Got a sweet deal on a bunch of used miniatures, but it looks like rainbow brite threw up all over them? Come see how you can fix them up right proper!
Well then it is time to strip the paint off and start from ground zero, and lucky for you it’s not nearly as hard or as expensive as you think. All you need is some LA Totally Awesome (yes that is the real name) All Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser, a tooth brush, pair of gloves, and some sort of container you don’t mind dedicating to paint stripping.
Which all can be found at your nearest dollar store (mine is a Dollar Tree) and each one of these items is you guessed it: just a dollar!
The process is very simple, first fill the container with the Totally Awesome and place the miniatures in it so they are completely covered.
Wait 12 – 24 hours depending if you want the primer (if they used it) off as well, and then open it up.
The solution will be a brown weird liquid and you should already see the paint dissolving off the miniatures. Throw on your handy dandy gloves and give them a good brushing with the toothbrush, and the solution will start to foam up on the miniatures and peel away the paint. The primer is harder to get off which may require you to do some brushing at 12 hours then drop them back into your solution and wait another 12 and try brushing again.
Or you can just prime over the primer (which is what I do).
The solution itself won’t harm your skin just make it really dry like any other cleaner, just follow the safety directions on the bottle. Also I would stick with the toothbrush because while the solution will not damage the plastic, a metal brush or something strong might.
Also it might dissolve the super glue holding the models together so you might need to reapply glue here and there but nothing to major. That is all there is too it, like any new miniature give them a soap and water bath before priming and call it good.
Checkout more money saving tips for the Hobby
Header image the iconic blink 182 Enema of the State album cover
About the Author: Travis Perkins
An avid homebrewer and Detroit sports fan (yes even the Lions). I am new to the world of wargamming and very much enjoying the journey. If you have any suggestions or comments feel free to comment on the article or email me at perki116@msu.edu
