Restoring an old model

I used a stupid method on an original Godzilla model; it worked and I would NOT recommend it. I sat in a lawn chair with a garden hose and a can of gasoline. I ran the water continuously as I applied gas and the paint came off in a few minutes with scrubbing. Then I wondered if my skin would come off from the red color and pain. After my hands healed, I refinished the model.

After I grew a bit older and hopefully less stupid (I don't believe I'll ever be able to say I am wiser), I reclaimed an Aurora Lockheed XFV-1 by careful sanding and using Microsol on the decals. I polished the canopy with fine sandpaper and finished up with toothpaste on a cloth, and rebuilt the broken tail with thick sheet plastic that I sanded to shape and scribed. Its not a show winner, but its one that I truely love!


Just build a model for the FUN of it!
Gerald

This is something new to me... i learn something today..
thanks Robert for the ideas on how to remove decals...
cheers

Thanks for replying. No the decals were not sealed with anything. This was one of my older kits, but on close exam, I concluded that I might be able to salvage it at little cost. I mean $40-50 kits add up don't they? Now if only I could finish that M1....

Hi Tigerman. Are the decals sealed in with laquer or something? if not you could use tape with a very sticky back to remove it just stick it over the decal rub it down then peel it off. other than that it'll be down to sanding i think. but would decal softener loosen them up so they can be scrapped off? not tried this but it may work. for the dust its down to good old soap and water and a large brush just be careful not to fill the kit with water (done this-not good) it took ages for the condensation to clear from the transparencies. Hope this helps . just a note . I have restored about six hard to find kits but have stripped them down to component parts as much as i could without ruining them and started the kits from scratch i find this the best method for me....Greg

I have managed to salvage a few old kits in the past, some mine, some given to me by others. Most decals can be removed by light sanding without doing too much damage to the original surface. Dust is fairly easy ..... wash the kit in water and light detergent. Then you should be able to determine if you have to remove the original paint or not and go from there.