Question on using body skins/stick on details

[psycaz]

My goal is to have my son (wolf) build his car himself this year. I want to show him to how to use the power tools, but let him make the car body.
Going to work together on the wheels and axles.

I am thinking of using a Pinecar stick on detail sticker for the body cover - car will be a thin wedge. Or maybe using the water stick body skins.

Anyone have ideas as to dos and don'ts for the wheel areas?
Should I cut out the areas where the hubs may contact the car?
Safe to leave the skin/decal intact?

I am trying to avaoid painting since that would have to be done in the basement and don't want him exposed to the fumes for too long.

Tia

[Da Graphite Kid]

Tia,

We just sand the sides of the pine block flat and smooth (800 grit?) prior to shaping the body. Than we tape over the body where the wheel hubs will contact to protect this area from everything else we do to the car. When it is shaped and painted, we install the wheels and will remove the tape over the body to hub areas and rub in some graphite (using a finger). Of course your goal should be that the wheel hub never contacts the car body...

Have used the body skins before and they work well. I don't know how well a Wolf would be able to handle one though as they are basically a large decal which can tear.

Da Graphite Kid

[psycaz]

Thanks for the help.
I figured I could put on the skin, that really isn't too much help and technically I can help - jus not build the car for him.

Did you take the skin over the sides and cutout the wheel slots or just skin the top of the car?
We were thinking of doing the sides as well and notching the skin/decal around where the hub might come in contact with the body.
My son picked out a nice red lightning skin and a carbon holograpic decal - couldn't decide between the two.

[Da Graphite Kid]

Tia,

On the first car we used a body skin on we just left it so that the body skin covered the axle hole (it was meant to run slow and lose to the Cub Scouts). On the second car I cut the body skin where the hubs were prior to putting it on.

Hmmm, Red Lightning or holgraphic... well everyone knows that red cars are faster!


Da Graphite Kid

[PWTom]

Tia, for my daughter's car, I used the flame skin on every surface but the very bottom. The skins are pretty thin and can overlap each other with minimal effect. I would cut away the area around the axles and keep that clean wood so you can rub in plenty of graphite. You should paint the car the main color of the skin so that if you get a tear, it doesn't show through as much. Don't ask me how I know that!

[dave4him]

You should paint the car the main color of the skin so that if you get a tear, it doesn't show through as much. Don't ask me how I know that!

I know how you knew that-

Last year I made a pick-up truck and tried one of those skins. They call 'em skins for a good reason. "Don't ask me how I know that"
I had a couple tears and patched them with little pieces of extra skin. Worked like a charm! With the camouflage skin I was using, you couldn't see the patch!

Another thing I did learn was that you can't skimp on sanding.