The whole purpose of this article is to show you how you can get into airbrushing and lay down some great paint with your first airbrushed body. How much experience do you need? Well, I've been airbrushing for a few years now and my painted RC bodies consistently sell for between $40 and $90. If I can do it, anyone can!