2024 Motorcycle Group Build Pt 5 Painting the Wheels

#2024motorcyclegroupbuild
Hosted by @gi_mechanicsscalemodeling and jamiegsscalemodelgarage3823
Painting the wheels on this scale model project turned out to be easier than I was expecting...it did involve deviating from the instructions however that's all part of model building!
0:07 Kit wheels and brake rotors have satin finish plating intended to represent metal finish.
0:14 This corresponds to aluminum rim and raised edges on wheel spokes, as well as polished brake rotor surface.
0:28 Kit instructions say to paint lower surfaces flat black, leaving raised edges and brake rotor surface plated. Although this actually replicates the way real wheels and brake rotor are painted, I found it easier to reverse the process for 1/15 scale parts...
0:43...starting with Super Clean degreaser "purple bath" soak to remove plating...
0:51...followed by overall coat of flat black. Tamiya XF-1 acrylic went on nicely with a brush, then it was sealed with a quick spray of Testors Dullcote.
1:05 Metallic silver Sharpie marker was the low-tech solution to painting raised silver edges on rim.
1:15 Circumference of rim was done first using side of marker along raised edges.
1:25 Then marker point filled in area between two raised edges along rim circumference.
1:35 Spoke edges were next, again using point of marker. These were actually quite easy to do because ink delivery is very controllable. If a minor slip does occur (I experienced some) it is easy to touch up black with a fine brush, then reapply silver when the black has cured. Being acrylic the Tamiya paint dries quickly which is an added bonus for touch up work.
1:56 Molded-in valve stem is well represented, it was painted using fine brush and bright silver paint for two reasons: Marker tip is too large to reach all surfaces of valve stem, and a brighter "chrome" appearance was desired for valve stem rather than duller silver "aluminum" rim edge. Kit tires only needed removal of parting line along centre of tread surface, and a light scuffing with Scotchbrite pad.
2:06 Brake rotors got flat black on inner surfaces similar to wheels, and bright silver paint on "polished metal" areas that would be contacted by brake pads.
2:20 Reversing the process (silver on black, instead of black on silver the way real wheels and brake rotors were painted) was easier to do in model form and gave good results. Now to finish building the rest of the bike to give the wheels something to bolt onto!
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