Having read Paul's thread on repainting his Lima CCT, Lima Mk1 BG and Mainline 50' Parcel Van : http://www.platform1mrc.com/view_post.php?post_id=5767 I thought I'd have a go stripping the paint off my Lima CCT and Lima 42' Parcel Van. Both of these are in the BR blue livery, to which I don't model. My preference is BR maroon era. Having asked around on the simple methods of paint removal, I was tempted to go down the Dettol bath route. I was contemplating what else could be used, that doesn't harm plastic. Well, there is the brake fluid method, the paint stripper method, the methylated spirits method, caustic soda method and the list goes on. Having done a fair amount of weathering. and using 99% Isopropyl Alcohol as a 'surface softener', to bind the weathering powders, I thought to myself that this could possibly be used as a paint stripper, afterall, it hasn't affected the paint or plastic on my other models. I began by pulling the model down, ie, remove bogies, remove roof/glazing and remove the chassis. The pic below shows the 42' Parcel Van stripped down, whereas the continuing post shows the Lima CCT being paint stripped. Take Paul's advice and "wear disposable rubber gloves as this is messy." I started on an end to see whether it would affect the plastic, which it didn't. I applied the IPA via a spray bottle (atomiser) and wiped off with a clean cloth. No harm done so I applied some more and used a toothbrush to scrub the surface. All good so far. Just a word of caution, do this in the laundry sink/basin with water running (slowly), as a lot of paint tends to splatter off the toothbrush. I recommend washing the model in warm soapy water to gauge where you are at with the paint removal. This is the result after about 20-25 minutes scrubbing both the sides and ends. As can be seen above, it is much more awkward to get the toothbrush in the window openings. My simple method is to cut 1/2"strips of scouring pad and partially pass into a window opening. Apply a small amount of IPA and drag the scouring pad through. In the end, you should have a model with 95% of its paint removed. Again, wash the model in warm soapy water and towel dry. As you can see in the above and below pic, no harm was done to any of the mouldings on this old Lima CCT. The residual paint left on the model (shown above) is so thin that it may act as a 'primer' coat. You may wish to scrub the model further and or wipe down with a cloth dipped in IPA to remove any more residue. Once again, wash in warm soapy water and dry thoroughly before applying any paint. Cheers, Gary.
I've used Modelstrip in the past to get the paint off of plastic models. It is messy though and hand protection is a definite yes. Basically you spread the stuff on with an old knife or spatula and drop the model into a sealed plastic bag overnight. Next morning wash the gunge off and scrub up with an old toothbrush or something. You may have to go over the odd spot again but this stuff even takes car aerosol paints off. It is designed for plastic models so it is safe but it's best to try an old bit first.
