Epic Fail! (Number 2) aka-The Melting...

I have yet another epic fail to deal with. This one being with my Island Model Works Comet II resin cars. I wasn't happy with the paint job, and decided to strip the paint using the isopropyl alcohol method. The same way I stripped the factory paint off the F40-PH engine.

Initially, all went well. The first layer came right off. The second layer was Floquil primer gray, and was a bit stubborn. No problem, I thought. Just leave it in the bath for a little longer.

Then the flu hit, and I sort of forgot about the cars for a few days (total soak time was probably about a week).

When I returned to clean the cars, here is what I found:

Warped!

...and warped!!

The white resin actually expanded!

So, the total price tag, not including my time (HOURS cleaning up flash / filing / sanding, etc) and paint supply? $75! Lesson Learned - Again...

Currently "drying out" these cars and I'll see if they harden-up and revert back to their cast shapes. In the mean time, I've ordered 8 more from Island Model Works, after speaking with Joe at the Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show in January.

Epic Fail! (A Learning Experience)

Well.. I did it. I took a nice, high priced locomotive and decided to mess with it. In this case, it is a Kato F40PH in Amtrak livery. Specifically,"Phase III #376". It was a nice looking engine.

I wanted to repaint it silver and black, then decal it for NJ Transit. See, I'm also working on a few Island Modelworks cast resin car kits of the Comet II trailers and cab car.

Let's just say that the loco turned out poorly. Currently, it's soaking in 92% isopropyl alcohol to strip the paint back down to the bare shell.

Update: the soak worked great! The only thing remaining is the black, but I don't mind since its going to be the same color anyway.


Lesson learned. Be patient, and don't skip steps!