RePainting Advice Plastic car. Need Help!

N

NathansPROPS

Active Member
Hello all, A couple of years ago I started painting this Jurassic park Explorer car and now I want to completely redo the paint job. I started cleaning the inside roof with a small bottle of Testors paint thinner and saw that it worked. Though the downside to it was that it created small air bubbles on the inside roof, and melted it a little bit but not too badly. I then applied a small bit to the outside doors on one side of it and it worked but I kept feeling the need to apply more to it for it to completely get rid of the green paint. I stopped because I ran out due to first spilling 3/4ths of the small bottle on my desk. Second reason is because on the doors there are small little door handle details and I don’t want those to be melted away. I also scraped away some of the paint with my finger nail and that works, but I don’t want to have to do that for the whole thing. If it would help for me to list the paints I’ve previously used on this model I will list them.
Krylon Ruddy Brown Primer.
Yellow paint, First painted with yellow wall paint, then with Testors Enamel Yellow- Flat paint. Probably 2x coats in testor paint if I remember correctly.
Green was Painted with Testors sublime green model master spray enamel. Coats maybe 3x again if I remember correctly.
Any advice would be accepted and greatly appreciated!
Thank you for reading my current predicament.

P1040953.JPGP1040954.JPGP1040955.JPGP1040956.JPGP1040958.JPGP1040960.JPGP1040962.JPG
 
I think the more you use the thinner to melt the paint the more you will damage the surface.

I would suggest 400 - 600 grit wet and dry sandpaper. Break it into small pieces and hand sand it, keeping water as a constant just by dipping the sandpaper into a bowl of water.

Find a grit level like 400 to start and when all the paint is gone, then use 800 or higher to smooth out the surface.

It's a fair amount of work, but anything else will probably damage the surface, maybe beyond repair.

Good luck
 
Last edited:
Thank you RogueTrooper! I'll give that a try on the grill piece of the car. Its a separate piece and its a good test piece to try that on. So I would just sand with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper and dip it to wet it. And when I feel the sand papers drying, to dip it again and repeat this process? Sounds good to me.
 
NathansPROPS said:
Thank you RogueTrooper! I'll give that a try on the grill piece of the car. Its a separate piece and its a good test piece to try that on. So I would just sand with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper and dip it to wet it. And when I feel the sand papers drying, to dip it again and repeat this process? Sounds good to me.
Click to expand...

That's the trick....keep the sandpaper wet and go slow....if 400 is too aggressive, go 600 or even 800 wet and dry grit.....start out slow to see what works...remember it's a labor of love...;)
 
Yeesh, sanding it off sounds like a nightmare and stands just as much of a chance of removing detail as what you're already worried about. I would seriously look at some of the stripping suggestions, starting with the most gentle (Simple Green, for instance) and then trying something a little harsher if that doesn't work. Most likely you're working with styrene or one of its derivatives (like ABS), which is why paint thinner melted it, and many scores of people have used sodium hydroxide solutions on that with perfectly good results. These include oven cleaner, Super Clean, and Drano. People will swear by one or another but they're all basically the same thing.

Just strip it. This shouldn't be that long of a conversation...

-Rog
 
Get a cheep can of oven cleaner, the foamy stuff. Spray liberally all over the surface until covered in foam, then place in a plastic bag. Tie the plastic bag up and leave for 24 hours. After 24 hours remove and wash off with water.

I will guarantee it will not distort the plastic and it will strip all paint and any glue attached. So confidant am I that I will replace the kit for you if it damages it.

Ozzy
 
Be careful with that oven cleaner, for God's sake. That crap is caustic, and it will give you chemical burns and or damage your hardwood floor. Guess how I know.
 
I have successfully used a product called "Modelstrip" on plastic kits. It has removed 40-year-old paint from a very old plastic model kit as easily as it has from more recent items. More information here.
 
Thank you all for your inputs. @Rogvillar I shall look into simple green and the other paint removers you suggested. ozzyguanche and Mike J. I assume oven cleaner is easy off? I shall be careful if I decide to use that as an alternative if the simple green isn't strong enough. Though do you think if I used the oven cleaner that the dome (which is made of a plumbers mixing epoxie, I forget the exact one, and Magic sculpt will be affected by the oven cleaner? Exterminator Modelstrip seems simple enough, though I did notice its based in the UK. Nothing wrong with that, but the cost of shipping to the US is what kills me. I will keep that in mind as well. Thank you everyone.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ozzyguanche said:
Get a cheep can of oven cleaner, the foamy stuff. Spray liberally all over the surface until covered in foam, then place in a plastic bag. Tie the plastic bag up and leave for 24 hours. After 24 hours remove and wash off with water.

I will guarantee it will not distort the plastic and it will strip all paint and any glue attached. So confidant am I that I will replace the kit for you if it damages it.

Ozzy
Click to expand...

Thank you, but the model car isn't a specific model kit that can easily be replaced. It was a plastic orange car from some sort of construction toy set, don't know the brand or what set it could have come from. I wouldn't want to have to replace it, since this is a "one of a kind" plastic car, and its a client commission, but thanks for your offer.
 
Hello all, I have decided to go with Super Clean for this project. Now, what are some precautions any of you have taken when using this toxic cleaning product. I looked up some videos on using Super Clean to strip the paint off models, and to me, it seems like people just put it in a container and wait 24 hrs for it to remove the paint. Then scrub off the excess with an old tooth brush? Are regular nitrile disposable gloves safe to wear when using Super Clean?
 
Have started to use Super clean on the front grill of the model and the results are great! I'm amazed with the results and have now dunked main model into plastic container of super clean. Thank you all again for your suggestions. Build on my friends! LARGE PHOTOS BELOW!
P1040705.JPGP1050078.JPGP1050076.JPG
 
This thread is more than 8 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.

Similar threads

Redfinger
Need some scratch building advice!
Replies
4
Views
412
joberg
joberg
blewis17
Need advice for Pirates of the Caribbean (ride) model display
2
Replies
21
Views
1,947
TazMan2000
TazMan2000
3Dsf
Problematic changes to Shapeways “fine detail” plastic.
Replies
18
Views
1,409
curiouslysophie
curiouslysophie
SGluedMyFingers
UV resin recommendations/advice?
Replies
2
Views
393
SGluedMyFingers
SGluedMyFingers
JediMichael
Repainting a MPC Millennium Falcon ***FINISHED*** with tons of pictures
9 10 11
Replies
214
Views
15,263
JediMichael
JediMichael
Back
Top