Problem with old Tamiya M1 Abrams - Spray Paint Issue

Scode68 wrote:

You can also soak the parts in Pine-Sol, just wash it good afterwards or the new paint will not stick.  It usually works over night and causes the paint to lift off of the part.  I use this for models and 1:1 car parts.

I had forgotten that one!

(Looks like my exasperated complaint to someone, elsewhere, that I'd forgotten more about paint than they'd ever know is coming true.… )

You can also soak the parts in Pine-Sol, just wash it good afterwards or the new paint will not stick.  It usually works over night and causes the paint to lift off of the part.  I use this for models and 1:1 car parts.

Ross is correct, sounds like your best course of action would be to strip it and try again.  I use the no-fume Easy-Off oven cleaner on mine.  It will disolve paint from eons ago, but won't harm the plastic.  Spray it on, leave it for an hour or so, then scrub the model with an old toothbrush.  With paint over 10 years old, you may have to do it a couple of times. 

Do check into airbrushes, they will open your eyes to things you could never do with a rattle-can!  Just don't get discouraged with your first attepmts with it, getting the paint-to-thinner ratio, air pressure, and other variables right can be daunting to the beginner.  But, with practise- you'll be cranking them out in no time!

Strip the paint using either Windex (with ammonia), Simple Green, or brake fluid. Respray with an enamel.

Search on "airbrush" in this forum and you will find a wealth of information. When it comes time to buy, check out Bear Air and Dixie Art. 

Jeordicat wrote:

<snip>…Olive Drab acrylic spray paint today.  <snip>

Acrylic spray paint—meaning rattle can? That's the problem right there. Getting an aqueous system in an aerosol can has been a "holy grail" of the coatings industry for years. Every now and then, they come out with another attempt, which is usually more a failure than not. The technical difficulties of an acrylic aerosol are far worse than those of enamels or lacquers.

If you want aerosol, stick with enamel and lacquers. Better yet, get an airbrush. They are much less expensive than they were 30 years ago. 

If by "spray paint" you mean that you airbrushed it, then there are other causes. Let us know. 

And welcome back to our wonderful mania!!