I just got a "pre-loved" gunpla kit with parts I wanted to salvage for another project but the last owner left a crusty layer of paint and top coat on. Glad I found this video because that paint was tough.
Great video Matt, I use this method all time. ISO works wonders on removing Acrylic & Enamel model paints..........but like you I have found some spray paints (mainly enamel automotive spray paints) don't come off with it. Great tip about using plain old toothpaste & gloss varnish to restore clear parts also. See it goes to show you learn something new every day
Thank you for sharing the trick. I am working on a 1956 Thunderbird and I did a very poor paint job on the body and became so frustrated that I put the kit back in the box and forgot about it. Now I am going to finish it.
This saved my phantom kit that I had built about a year ago and tried brush painting it, but ended up ruining it with extremely thick paints, thanks a ton!
I have a Jeep TJ Wrangler rubicon model that i painted super poorly, so i never finished putting it together. I bought and traded in a JKU wrangler and wanted to finish that jeep kit as a tribute to a vehicle i never wanted to give up. thank you for the video.
I could only get 91% where I live. It works perfectly! My HO 1/64 plastic slot car body had a bad paint job. It dissolved all the paint, I primer painted it today, looks great. Thank you!
It worked! I spent £8 for 1 litre on Amazon. Soaked a badly rattle-can spray painted hard-to-replace slot car overnight and the paint wiped straight off!
Hi there, great video and very helpful on my part as I had been searching for a while of a good method for removing acrylic paint from models that had a paint job I wasnt happy with. Its good to see other folks gave it a try in the comments as well, as stripping minis is something I personally have never tried, however this video provided a clear and helpful explanation :-)
Thank you for this video Matt. I’ve just ruined a Fujimi Golf vr6 by using acrylic primer and a genuine VW paint over the top, which has reacted badly with the primer. Possibly an amateur error! I’ll give this a whirl and hopefully it will work on the VW paint and the body won’t evaporate!
I used Laquer thinner to strip an old tank model. But IPA is less caustic and less aggressive, the laquer thinner will attack the plastic if left on too long. Thanks for the IPA tip.
Marvelous' I have a 1/48 spitfire, 1/48 Hurricane I used Humbrol enamel on that I wanted to try to do a more pleasing finish. This will definitely be tested. Toothpaste and clear varnish, who knew. Thank you.
Good tutorial! I’ve used IPA to strip paint from an old [1980!] Gundam kit. It worked great but I had to do multiple baths to remove the almost 40 years old paint. This caused the plastic to become brittle and some parts broke. Luckily I was able to glue them back together.
I don’t make model kits any more but I recall using spray on oven cleaner to remove paint. You can see it lifting the paint as it works. Then just clean under a tap. It worked for me...
Many people have suggested that, but here in the UK i'm pretty sure we don't have stuff that is that aggressive. There are many cleaning products in other countries that other people use, but if were to put my oven cleaner on this kit, it would do nothing haha
Hey mister... this is CHRIS from the USA...hope I can watch your next episode... you always have good informative productions... your review on the AIRFIX 1/72 Storch made me get one too build ....I’ll keep watching. Thanks CHRIS
Having recently started trying to learn to airbrush, with varying success (I swear it depends how much coffee I've drunk...) this video was an essential part of my learning process! In Dubai I can't buy 99% IPA only 70% but a 30 minute soak seems to do the trick, for the most part - I guess longer would help but 30 mins is working OK. Rather than a toothbrush, I've found a wooden toothpick / cocktail stick works much, much better. You can be extremely 'aggressive' with it, scraping and pushing the paint off, but with zero damage to the plastic (though I've not tried on clear cockpit mouldings.) Plus you can cut a toothpick end to a point / the shape you need to reach difficult parts of the moulding but still put a lot of pressure on the paint - far more than with a paintbrush.
Great tutorial thank you so much I can now fix up my space marine that I tried to repaint. Also I can confirm 20 minutes or even less is enough, if you leave it on too long it could eat away at the glue and well you'll have to glue everything back together! I learned that the hard way.
Great tip. I’ve used oven cleaner on acrylics with the same results but the fumes and it’s corrosive properties are not to be taken lightly. I’ve left the parts in over night and they were perfectly fine.
I’ve used the spray foam oven cleaner on enamels, I spray the kit parts, then bag them in freezer zip type bags, this reduces the smell and then left for 24hr. Good result and no damage to the parts. You might have to repeat for detail recessed areas.
I have some expensive QCS from Stripwell. I have tried alcohol, brake fluid and others. Making it short: QCS requires no scrapings' scrubbing, merely an overnight soak or less. Remove, rub parts with gloved fingers, wash with soap and warm water, air dry and get going to a new wonderful project. . . . Oh, save the stuff and use it for others. Have fun, Dudes and Dudesttes
For anyone located outside of the U.S., look and see if you are allowed to have something called EasyOff oven cleaner. Out of all the different things I've used to remove paint, this stuff works the best. It has an odor but it isn't obnoxious like alcohol or other means. It's safe to use without gloves, won't harm plastic even if you leave it on long enough to dry out, doesn't take very long and with a tooth brush will even remove the tid bits in those hard to reach areas. Also there is no keeping it submerged as it is a light foam. Just coat the parts really good and let set.
@@ModelMinutes Great! am a young modeller who started last month and have already built a lancaster, 2 mk1a spitfires, 1 mkv spitfire, 1 prxix spitfire, hawker hurricane mk1, heinkel he 111 and a messershmitt bf 109!
Could the toothpaste and Varnish improve the clarity of clear parts? All this information is great and I have used all of these slightly differently will hand sanitizer to also prime the plastic
It could - but i've found just washing the clear parts in soapy water will generally improve them. I know some people dip them in varnish to make them look better, but personally I don't bother
I used resolve stain remover I did do half and half with water but soaked it and it mostly melted away the paint leaving the model unharmed mild brushing sometimes but it even gets into the groves
Thanks for the information. I have used caustic soda and the effect is the contrary, very good for enamels but not for acrylics. After the bath I use the toothbrush and soap to clean both, the acrylics are more stubburn but at the end they can be wiped off. Next time I will try IPA and caustic soda depending on the type of painting.
Very informative!!👍 here in the States I strip enamel paint from model's with a product called totally awesome,yes it's a USA thing that works very well! thanks for the great videos!!👍
I have a model, first sprayed with surfacer 1200, then gloss black revell spray color and then sprayed silver with airbrush. But I don't like the finish. Most ppl around me suggested me puting the model in a brake fluid bath. However this not an option. Becuase I don't want cockpit painting to be damaged, also canopy is glued to the body. I decided to give a try to use Mr. Color Leveling Thinner using cotton buds. It removes easily all these 3 layers of coating without damaging the plastic. It is a bit messy process but at the end result is good.
Matt... I replied to your reply...this is what I committed... thanks for the insight...the cultural differences...for a common language..🤣😂😅🇺🇸. BUT I FOUND YOUR SITE VERY ENJOYABLE... I’ll keep watching Chris from the USA
Here in the U.S. we have a product called Super Clean, works on everything. Well the only thing I have not tested is 3d printed resin which is good I guess, that means i haven't messed anything up for a bit.
Great tutorial! I know I'm late to asking this but I've painted up some models with a combination of acrylics, enamels and oil paints. Will this help to strip the oil paints as well?
Very useful specially for the clear parts. I will use this technique to recover an old 1/72 scale Focke Wulf 200 Condor that was crudely built probably decades ago. I am in the process of making new decals as well. Thanks for sharing your skills
Fairey Power Spray will remove the paint without fogging the clear parts, original flavour only though, spray then put in a Tupperware box overnight, use an old toothbrush and toothpicks to scrub.
I have an old Ho 229 in my closet saving dust waiting to be finished, hopefully this video helps me with that. ps: never brush painting enamels ever again
I have a 1:72 hawker siddeley nimrod and don’t have a tub that it would fit in, i messed up some of the windows and lines, is there any way to strip small amounts of paint off an already built model other than sanding?
I made a Boeing 747 SP carved out of wood and wanted it with a natural metal finish. I painted it first with an acrylic gesso primer because it was wood then I foolishly thought I could rely on brush on metallic silver enamel paints but even with a nice flat brush as they recommend it left terrible brush marks and streaks even when thinned to 60% thinner. I applied 3 layers of thinned silver Humberol enamel I wish I’d sprayed it silver but with spray paint being cellulose based it will most likely react with my humberol paint. So I need to remove all the enamel paint. But could be quite messy if it also dissolves the acrylic primer. Not sure what to do? Might even have to sand it off.
wood does add an extra complexity as it is porous and absorbs the paint to a certain extent. I've heard dettol can be used to remove paint as well, but i don't think it particularly cares if it is acrylic or enamel, you may well end up sanding the paint down
@@ModelMinutes Thanks. Ive just sanded most of the enamel paint off with 150 grit sandpaper down to the primer. The rest of the enamel paint and primer came off quite easily by simply brushing on methylated spirits. Cotton buds to clean around the engine pylons and flap fairings. Quite impressed how easily it came off although I only applied the enamel 2 weeks ago. I will definitely spray paint it as that seems to be best for natural metal finish. Not sure what type of wood sealer to use.
For me. The best acrylic stripper is Windex (or any other glass cleaner thst has ammonia). Removes acrylic paint almost immediately and doesn't affect the plastic at all. Alcohol won't dissolve the plastic but it does what alcohol does to things.... Dry it out which may make it brittle.
I'm hoping to renovate some old night Lords for my iron warriors army They are a mixed bunch but I like the iron more and much of the detail is obscured
I've seen several videos on stripping models and I don't get it. A few months ago I really screwed up a Mustang Mach 1. It was painted with yellow enamel paint. Wet sanded it. Took care of the bad spots. Re-primed over the yellow enamel and put on a light blue metallic finish coat and it looked great. I was even totally surprised. Just wet sand, re-prime, repaint.
sometimes, if there is too much paint, you will lose the detail on the model. Sanding it down won't do anything to reveal that detail again, the only way to see it is to strip it
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@@ModelMinutes i have discoverd something else the ethanol or hand sanitizer can do, apart from helping you strip paint, it also loosens cement, i dipped an airfix tiger 1 in ethanol and when i took it out and started scraping the paint off, i noticed many large sections became loose, this is usefull if you want to remove any cemented part. the plastic is not damaged or dissolved
I'm about to give this a go with some 70% IPA on a Revell P-61 Black Widow I painted up in Model Master Acryl back in.... '08? '09? So we'll see how I get on.
I have a clear plastic part that I painted using mr color clear gloss orange c 49. I was wondering if I put it in alcohol would my clear part come out hazy?
i'm not sure what mr color paints are based on - i have cleaned clear parts with no issue in IPA but i couldn't say if the mr color paints could react with the plastic when stripped
Well it depends on what the paint type is. If it had acetone in it and the bubbles are caused by a reaction with the plastic, then sadly there isn't a great deal you can do - that plastic has become damaged. If however, the paint has air bubbles from too much application then you might be able to strip it
I found a kit of diecast pre-painted plane models that someone for some reason covered in a really poor looking white paint in an attempt to 'customize' it I believe. Do you know if this method would remove the paint and spare the laser ink paint under it?
not sure, probably not as that is a reaction of the plastic with the cement used. It might need polishing off . . perhaps someone else would be able to provide a more concrete answer
@@scalesmodellingmagic5883 I prefer acrylics. Enamels do have good finishes and are quite hard wearing, but they aren't as easy to use and clean up as acrylic
Not sure if anyone mentioned it and I have no interest in this company but VMS Clean Slate 2 or 3.0 are awesome! No smell and the paint comes right off without damaging the plastic. I used to use the 90% isopropyl but it reeks.
Easy off oven cleaner has lye in it and will safely remove spray paint from model plastic. I’m not sure what prolonged exposure will do but I had really good results from spraying down a Meng model and placing it in a ziploc. I can’t remember how long I left it for but I don’t think it was very long maybe 20 minutes. There was zero effect on the plastic and the paint washed completely off with water after this. The paint I was removing was “Gold” brand artists spray paint.
hmmm, not sure I know - pretty sure IPA will work on that and probably not damage the fabric too much, but don't quote me on that. The issue is that fabric is porous and will absorb the paint to a certain extent and as a result you won't be able to remove it all
@@ModelMinutesI painted tamiya green on some simple 1/6 scale green camo bag back then. It seems to come off with water and gentle brushing but not much. I guess I will try some isopropyl alcohol. Thank you. 👍
hi, i found out if you are patient you can use undiluted dettolpharma antiseptic disinfectant, you should dissolve any bad paintjobs no matter how long it has been, just leave the model kit in a dettol bath overnight or longer, (it won't react to the metal or plastic), depending on how long the paint has stuck, afterwards scrub the muck off the model, rinse and clean up with lukewarm water afterwards.....
I just stripped a couple of locomotives. . The first one I tried denat alcohol, nothing, then vinegar, again nothing, then I sprayed on oven cleaner. Worked great. The next one, I went straight for the oven cleaner. Stripped paint blotchy some of the paint layers. . Then I tried vinegar. Some stuff came off. Then I tried denat alcohol and it cleaned up nicely. It seems like you have to be a chemist to strip paint off.
Got an old 1/48 spit mkvb which I made when I was younger, painted it poorly and later on I decided to remove that paint (not very well) and give it a newer one however it still shows the rough undercoat. It's been long enough that I've forgot what I used to paint it so does turps work on both enamel and acrylic? I just want to get it down to plastic again.
I tried using Dettol, but im not sure that in the UK it has quite the same paint stripping ingredients as our cousins across the pond have in their version
depends on what the ingredients of the spray paint are. You won't lose anything by trying it out but it won't necessarily work if the paint reacted with the plastic and effectively melted itself into the surface
I've got some old Games Workshop models that nothing seems to be getting the paint off. Have tried Iso, Methylated Spirit and now trying some White Spirit to see if that might do the trick. There's areas of paint, especially in recesses, that even with a stiff bristled brush like a nail brush, just aren't coming off of the models. I really want to get them stripped as they're particularly rare ones like 2 of the LE2 Imperial Space Marines and one of the Death Eagle ones. Just wondering if there's anything else I can try.
If they are plastic, white spirit may start to eat away at the plastic and then cause them to disintegrate, you might be better off trying dettol as a stripper
@@ModelMinutes no all old metal ones. the paint will come off if you scrape at it gently with a scalpel but brushing it doesn't seem to get it off. I just don't want to use a scalpel in the detailed parts as it tends to scratch the surface a little I assume the bog standard large bottle of Dettol disinfectant is what you're talking about?
@@ModelMinutes will get some next time I go out. It's getting really annoying coz the paint is just refusing to come off. Just wondering if I can find something like a small floor scrubbing brush as they have really stiff bristles Maybe a tile grout scleaning brush?
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I just got a "pre-loved" gunpla kit with parts I wanted to salvage for another project but the last owner left a crusty layer of paint and top coat on. Glad I found this video because that paint was tough.
glad the video helped :)
I just got an airbrush and I wanted to repaint most of my models and this helped a ton thank you for sharing your knowledge
Glad I could help!
Great video Matt, I use this method all time. ISO works wonders on removing Acrylic & Enamel model paints..........but like you I have found some spray paints (mainly enamel automotive spray paints) don't come off with it. Great tip about using plain old toothpaste & gloss varnish to restore clear parts also. See it goes to show you learn something new every day
Haha! Yeah, i'm not sure if the toothpaste was an original idea or if i'd read it somewhere, but it certainly worked :)
Thank you for sharing the trick. I am working on a 1956 Thunderbird and I did a very poor paint job on the body and became so frustrated that I put the kit back in the box and forgot about it. Now I am going to finish it.
Good luck!
Great video mate 👍 I have used Dettol in the past with good results I look forward to your next post happy modelling old boy
I think I’ll give the dettol method a go in the future
@ModelMinutes yes worth a try I just put in to soak for a day or two and it come out clean after a wash under the tap
Thank you for this presentation. Well done.
Matt. Great hint again. Thanks. Extremely useful . 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Happy to help!
Thanks for the information on paint removal. As I messed up a ME109 & HE111. Saves me from throwing them into my spare box. 🤔🤔🤔👍
Glad to help. That's how I felt about this Lysander - but i've actually been able to finish it now!
Got a Tamiya Skyline GT-R and it came with an awful paint job from the factory. This video helped a ton!
glad it helped!
This saved my phantom kit that I had built about a year ago and tried brush painting it, but ended up ruining it with extremely thick paints, thanks a ton!
Great to hear!
I have a Jeep TJ Wrangler rubicon model that i painted super poorly, so i never finished putting it together. I bought and traded in a JKU wrangler and wanted to finish that jeep kit as a tribute to a vehicle i never wanted to give up. thank you for the video.
Very cool!
I could only get 91% where I live. It works perfectly! My HO 1/64 plastic slot car body had a bad paint job. It dissolved all the paint, I primer painted it today, looks great. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing
This technique might save my 1/48 Pz IV as the varnish I used was melted when I tried to remove a wash enamel thinners
Yeah, it might be able to help you start again
That's the same tank I'm building is it tamiya
It worked! I spent £8 for 1 litre on Amazon. Soaked a badly rattle-can spray painted hard-to-replace slot car overnight and the paint wiped straight off!
Wow! I'm so glad it worked out for you!
Hi there, great video and very helpful on my part as I had been searching for a while of a good method for removing acrylic paint from models that had a paint job I wasnt happy with. Its good to see other folks gave it a try in the comments as well, as stripping minis is something I personally have never tried, however this video provided a clear and helpful explanation :-)
Glad it helped :D
Thank you for this video Matt. I’ve just ruined a Fujimi Golf vr6 by using acrylic primer and a genuine VW paint over the top, which has reacted badly with the primer. Possibly an amateur error! I’ll give this a whirl and hopefully it will work on the VW paint and the body won’t evaporate!
hope this method works for you!
I used Laquer thinner to strip an old tank model. But IPA is less caustic and less aggressive, the laquer thinner will attack the plastic if left on too long. Thanks for the IPA tip.
I used white spirit once, the plastic melted - would not recommend
Marvelous' I have a 1/48 spitfire, 1/48 Hurricane I used Humbrol enamel on that I wanted to try to do a more pleasing finish. This will definitely be tested. Toothpaste and clear varnish, who knew. Thank you.
i hope it works for you :D
Good tutorial! I’ve used IPA to strip paint from an old [1980!] Gundam kit. It worked great but I had to do multiple baths to remove the almost 40 years old paint. This caused the plastic to become brittle and some parts broke. Luckily I was able to glue them back together.
Thanks for sharing!
@@ModelMinutes, you are welcome! I think that part of the problem with the plastic being brittle is its age.
I don’t make model kits any more but I recall using spray on oven cleaner to remove paint. You can see it lifting the paint as it works. Then just clean under a tap. It worked for me...
Many people have suggested that, but here in the UK i'm pretty sure we don't have stuff that is that aggressive. There are many cleaning products in other countries that other people use, but if were to put my oven cleaner on this kit, it would do nothing haha
@@ModelMinutes I’m in the UK too. I’m sure that I would use “Mr Muscle” oven cleaner. Give it a run!
Brake fluid is my usual go to product for paint removing. I've striped down and rebuilt a couple of old kits this year and it's worked very well.
Yeah, brake fluid has been suggested a few times . . . might try it out at some point
Il try this out sometime. I use spirit which works but yours seem to work better
i do make mine quite thin
Hey mister... this is CHRIS from the USA...hope I can watch your next episode... you always have good informative productions... your review on the AIRFIX 1/72 Storch made me get one too build ....I’ll keep watching. Thanks CHRIS
Thanks! How did you find the storch?
They rereleased it under their classic range as well as their henschel HS123 A-1
@@raven1wing1 Yes, i did an unboxing on the storch on my channel
I'm going to have to do a model minutes marathon 😁🤣
@@raven1wing1 Haha! I hope you do :D
Very helpful video Matt thankyou !
Glad it was helpful!
Having recently started trying to learn to airbrush, with varying success (I swear it depends how much coffee I've drunk...) this video was an essential part of my learning process! In Dubai I can't buy 99% IPA only 70% but a 30 minute soak seems to do the trick, for the most part - I guess longer would help but 30 mins is working OK.
Rather than a toothbrush, I've found a wooden toothpick / cocktail stick works much, much better. You can be extremely 'aggressive' with it, scraping and pushing the paint off, but with zero damage to the plastic (though I've not tried on clear cockpit mouldings.) Plus you can cut a toothpick end to a point / the shape you need to reach difficult parts of the moulding but still put a lot of pressure on the paint - far more than with a paintbrush.
thanks for the info!
Thanks a lot! I messed up the paint on a M15/42 kitbash i had created and this video was a life saver
Glad it helped!
Thanks to this I'll be able to restart an old P-38 kit!
awesome!
Great tutorial thank you so much I can now fix up my space marine that I tried to repaint. Also I can confirm 20 minutes or even less is enough, if you leave it on too long it could eat away at the glue and well you'll have to glue everything back together! I learned that the hard way.
Thanks for letting us know!
Great tip. I’ve used oven cleaner on acrylics with the same results but the fumes and it’s corrosive properties are not to be taken lightly. I’ve left the parts in over night and they were perfectly fine.
Thanks for the info!
I’ve used the spray foam oven cleaner on enamels, I spray the kit parts, then bag them in freezer zip type bags, this reduces the smell and then left for 24hr. Good result and no damage to the parts. You might have to repeat for detail recessed areas.
Use fume free oven cleaner. Works a little slower, but it isn't toxic.
Jolly good! Any chance of a video demonstrating how to remove decals? Preferably without removing paint
Removing decals can be done using Micro Sol, but only if you've not applied any varnishes over the top
@@ModelMinutes Actually micro set would remove decals that have not been coated with micro sol or varnish.
@@j.yde.n one or the other, I always get those two confused
I have some expensive QCS from Stripwell. I have tried alcohol, brake fluid and others. Making it short: QCS requires no scrapings' scrubbing, merely an overnight soak or less. Remove, rub parts with gloved fingers, wash with soap and warm water, air dry and get going to a new wonderful project. . . . Oh, save the stuff and use it for others. Have fun, Dudes and Dudesttes
Thanks for the info, not sure it is available in the UK though
For anyone located outside of the U.S., look and see if you are allowed to have something called EasyOff oven cleaner. Out of all the different things I've used to remove paint, this stuff works the best. It has an odor but it isn't obnoxious like alcohol or other means. It's safe to use without gloves, won't harm plastic even if you leave it on long enough to dry out, doesn't take very long and with a tooth brush will even remove the tid bits in those hard to reach areas. Also there is no keeping it submerged as it is a light foam. Just coat the parts really good and let set.
Yeah, i think this particular product has been recommended a number of times in the comments
this video is helpful. I have a 1/570 scale Revell Titanic model I'm working on and I painted the decks the wrong color. now I can fix that.
awesome!
Have that same kit, never finished it lol
As your next video please do a subscriber showcase? Loving the channel btw
I'll see what I can do :)
@@ModelMinutes Great! am a young modeller who started last month and have already built a lancaster, 2 mk1a spitfires, 1 mkv spitfire, 1 prxix spitfire, hawker hurricane mk1, heinkel he 111 and a messershmitt bf 109!
@@lizmurray5987 wow!
Could the toothpaste and Varnish improve the clarity of clear parts? All this information is great and I have used all of these slightly differently will hand sanitizer to also prime the plastic
It could - but i've found just washing the clear parts in soapy water will generally improve them. I know some people dip them in varnish to make them look better, but personally I don't bother
@@ModelMinutes yeah, I normally use floor polish to improve clarity but toothpaste and varnish would be a great idea
I used resolve stain remover I did do half and half with water but soaked it and it mostly melted away the paint leaving the model unharmed mild brushing sometimes but it even gets into the groves
Nice!
Thanks for the information. I have used caustic soda and the effect is the contrary, very good for enamels but not for acrylics. After the bath I use the toothbrush and soap to clean both, the acrylics are more stubburn but at the end they can be wiped off. Next time I will try IPA and caustic soda depending on the type of painting.
Thanks for the info!
Very informative!!👍 here in the States I strip enamel paint from model's with a product called totally awesome,yes it's a USA thing that works very well! thanks for the great videos!!👍
Yeah, can't say that i've ever seen that here
I recently stripped a spitfire but used a bottle of Flash bathroom cleaner which was messy but worked amazingly well
Thanks for the info!
I’ve got an Me-262 with some sloppy paint and damaged decals. I’ll try this method, hopefully I can save it
fingers crossed! Apparently oven cleaner is another good alternative
I have a model, first sprayed with surfacer 1200, then gloss black revell spray color and then sprayed silver with airbrush. But I don't like the finish. Most ppl around me suggested me puting the model in a brake fluid bath. However this not an option. Becuase I don't want cockpit painting to be damaged, also canopy is glued to the body. I decided to give a try to use Mr. Color Leveling Thinner using cotton buds. It removes easily all these 3 layers of coating without damaging the plastic. It is a bit messy process but at the end result is good.
thanks for the info!
Good video. Dettol works well on metal models.
Yes, I’ve heard the dettol method works but am yet to try it
Matt... I replied to your reply...this is what I committed... thanks for the insight...the cultural differences...for a common language..🤣😂😅🇺🇸. BUT I FOUND YOUR SITE VERY ENJOYABLE... I’ll keep watching Chris from the USA
haha! yes! So similar yet so different!
Very helpful video, thanks so much 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Here in the U.S. we have a product called Super Clean, works on everything. Well the only thing I have not tested is 3d printed resin which is good I guess, that means i haven't messed anything up for a bit.
Yeah, i've heard it's a good product
I kind of screwed my paint job off on my 63 Nova wagon.
So I currently have it soaking and simple Green.
Will that work for me.
I’m not familiar with that product so couldn’t say
Great tutorial!
I know I'm late to asking this but I've painted up some models with a combination of acrylics, enamels and oil paints. Will this help to strip the oil paints as well?
It might not work well on the oil paints, you could try it but it might need a different stripper for that
Very useful specially for the clear parts. I will use this technique to recover an old 1/72 scale Focke Wulf 200 Condor that was crudely built probably decades ago. I am in the process of making new decals as well. Thanks for sharing your skills
Glad it was helpful!
Fairey Power Spray will remove the paint without fogging the clear parts, original flavour only though, spray then put in a Tupperware box overnight, use an old toothbrush and toothpicks to scrub.
Can't say i'm familiar with that product
Will spa damage the model parts (make the parts softer, and rub out detail)?
Not from my experience
I have an old Ho 229 in my closet saving dust waiting to be finished, hopefully this video helps me with that.
ps: never brush painting enamels ever again
good luck!
I have a 1:72 hawker siddeley nimrod and don’t have a tub that it would fit in, i messed up some of the windows and lines, is there any way to strip small amounts of paint off an already built model other than sanding?
you could still use a solvent but it can be hard to control where it goes
I made a Boeing 747 SP carved out of wood and wanted it with a natural metal finish. I painted it first with an acrylic gesso primer because it was wood then I foolishly thought I could rely on brush on metallic silver enamel paints but even with a nice flat brush as they recommend it left terrible brush marks and streaks even when thinned to 60% thinner. I applied 3 layers of thinned silver Humberol enamel I wish I’d sprayed it silver but with spray paint being cellulose based it will most likely react with my humberol paint. So I need to remove all the enamel paint. But could be quite messy if it also dissolves the acrylic primer. Not sure what to do? Might even have to sand it off.
wood does add an extra complexity as it is porous and absorbs the paint to a certain extent. I've heard dettol can be used to remove paint as well, but i don't think it particularly cares if it is acrylic or enamel, you may well end up sanding the paint down
@@ModelMinutes Thanks. Ive just sanded most of the enamel paint off with 150 grit sandpaper down to the primer. The rest of the enamel paint and primer came off quite easily by simply brushing on methylated spirits. Cotton buds to clean around the engine pylons and flap fairings. Quite impressed how easily it came off although I only applied the enamel 2 weeks ago. I will definitely spray paint it as that seems to be best for natural metal finish. Not sure what type of wood sealer to use.
For me. The best acrylic stripper is Windex (or any other glass cleaner thst has ammonia). Removes acrylic paint almost immediately and doesn't affect the plastic at all. Alcohol won't dissolve the plastic but it does what alcohol does to things.... Dry it out which may make it brittle.
Thanks for the info
I'm hoping to renovate some old night Lords for my iron warriors army
They are a mixed bunch but I like the iron more and much of the detail is obscured
I hope this works for you! Otherwise, oven cleaner is anothe product i've heard that works
I've seen several videos on stripping models and I don't get it. A few months ago I really screwed up a Mustang Mach 1. It was painted with yellow enamel paint. Wet sanded it. Took care of the bad spots. Re-primed over the yellow enamel and put on a light blue metallic finish coat and it looked great. I was even totally surprised. Just wet sand, re-prime, repaint.
sometimes, if there is too much paint, you will lose the detail on the model. Sanding it down won't do anything to reveal that detail again, the only way to see it is to strip it
Thank you very much, I messed up my 1:48 B-25J’s inside paint job
glad it will help
where do you go and buy ipa? I have models I want to repaint but need to remove whatever paint was previously used first
Got mine online
Thanks for this. Going to restore an original Aurora Big Frankie
sounds fun!
Will ethanol hand sanitizer work with this too, I dont mind if it takes longer as long as it works
Probably not as effectively. I’m not sure what the other ingredients are in those products and how they will react with the plastic
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@@ModelMinutes i have discoverd something else the ethanol or hand sanitizer can do, apart from helping you strip paint, it also loosens cement, i dipped an airfix tiger 1 in ethanol and when i took it out and started scraping the paint off, i noticed many large sections became loose, this is usefull if you want to remove any cemented part. the plastic is not damaged or dissolved
Those clear parts are still better than what I can do
I'm sure you will get there with practice
Can you remove decals whilst keeping them
if you're super-careful, put them back on the paper and they may keep for another project
@@ModelMinutes ok thank you
Could you use mineral spirits? I can't find a store with IPA alcohol.
you run the risk of damaging the plastic with those
So I have an old airfix hornet in which I only need the top part of the model stripped off. So can I rub the alcohol on the part I want stripped?
Possibly, but it’s quite a messy process and unlikely that only the top are will be removed
@@ModelMinutes ok thanks. In the future I need to remember to put thinner in my paint so I don’t come to these sticky situations
I'm about to give this a go with some 70% IPA on a Revell P-61 Black Widow I painted up in Model Master Acryl back in.... '08? '09? So we'll see how I get on.
I hope it works out for you! :D
I have a clear plastic part that I painted using mr color clear gloss orange c 49. I was wondering if I put it in alcohol would my clear part come out hazy?
i'm not sure what mr color paints are based on - i have cleaned clear parts with no issue in IPA but i couldn't say if the mr color paints could react with the plastic when stripped
@@ModelMinutes thank you for the response I think mr color is a solvent-based acrylic paint.
wow, this is an amazing video, I started painting a model I am not at all happy with, so this will hopefully help, do you think 70% will work?
probably, but you would have to leave it a little longer
@@ModelMinutes first off, you are EXTREMELY responsive, which is amazing. And second off I tried it, and it worked wonders, though I had to stop lol
@@billcipher8942 I do try and reply as often as I can! I'm glad it worked for you :D
Question what if it is a 1/48 scale osprey that I started to spray paint but I got some bubbles.... what should I do? Thanks.
Well it depends on what the paint type is. If it had acetone in it and the bubbles are caused by a reaction with the plastic, then sadly there isn't a great deal you can do - that plastic has become damaged. If however, the paint has air bubbles from too much application then you might be able to strip it
does this damage the plastic? I have a Lima model I'm cleaning the super glue from and don't want it to damage the model
I haven't experienced it personally, but it might be worth testing it out on the plastic of your model if it's different from what I have used here
I found a kit of diecast pre-painted plane models that someone for some reason covered in a really poor looking white paint in an attempt to 'customize' it I believe. Do you know if this method would remove the paint and spare the laser ink paint under it?
i doubt it, anything that strips paint will more than likely just keep going through all the layers
@@ModelMinutes Alright thank you!
Can ipa clean out foggy on the clear parts?
not sure, probably not as that is a reaction of the plastic with the cement used. It might need polishing off . . perhaps someone else would be able to provide a more concrete answer
can i use hardware store thinner to remove a spray paint ?
depends what it is - it might damage/melt the plastic
Is it ok to use it for arylic paint remove?
I did in this video
What’s the best method to enamel paints?
The method in this video removes enamel
I’m experimenting with enamels for the first time
@@scalesmodellingmagic5883 I prefer acrylics. Enamels do have good finishes and are quite hard wearing, but they aren't as easy to use and clean up as acrylic
I am using it for my Cromwell MK IV because I ran out of the acrylic paint for it
@@scalesmodellingmagic5883 fair enough
Not sure if anyone mentioned it and I have no interest in this company but VMS Clean Slate 2 or 3.0 are awesome! No smell and the paint comes right off without damaging the plastic. I used to use the 90% isopropyl but it reeks.
thanks for the info
Easy off oven cleaner has lye in it and will safely remove spray paint from model plastic. I’m not sure what prolonged exposure will do but I had really good results from spraying down a Meng model and placing it in a ziploc. I can’t remember how long I left it for but I don’t think it was very long maybe 20 minutes. There was zero effect on the plastic and the paint washed completely off with water after this. The paint I was removing was “Gold” brand artists spray paint.
Great tip!
how would you do this if the model is already assembled, and I don't want to remove the paint on the inside of the model?
carefully . . . brush on the IPA and carefully remove the paint?
Any alternatives to ipa?
I think some people made some suggestions in other comments
Hello,I just wondered can 90% alcohol do the trick? If yes, should I let my model to stay in it a bit longer?
I believe that it will - but as you say, leave it a little longer. You don't know if you don't try!
@@ModelMinutes thx, Ill leave it like, 25 30 minutes, and then give my HMS Victory a go.
@@bademusoctavianjuvenal2702 Great idea! My HMS victory could do with being done again too :P
I love a good IPA!
:P
would this work for spray can paints?
(i dont know a lot of things about paints)
possibly, but its something that you would have to try, it really depends on what kind of paint the can is using
@ModelMinutes alr...thanks
ill try it
What do I need if I want to remove Tamiya paint that's applied on fabric that won't damage the fabric?
hmmm, not sure I know - pretty sure IPA will work on that and probably not damage the fabric too much, but don't quote me on that. The issue is that fabric is porous and will absorb the paint to a certain extent and as a result you won't be able to remove it all
@@ModelMinutesI painted tamiya green on some simple 1/6 scale green camo bag back then. It seems to come off with water and gentle brushing but not much. I guess I will try some isopropyl alcohol. Thank you. 👍
hi, i found out if you are patient you can use undiluted dettolpharma antiseptic disinfectant, you should dissolve any bad paintjobs no matter how long it has been, just leave the model kit in a dettol bath overnight or longer, (it won't react to the metal or plastic), depending on how long the paint has stuck, afterwards scrub the muck off the model, rinse and clean up with lukewarm water afterwards.....
thanks for the info
I just stripped a couple of locomotives. . The first one I tried denat alcohol, nothing, then vinegar, again nothing, then I sprayed on oven cleaner. Worked great. The next one, I went straight for the oven cleaner. Stripped paint blotchy some of the paint layers. . Then I tried vinegar. Some stuff came off. Then I tried denat alcohol and it cleaned up nicely. It seems like you have to be a chemist to strip paint off.
Thanks for the info! I might give oven cleaner a try too!
Got an old 1/48 spit mkvb which I made when I was younger, painted it poorly and later on I decided to remove that paint (not very well) and give it a newer one however it still shows the rough undercoat. It's been long enough that I've forgot what I used to paint it so does turps work on both enamel and acrylic? I just want to get it down to plastic again.
I lightly used a blade to scrape a bit off and it's got two layers of paint basically (four if you include the first/second coat)
I can't say I have any experience of using turpentine as a paint stripper
Thanks. I can now save my airfix zero
Glad i could help!
Ive very successfully used Wilko BBQ cleaner on enamels in the past
Good to know!
This mite just save my 1/72 airfix p51 mustang it was my first kit and an absolute mess!
fingers crossed
Does it work on lacqer too?
Not sure, would need testing
I use a product called Dettol, its a household grade disinfectant. There is also a Mr Paint paint remover.
I tried using Dettol, but im not sure that in the UK it has quite the same paint stripping ingredients as our cousins across the pond have in their version
@@ModelMinutes Actually down under! 3 nil.
Is this will be working if i already varnished it?
I hope you reply my comment
I don’t see why not, I suppose you could find out by giving it a go
Does this work on spray paint too?
depends on what the ingredients of the spray paint are. You won't lose anything by trying it out but it won't necessarily work if the paint reacted with the plastic and effectively melted itself into the surface
Would this work with 70% alcohol and spray enamel?
Possibly, i imagine you would need to leave it longer though
I've got some old Games Workshop models that nothing seems to be getting the paint off.
Have tried Iso, Methylated Spirit and now trying some White Spirit to see if that might do the trick.
There's areas of paint, especially in recesses, that even with a stiff bristled brush like a nail brush, just aren't coming off of the models.
I really want to get them stripped as they're particularly rare ones like 2 of the LE2 Imperial Space Marines and one of the Death Eagle ones.
Just wondering if there's anything else I can try.
If they are plastic, white spirit may start to eat away at the plastic and then cause them to disintegrate, you might be better off trying dettol as a stripper
@@ModelMinutes no all old metal ones.
the paint will come off if you scrape at it gently with a scalpel but brushing it doesn't seem to get it off.
I just don't want to use a scalpel in the detailed parts as it tends to scratch the surface a little
I assume the bog standard large bottle of Dettol disinfectant is what you're talking about?
@@Ragdollcatman001 yeah, it’s kinda brown colour
@@ModelMinutes will get some next time I go out.
It's getting really annoying coz the paint is just refusing to come off.
Just wondering if I can find something like a small floor scrubbing brush as they have really stiff bristles
Maybe a tile grout scleaning brush?
@@Ragdollcatman001 or ones they use to clean ovens?
Thank You so much
You're most welcome
Say would it remove glue residue from clear plastic?
Couldn’t say without testing it
Anyone know if this will work on laquer?
can't say for sure without giving it a go
For anyone wondering, 91% works too, had to leave it in a little longer however!
thanks for letting us know!
Isopryl as far as I've researched doesnt work on enamel paint but does a good job on acrylics
that's interesting, because I'm pretty sure the model in this video was painted partly in enamel
Good video, Can chrome be removed from model kits ?
Interesting question - I can't say I've had any experience of chromed parts