Re-painting RTR locos

[TyBryn]

I have some RTR locos in "Big Four" livery that I want to repaint in first era BR outfits.  The locos are from various manufacturers.

Because of ventilation concerns in my small modelling room, I would prefer to use acrylic paint in my airbrush. 

I am new to all of this so I would like to ask that, after thorough cleaning and de-greasing:-

1. what further preparations need to be done to the original paintwork?

2. do I need to apply some sort of primer on top of the original paint?  If so can this be an acrylic primer?

3. can I apply an acrylic colour directly onto the original paint?

4. I want to paint the locos in BR green; is this described as Brunswick Green?

Many thanks in anticipation of your helpful advice.

 

Edited April 23 by TyBryn

[SteveM666]

In my experience a suitable primer is essential to give a neutral base as the base colour can affect the appearance of the top coat. In your case, a green topcoat requires a grey primer - Halfords acrylic primer is good for this.

Take a look at Railmatch acrylics for the correct shades.

You may want to lightly sand away any existing printed 'transfers' as the paint used by manufacturers can react adversely.

You may want to consider complete disassembly of the loco body's separate mouldings to avoid lots of unnecessary and tricky masking.

And make sure the replacement transfers are available before you start.

[dj_crisp]

I go with... Strip to bodyshell, Strip paint, clean, prime, light sand, clean, top coats, gloss varnish if using waterside transfers... (sometimes I don't bother with this if using dry rub transfers), apply varnish (your finsh preference ) and then weather and if needed apply some more varnish to seal everything. 

 

Personally I prefer enamels and only spray outdoors. Firstly keeps the wife happy, but also means I don't spray when it's too damp, cold or even hot! My best results are when I can wear shorts ;) Also enamels allow more post spraying adjustments... eg removing overspray. Although I'm preferring acrylics for final weathering these days.

 

Enjoy! (It can be quite good fun!)

[TyBryn]

Many thanks SteveM666 and dj_crisp for your replies.  dj_crisp, what would you recommend to strip the manufacturer's paint without adversly affecting the plastic of the body?  If you have time I would appreciate it if you could expand on stripping the original paintwork.  Thanks.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Start with the cheapest bodyshell (or two)  you can find  typical of  classes you want to repaint from whatever are your target brands, and practice until confident of your technique delivering a result you like.

[25kV]

1 hour ago, TyBryn said:

Many thanks SteveM666 and dj_crisp for your replies.  dj_crisp, what would you recommend to strip the manufacturer's paint without adversly affecting the plastic of the body?  If you have time I would appreciate it if you could expand on stripping the original paintwork.  Thanks.

There are a number of paint stripping methods, with different people having their preferred methods - one common one that is usually effective is Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA).  Some use it at full strength (99%) or dilute with 10% water.  I've found the full strength stuff takes off most paint finishes over a period of 30 minutes to a few hours. 

 

Check out this thread for more info on IPA and other methods:

 

 

Edited April 23 by 25kV
off vs of

[TyBryn]

Many thanks once again to the last 2 repondents.  You have provided some very valuable information and a great deal of encouragement.  I have been collecting "junk" bodies for some time for this very project with didn't think I would be practicing paint stripping on them.  It all makes perfect sense.  Many thanks everyone.

[TyBryn]

1 hour ago, 25kV said:

I've found the full strength stuff takes off most paint finishes over a period of 30 minutes to a few hours. 

 

Hi 25kv, does the period of time that you mention, see quote, refer to the time spent in the IPA solution IN THE ULTRASONIC CLEANER?

[YT-1300]

9 hours ago, TyBryn said:

I have some RTR locos in "Big Four" livery that I want to repaint in first era BR outfits.  The locos are from various manufacturers.

Because of ventilation concerns in my small modelling room, I would prefer to use acrylic paint in my airbrush. 

I am new to all of this so I would like to ask that, after thorough cleaning and de-greasing:-

1. what further preparations need to be done to the original paintwork?

2. do I need to apply some sort of primer on top of the original paint?  If so can this be an acrylic primer?

3. can I apply an acrylic colour directly onto the original paint?

4. I want to paint the locos in BR green; is this described as Brunswick Green?

Many thanks in anticipation of your helpful advice.

 

Taking your points in turn...

 

1.  For a good finish its always better to at the very least remove the existing printing and flatten down the existing paintwork, most sensible thing to do is to strip the bodyshells back to raw plastic.

2. A primer is always recommended to allow the base coats to stick.  Halfords/Hycote primers are acrylic and very very good.

3. There is nothing to stop you painting over the existing finish, however any printing will show through the new paint

4. British Railways green opens up a can of worms!

 

IPA/Original Dettol/LA's Totally Awesome are all great paint strippers, and reusable.  Its important that the shells are dust and grease free, and kept that way through the painting and finishing process.  A good primer for BR Green is black, it gives a nice rich finish.

 

The main thing you will need is patience!

 

 

[dj_crisp]

9 hours ago, TyBryn said:

Many thanks SteveM666 and dj_crisp for your replies.  dj_crisp, what would you recommend to strip the manufacturer's paint without adversly affecting the plastic of the body?  If you have time I would appreciate it if you could expand on stripping the original paintwork.  Thanks.

 

Exactly as 25kv describes. I've tried many methods but for RTR (I caveat I paint diesels/DMUs) the slightly diluted IPA route has been best. I've bought several litres cheaply off Amazon (I think) and you can reuse it. Just soak your loco body overnight in a container and then brush it off in the morning.... with an old toothbrush. Then a simple wash in water (I try not to get any down the drain if possible).

 

I've settled on Halfords grey for black but I'm now preferring Tamiya fine white which has resulted in an excellent finish.

 

Cheers

Will

[25kV]

16 hours ago, TyBryn said:

Hi 25kv, does the period of time that you mention, see quote, refer to the time spent in the IPA solution IN THE ULTRASONIC CLEANER?

This is without an ultrasonic cleaner - just immersed in IPA in a jar.  Others who have ultrasonic baths have reported that the time can be reduced and/or more stubborn paint is easier to shift.

[Barclay]

I'm finding Dettol to be a good and plastic-friendly paint stripper. It can take 24 hours though. If you don't strip then definitely take heed of the comments regarding removal of the original transfers - I have found they can leave a 'ghost' even when I thought I had rubbed them down thoroughly.

[Ian Rathbone]

BR Green was never Brunswick, that is a bluey green used by the GCR & SECR. BR Green is Deep Bronze Green, very similar to GWR Mid Chrome Green. The best equivalent is Precision GWR 1906 Green, I’m afraid I don’t know of an acrylic equivalent.

 

It would have been a good idea to have been more specific about your present loco types and liveries so that the replies could be more detailed. Your final coat of paint must be gloss, for the transfers. The final finish will depend on the varnish/lacquer used.

 

BR liveries can be a minefield with many variants between regions - I have a comprehensive explanation on my web site.

 

Ian R

[Rhydgaled]

On 23/04/2024 at 09:10, TyBryn said:

Because of ventilation concerns in my small modelling room, I would prefer to use acrylic paint in my airbrush. 

I am new to all of this

I'm (still) new to respraying models, years after stripping the paint off my first loco body shell (if I recall correctly a combination of IPA (which worked wonders on the decals but wouldn't shift the paint) and Phoenix Superstrip (not really much better but somehow I did get rid of the paint eventually, but I'm not sure if the body may be slightly warped now)). Grey primer applied outdoors using a rattle can, and that has how the bodyshell has stayed because the colours for the top coat only seem to be available in enamel with warnings about lead-based paint on the side of the tin. By the way this is a Hornby Railroad HST powercar (was in BR blue & grey and target livery is GWT green and ivory).

 

On 23/04/2024 at 12:34, 34theletterbetweenB&D said:

Start with the cheapest bodyshell (or two)  you can find  typical of  classes you want to repaint from whatever are your target brands, and practice until confident of your technique delivering a result you like.

Since I'm stalled on the HST, I've been trying to practice airbrushing on a Peco/Parkside wagon kit and the interior moulding from some cheap pre-owned coaches. Having some trouble with the airbrush (probably just down to my inexperience) on these so probably a good thing I've not been able to try the HST powercar.