total newbie... need help with new find

[elmrjfud]

total newbie here... first off so glad to find this forum... thanx in advance to all!.. found these great trailer rigs on ebay and decided to try my hand at undoing the aftermarket paint jobs... looking for your opinion(s) on best method.... after lots of reading and trials with thinners/strippers/brake fluids/purple goo etc, i have settled on acetone and q-tips as most effective and least messy method of choice.... any info, opinions, suggestions are hugely appreciated....

[nearlymint]

Hi does the caravan have a metallic green base or is just the picture.J

[fixer]

Hi does the caravan have a metallic green base or is just the picture.J

certainly has a greeny look to it if it is I would be VERY careful cleaning it
normally I use brake fluid & a cotton bud , I don't know if it would affect the decal on the rear though as I haven't tried it on one , I'd think acetone may damage decals!!

[SMS88]

Caravan appears to have a standard lime enamel baseplate. However the pink and turquoise are very good matches for the rarest shade used on this Cresta although the roof of the Victor shows the pink isnt oven baked so we can rule out factory colour trials. Victor could have been but never was 2 toned and Cresta did get these colours but matching caravan is something Lesney didnt put into production unless we pick close matches 27c + 23c

[elmrjfud]

thanks for the interest... first off, yes J. the dauphine is metallic green throughout. (and is the main reason i grabbed these.. though they are all pretty good if i can get the paint off) .. the cavaielr trailer is lime yellow throughout.. the victor is pale yellow and the cresta seems to be off white/cream throughout.. i havent yet begun "stripping" that one) the 2 tone paint jobs on all 4 are a childs work (or sloppy adult) thanx Fixer, will give another go with the brake fluid and use care... also u are correct that acetone destroys decals... i found this out on a trial piece before going near the decals on these.. did some more today with acetone... the metallic green they used seems really tough and stands up well... the pale yellow on the victor not so much... i managed to go right thru the yellow with a bit too vigorous rubbing...more pix below on my progress... any additional thoughts or input appreciated... also curious if Nick will share his tricks... the once black #57impala looks great and was the inspiration for my venturing down this road....! thanks again to all. ej

[fixer]

It was Nick who pointed me towards brake fluid, let it soak for a while the original paint is quite tough but you can damage it as Nick found out if left to long , also use a WOODEN cocktail stick in tight spots, that 23c looks like a good one under the paint

[elmrjfud]

thanx for the input Reg, will give it another go with the brake fluid. I have been afraid of soaking it in brake fluid too long and removing all the paint by accident. And yes the Duaphine trailer seems to have been near mint when it was painted over... the cavalier as well. the victor and the cresta seem to have a few nicks but otherwise quite nice as well... will post some pix as i progress.. thanks again... and a merry merry christmas to all...

[kwakers]

Because the Victor and the Cresta are chipped, I would work cautiously on them to learn a bit more on techniques to use on the other two. I don't think I would soak a model in brake fluid either, it just seems very risky. Patience and a cotton swab seems like a more cautious way to proceed on something with the value of that green Caravan. I tried a fine tooth brush on a Lesney Tractor recently and not only dulled the paint, but easily wore through high points on that tough baked on Lesney factory paint. I will never clean a model with anything but tissue, cotton swabs and clean water from here on, having lowered the grade on that all blue 39 Ford Tractor. kwakers