If your 4WD rig does what it should and gets off-road and into the bush, you know it’s going to get dirty, and you accept that when you clean it, you are likely to find little or often big scratches, which means either a load of polishing or the risk of rust – neither of which are desirable.
U-pol has the answer in the form of Raptor, a product currently distributed here through selected Repco stores.
What is Raptor? Well, maybe Richard Mulholland can explain that better than we can, especially since he has ‘Raptorised’ two vehicles.
Let’s back up the 4WD a bit.
Richard treated himself to a new Isuzu D-Max a ways back – partly because he liked the look of the D-Max and partly because of the family hobby. Richard and his dad, Kevin, are 4WD adventurer/hunters.
Richard’s D-Max complements Kevin’s ’93 Land Cruiser Prado, a legacy vehicle once owned by Richard’s grandfather and cared for by Kevin.
The D-Max is a lot more tricked out than Kevin’s, but there was that pesky problem of a nice shiny black paint job taking a bit of a hammering.
Richard looked at various options, including a full body wrap for the D-Max, but nothing seemed to fit the bill.
Some products had warranty issues, while other alternatives had the same lifespan so were not really alternatives at all; then he came across Raptor – the exact product he was looking for.
“Raptor is a two-part polyurethane,” explains Richard. “It’s ten times stronger than paint and has so many more advantages: it doesn’t chalk, won’t fade, its hard to scratch, difficult to chip, is stain and water resistant, repairable and – while its great for truck beds – it basically serves as armour for overall bodywork.”
And Richard’s D-Max is proof in the metal.
“When I first went in to go and discuss colours, process and timings I asked how they wanted the vehicle delivered and was told: ‘Exactly how I wanted it to look when finished: fully accessorised.’” the vehicle would be disassembled – in terms of accessories – coated with Raptor and then reassembled, ensuring the Raptor coating gets into all those little places prone to damage – boltholes and clamp fitting spots.
Raptor coating is available in black or white as standard but can be tinted and Richard was surprised at the flexibility when it came to colours, formulations, and textures.
“Green’s my favourite colour,” he explains, “which made the colour selection easy. Then I found out about the texture!”
While Raptor coating can take the form of a matte, semi-gloss or even a metallic, Richard opted to go for the ‘dinosaur leather skin’ look. It’s hard to see from the photos, but the D-Max appears to be covered in avocado skin.
“Most people do a double take when they get up close,” says Richard. “And then there’s the explanation of what Raptor is and does. There’s just one thing – I just can’t keep it dirty! We go out four-wheel Driving and when I come home, all the mud and dirt just hoses away and the truck looks like it was just painted,” he laughs. Now some of you keen observers may have noticed similarities between Richard’s truck and Kevin’s.
Richard was so blown away with the final appearance of the D-Max, as a special gift to Kevin, he borrowed the Land Cruiser and had it Raptorised without Kevin knowing about it. Big gamble to take givin the Land Cruiser is something of a family heirloom, but like Richard, Kevin is delighted with the result.
Turns out, he never liked the original colour anyway and according to the applicator, the Raptor treatment will outlive the engine on the Land Cruiser, which is a big claim in itself, but Richard tends to agree…
