ghost flames?

It seems kinda simple to think about just masking it out with stencils and masking tape then spraying the flames over a background color, but that's a shortcut similar to how they do lexan car bodies . For a real model car, I'd rather do the flames to where they are flush with the background color. So, I'd use the template to guard the flame area first, paint the body color then switch places with the template mask & do the flame outline. Hopefully the final touching up wouldn't be too cumbersome. Of course, all tape would be cut first on wax paper not on the body of the car. I like the sharp-lined flames on the cars you showed, so I'd go with masking rather than freehand airbrushing softer, fading flames. But, you can see on the Chevelle that the insides of the flames are faded, so that would be airbrushable inside the masking. I think these would definitely be paint jobs that get clear top coats.

HEY,
Kinda confusing what you said but i think i get it.lol Thanks alot man.

Randy

I just looked at the Corvette, but I'd do it just like airplane camo. Spray the light color first, mask off the flame area, and spray the dark color. It is much easier to cover a light color with a dark color than it is a dark color with a light color.

If you need soft edges, you could still do the same thing and then go back and add a soft edge with an airbrush. You'd probably want to make your masks a bit smaller in that case. Or you could just do the whole thing with the airbrush.

There's a good step-by-step article on doing ghost flames (along with some bolder graphics) on a motorcycle tank in an issue of Airbrush Action that came out within the past year. I don't have the issue handy anymore, so I can't give an exact issue number. Very nice, subtle, ghost flames on a orange tank and fender set..

HEY,
Thanks ill have to check that out.

Randy

Randy,

Ghost flames are normally sprayed with urethanes such as HOK (House of Kolor) and PPG. That is what a lot of modelers are now using as no other paint looks like urethanes. They are expensive though and toxic, especially the catalysed clears which I would not recommend you use.

Mike

HEY,
Thats the only thing that has stopped me from getting a small thing of HOK paint, is price, but now i know it is very toxic, so i dont think im gonna. If that means i cant paint very good ghost flames, so be it.

Randy

Like Mike said, the "transparent" colors that are used in a lot of the show bike / show car special effects jobs (pearls, candies, etc...) , are typically done with urethanes, with all the usual caveats about toxicity and safety.

That said, some of the rc car modelling guys are talking about using the water-based Parma "Fasescent" line of paints to good effect. I've not yet got my hands on these, but just might have to do so to see if there is a good, safer alternative to urethanes for getting these sorts of special effects.

As for ghost flames, the more subtle and "ghostly" the flames are, the more they rely on paint transparency. I've seen other ghost flame jobs that could've probably been done with more opaque paints, just laid on with a very light touch.

QUOTE: Originally posted by limd21 That said, some of the rc car modelling guys are talking about using the water-based Parma "Fasescent" line of paints to good effect. I've not yet got my hands on these, but just might have to do so to see if there is a good, safer alternative to urethanes for getting these sorts of special effects.

You might want to look into the new Createx Auto Air line of auto paints that some people really like. They have a lot of cool colors including candies, sparkle, and color shift FX and they are water-based acrylics.
Check them out here: http://www.autoaircolors.com/

Mike