One of the most important and difficult tasks in the rebirth of an 80s racer replica model is the finishing of the graphic decals.“Exterior Parts Restoration.I guess. Here’s a plastic cowl that’s cracked, along with suggestions for making a base for it.Specific ideas for “high quality one-offs” for various decalsIf you like tinkering with computers, it’s worth a try. If you like tinkering with computers, it’s worth a try.!?
- Different year, different livery, but ……
- Cleanly peel off the pre-applied decals.
- It may look like a superb cowl, but it’s tough to peel off.
- Import freehand data into the computer and cut
- Color matching after shape cutting with cutting machine
- Color matching paint on cutting sheet
- Paint in graphic lines on the sheet
- Gold color is selected from “Manufacturer’s logo color”.
- Paint first, not paste and paint later
- Completion of decals that look like genuine parts
- Pasting also requires technique.
- Transformation from 1986 design to 1987 design!!
Different year, different livery, but ……
The model under restoration is a 1987 Suzuki 250 Gamma (left cowl). This time, let’s focus on the restoration of this front cowl. The original cowl was completely cracked and almost destroyed, but we will use the used parts for 1986 250 Gamma (right side seen above), which has the same cowl shape and base color but “different graphic design”, to make 1987 specification.
Cleanly peel off the pre-applied decals.
I use different types of chisels just like a carpenter,” said Mr. Itabashi of Model Create Maxi, who was in charge of the work. The chisels, which are known as carpenter’s tools, are sharpened to make them extremely sharp. It is said that if the chisel is not sharp enough, it often scratches the cowl body. The model name decal on the knuckle section was carefully removed.
It may look like a superb cowl, but it’s tough to peel off.
It is said that if the parts are relatively old or not tanned, the decals can be removed beautifully by using a sharp chisel. The decal for this Gamma was not easy to remove because it was an old part even though it looked good. The decal was carefully peeled off from various angles using a water mist spray. Because I could remove the decal somehow, I used polisher to finish. Polishing with ultra fine compound, it became a very good finish.
The base color of navy blue like aubergine, commonly known as “aubergine blue”, is a color synonymous with the Walter Wolf specification of the time. Later models also had a champagne gold base color. In order to match the graphic pattern, all of the stock decals were first removed and polished to a smooth and shiny finish. If there are any noticeable scratches, they should be repaired at this stage.
Import freehand data into the computer and cut
Trace the graphic pattern of the front cowl for the sample with a pencil to make a paper pattern. Use a pencil to trace the stock decal and cut it with scissors. This time, I made only one side (left side) and reversed the right side by hand. The outline of the paper pattern cut with scissors is captured by the scanner of the multifunction machine. Based on this data, the arc of the cut line is beautifully finished with illustrator software and changed to cutting data. If you know how to use a computer, you can enjoy this kind of work.
Color matching after shape cutting with cutting machine
Change the outline of the graphic pattern to the cutting tater and cut it out with a plotter. The cutting sheet used at this time is a UV-compatible product that is resistant to discoloration even when used outdoors. There is no way to choose the color of red, and there is only one color available: ……. The know-how of Model Create Maxi explodes in the process from here on.!!
Color matching paint on cutting sheet
There is no way to find a cutting sheet of the exact same color. Here, we reproduce the red color of the 1987 graphic based on the red UV cutting sheet for outdoor use. Urethane paint is applied on top of this red sheet and allowed to dry. As you know, there is a “long time” in the color mixing work. Paint with depth of color on metal is difficult to tone, but decal print tone is relatively smooth and easy to reproduce.
Paint in graphic lines on the sheet
The front cowl, side cowls, and seat cowl were supposed to be the same red color, but due to fading, the colors were slightly different. The red cutting sheet has a cutter blade in a fan shape, so masking was applied according to the graphic design. It seems that the color-coded paint is done inside the cutting sheet.
Gold color is selected from “Manufacturer’s logo color”.
Since we didn’t have any gold cutting sheets in stock, we used a white cutting sheet, which has a good coloration of the paint film, as a base for the color adjustment work. Even if gold can be reproduced by toning, if it is a white base cutting sheet, a slight white color will appear on the paint cross section when the cutter blade is inserted.
Paint first, not paste and paint later
Start painting using different masking tape and curing tape. After the red base, white stripe and gold to be painted as designed. The width measurements were taken from the sample cowl. The owner of this machine requested that instead of using the exact same color scheme for the paint job, he wanted to use a cutting sheet like the stock cowl for both graphics and coloring.
Completion of decals that look like genuine parts
After cutting lines with the blade of a cutting machine (plotter), the border area was painted with gold. It was difficult to see the section color after cutting, but it appeared in some places. However, it was not noticeable because the base sheet is red. If the masking tape is peeled off after adding the white stripe, the fan shape of the knuckle part is completed. Although the completion image did not spring up immediately after the end of painting, when an unnecessary part is peeled off, a splendid decal is completed as shown.!! This is the way they do it when they are asked to make replicas of the original manufacturer’s decals. 80’s replicas of cigarette manufacturers are very popular.
Pasting also requires technique.
When attaching cutting letters, carefully remove the protective tape. If there is air bite, spray with water to make it slippery and use a rubber spatula to gently remove the air. It is easy for air to get trapped in a narrow, narrow area such as a logo, so it is best to spray water with a mist spray from the beginning when applying to a wide area such as the fan-shaped design on the knuckle guard.
Transformation from 1986 design to 1987 design!!
This finish!! There is a sharpness that is different from the glossy deterioration of the unrepaired cowl. We decided not to apply clear paint over the stickers, just like the stock parts. The result is a well-balanced finish.
- Point 1: Even if decals are missing, you can make your own one-off replica decals if you have a sample.
- Point 2・Please pay close attention to the rubbing at the time of pasting in order to reproduce it by the paint finish based on the cutting sheet of UV correspondence!
- Point 3・It is basic to choose a cutting sheet with a red base for a red finish and a gold base for a gold finish.
When it comes to fully restoring a limited edition Walter Wolf model, the finish of the exterior parts will have a major impact on the outcome. Any motorcycle fan who knows the base model would be concerned about the finish of the exterior parts. Of course, the same was true for the machine’s owner. Only the coloring had to be reproduced somehow ……. However, the important front cowl was cracked due to deterioration. Initially, we thought to recreate it by gluing the cracks and only polishing it. However, the cowl itself, which is made of ABS resin, had already become prone to cracking over time. Therefore, even if it was possible to rebuild the cowl, it was thought that it would fall apart again due to the vibrations from driving. ……
After much deliberation, he decided to get a different year’s front cowl with the same design. They decided to repaint it. Just as he was about to do this, he found a 1986 model front cowl that was the same Walter Wolf spec, but only one year different. It was lucky that it had the same design and base color, but the graphic pattern was completely different. When I talked to Mr. Itabashi, the owner of Model Create Maxi, about this situation, he gave me an attractive answer or suggestion.
‘Since the base color is the same, we can strip the decals off and then polish the cowl to make the base cowl. I think we can get away with taking measurements from the stock sample cowl and one-off the decals”. In short, if you take the graphic decals from the sample cowl, cut them out, and color match them based on the measured graphics, you’ll have a decal that is comparable to the stock Suzuki decals (or better, depending on your perspective).?Mr. Itabashi’s suggestion was to be able to one-off the decals from the original model. He added, “If you can’t find decals because they’ve been discontinued, you’re often forced to finish the job by painting over them. But if you use a cutting sheet and apply coloring over it, and then put the completed cutting sheet on the cowl to finish it off, you can recreate the atmosphere of the normal cowl,” said Itabashi.
Some of the out-of-print cars that had a good storage environment are said to be “If it weren’t for this scratch!!You know, the exterior parts were perfect.!!I think this is the best way to restore such parts. It is possible to put the paint on the decal and hide the flaw. Of course, there are many unpopular cars and domestic models that don’t have replica decal kits, so this technique can be used for full restoration. If you don’t want to make decals, you can use urethane paint after degreasing and masking.
As for paint color matching, there are some paint specialty shops that offer color mixing services by bringing in the actual parts, which should be a reassuring ally for DIY users and Sunday mechanics. Let’s use these examples as a reference and enjoy the “application” of various repair and reproduction techniques.
assistance in covering the story:Model Create Maxi