Is it just me or is there something really different with the releasing compound they use compared to other mfg.'s. I have tried the normal cleaning for the parts, although it gets a little scary with their really small, breaky parts.Water base (Mig) really reacts to the stuff. Enam', not so much but still its there. Dragon, Tamiya and others never have had such problems. Any info or advise would be appreciated, hoping I am not finally losing what I have left of my mind with this. Have a great day and let the glue fly ......

So e manufacturers use mold release, others don't. As a general rule, wash all parts before painting in some sort of degreaser. Soapy water, Windex, Rubbing alcohol, whatever. You can buy a dedicated plastic prep cleaner if you really want to.

I haven't noticed any real difference in agents on any of the models I have built recently.

I have noticed that too ,also finding that the plastic is very soft on the most recent kit build( M35 quad50). It almost tears when cut from spruce tree. It glues up fine but is definitely a softer plastic then I’ve had from them in the past .

I'm a kit washer too. A light spray of 409, a soft tooth brush & a gentle scrub with it, rinse, soak again overnight in clean water with a little bleach in it. Rinse again & air dry. Anyhoo, that's what I do. It seems like a lot of work but paint stripping I'm willing to bet is more. Working on an old Centurion from AFV right now and the plastic seems OK but it's been in the stash 15? years.
GOOD LUCK !

Hey, thanks guys for getting back to me. Well, like Ivanho said ...."We must suffer for our love" or, words to that affect. Will, continue to "gently", scrub my parts......happy modeling!!

Over the years, I've built many AFV club kits, and I have several more in my stash right now, but I can't say I've ever experienced any of the issues you describe. I have periodically experienced those issues with other manufacturers though, but I'll say it again-- "periodically", as in "off and on". The Revell Germany version of the HMS Bounty is the only one I couldn't overcome. I've built that kit three our four times since it was first released in the early 60s, but only one time (as the RoG release), did I ever have excessive mold release problems. On the other hand, I built a conversion of Aurora's 1963 release of a Breguet XVII-- there was no mold release present, but the plastic was so hard, even the lacquer primer I used tended to peel off the plastic. I don't think it's so much the manufacturer, as it is the machine or person applying the release agent. In short, variations in mold release agent application can be found everywhere. I've found a good lacquer based primer (Gunze Mr. Color or Mr. Surfacer comes to mind) is often better than washing. In fact, I seldom do any "sprue washing at all anymore (I used to always do it). I just use a primer with "bite" now. If I'm using an enamel paint, I sometimes even mix some lacquer thinner into the basecoat, and skip the primer altogether. I also do this with Tamiya Acrylic-lacquers.
VR, Russ

Hi, !

Actually, I've never really experienced any problems with AFV CLUB's kits having really stubborn mold-release residues on their parts. But there'ALWAYS a first time for EVERYTHING, isn't there..? I haven't bought an AFV CLUB kit recently, so AFV MAY have switched their brand of mold-release sprays, which MAY be why you've been experiencing problems...

Read on...

If you're worried about small parts getting lost, I would like to suggest washing them in a fine-screened sieve, (a "Tea Sieve" comes to mind), or over a fine-meshed small screen, as you would find in one of those small adjustable window screens that you can buy at your local hardware store or at your nearest Walmart. For EXTRA insurance, I use a fine-mesh screen in my sink's drain hole, as well- "An Ounce of Prevention", right..?

You can cut the parts runners reasonably close to the small parts in question, thereby avoiding further the possibility of the parts being lost when washing or handling them.

Sometimes you can even cut short sections of said small parts' runners to facilitate the handling of these small parts- You can always cut and trim these small parts from their parts runners, later.

I like to soak my parts while they're still on their respective runners in a baking pan or a RUBBERMAID-type of a storage container with a lid on it overnight. I like to use a mild solution of DAWN Dish Washing Liquid and water to soak these parts in. DAWN is a pretty benign cleaner, which leaves no nasty residues of its own after rinsing it off.

RINSE the parts THOROUGHLY with fresh water, and let your parts air-dry until ALL of the water has evaporated- DO NOT WIPE YOUR PARTS DRY; DO NOT BLOW YOUR PARTS DRY WITH A HAIR DRYER, AIR GUN OR YOUR AIRBRUSH-

( BOY, that sure SOUNDS WRONG, doesn't it? )

Doing the aforementioned is just ASKING for trouble, because SOME of the parts MAY have already loosened themselves a bit while still on the parts runners, so they can easily be lost in that way.

If the DAWN/water solution is still too weak to have done away with the gunky mold-release residues on your parts, you can also try using WESTLEY'S Whitewall Tire Spray, which is pretty good for that kind of task. WEAR RUBBER GLOVES... WESTLEY's isn't as mild a detergent as DAWN or other dish-washing liquids.

Using a toothbrush for light scrubbing of larger parts is OK, but be careful. I've had instances where a toothbrush can leave small score-marks, depending on how soft the plastic of the parts may be. I try to avoid using a toothbrush for scrubbing plastic parts, ESPECIALLY small parts, for obvious reasons.

BEFORE PRIMING, I like to spray ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL on the parts in order to remove any skin-oils which may also have adverse effects on my subsequent painting efforts. I let this alcohol air-dry, as well. I don't like to use tack cloths or wiping my kits' parts down in ANY WAY, because doing that can and will induce static electricity to pick up dust motes, etc... THIS is especially critical for car models and model aircraft. With armor, not so much...

Let us know how you do with the various suggestions and methods that have been offered up for you in this thread by the other modelers and myself...