... I mean war games models and not 'cat walk' models (though, if I'm honest, I know what I'd prefer to do!).
Yes indeedy you may think that, because I haven't posted in a while, I've been a bit lax ... a bit lazy ... a bit 'can't be bothered'. Nothing can be far from the truth; starting in early September I've ventured into a crazy project of building four complete, and beautifully painted, EPIC armies. This has resorted in me buying and selling models ... and then selling and buying models, to which I haven't completed as yet. Still, through this madness of sending parcels and receiving them, I've been painting stuff up as I go along and, I'm glad to tell you, that it won't be long before a mammoth amount of updates arrive at your door.
I still haven't managed to find a job. On the one hand this is bad as I'm skint, but on the other I've painted quite a lot of stuff recently. My financial situation has resulted in me going native, by going back to my 'travelling scrimping and saving' skills which I honed over the last year. This has resulted in me purchasing a lot of painted models off friends and EBay (for my Space Marine and Ork armies). My 'lack of income' hasn't been the only trigger for this move; I have to say that Games Workshop's pricing structure has left me utterly confused and quite annoyed. This is obviously a conversation for another day however, if I was to say that a heavily disabled chimp, in a suit, could have done a better, and more logical, pricing structure I think you'll understand which side of the fence I'm sitting.
Anyway I digress ... where was I.
So I have been stripping models and, as this is the first time I've actually stripped a lot of models over a short period of time, my methods - and stripping products - have changed over the previous months ... therefore I thought I would share my new found knowledge with all those strapped for cash (that's you Greek-boy!).
Over the past few months I have tried three products and below are my thoughts:
- Nail Varnish Remover
Cost - At around £1 for a decent size bottle, nail varnish remover is certainly the cheapest alternative on the market (or is it ... check the Fairy Powerspray review).
Application - I filled a small jam-jar full of the stuff and piled in my models. These were then left overnight.
Results - Bright and early the following morning, I stepped outside to look at what had happened. The varnish remover had indeed changed colour (meaning that at least some paint must have been removed) however most models still looked completely painted. I got out my trusty 'old toothbrush' (where would the world be without the 'old toothbrush'?) and started to scrape away. Just like reading this post it took forever and was painful. The result was pretty good; most of the paint had been removed leaving all of the detail ready to be painted again
- Wilko - Paint and Varnish Stripper
Cost - Weighting in at £6, the Wilko's Paint and Varnish Stripper was indeed the most expensive. However the amount you get is good and, if you divide the amount per government health warning on the bottle, it comes to 57p per possible injury.
Application - Similar application required as varnish remover, though the stripper stuff isn't a nice flowing liquid (it has a similar movement property - and look - to slightly old PVA glue). The big difference here is that you don't need to leave it overnight ... it only needs leaving for thirty minutes or so! However, you do need to be careful where you strip your models because this stuff is lethal.
Results - Wearing rubber gloves - and using metal paper clips - to get said models out of the PVA mess can be time consuming. When you do eventually grab hold of your models they look no different, though they are covered in a white cream. When you start scrubbing, with your trusty old toothbrush, you realised just how powerful the stuff is. The paint glides off the surface as if it never wanted to be there in the first place; super glue is no barrier as pre-built models just fall apart and the glue can be wiped away. Once done my models looked almost brand new however, the effort required to make sure you don't spill the stripper, and the effort in protecting yourself (and you're dog if its stupid enough to try to lick the stuff) is very off-putting and time consuming.
- Fairy - Powerspray
Application - Just put your models on a bit of board and spray them all over. Wait thirty / forty minutes and you're done.
Results - When I first herd that a mate of mine was recommending this stuff, for stripping models, I thought he had finally cracked ... but now I see the genius of his proposal. Unlike the paint stripper above it doesn't, really, require any thought for where you strip your models (though I always do mine in the garden). Whats more, you don't need to protect yourself and, as a bonus, your hand comes away smelling of pine forests and apple trees (though I may have paid extra and purchased the 'Pine Forest Fragrant' bottle by mistake). Stripping is nearly as easy as the paint stripper, but without all the protective hassle; I couldn't believe just how easy the paint falls away. However I have saved the best bit until last ... IT STRIPS PLASTIC! Now I've only tried it on a couple of EPIC bases (so if you throw your entire plastic EPIC Space Marine army into a bowl of this stuff ... and it comes out in one big block, I assume no responsibility) but the results were staggering. Fairy Powerspray isn't as powerful as the paint and varnish stripper; it doesn't remove glue that easily and, if someone had applied too many coats of paint to a model (i.e. someone had Ultramarine Terminators and then painted them Black Templar's without stripping them first) then two coats - split a day apart to allow the models to dry - is probably best. But considering it does plastic, and considering you don't have to wear protective equipment it does a great job.
So to round-up. If you have a metal model that is covered in glue and many layers of paint, go for the Wilko - Paint and Varnish Stripper, though BE CAREFUL. If however you just want to strip normal metal, and plastic models which have had a couple of layers of paint, and a bit of glue on, go for the Powerspray. My varnish remover has gone straight into the bin as I'll stick with the Fairy from now on!
Toodle Pip
P.S. where are those catwalk girls again?
Interesting tests, might have to try the powerspray. Personally I'm a great believer in Dettol disinfectant (about £3 for 750ml, more than you'll ever need), strips plastic and metal if left overnight, and you can use the same stuff repeatedly. I have a jam jar full that has now stripped loads of models. Of course everything and everywhere smells absolutely awful afterwards...
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