ME Super colour change!

Well, I've finally snagged a cheap, working but scruffy ME Super and I'm looking at a repaint. I plan to keep the black leatherette stuff for now but repaint the chrome parts. The only question is, what colour? I already have tidy examples of a chrome one and a black one so I want to make something unusual. What colour do people think would suit an ME Super?

I am currently thinking something bright, such as yellow or orange, but I thought I'd post this and ask for input.

I did think about making a gold-plated one to confuse Pentax historians, but that's a bit beyond my skills!

British Racing Green with bright yellow leather

Weirdly I had thought about making a green one, and that would look pretty good. I'm not sure how you go about replacing the leather on the film door though - I realise that the stuff on the front peels off but I'm not sure about the door?

Orange would look good. I quite like Hefty's idea of a 'Lotus' ME Super, too.

Remember. - Preparation is everything!

What about sending the body off for chrome plating,

Or gold plating, that would look very classy.

When I was a school, in those days there were still metalwork classes, we did a decorating job on aluminium using grinding paste on a bit of dowel spun in the drill.

You sometimes see it on aluminium cases, small circular swirls in the aluminium all over. Not sure if it would be possible with the thin material the top and bottom are made of.

Don't worry, I've built plenty of models and done a bit of full size car paintwork (refurbished my scruffy old alloy wheels last year).

My plan is to rub down the bits I want to paint with extra-fine abrasive paper, then use "Maskol" (masking fluid which dries as a rubbery substance) to cover the little panel next to the mode selector with Auto, M, etc on. I don't fancy trying to sort that out so I plan to preserve it in original condition with the chrome edge. A quick dusting of primer to check the finish, then top coat and after touching in the lettering a coat of spray varnish.

I'm not looking forward to trying to pick out the ME Super lettering in white - it's incredibly fine when you look at it closely!

I think it's called machine finish. You don't have to use grinding paste any light abrasive paste would work. Solvo Autosol comes to mind.

I've just been looking at photos of performance cars and I'm now thinking orange, with the Pentax ME Super lettering in black. I think it'd fit well with the black leather.

Sounds terrific. Reckon white'd be nice too.

It should peel off the same as the front panels - get a sharp blade under one corner and lift carefully.

Well, I've bought the paint. Halfords "Warehouse Orange" spray enamel (RAL 2003). It claims to be suitable for all materials and should be reasonably hard-wearing. A quick edit to the image from the Wiki article for the ME Super suggests it'll look good.

I may also keep an eye out for a cheap 50mm in need of attention, in order to make a lens to go with it. The 50mm is a pretty simple design so I should be able to strip, repaint and rebuild without much trouble.

Looking forward to seeing the finished item DM.

Here it is - the ME Super Tangerine Dream edition:


[IMG]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x21/Kingofthemountains/IMGP3744.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x21/Kingofthemountains/IMGP3745.jpg[/IMG]

Amazingly it all still works, even after I had to dismantle the mode selector stuff on the top plate! The part with Auto/M/etc was masked with Humbrol Maskol - this is liquid rubber which you paint or in this case drip onto complicated surfaces, when dry it forms a masking material.