Color, decals, little details. Turn a stock shell into your own visual signature—starting with a simple livery sketch.
Acid yellow body, charcoal slash, number 45.
A concept sketch, not a cutting template, product photograph or paint-color match. Nothing is uploaded or saved.
Confirm the shell’s intended chassis, wheelbase, width and mounting method. Check tire clearance throughout steering and suspension movement before settling on your artwork.
A useful example: Pro-Line’s Coyote shell specifies a particular crawler wheelbase and lists its body dimensions. Read the exact product’s fit list, not just “1:10” in its name. Manufacturer body specifications ↗
A clear polycarbonate body and a painted hard-plastic body are different finishing jobs. Identify the material and follow the body and paint manufacturers’ directions. A scheme that looks good in this sketch says nothing about chemical compatibility.
In Tamiya’s M-05 body instructions, the clear shell is washed and dried, windows masked, then painted from the inside with polycarbonate paint. Tamiya’s illustrated instructions ↗
Plan colors and masks before opening the paint. Follow the exact paint system’s sequence and drying directions. Tamiya’s cited instructions remove the outer protective film before the stickers go on; Pro-Line describes a similar paint-then-peel process for the cited clear body.
Use the paint label’s ventilation and protective-equipment guidance. Keep products away from ignition sources and get appropriate help with sharp cutting tools.
Choose a clear focal point: a number panel, one dominant stripe or a small group of accents. Test the composition with paper shapes first. Consider seams, curves, body posts and wheel arches when laying out a design.
Use original graphics or artwork you are allowed to reproduce. This sketch uses only simple original geometry; it does not imply sponsor support or reproduce a real builder’s livery.
Scale is only the first clue. Build a fit sheet for wheelbase, width, mounts and moving clearance before committing to a shell.
Open the guide ↗Turn a livery idea into a material check, mask map and layer plan before the first coat goes on.
Open the guide ↗Give the body a clear visual identity, then apply its graphics in a sequence you can measure and repeat.
Open the guide ↗
