Alright, let me tell you about this little project I got myself into recently. It kinda started outta nowhere. I was digging through some old boxes, you know how it is, and found this beat-up old NASCAR diecast. Think it was one of Dale Jr.’s cars from way back. Seeing the faded green paint just sparked something, reminded me of those race days and, well, Mountain Dew.
Getting Started – The Hunt
First thing was deciding what to do. A full restore? A custom job? I figured, let’s make it look like a proper Mountain Dew machine again, but maybe my own spin on it. So, the hunt began. Needed supplies:
- The right shade of green paint. This was tougher than I thought. Had to find that specific, almost neon, Mountain Dew green. Ended up mixing a couple of hobby paints.
- Decals. Found some online that looked close enough – the logo, numbers, some sponsor stickers.
- Paint stripper, primer, clear coat. The usual stuff for messing with models.
- Tiny brushes, masking tape, sandpaper.
Took a weekend just gathering everything. Felt like I was prepping for a real race team, just smaller. Much smaller.
The Messy Part – Paint and Patience
Okay, time to get hands dirty. Pulled the diecast apart – body, chassis, wheels, the plastic window bits. Had to be careful not to snap anything tiny.
Stripping the old paint off was messy. Used some gel stripper, scraped it clean. Then a good wash and dry. Felt good getting it down to bare metal.
Primer went on next. Just a light coat. Let that sit. Then came the green. Man, that green. Took a few thin coats with the airbrush I borrowed. Trying to get it even without drips was a real test of patience. Masked off a section for a different color detail, just to make it a bit unique. Had to redo a section ’cause the tape bled. Always happens.
Putting on the Stickers – Fiddly Work
Once the paint was finally dry, and I mean properly dry, it was decal time. This is where my fingers feel too big and my eyes feel too old. These things are tiny!
Soaked them in water, slid them onto the car body. Trying to get the Mountain Dew logo straight on the hood? Pure frustration sometimes. Nudged them into place with a wet brush tip. One tore, had to use a spare. Smoothing out the bubbles without ripping them is an art, I swear. Got the numbers on the roof and doors, smaller sponsor logos scattered around. It slowly started looking like a race car again.
Finishing Up
After wrestling with the decals and letting them set, I sprayed a couple of light coats of clear gloss over everything. This really makes the colors pop and protects the decals. Smelled up the garage for a bit, but worth it.
Waited for the clear coat to cure completely. Then, the fun part: putting it all back together. Snapped the chassis back on, put the wheels on, carefully placed the window piece back in. Seeing it whole again, looking sharp with the bright green and decals, felt pretty good.
It’s not perfect, up close you can see my mistakes. The green isn’t maybe 100% screen accurate, one decal is slightly crooked. But you know what? It was fun. Took a trashed old toy car and made it something cool again. Sits on my shelf now, a nice reminder of just getting stuck into a project. Simple stuff, really.
