Straightening a freshly primed but warped body.

[eternazr4]

Hi all,

I picked up Tamiya's Jaguar XJ220 for a very cheap. It was second hand, but unassembled, parts in bags etc etc.

The body has been freshly primed with Tamiya's Liquid surface primer using an air brush. As of writing this the primer was applied approx. 18 hours ago.

I failed to notice that the body is warped! Looking at the rear of the body, one end sits higher than the other by a few mm. Looking at the front, and at the sides, it seems straight and true.

I have been reading up on correcting the warpage with some heat i.e boiling water, hair dryer, is the sun etc. But I'm worried that doing this will ruin the primer coat.

has anyone been in this situation before? I have seen results of warp correction on unpainted bodies, but nothing for bodies that have been primed/painted.

Thanks for the help!

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

1. Don't freak out.

2. Don't use anything close to boiling water. Or any heat gun. Try the methods below first.

3. See how the body might snap into the chassis; the rigid chassis might be enough to straighten the body without having to do anything. Again, do this before any heat. Most Tamiya bodies are secured front/back with pins on the chassis fitting into receivers on the inside of the bumpers.

4. If that doesn't work, try gently...gently...twisting it in the opposite direction of the warp, before using any heat.

5. Don't worry over the primer. That's more easily dealt with after you figure out the warp issue. Primer is made to be wet sanded and recoated, if necessary.

6. Heat generally is very difficult to determine w/plastic. In an instant you can destroy the body with a bit too much heat. Resin kits are much easier to de-warp w/hot water. Resort to mechanical means first to de-warp. And if all else fails, get a replacement body from Tamiya.

[eternazr4]

Great ideas! Thanks I will try a dry fit tonight.

[lovegt40]

if u try heat it, nearly surely u will destroy it. Dont absolutely do it and follow zoomzoom tips.

[sjelic]

trust me, no heat is needed

[Dexter Models]

Damnation, a F430 Mozzarella !

[eternazr4]

Originally Posted by sjelic

trust me, no heat is needed

Ouch! that must've ticked you off!!

I think the warpage will be corrected once final assembly is done. Dry fitting seems to correct alot of it..

Thanks guys.