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By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com
Whether it's wheel nuts, wings, tools, tracks, trinkets and/or anything in between, the LiveRC staff gives their testimonial and review of each every Thursday morning!
I guess you might say as a racer I am very shallow in the sense that a sexy looking car is more important to me than anything – including its inner personality on the racetrack. Part of having a good-looking car is making sure it is clean and shiny. There is a variety of R/C brand and supposed R/C “specific” polishing sprays on the market today, however, I have stepped out of the R/C world to try a little something different. This week’s Thursday Testimonial is a motocross inspired product that like many aspects of dirt bike racing, crosses directly over into R/C racing; Maxima SC1 High Gloss Clear Coat spray.
Maxima SC1 Clear Coat (12 oz aerosol spray)
78920, $10.50
www.maximausa.com
Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Southern California, Maxima Racing Oils is a household name in motocross and other forms of full-scale motorsports for their extensive product line of engine oils, suspension fluids, grease, cleaners, chain lubes, etc. Among that product line is the SC1 Clear Coat high gloss aerosol spray. Designed to coat plastic, fiberglass, carbon fiber, and metal on to prevent mud and dirt from adhering to your bike, I decided to test its abilities when applied the same way to an R/C car. SC1 is advertised to also create a water-resistant surface when applied, and is said to be safe to use on all surfaces.
The Test
To test out the SC1 I decided to go to the extreme. Buried in the dark corners of my garage I dug up the original truggy that, to the best of my knowledge, was last raced by my old man, Homer, at the 2009 Dirt Nitro Challenge. The truggy left the track eight years ago after a 30-minute +40 A-Main, was stripped of everything, and has never been cleaned since.
I grabbed a toothbrush, a fresh can of SC1, and went to town. SC1 is not intended to be a cleaner or degreaser, therefore in situations like this I highly recommend using a degreaser first and following up with SC1. For the test situation, however, I used SC1 and SC1 only to clean this truck.
First and foremost, SC1 smells amazing. Some cleaners and polishes smell like chemical galore, but not SC1. SC1 carries a very pleasant cherry/berry-like smell that is very pleasant. I sprayed the entire one side of the truck, scrubbed with my toothbrush, and using an air compressor blew off the excess SC1 spray and dirt. In between cleaning I sprayed myself with SC1 to cover the the sweaty smell of a guy working on his R/C car in a hot garage. Given the fact this truck was extremely gross, I repeated this process three times to get the finished product shown here.
What I determined from my test is that SC1 is not meant to be a cleaner, but surprisingly it works well even in the cleaning process. As a spray polish, it creates a “new plastic shine” that looks good and clean, but isn’t obnoxious. What I mean by obnoxious is the look you get when “Super Wet Black Extreme Tire Shine” is lathered on the tires of a dirty pickup truck - that is obnoxious and looks fake to me. SC1 does not create a slimy film like some spray polishes, but it does create enough of a film that it makes blowing future dust and dirt off considerably quicker and easier. I also noticed when used on my own vehicle before race day, mud and water had a tendency not to stick quite as much as it does on parts without SC1 sprayed on before the race.
The polish works best and is most noticeable on plastic parts, however, coating the underside of your chassis creates a slick feel to the bottom of your car – perhaps not enough to make a difference, but it might help detour excess dirt from building up on the bottom side.
To finish the test, I sprayed down a dirty body and cleaned it up in the same way I cleaned the truck above. As it turns out, when applying to an R/C body, a little bit goes a long way. The SC1 really puts a shine on the body, and the more you “rub it in” the better it looks.
I found the SC1 spray safe to use on all the plastic and carbon fiber parts, polycarbonate body, stickers, and wing. SC1 is also safe on metals, however, it has a very insignificant effect on their appearance.
Pros:
Cons:
Final word:
If you want a super bling “wet tire shine” finish on your plastic parts, SC1 is not for you. SC1 states on it, “New bike in a can.” This describes what it does exactly – it brings your old plastics and parts to the same shine and appearance of new replacement plastics and parts. When used on the body to my car it didn’t take away any scratches or scuffs, but it made them less visible and significantly shined the overall body and stickers - also bringing it back to that "new paintjob" look. Do keep in mind that while SC1 is safe on most stickers spray, do not use it before applying stickers or they won’t stick due to the slick film it applies.
Overall, I am very happy with SC1 and the look that it gives my equipment (I say equipment because I went on to shine my radio, charger, starter box, and toolbox with it afterwards). It doesn’t cost a significant amount more or less than R/C brand spray polishes; however, it smells better, applies better, repels dirt/dust better, and creates a look that I like better than most I have used in the past. Availability can be a bit harder to find as an R/C racer, as it is not typically something a hobby shop or hardware store would carry, but a quick visit to the local motorcycle shop should do the trick. In fact I like it so much, that after my last trip to the motorcycle shop, I wheeled away with an entire case of 12 to keep my cars clean, shiny, and smelling good for days.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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