I’m rather new to this hobby and have bought a UP Bachmann GP7 thinking that I could repaint this in M-K-T livery. I don’t think this model is available undecorated.
Seeing this (in my eyes) beautiful locomotive I see that the Union Pacific text is printed and that a repainting job may be a lot more complicated than I thought.
What do you think? Is this feasible, or should I put this aside and try to find an undecorated GP7 instead?
I strip using just plain old 91% isopropyl alcohol available at any big-box store - Wal-Mart, Target, most drugstores, you get the idea. Don’t even try the watered down 70% alcohol. You should find it strips the paint without harming the plastic, but as always, test in a hidden area first. Hope this helps.
Brad
Option 1. Pick up a junker and practice your painting technique on something that doesn’t cost much.
Option 2. Paint over the old paint. Take the shell off the locomotive, remove the window and headlamp glass and go for it. Give the entire shell a base coat of primer. Real primer comes in rattle cans from the auto parts store. Use light gray under light colors, dark gray under dark colors and red under red . One coat of primer will cover anything, even old lettering. Apply the “first” color over the primer. Mask it off and apply the second color. Be sure to allow at least a day, and better two days, on a warm dry place to let the coats dry completely. Tacky paint coats will peel off when you pull the masking tape. Use the blue painters tape, it has less “stick” than the old fashioned tan tape or drafting tape. Burnish the edges down well to prevent paint from seeping under them. Remove the masking tape as soon as possible to prevent the stickum from bonding to the paint and pulling it off. I always use spray cans, when I try to brush paint I always leave brush marks. I don’t have an air brush.
Option 3:. Strip the old paint then repaint as above. The fine details like rivets and louvers may get covered over with paint. To strip, you soak the shell in something until the paint loosens up enough to get it off with a tooth brush. I have used full strength Pine-Sol with success. Others report using 91% isopropyl alcohol, Easy-off , and brake fluid. Don’t soak the shell any longer than necessary lest the stuff eat the plastic. If the paint hasn’t loosened in 24 hours, it never will, you have to try something else.
Brake fluid, available at all auto shops, is a very good paint remover… Remember to remove all small accessories such as whistles, bells, handrails and the like. You may need a couple of cans but it will not harm the plastic. Submerge the model completely and do no re-use the brake fluid.
I’ve used Pine-sol and it does do a good jobs, but if you forget and leave the model in too long it will damage plastic. I have first-hand knowledge of this. I’ve never tried it on metal.
Good luck!
If you are not careful the auto primer can also cover molded on details.
If you are not careful the auto primer can also cover molded on details.
Mitropa, Sorry for the long post here:
No, I would not buy an undecorated model just to avoid stripping the one you have. The stripping part of the stripping/painting process is the easier part of the two, IMO, so by buying an undecorated version, you are not by passing the toughter part. 91% alcohol should take off all the paint, lettering and all. I understand your hesitation with stripping the locomotive. These days, factory paint jobs are beautiful and it seems shameful to ruin one. Maybe you can buy an undecorated GP7 paint it, and run it together with the UP unit.
iI you are going to repaint a locomotive, there is also an issue with repainting the handrails, which are made of a slipperier plastic than the body. I’ll describe later. The MKT had red handrails, I believe, so you’ll have to deal with painting them anyways, whether you use the UP or an undecorated unit.
Your Bachmann GP7 is a fairly new locomotive on the market, and I know of no one who has discussed what type of plastic it is made of or what chemicals it is sensitive to. BRAKE FLUID can harm many locomotives. I only know it to not harm the older Athearn Blue Box locomotives.
91% alcohol is cheap and harmless to just about all plastics. I have not heard of it hurting any details on any model railroad product.
This is what I suggest based upon my experiences:
Use a sleeve of three