The Score and Snap method (Protoform P63

This is my GLR-RT with my Reflex Racing parts. It's been paired with a Jomurema body, but it's time for something different. This is the Protoform P63 lexan body, a popular one for 1:10 cars and last year they started producing an 1:28 one too. A while back I prepared my first lexan body. I learned a lot but the outcome wasn't as clean as I'd like. It's never going to be easy but let's do better this time.

The P63 body comes with guidelines but there's nothing pre-cut. I'm going to employ the "score and snap" method to trim the lexan material. Let's demonstrate how this method works with a quick test. I'm going to use my Tamiya box cutter to score a line here. The cut doesn't need to be deep at all. I simply applied finger pressure. Afterwards, gently bend the lexan along the cut line once, followed by bending it back and forth a few times. Done! This method produces very clean cuts. Since the scoring doesn't need a lot of pressure, it's easy to cut precisely.

Before getting to precision cutting, let's first use a pair of lexan scissors to cut the excess material from the molding process. Let's start scoring the body line from under the right rear fender towards the front. The factory guideline makes this a bit easier, but without a flat surface to back the lexan, it's still pretty tricky.The snap works as intended. I could've done the scoring straighter, but it's okay. I will sand down the edges later. The easiest part is done. The rear diffuser area is a harder to do symmetrically. Use a series of scoring and snapping.

For the wheel arches, divide and conquer by cutting it into slices like a pizza pie. Not bad here. I will also sand down the curved edge here later. Tip! Don't assume the guidelines match your wheelbase perfectly! Test fit and measure carefully. I think the guidelines on the P63 body doesn't quite measure to 98mm. In my case, I cut the rear wheel arches a bit forward.

The next step is the most nerve wrecking part -- marking the holes for the body posts accurately. It's not easy when the body posts don't prop up the body evenly. As you can imagine, even being 1mm off is going to mess things up. I first use a small drill bit held by a pin vise to make a hole precisely, then enlarge it with a regular reamer tool. As I test fit the body, the foam on the GL front bumper is too thick and pushing against the lexan body. I will use sandpapers to remove some foam material to eliminate the pressure against the body.

I'm using a coarse 120 grit paper to work on the foam on the bumper. Test fit repeatedly until it fits under the body. At last, the trimming and reaming are done! I forgot exactly how long it took me but it must have been around 3 to 4 hours. I will never want to do this more than a couple of times a year. But the P63 body sure looks pretty nice here!

I'm going to paint the body with a can of Tamiya PS-3, which is a light blue color. The first coat is very light. Then wait 10 minutes. The second coat is more aggressive. Wait another 10 minutes. After a total of 4 coats, plus a backing coat of white to brighten the color, this is the result. Because the body doesn't have any deep crevices, and I'm doing a single color, the spray painting part is straightforward. The window masks seemed to have done a decent job as well.

It's time to remove to outer protective film on the lexan body. Very shiny! It's strangely satisfying to experience this moment of truth. There's a bit of paint bleeding along the body post holes, but that can be cleaned up easily. There are some blue paint spots on the windows. They are easily cleaned up too. It's so good to see the wheels lining up well within the wheel arches. This body came out much much better than my last one.

I'm using the included hardware to mount the rear wing. I applied the stickers for the lights and front grill, and a few additional decal on the body. I'm going for a clean look here. I think the P63 body looks amazing! I'm pretty happy with my work here. Like most lexan bodies for racing, P63 allows for +3 offset front and wheel. There are zero clearance issues.

I have the GLR-GT with the P63 lexan body to Brooklyn Hobbies to test drive it as seriously as I can. This GLR-GT is pretty dialed for my style of driving. It's even more responsive with a lexan body. Compared to the hard body Jomurema body, the car accelerates and moves around more effortlessly due to less weight up top. Steering is plenty too. P63 is known to give lots of steering, and according to some, maybe too much steering. For my not very high skill level, it's totally fine.

Once you start considering running a lexan body, the world opens up beyond just Jomurema. There are many body styles to choose from.

Protoform P63: https://www.racepf.com/mini/p63-light...

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