Thx Ian!
I did it before Brawn actually
At least I've learned something since I first bought an airbrush back in 1995
This is one of my very first paintjobs:
And this was SOOO advanced for me back then
Being a total nerd, I even painted my crappy Vauxhall
This is a picture from 2005, with a line up of most of the shells I had then "used up" since 1995
After 10 years of hard work I finally won the national championship in 2006, so this is "the path there"...
Here's a video of them too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kc87-q7rzY
There's some things you should know as to 1:8 TR shells Ian:
They are much larger = uses a lot of paint & you need big nozzles. And seal it VERY well, especially on the exhaust side.
The shells sometimes have a very short life. 1:10 off-road shells can last for years on end, as it sits well protected "inside" wheels, towers and wing. Whilst these onroad shells take all the beating head on. And imagine going full flat at 110 km/h, hitting some slight debris on the track >> takeoff... fence...
Typically the shells you've spent the most time on do harakiri on the first lap. And the ugly ones never want to die
Being incredibly fast, a simpler, clean design with "flowing lines" in the speed direction look best on the track. Too much going on looks stupid on track. I really also recommend some kind of "triangle" on the side, making the car look "cone formed" / taller at the back. With a horisontal line it looks kinda rear heavy and strange.
A good advice is to do some simpler "practise shells" and a full blown "A final shell". But with a good resemblance. The italians do this. Or even one only for the Concour'd Elegance competition at big races. Some are just a shame to waste.
Also make sure they are cut out before painting, as they are a paint to cut & fit when painted first, as the shells for instance from Protoform are not marked correctly (the different brands have different layouts).
Cheers