Mertio23 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Hello everyone. I recently came into possession of a unit of plastic RTB01 Space Marines from a certain online auction website, and I need to remove the very thick layers of paint so as I can repaint them as Dark Angels. However, there is a catch. The previous owner appears to have used clear nail varnish to protect them, (which has now yellowed with age), and I'm not sure what I need to do to remove the varnish and paint, but keep the plastic intact. I have read the paint removal article in the PC&A FAQs, but I didn't find an answer that dealt with this problem there. If anyone could possibly be of assistance it would be much appreciated. ***EDIT*** A note for the Moderators: If I have mistakenly posted this in the wrong place, please excuse my stupidity and move this to the correct area, thanks! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
space marine schnauzer Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Hello everyone. I recently came into possession of a unit of plastic RTB01 Space Marines from a certain online auction website, and I need to remove the very thick layers of paint so as I can repaint them as Dark Angels. However, there is a catch. The previous owner appears to have used clear nail varnish to protect them, (which has now yellowed with age), and I'm not sure what I need to do to remove the varnish and paint, but keep the plastic intact. I have read the paint removal article in the PC&A FAQs, but I didn't find an answer that dealt with this problem there. If anyone could possibly be of assistance it would be much appreciated. ***EDIT*** A note for the Moderators: If I have mistakenly posted this in the wrong place, please excuse my stupidity and move this to the correct area, thanks! :huh: Simple Green or similiar product. I had a bunch of I'm not sure Space marines from ebay with a funky colour paint job with a varnished finish. About a week of simple green did the job. And a stiff brush scrubbing to take the paint 100% off. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thade Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Pure Simple Green + time + a toothbrush will work miracles. When I'm particularly angry I'll use them in combination with an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. There are other solutions (like brake fluid) but Simple Green is the most enviro-friendly option; and it's really effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanguardwolf Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 i dont know if you have it in the us, but i have used DETTOL, is t wound/hand desinfectant, quite cheap and works even on spraycan paint for car's greets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mertio23 Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 I'll have to try your suggestions, gents. If it works, I'll post pics of before and after treatment. Many Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asmodai650 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Simple green plus heat will make it work faster. I recently stripped my Ultrawing army, and had to go through the process twice. The first was to remove the clear varnish and most of the paint. The second time was to remove the remaining paint. I had the best luck when I set the container full of Simple Green out in the sun on a hot day. Be smart and don't put them where things will melt, just where the simple green will heat up. The warmer it gets the better it works. Also stirring or agitating the figures while in the simple green will also help to loosen things up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadey Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Try simple green first but if it doesn't work acetone is what is used to remove nail varnish and paint in certain applications. It probably will melt your plastic if you let it soak too long, they should be good for limited exposure though. Test it, more than once, and over a few days. Don't leave it in their for a few days (5 mins should suffice) but test it over that length of time. Multiple people including myself have used it to strip the Star Wars pre painted figs. The mini does become very flexible but will harden back up. To reiterate, Simple Green is the better option, if it works. So try that first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slyfox1990 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 If you are from the UK - which I believe you are - then dettol is really great for this. If you leave the models to soak in a dettol/water mix for a few days-week and the results are great. I left mine in for about a month with no adverse results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazychib Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 You could try nail polish remover. Just make sure it is acetone free, so it will not damage the plastic. I have also had great results using Mr Muscle Kitchen Cleaner on plastic miniatures as well as Dettol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crandall87 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Search youtube and google for a product called 'Biostrip 20' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil eyeball Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Simple green plus heat will make it work faster. I recently stripped my Ultrawing army, and had to go through the process twice. The first was to remove the clear varnish and most of the paint. The second time was to remove the remaining paint. I had the best luck when I set the container full of Simple Green out in the sun on a hot day. Be smart and don't put them where things will melt, just where the simple green will heat up. The warmer it gets the better it works. Also stirring or agitating the figures while in the simple green will also help to loosen things up. Could you not heat the simple green in some manner before pouring in the minis, or put the minis in it on a low setting on the stove? I don't have simple green, but i want to perform a simple test where i take a bit of a model (say a chainsword) and put it in a pot of boiling water, in all theroy that shouldn't be hot enough to melt the plastic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slyfox1990 Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I would personally suggest that it is ill advised and unnecessary to start heating things. If you use simple green/mr muscle/dettol in a warm environment ( ie indoors ) then it should work effectively. You will have to wait a few days, up to a week to see the best effects. Occasional agitation/stirring is ideal for the best results. It's great as you can put it aside and let it do its job whilst you focus on other things - adding any other variables in is just going to make the process more complicated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doghouse Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I always use Fairy Power Spray, fantastic stuff for getting off paint. Put in them in a tub, spray then leave them for half an hour or more (best results give it an hour or so) then scrub with an old tooth brush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darth_giles Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Just a note on Simple Green, get the concentrate in a gallon jug from a hardware store and not the stuff in a squirt bottle. The squirt bottle stuff is too diluted to be any good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thade Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Just a note on Simple Green, get the concentrate in a gallon jug from a hardware store and not the stuff in a squirt bottle. The squirt bottle stuff is too diluted to be any good. Interesting. I use the S.G. in a squirt bottle and it works perfectly fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hexenes Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Actually, Simple Green in the squirt bottle is exactly the same as in the jug. The jug is just a bit more economical. If you can find the lemon Simple Green (ironically it's yellow), I highly recommend it. The green Simple Green smells like black licorice (yuck!) and seems dry out your skin more than the lemon Simple Green. (That said, it is perfectly safe.) Plus, your minis will be lemony fresh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darth_giles Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Interesting. I use the S.G. in a squirt bottle and it works perfectly fine.Hm... Maybe squirt bottle simple green is different where you are? I soaked some minis in it for a week and got nothing, but the jug stuff gave me results on par with what I got from Pine-o-Pine (a super concentrated Pine-Sol knock off that I only use on metals). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mertio23 Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Thank you again, everyone. I'm just putting my money together to get some Dettol, (I'm unemployed so cash is a very valuable resource.) However, my promise still stands. Once they are stripped, I will be making a project log of my work on these. Oh, my better half decided she'd get some more bits from ebay for me. Put it this way, I now have 2 10 man squads of Plastic RTB-01 Space Marines, 1 Mk.1 Rhino, 1 metal apothecary, and a chaplain on a bike. Once I get my digital camera back I'll provide pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whylie Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Mr Muscle multi-surface cleaner or Mr Muscle kitchen cleaner work a treat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.