When I got Project Leopard, I was faced with the paint vs wrap question.
As true to fashion, I went with paint.
When I was getting ready for JCCS 2022 with Project Diplomat, I had my body kit painted as well.
Unfortunately, I’ve had bad experiences with both situations.
With Project Leopard, it was in Arizona for 14 months, touched months at a time and so when there was a final deadline with guarantee to be completed… well, it wasn’t completed and rushed. Clear drips all over doors and left side fender 1 coat of paint, but no clear. It will be taken cared of pretty soon. But the long period of time and sudden rushed product left a sour taste.
With Project Diplomat, It wasn’t the quality (as I was fine with it), but the price and cutting deadlines. Being desperate during that final 1.5 weeks before JCCS, the body kit wasn’t painted until the Thursday late night (I was leaving Friday morning and JCCS was Saturday). I bought paint and clear and that was expensive and whole kit paint and work… I mean it was an intense week. The price jumped because it was so hot, that the shop didn’t have workers during the day (causing delay in painting), so my stuff was painted late at night when the owner of the shop was available to do it.
Initially, I wasn’t a fan of wraps. My 1st experience seeing a wrap (when I got back into cars) was a Skyline at the Shukai event back in 2017. It looked good from far away, but seeing the wrap not done properly was huge turn off for me.
To be fair, wraps, wrap technology and techniques have improved since then and I’ve seen some great examples of wrap on cars nowadays.
I really wanted to change the color for Project Diplomat. I want the CLASSIC VIP two tone look:
Having a solid black M30, it just takes away the lines of the Diana kit from far away based on these old pictures (to be fair, they are old pictures).
The other option would be a white car. I personally love white. Insurance Group’s demo leopard was hot!
I thought about wrapping Project Diplomat as black and grey, which is still an idea that I have to play with in my mind. Everything I do, is out of my pocket. I am not sponsored or have friends that own shops, so cost effective it might not be worth it.
Looking at white, I am amazed at the options available and that has lead me to lean towards wrapping.
Some of the colors I really like are mostly gloss white.
Aura Vinyl:
-
- Gloss Diamond Crystal White
-
- Gloss Metallic Pearl White
-
- Gloss White Blue Shift
I am heavily leaning towards the Gloss Diamond crystal or the gloss white blue shift. Personally, I don’t like my white to be overwelmingly sparkly or super blue. I love subtle… Unfortunately, I can’t control the wrap’s properties.
Nonetheless, If Project Leopard gets done soon enough and I have the extra funding for Project Diplomat, I’ll spend it on wrapping.