Teardown

1
December 27, 2019
The decals had not been sealed in the original build and were in the process of falling off the model. The original builder used what I believe are enamel paints that were applied by hand.
2
December 27, 2019
These engines will be removed in favor of more historically accurate pieces from Ozmods. Preserving the raised panel lines will be challenging, as there is some major surgery involved here.
3
December 27, 2019
I applied the brake fluid with a sponge to the entire surface and set it aside for an hour. I found that after an hour I could break the paint with a toothpick, but it took several coats of fluid to finally get the paint to break its hold on the plastic.
4
December 27, 2019
The underside was more of a challenge, as the lighter shades did not want to separate from the plastic. In order to preserve the raised panel lines, I used a toothpick to gently scrape away the separated paint before adding another coat of brake fluid.
5
December 27, 2019
With the fuselage already separating along the center seam, I separated the halves for easier handling before gently removing the gear doors and a few other pieces.
6
December 27, 2019
This process is incredibly messy. The toothpick method of removing the loosened paint from the model is a technique that I highly recommend if you are attempting this yourself.
7
January 15, 2020
The top half shows the bare plastic, which is in great shape, but light passes right through it. I masked the windows with canopy glue and sprayed the bottom half with Vallejo acrylic primer inside and out.

Comments

27 December 2019, 13:36

JD
Hi James, that looks challenging, would you say that's acrylic paint you're stripping?

27 December 2019, 19:31

Dave Flitton
Watching!!

27 December 2019, 20:31

James Skalicky
It is quite the project, and something I have never done before so will be taking it slow. This is very thick enamel paint that has been hand brushed. So far it has taken three days and countless coats of brake fluid to get it all loosened up. It seems that the lighter colors are the most challenging to remove.

27 December 2019, 22:14

JD
Enamel is tough to remove, I gave up on a kit I was trying to rescue recently because of all the enamel. I'll be watching...

27 December 2019, 23:41

Album info

The disassembly of a 30+ year old model in preparation for restoration and updates

DC-130A Restoration

26 images

1:72

In progress

1:72 Lockheed DC-130A Hercules with Ryan AQM-34 Firebee Drones (Airmodel AM-57)

1:72 Lockheed Hercules with 4 Drones DC-130 Director (Italeri 148)

1:72 C-130A HERCULES CONVERSION (OzMods OZCONV7216)

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