Side by side you have the Thomassima 3, one of Hot Wheels newest First Editions. Nice as it is, but how do you make better. This car is actually pretty easy to do because for the most part only a single color paint job will do. Yes, that means that flames look ridiculous on a car like this. The first step in getting started is to take it apart. Most of you know how to do this, one of the easiest ways is to use a 1/64th drill bit or use a Dremel bit with a serrated tip to cut the stem of the rivet. Next step is to strip it of paint, I use Klean Strip aircraft remover. This can be purchased at Pep Boys. Nasty stuff but it works really well.
Here we have the body already painted, the paint job is lacquer. This is actually quite easy to do at home with spray cans. After you have stripped it of paint, wash it off to remove all stripper residue. You can use a can of lacquer primer for a base coat. Let it dry and use a 1600 grit wet & dry sand paper to sand it down. If you cut the paint, spray it again and repeat. The advantages of lacquers are that they dry extremely fast, easily sand-able to a smooth finish and you don't loose detail like you do with enamel. After having done this you can spray it with a color of you choice for a top coat, using a spray can of lacquer paint. Same advantages that apply to primer also apply to the paint. It dries fast and you can buff it out to a mirror finish.
Replacing the wheels is easy, just find a donor car with wheels that you like and remove the old wheels. Its easy, just pop the tabs that hold the wheels in place. You can use instant glue or JB Weld to secure the new wheels in place.
The clear windshield on this car comes lined with red paint to simulate the trim. Don't try and remove it with any solvent, it will fog the plastic. Trust me. One way that I've gotten around this is to use Baremetal foil for the trim. The same goes for the front headlights and rear tail lights. Baremetal foil has an adhesive backing and conforms to whatever shape. The trick in using this stuff is to use a brand new Xacto blade. You also have to burnish it in certain places. I use a tooth pick to push the foil into certain crevices, then I trim it with the Xacto.
In the side by side comparison you see the vents on the side done in black. The rear grille is also done in black. This is easy to do when you have painted the car in lacquer. I used Testors flat black and with a brush I painted the vents. What you do then is you let it dry. After its dry, you take a cloth and some auto polish and lightly buff away the excess paint leaving only the black in the holes intact. The same applies to the rear grille.
The rear tail lights were done using bare Baremetal foil. Apply the foil the same way on the front. Take some translucent paint and detail the lights. Also a dab of black on the exhaust pipe tips makes them look as if they are hollow.
The front lights were done using Baremetal foil. Apply and burnish it in to the seams around the lights and trim it with the Xacto knife.
This is what it looks like finished. The body was done in lacquer, so polishing it was easy. All that was used was some medium polishing compound available at Pep boys. Once the paint was buffed, a coat of regular car wax was used to for a final polish. Anyone can do this at home with spray cans. I used an airbrush with actual Ferrari yellow lacquer, but you can go to Pep Boys and buy a can of touch up paint and get the same results, all it takes is a little patience. Good luck.
Thanks to Barry Martasian from The Beaten Path and Wreck of the week for sending this great article.	Thanks to John Machaqueiro for doing this great car and taking the time to document it. E-mail John here
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