I need to strip the paint off my Dragon King Tiger and I've heard of using oven cleaner. If anyone can help, I need to know:
1. Will it work on acrylics?
2. Will it eat the plastic?
3. Will it eat the testors cement I used to build it?
4. Will it eat the Mr. Surfacer under the acrylics?
If oven cleaner isn't the thing to use, does anyone have a better material to use? Thanks for any input anyone can give. I hope everyone says it will work because I've got this awesome kit with a screwed up paint job that's killing me.

Thanks

I've used it on acrylics and enamels. It did not effect the glue beneath, but I have not used it with Mr. Surfacer. I leave it in a zip lock bag overnight. It does not harm the plastic.

Gidday landshark2. I've used oven cleaner almost exclusively when I've needed to strip paint off a model;
1: It works on acrylics - depending on brand it may take a little longer.

2: Nope - don't leave it too long before washing the oven cleaner off; it can make the surface of the plastic powdery or flakey if you leave the stuff on for more than a few weeks (depends on the plastic).

3: As long as your joins are properly bonded it won't. Oven cleaner can be 'moider' on joins that aren't properly bonded, eg: if you didn't wash the plastic in the first place, or you left paint on the joining surfaces. The oven cleaner, through capillary action, can spring insecure joins apart

4: Don't know (haven't yet cleaned a model with Mr Surfacer.

If you're careful you should be able to clean your model;

1: Strip {i}all[/i] fragile components off, if you can.

2: With AFVs, wheeled vehicles etc I recommend that rather than spraying the entire model with oven cleaner, spray the cleaner directly onto an old, soft bristled toothbrush and take the paint off section by section - slower, but safer than having oven cleaner get into places that you can't wash it out of. Be patient.

3: Wash all traces of oven cleaner off in warm soapy water - you may have to dunk it into a basin; let the model dry in a dust free environment ( this could take a day or two) .

Hope this might be of help.

Cheers and good luck.

Jeff W.

Some people use break fluid. You have to throughly clean the plastic when you are done.

Apply Mr. Surfacer on some plastic. Let it dry a week then test it with the remover you decide on. Greg.

I've used oven cleaner on all types of paints and both plastic and resin models. Sometimes though the glue can just let go(or seemingly disappear all together). I find its more apt to happen on CA then liquid cement. Just about every part glued after painting has a really good chance of loosing the bond. Typically though you can simply glue it back together anyway-I've never had anything 'fatal' happen. Its not rocket science to use, just watch your skin, its very caustic. Be very cautious cleaning it off with toothbrushes later as it can flick into your eyes too! I would wear gloves and goggles, and keep anything like nice clothes or any fabrics well away from the sink. If a little gets on your arms and starts to burn, wash it off quickly with cold water.

Funny enough I had a fatal weathering incident with my King Tiger and simply cleaned it under soap and water with a toothbrush, let it dry, did some basic disassembly, primed it and repainted it. I would avoid stripping it if you don't have too. This one is a complete repaint over another camo, weathering, AND decal job what is the paint problem? Bad runs, a chemical reaction, or just don't like the colors?

Can you post pictures of the mistakes? Stripping is truly a last-resort option with all the small parts, doors, and photoetch on an AFV. You might be able to fix it much less drastically. I really wouldn't strip it unless something like seriously peeled paint or some sort of reaction where it will never cure. Tanks are not Ferrari smooth race cars, you can get away with a little 'roughness'...post a pic or PM it to me to see how bad it is.