I'm thinking of doing some custom paintjobs (never done anything like that before).

Should I strip them first, or can I get away without having to go through that?

I've gotten away without stripping. The factory paintjob is pretty thin so it wasn't much of a problem.

Don't bother. Just do a light coat with a decent primer. I prefer Dupli-color gray.

I've painted every single last ship I have, which is in the 'ridiculous' quantity... in fact, I am painting 3 e-wings I have heavily converted as I type (well, taking a break for a minute here lol). I have stripped several, and the truth is, it really isn't worth it... most things that will strip them will slightly melt them, including the windsor newton brush cleaner... It dulls the details a bit.

So after that first batch I have just been painting directly onto them, with no problems at all. I have also airbrushed new basecoats, all the details are still there. Just go ahead and paint over them would be my strong advice.

A light coat of white or black is all you need. Stripping can be very iffy...

Here is a video where I stripped the ships. The amount of paint is so thin I don't think its necessary unless you think the color will show threw.

I stripped all my repaints so can't really do a comparison for you.

It kind of depends on your painting method. If you're going to paint the base coats with an airbrush, or keep to really thin coats then I would highly recommend stripping. The level of details on ffg models is very good with very thin panel lines (especially on rebel models) that are somewhat hidden by the factory paint job.

If you're going to paint with a brush from the start, with thicker coats to get good coverage, then stripping will help but you could skip that step.

Strangely it also depends on the faction.

Rebels have very thin details (shallow panel lines) and thicker factory paintjobs and washes (look at any y-wing model for exemple), so stripping will improve a lot the end result.

Imperials also have details but usually more pronounced, and will still look good without stripping.

I stripped all my ships with brake fluid, which has no effect on the models details.

I've never stripped any of mine, and you can't see anything through the repaint. I also don't base coat them either, they take paint very well and just make sure to apply thin coats and build up as you go.

Thanks OP for the topic, and to posters for the replies.
I've added some squadron markings to 2 of my x-wings without stripping, and they came up OK. Good to know I can keep going with that approach to repaints without sacrificing much/any detail

If you can get 'dettol' its fantastic for stripping plastics

Personally when i did the kath scarlet repaint i just cleaned up the original to make sure there was no grease on it and painted the base coat directly over it.

I use foundry paint, its got very strong pigment. The matt surface of the model means it adheres as well as it would if you sprayed it anyway and you dont lose any depth by a coat of undercoat.

Unless you're painting light colours over dark i wouldnt bother stripping. But as i was putting mid grey over light green grey it was an easy cover up.

thanks for the great advice. sounds like im good without the hassle of stripping.

thanks again.

I want to prime in black (and wont bother stripping, thanks for all the great advice on that). can I just use a light coat of standard off the shelf mat black spray primer, or so I need to use one specific for miniatures?

will the regular primer be to thick?

sorry for the stupid questions, I've never painted anything before.

Not a stupid question, if you go to your local game store they should have a wide range of paints. Honestly, any primer will do, but you don't really need it. Just makes you have to repaint everything lol

For TIEs i recommend a black primer it's easier in the long run as the panels have large areas where the black is perfect fo ra primer. On your Rebel ships you could go a lighter color, grey or white, but I would say grey is better.

also remember to get a sealer as well a good dulcote is fine for these.

When spraying be sure to be a foot or so away from it, otherwise it could go on too heavy and soften your details. and spray evenly straight across back and forth motions. it will coat evenly.

I do not recommend spray priming these miniatures because of the risk of losing detail. Instead, I recommend brushing on several very thin coats.

If you do decide to spray, get a primer designed specifically for miniatures. They are (or should be) more fine-grained than ordinary spray primers. Practice priming something else to get a good sense of the proper spraying distance and motion.

If you can get 'dettol' its fantastic for stripping plastics

The paint dissolving ingredient in Dettol is Pine oil.

So I think the US equivalents would be something like Pine-Sol, Pine-O-Pine, or King Pine

thanks again for the great info.

This is want I am wanting to try... I want to redo my TIE's to get a slightly weathered steel look.

I watched some youtube tutorials and thought I would try a base of Leadbelcher, a black for spots like the cockpit, then a wash using Nunl Oil, or Drakenhof Nightshade. then finish with either a satin or glass varnish.