KV Lotus decal problem?

[stuboyle]

I really want to do one of the KV Lotus cars.

I seem to remember Michael stating he wouldn't do the livery for some reason. What was that reason or can someone direct me to that thread?

Thanks,

Stuart

[indycals]

My yellow decals won't match the yellow paint that would be required to finish the car properly. I would love to do that car, but honestly, combining yellow decals with yellow paint will look half-assed and I don't want any part of that. And doing all the yellow as decal is not an option IMO. As simple as the car looks it is a much tricker scheme than meets the eye.

[stuboyle]

Thanks, Michael. I think the only yellow decal would be the thin stripe on the side-pod and the word "Lotus". The rest would be painted. Does that sound right? I wonder if I could find some decals for the Tamiya Lotus 25? That might work.

[stuboyle]

Actually Michael, I just notice you do the Lotus 38 decals. If you can do the Lotus 38 why not the KV Lotus?

[senn65]

Here's what Michael is talking about on my Sato "Lotus". The sidepod Lotus is decal but the stripe is vinyl. Yellow is very hard to print. I only know 2 printers I've dealt with that can do it well.

[senn65]

Worse yet with this car. Simona's manager wanted the yellow to match the paint. I had to tell him I couldn't.....damn yellow!

[senn65]

These are Michael's....pretty damn close.

[senn65]

This Kodalux is a pretty good yellow. I mixed this paint darker as per Jimmy's color so the decals didn't match.

[indycals]

Mar 24, 2011 23:11:10 GMT -5 stuboyle said:

Actually Michael, I just notice you do the Lotus 38 decals. If you can do the Lotus 38 why not the KV Lotus?

That's part of the issue. Realistically the motivation hasn't been there, that car spent more time on the back of a wrecker than it did on the race track. If the newer cars started selling better, I could possibly be persuaded, but the reality is that recent cars don't sell very well.

[indycals]

When I do a set of decals, there are many things I need to consider:

Did it win Indy? If it wins Indy it is almost certain I will do it. (The Lotus 38 meets this test)

Can I do the set to my complete satisfaction? (in some cases, the answer is no, but I do them anyway - case in point, any Penske car from the last 20 years does not live up to my complete satisfaction because I cannot do dayglo colors) The KV Lotus does not meet this test.

Is the driver popular? The 2010 KV Lotus does not meet this test. Kanaan in the 2011 car should change things. (The Lotus 38 definitely meets this test)

Is the car (chassis) popular? The Dallara is 9 years old and has never been a big favorite, but it still represents all the recent Indy winners, so on this regard it is somewhere in the middle. (again, the Lotus 38 definitely meets this test)

Is the paint scheme cool? The KV Lotus definitely DOES meet this test.

Did the car do well? The KV Lotus does not meet this test. (+ for Lotus 38)

Is there historical value to the car? Yes and no. Generally there is great interest in anything Lotus. But we all know that this is not the Lotus of Colin Chapman and Peter Warr. What should be a positive in many ways is a negative. (+ for Lotus 38)

How easy is the livery to do from my standpoint? Aside that I can't do it to my complete satisfaction, it's not that bad. (+ for Lotus 38)

How easy is the livery to do from the builder's standpoint? That yellow stripe with the green wickerbill down the center and black outline is not nearly as easy as the Lotus 38 stripe. (+ for Lotus 38)

Do I think it will sell enough that I can justify doing it based on any negatives in the above answers? No, the 2010 KV car will not do well enough to overcome my objections. (+ for Lotus 38)

So, with rare exceptions, there is no one single deal killer. It's a factor of many things.