NationStates Jolt Archive

So I have a 5 man squad of Imperial Terminators that will make a fine addition to my Black Templar Army.

Problem is, they're about 15-18 yeard old. They've been in a couple different armies in the past. I acquired them about 15 years ago from a friend in a trade and painted them to be Ultramarines, but never finished...

What I've done so far:

Soak them in Brake Fluid overnight
Used a toothbrush to clean off paint.

Problem is, the top layer of acrylic blue came right off, but there seems to be at least one layer of enamel paint underneath (they used to be Dark Angels). I've put them back intot he brake fluid but I don't know how well it's going to get the enamel off.

Any suggestions?

Cillit Bang *nods*

Ouch, I have a few 2nd edition chaos terms, but they are converted in hero lieutenants so you can't really tell. Chaos recently got new terms, berserker's etc released but since they look exactly the same as my ones (and the price) I am not going to bother buying them.

15-18 yeard old miniatures are renowned for their tenacity in the face of Brake Fluid. Try Brake Fluis indteas.

Enamel is a bitch to get off.

Is it painted thickly? Too thick to paint over cleanly?

Try Nail Polish remover. That should cut through the enamel; you may need repeated soakings.

If even that doesn't work, try cracking the enamel physically with a chisel (be delicate!). Once the seal is broken, your remover has something to work on.

If absolutely NOTHING else will work, dilute hydrochloric acid should. However, this will also eat the metal, so a light hand is required.

Cillit Bang *nods*

...dilute hydrochloric acid should...

You say potato....

Enamel is a bitch to get off.

Is it painted thickly? Too thick to paint over cleanly?

It doesn't look too bad, so worst case scenario I will primer over it and repaint. If at all possible I want to start clean but Black Templars are mostly black so if I do lose some detail due to paint thickness it won't be the end of the world.

Get rid of them and treat yourself to a box of the awesome new terminators.

Get rid of them and treat yourself to a box of the awesome new terminators.

I thought about that... but these old ones look almost the same but there's already an Assault Cannon and Cyclone in the unit :)

And 5 more would be $50....

Now I remember why I stopped collecting. :D

And why I'm in the bathroom with an old toothbrush and a can of brake fluid :headbang:

I thought about that... but these old ones look almost the same but there's already an Assault Cannon and Cyclone in the unit :)

And 5 more would be $50....

Now I remember why I stopped collecting. :D

If they are lead based, I used a paint stripper to remove paint on my collection once.......

Paint stripper or nail polish remover would be your best chemical solutions. Any mechanical solutions would require some very fine tools. Could you sand it off somehow?

These are the ancient metal ones, right? Try putting them in Simple Green for a day or two.

Still, with a bit of doing you can combine the Templar specific sprue with the new plastic Terminators...

It doesn’t look too bad, so worst case scenario I will primer over it and repaint. If at all possible I want to start clean but Black Templars are mostly black so if I do lose some detail due to paint thickness it won’t be the end of the world.
This article (http://www.coolminiornot.com/article/aid/614) has some tips that might help, including the comments. If you don’t know of it already, Cool Mini Or Not (http://www.coolminiornot.com/), the place the article comes from, is an ace site. Some beautiful paint jobs and loads of tips and tutorials.

If you can’t get all the old paint off, find yourself a paint with a high amount of pigment in it (there’s probably a correct technical term for that); you can reduce the number of layers of pain that you’ll need to nicely cover the mini. GW has just released these (http://uk.games-workshop.com/storefront/store.uk?do=List_Models&code=302033&orignav=300810) high pigment paints, and I can attest to their amazing quality of coverage. But as with most GW stuff, I’m sure you’ll be able to find (or already own) same quality paints at a cheaper price.

As to the difference between the old and new termies, the appearance of the minis has hardly changed, but they’re now fully poseable. Well, as poseable as a man wearing Tactical Dreadnought Armour can be.

Give them a week-long soaking in acetone.

I've had several of those old classics that had been painted in enamel colors. Took some time to get it off and some marines had to take another bath, but they're all nice now (and still way too shiny since I can't find the time to paint them properly).

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Just hose 'em down with black primer.

I mean, they are Templar after all.

Paint stripper or nail polish remover would be your best chemical solutions. Any mechanical solutions would require some very fine tools. Could you sand it off somehow?

Not really.... the details would be lost. If I were REALLY committed I could go into the crevices with a dental pick... but for the flat parts (few) I can paint over if necessary.

These are the ancient metal ones, right? Try putting them in Simple Green for a day or two.

Still, with a bit of doing you can combine the Templar specific sprue with the new plastic Terminators...

I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with the BT sprue upgrades with the classic terminators.

This article (http://www.coolminiornot.com/article/aid/614) has some tips that might help, including the comments. If you don’t know of it already, Cool Mini Or Not (http://www.coolminiornot.com/), the place the article comes from, is an ace site. Some beautiful paint jobs and loads of tips and tutorials.

If you can’t get all the old paint off, find yourself a paint with a high amount of pigment in it (there’s probably a correct technical term for that); you can reduce the number of layers of pain that you’ll need to nicely cover the mini. GW has just released these (http://uk.games-workshop.com/storefront/store.uk?do=List_Models&code=302033&orignav=300810) high pigment paints, and I can attest to their amazing quality of coverage. But as with most GW stuff, I’m sure you’ll be able to find (or already own) same quality paints at a cheaper price.

As to the difference between the old and new termies, the appearance of the minis has hardly changed, but they’re now fully poseable. Well, as poseable as a man wearing Tactical Dreadnought Armour can be.

LAWL thanks for the link!

Just hose 'em down with black primer.

I mean, they are Templar after all.

yah but .. white shoulder pads yanno ;)

Get rid of them and treat yourself to a box of the awesome new terminators.

Fuck off. The new models are, for the most part, awful. They make it obscenely easy for anybody to convert models in a second; thats not the point of the exercise.:D

I assume the enamel is applied too heavily to be painted over without obscuring the detail? If so, try paint stripper, if you haven't already, or try to sand paper it off with very fine sand paper.

dunno if it will work, but try popping them into the fridge overnight. get the metal expanding and contracting to crack the enamel. but like everyone says.. be careful.

Fuck off. The new models are, for the most part, awful. They make it obscenely easy for anybody to convert models in a second; thats not the point of the exercise.:D

I assume the enamel is applied too heavily to be painted over without obscuring the detail? If so, try paint stripper, if you haven't already, or try to sand paper it off with very fine sand paper.

If this latest round of brake fluid dosn't loosen up the enamel then I'm gonna try either bleach or simple green.

Sandpaper isn't really an option since I'd need to get down into minute crevices and openings in the detail, and that's just not gonna happen.

And? Did it work?

Loooooser!
Just kidding.