Please teach me how to repaint

[Teddy Boy]

Having had some models sitting on my shelves in quite a terrible state for a considerable period of time, I thought it was about time I did something about it. That would either replacing them or restoring them, and restoration seems like much more fun. Some of the models are damaged, to some degree or another, beyond repair, so I have approached them with the philosophy that I can't really make them any worse.

The first one I'm attempting is the 46b Pickfords Removal Van. This model was given to me by a friend, who started by saying "I don't know if this is any good, but..." Well, we all know that all Lesneys are good, regardless of condition, so I gratefully relieved him of it. The first photos show what it looked like when I received it, and the other ones show what was left beneath Larry Watson's custom paint job. I think I'll be having a replacement roller blind. I would just add that I stripped the paint from the wheels using nail varnish remover on a cotton bud without any adverse effects.

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The first thing you'll notice, apart from the odd paint chip here and there, are that the windscreen pillars have been violently shorn off, damage which I expect is beyond repair and therefore makes the model ideal for me to practice repainting on. I'm not sure what I'll do with the model when its finished, maybe create a scrapyard diorama or something. Now here come the questions...

Before I start repainting, I will want to remove the body from the base - how am I supposed to do this? It's not riveted like most models but its still attached pretty firmly.

Secondly, how do I find the right colour? I don't want something close to what Lesney used, I want exactly what they used. It doesn't help that the paint appears a different shade in the photos from what it is in real life. I've looked at Humbrol's gloss enamels and their closest offering is Emerald, but that's probably not perfect.

What do I need to do to prime the metal for painting? How do I achieve a finish like it came from the Lesney factory? When I've made plastic kits in the past I've used a paintbrush, but for this I will want to spray the paint (although I could do the silver trim with a brush, yes?). Is there anything else that I haven't considered or might need to know?

Thanks.

[motorman]

Where's Joe when you need him?

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Yes, while we have some top quality restorers here from our current members who are more than welcome to assist "Teddy Boy", Joe has laid down the foundations for this sort of work, so please come back Joe, this is your department...

Ghosthunter.

[Malibu]

I think it is possible to disassemble the modell by taking a metalrod (Diameter arround 3 to 4mm) through the windows and adding some force on the baseplate.
Use paint remover to remove the original paint.
The missing window pillars could be replaced by pieces of Diameter 1mm metall wire.
If you want the metall wire squared use a parallel vice to make them squared.
Glue the pillars in place.
Paint the Modell. I always use rattlecans without primer.
To find the correct Matchbox color is very hard. This Modell woud look great in red as well. (My opinion)
Remove the axles and tires by file the axle end which was bent in the factory.
Clean the tyres in Isopropanol. After cleaning the tires may look dull. Use oil to make them shine. I use oil from my modelrailway and let the tires soak for one day.
After removing the paint from the baseplate and repaint moount the tyres and axles back again.
There are two possibilities to mount the axles and tyres. First you can just glue the second tire on the axle, or you use a hammer and try to bend the axle end until the tire is fixed.
While doing this it is helpful to fix the axle with a flat nose plier to prevent the axle to bend in the middle.
Preassemble the modell and add a trop of glue to the front rivet.
Add a decal. There are spare decals at modellcarparts.com

I hope this helps
Stephan

[johnboy]

I've heard that you can use staples to replace the pillars. Not the household sort but the thicker ones similar to those used in box packaging.

[toysnz]

I've heard that you can use staples to replace the pillars. Not the household sort but the thicker ones similar to those used in box packaging.

Now that's something I hadn't thought of... useful tip Johnboy!

Ian

[Teddy Boy]

Sorry it's taken me a few days to reply, but thanks very much to all of you and especially Malibu for his detailed help. I'm very pleased that the windscreen pillars can be sorted. Red would like nice although I'm not at a stage yet where I really want to do customs, and I'm not too worried about restoring the baseplate as that won't be visible when the model's on display and I don't really want to damage the axles.

I will start the restoration as soon as I've found a paint that I'm happy looks close enough to the original. I'm not sure what this might be as the only paints I'm aware of are Humbrol and Revell and Humbrol's closest gloss, Emerald, looks a bit too dark. I don't have the best of faith with Revell because I used their Midnight Blue a few years ago and it came out purple.

[matchboxtom]

You might even try the local hardware store. Krylon has several colors and it is pretty cheap.

Tom

[Teddy Boy]

Cheers, I'll look into that.

[Tinman]

By now, you've probably read everything and watched everything possible on the web. The next logical step is to get some cans of spray paint and have a go at it.

You will get to point where you get disassembly down to a method that is best for you. Same goes for paint removal and prep. Once you master the spray can, you can consider upgrading to an air brush and start learning that process. The advantage of the air brush is that you can use custom mixed paints and a greater variety of paints. Once mastered, the airbrush is by far the easiest and best tool for the job.

Patience makes for perfection. The best single advice I can give is never settle for less than perfection. If something goes wrong with a paint job, I dunk the model in lacquer thinner and strip it clean straight away. Then I start again, knowing the mistake to avoid