So I started to paint my new GR75s over the weekend and wasn't too happy with how it was turning out so thought, "I know, I'll strip the paint off and try again"

I've painted/re-painted *many* models and have stripped paint off whole armies in the past.

The best stuff I've found recently is called Biostrip 20. It's water based and has caused no damage to a wide variety of models and materials - metal, plastic, resin etc...

However... when I left my GR75s overnight, this is what happened:

Not sure what material FFG use, but this was not what I expected. If you have something you consider as "safe", I'd double check it before risking a model :/

Very Doctor Who from the 70s.

Wow, that's not good! Looks like the pegs are damaged too, so can't even put them onto the base and call it some kind of battle damage or bio-shielding.

Yep. I believe the technical word for their condition is a "mess". Not only were the pegs damaged, but they had started to merge into a blob. Maybe I could use it as a space hulk in an Armada / BFG cross over game?

I'm still not sure what it is about the FFG material that caused it to melt/soften/deform as it did - nothing like this has happened with any other material I've used before.

I would suggest hitting up customer service. My dealings with them have been top tier. Play your cards right and they may even replace them for you. But ask them about the materials they use, (which they may not be able to share) OR what strippers to use, (aside from Candy, she drinks too much).

Overnight. That was your problem.

Biostrip 20, in its most common form, states that you are only to let it go on for 20-30 minutes before taking it, and the paint, off...

It is part of the general use instructions of the material.......

Generally speaking, Paint Strippers are not required. Paint strippers are the turbocharged ferrari when you need a Volvo. Absolute and Total Overkill.

Your two, absolute, safest bets are as follows:

"Simple Green", its a Cleaner/Degreaser. Far less 'oomph' than a paint stripper... In fact, it has so little 'oomph' that it will remove acrylic miniature paint (ie, the stuff most people are re-painting with), but will keep the Latex-Based original Paint that FFG uses... So if you want to prepare the surface for painting, and don't care about the colour that's already there, Simple Green will take most of the Wash off, but leave the colour as a template - and you'll know there won't be any leftover chemicals to screw with your acrylics/enamels that go on.

Or, if you want to go down the plastic, removing the Latex-Based FFG Paint, then your simplest, easiest, cheapest solution is Rubbing Alcohol.

And even then, we're not talking about an overnight soak... 10-20 minutes in the pot, then Toothbrush it. But wear gloves, as it will dehydrate your skin something shocking if you're not careful...

The Plastic that FFG uses, honestly, I don't know what it is...

its not quite Polystyrene, but its cuttable like it,

Its not ABS, although it feels a little like it...

And certainly, the biggest problem is the latex-based paints that the chinese factories use...

Its also not 100% consistent each time... The Assault Frigate Mk IIs that I've repainted have some serious surface issues that no other models do, for example... I've raged and ranted about them int he past.

On the plus side, now you have Yuzzun Vong ships... or is that really a plus?

On the plus side, now you have Yuzzun Vong ships... or is that really a plus?

A negative I think.

That's how I like to see Rebel transports; in a destructo-ball ;-)

Since we are talking about hard lessons learned, when I started painting again recently after a very long hiatus, I decided to strip a Y-wing (from XW and again, not necessary) with industrial acetone. Yeeesssss, I can hear you all laughing at me … laugh it up fuzz balls :-). So, I figured that I could get on and of quick enough to only take the paint … I was wrong. Fortunately, I didn't destroy the model but I did erase a lot of the detail like panel lines. In the end, it looked like I used too much paint and presents that "globby" look.

I now use a purple degreaser that I get from the auto parts store and soak for 10-30 minutes before brushing with an old toothbrush. It will remove the wash it seems but not the colored paint. Afterward, I rinse it well with water.

I now use a purple degreaser that I get from the auto parts store and soak for 10-30 minutes before brushing with an old toothbrush. It will remove the wash it seems but not the colored paint. Afterward, I rinse it well with water.

"Purple Power" and "Simple Green" are very similar formulations... Purple power was designed as an all-over cleanser-degreaser, whereas Simple Green is generally in larger batches because it was intended for dilution to pressure-wash Driveways and Concrete

The the General Cleanser/Degreasers that work the best on Acrylic Paints, don't need much more than that...