Ep.158 How I Do White Letter Tires On Model Cars 

I used to hand paint the Nascar raised letter tires with acrylic white back in the 90s, but I kept passing out from holding my breath while tediously painting. 🤣

very old school hard to do when you get old thank you Luka cee

When i was a teen i learned to use a new pencil eraser and like stamp it lightly. Worked good for me.

SHABO dry transfers were my favorite, no need to re-coat. Someone should bring back that idea.

Not bad I like it, the Force is clearly with you !....

Wish I had your steady hand!

Thank you for the help.

Amazing work as always and happy holidays to your family as well. Great tips as usual

I really enjoyed this video. awesome tip and work.

They look beautiful! Thank you!

Great info, Thanks for the tip

I always like the content with your videos.. and how your videos have helped me!

Yep tried and true method, I rarely add white letters anymore but that's how I always did it too, using that same paint. Loved watching the bit about your young Padawan Learner 😁 I enjoy Lukas's Kits, those are always favorite videos (definitely bring them back). Happy new year coming, my friend 😊✌

Great progress on the 40 is looking great Luka! Thanks for the tip I always enjoy the look of hand painted lettering but I always sucked at doing it!

Ok you made that look way to easy ! Outstanding work 100% looks better by hand , I need to send mine to you and have you do them and then send them back

I used to use brush but now a paint pen is so much easier.

Very nicely done, maybe lint-free lens wipes would prevent stray fibers.

WOWSERZ 😱😱😱😱😱‼️ Wishing You and All Yours a Safe Blessed Happy New Year 🤗🤗🤗

Right on! Very cool! Those tires look sweet. Hand widened and lettered. Nice work 👏 If I tried hand lettering, they would look like full on whitewalls. Again, nice work!

Great tips thanks for sharing

Really deepen steelies with the Ford caps would look good too

Powerslide, and Spot models both offer BFG decals as well as many other brands you don't often see, Hankook, Pirelli, etc. That being said I think those look better on race cars, RAISED white letters are a must for old school muscle cars.

Thanks for sharing those tires are going to look really cool on your build

I have used the white pencil that was used to keep score on the old over head desk projectors at the bowling alley back in the 80's. Lost several years ogo. Worked great and stayed on. Had to go back to the brush. Quit detailing the tires due to vision. Glasses helped, but not good enough.

Fireball model works has almost any tire decal you want.

I found that keeping a small cup with alcohol in it and a toothpick helped. I would dip the toothpick in the alcohol and then clean any errant paint with that. Also I would dip the paintbrush in it to keep the paint fluid. But good job Luka!!

Thats how I always do my lettering.. Would love to see you do a 63 Studebaker Avanti.. I used to work there

I'd definitely love to see some more unbuilds and absolutely more Lukas kits. I just started a Tamiya AMG GT3. I've built a couple plains and tanks before this. I forgot how much more work goes into a car kit.

Can't wait to see your Ford when it's done I bet it's gonna look badass!!!!

excellent video mr cee

Happy New Year luka!

Very nice.

The right paint and brush make a huge difference. Some of that skill is knowing what the paint flow off the brush should be like and knowing what to expect from the selected brush. Resting my wrist on a folded cloth keeps the brush control better for precision painting.

Nice👌 think I might try it👍

cool sir

Since the decals have become so good I have not done this in a long while. But considering how well yours came out I might give it a go. Nice vid Luka.

Model Roundup has some good tire decals.

😮great job.

Thank you Sir.. 👍

Thank you!!

the Revell 68 Chevelle has BF Goodrich radial t/a decals. I just don't like decals. I've had no luck with the white gel pens. For tires with no branding I use a photoetch template from Mr. Model. Great work hand painting that. My hands aren't usually that steady. For super fine detail painting I often use a .3mm mechanical pencil.

Thanks for the cool totorial ! I sent you a fb request. Been following your videos awhile now!

Good job luka. I also use tooth picks .

Nice I'll definitely be trying that out maybe another time you could show how to do whitewalls as well 'cause that's something I really not gotten the hang on

Love a good white lettered tire!

I feel ya brother. I have lost vids before too! How FRUSTRATING!! I just can’t use a brush to letter tires without making a mess. Ugh! My best results (and that’s not saying much) is using a straight pin and a sharp toothpick. Great job dude!!

I’m no good at that lol you make it look easy bro

I do it the same way , sometimes l use silver and gold paint.on the letters

Nice tip on lettering the tires. Fireball Models has the BF Goodrich tire decals for 1/24 and 1/25 scales.

My finger hit where I didn't want to. As I wanted to say is, I don't bother any more . Cause you know, tires are black anyway unless you spend more for the white letters. Some of my models I would have liked white lettered tires. AMT has some new issue kits with them. I'm satisfied.

Great tips Luka. I have always been told you cant brush paint with Tamiya paint. I'm glad to see that isnt true. Maybe you could do a video about that sometime.

Hey Luka what is your recommendation for alloy wheels. Which paint would you recommend. I want to re do the wheels on my Tamiya BMW 635 they are too chrome looking. I have heard Model Master Aluminum metalizer is good. Thoughts? Thanks for your awesome instructional videos keep them coming.

Love your channel, I've been building since I was very young back in the mid 70's not to reveal my age, 😅. You use alot of the same ways I did but have open my eyes to some I didn't know. I'm going to dive back into it soon after me & my new wife buy our 1st home together end of this year & I have at least 200 kits to build & cant wait to get back in the game. My biggest problem I always have was how to stop white paint jobs turning yellow !!??? Omg it drives me insane when I build a beautiful kit in white & later down the road I look & its a piss yellow ? Especially when its a rare kit. Please any video's you maybe already made or tips would be so appreciated. I work alot of hours so I don't get much time to research now. Thanks for any help. Keep up the good work.

Back in the day, I think I used actual tire white touch up paint in a can. I don't know if you can get it now (I don't have a car with white letter tires anymore). I forget how I painted the wide whitewalls on my 59 El Camino and 49 Merc. I wasn't aware of Tamiya paints 20-25 years ago. lol

I just use one of those sharpie brand oil based pens. They work great on raised lettered tires.

So that's it! Painting the letters individually! I've been hand painting tyres for a while now - did it for the first time in a few years a couple of months ago - and my results were mixed at best but still relatively presentable. What about when the letters are partially raised, like when it's the outline of the letters only?

Do you have any ideas on how to straighten a body on a promotional model

The paint and the brush make a huge difference, I don't remember what white paint i used on a car years ago, but that stuff stayed tacky for forever. LOL. The Ford is going to be sweet ! 🍻

I tend to use the Gel inks. The white ones you can never touch again. But somehow, if you put them down wrong, they dry, and gunk up, to where you can't use them. But why? I hear you ask. Well, once they're dried up, and useless. Rip it apart, snip the nib off, blow the gel out, and wash it in something lethal. Like acetone. Once clean, and dry, heat the tube over a flame. And stretch it like sprue. Cut it where the tube has shrunk down, and force with wide end down on a tube of CA. And BINGO! Precision superglue tube applicators. Awww c'mon. I know I'm cheap. Don't hate me for it lol

oh man, that sucks!! (error code: the last two hours of you life doesn't exist! )I hate loosing footage like that! all the hand painting i do, I am still not able to do tires like that. Awesome job!! I bet Felix was over the moon!

Roanoke Va . Thats near me.. are you going to that show?

Thanks for sharing Luca Cee! It’s nice to see how you paint the wheels. Happy Holidays! 😎

Man thst is some great painting. I have a question how do paint if there is no letters moulded into the tire? Like with slicks putting like M/T or HOOSIER or anything else. I know there are decals, but I would like to paint them on myself. I am pretty confident I can do it just need to get some direction. Thanks scott.

I use a toothpick but i like your way ill give it a try luke

Your opening song sounds like Not fade away by Buddy Holly.

Have you ever experimented with using a rubber stamp or roller on the raised lettering?

I’ve never done this where the paint hasn’t wiped right off. The paint won’t dry on vinyl tires like these. Can you advise? Thanks!

I used to letter all my tires that way, especially the old NASCAR Good Year tires before decals. My problem is they'd always get smeared sooner or later because the paint never seemed to cure.

It's kind of strange watching a video where the person is doing something exactly as I do. Great video and tips, thank you!

There's no way in Hell I could do that! LOL

3/0 said as “Three Ought” …. And if your looking for good brushes, try Windsor Newton red sable brushes.

Fireball resin has BF Goodrich decals

Luka, will you be at the MDA show this coming year? I'd really like to meet you.

Nice tutorial. Will Luka get his 40 Ford completed by the dead line? To find out, stay tuned to The Luka Cee Channel!

Try lettering under a magnifier. It makes a huge difference for me.

Niceeeee

You're simply a God. I build F1 cars but cannot paint those nice white letters on any 1/20 or 1/24 tires so nicely, mine will be a mess of white blob! Watching you putting down those letters on the tire is quite an experience.

Decals on tires...you can see it everytime.

Easily done with Gel Pen…. If you can write, you can white letter!

I really enjoy the content on your channel, always something new to learn. I look forward to seeing more Luka's Kits and unbuilding videos. How about returning to the Adventures in Scale Modeling shows featuring the 66 Malibu. I truly enjoyed seeing those shows.

How many hours of time do you put into your models on average from start to finish on your show quality cars for shows and don't be like everyone else say three years cause you built it halfway and let it sit for 2.5 years 😂😂 lol just curious though how long from start to finish do you think you put into the show quality models hours wise or weeks or months wise. And could we get a video on how to stream line the buding process to go from 3 hours just doing motor to 3 hours and you got every part painted and in sub assembly and able to finish in two days or three

I've used a toothpick to do that.

Goodyear tires are better than Hoosier tires

Not something to try after too much coffee!

Do you use “Retarder” while brushing with Tamiya?

Will you get on with it!

I use a cigarette butt

I shake to much for this.

Devils advocate here, I’ve yet to see a brushed sidewall lettering that was crisp , every one I’ve seen looks like a little kid did it. Srry man I really like your videos but you simply cannot beat decals! PLUS I’m a walking earthquake and simply am not steady .

Niceeee