As you have been reading, we are expecting to move into a new home. That being, a 2014 Winnebago TOUR 42GD. Ever wonder what it takes to give a Class A motor coach the look it has on the outside? We did!
So we asked the kind people at Winnebago for permission for CDI, the painting company, to send us photos of the birth of the color of our Solar Winds TOUR.
What we found when we received the 80 photos was it takes A LOT of man hours for such a paint job. But even before that, you have a design team that spends many hours (humm…days), and as we found, sleepless nights, coming up with such designs. The designs then go back and fourth from design to the top brass and back again until it is just right.
At the point where every one has signed off, then the “fun” really begins. And not just for one person, but a team of dedicated people. This group of dedicated CDI employees then set out on one mission. To make the beauty of the design, come to life. So armed with a lot of masking tape, plastic, and just a few key items like a spray gun, sanders, and polishers. Least we not forget the every important air masks! (Then add a lot more of the same over, and over, and over again.) What you are about to see may surely amaze you as it did us.
As we came to find out, among the images of the staff you see working on the coach are also extremely dedicated Winnebago inspectors that keep an eye on each process a long the way. It seems that their is not a coach that is made that does not have this level of commitment at each step by Winnebago.
We are looking forward to seeing the coach in person for the first time. For as we have been told, the images do not do this coach justice.
We would like to thank the staff and team at CDI, from the designers to the detailers and all in between, for the beauty they breathe into coaches every day. And thank you all kindly for allowing us to share this experience with others through photo documenting the process.
We are extremely proud to present the color birth of our Solar Winds design, 2014 Winnebago TOUR 42GD, painting by CDI…. (Click on [View with PicLens] for best experience.)
Thanks for your interest in our process and company!
John Bibbo of CDI
More than welcome. Thank you all for taking part and making such a wonderful design.
Wow…what a fascinating process! That should be submitted to “How it’s Made”!!! Is that really your coach from start to finish?
It’s so pretty! Can’t wait to see the inside!
Love yas….
WE WERE FEATURED ON “ULTIMATE FACTORIES” ON THE NAT GEO CHANNEL AS PART OF THEIR FEATURE ON WINNEBAGO, ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO.
THANKS
JOHN
Yes, that is our coach. Well, expect for the first image which happens to be a 42QD as I think someone forgot to take the photo of our coach before they started. Hey CDI, if you see this…send me a photo of a 42GD before it is started. ;)
All in all, what a process.
Did anyone tell you that dark colors, especially black, are difficult to maintain and put a temendous heat load on the inside of a motorhome……
Hi…As I am guessing you must have missed, we currently own a black coach. What you can not see however, is this coach changes color. It might look black, but I can assure you it is not. Also what you can not see is that it is a metel flake coach, as such, it actually repels heat. But thanks for the concern just in case.
Amazing paint! I’m sure that the photos cannot do it justice.
Wow oh wow! Looks amazing! I can’t wait to see it person! ;)
Dave,
I’m confused – what happened to all the yellow through the first 1/3 of the photos. THAT looked totally terrific. It’s all g-o-n-e in the end product. Was that a base coat or primer?
Trekkers on irv2.com
Hi Jim…
That yellow was all the masking and templates for the paint process. After all, you need to block out where some colors gone when you are spraying another color. Then you peal it back and then block out what you just painted (after it dries) so then you can lay down the next color. Over and over as you can see. A lot of work.
Simply amazing! Did you design the graphics or is this one of the choices for the 2014 model year? The DW and I are in the dreaming stage of owning a new Tour or Ellipse. Love the floor plan with bath and a half and the opposing slides in the front living area. What’s not to like about either model?
Hi…
It is not a design that is available. It is one of only 4 that were allowed to be built. The design was made to attract attention at RV Shows. (Like of like they do for car shows.) It took me some time, but I finely got permission from the upper management of Winnebago allow one to be made. (And yes, it cost us to do it.) We went with the GD floor plan as we have a bath 1/2 now and we would rather have more living room space in the living room are offered in the GD. (Along with larger storage tanks.) But yes, both are very nice.