To strip or not to strip? (Gallardo)

Hi,

I have just finished painting the body of my third model, a Fujimi Gallardo. I was trying for a dark grey metallic and got all the way to the point of having polished it for two hours before I decided that it was actually too light for my liking.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3377/282535model_gallardo_010-med.jpg

I have used Milliput to fill a crack in the body and some other minor irregularities here and there, then used Halfords grey plastic primer. I sprayed tamiya acrylic metallic grey through my airbrush and then after a couple of days clear coated with halfords clear lacquer.

My dilemma is that I have really quite a good finish here, just not in a colour that I like. I am thinking of stripping it in brake fluid and starting again, aiming for something much darker or maybe a metallic orange. I am a little worried that the milliput will be dissolved too, meaning I have to do all that work again too, rather than just the paintjob.

What to do? Has anyone had any experience of stripping halfords products or milliput?

Cheers
Oli

I'd say leave it like that, the color suits it well and if you want to make an orange one just buy another :), btw fablous job on your third (!) model.

The depth of your panel lines will determine whether or not you need to strip it. I have over ten coats of paint on my Gallardo and it looks fine....so based on that you shouldn't need to strip.

I have messed up many a model thinking like you.

Leave it be. Finish it, and then make another one if you really don't like the color. I can't say for sure if the milliput will get attacked. But I suspect you will need to redo the bodywork an dpriming to get a good base again.

Nenad

or just put some smoke on it to make it darker.

After all of the dark pieces are added to the kit, such as the headlights/dash/grills, it may be better looking than you expected.
I painted a bunch of the exterior parts of my Gallardo last night and test fit them, and I like the look much better with the black pieces attached..

No way, don't strip it. It's a good looing color on it, and you can change the appearence of the car alot by adding dark colored rims, or painting headlights & widows with clear smoke.

If you really can't live with the color, try overcoating it with Tamiya acrylic clear of your choice- smoke, orange, smoke mixed with orange, etc. If you're uhappy with it, you should be able to safely strip off the clear acrylic with window cleaner, leaving the clear laquer intact.

If you do decide to strip it, do it in isopropyl alcohol instead of brake fluid. It'll go through tha laquer just fine, and eat the metalic grey easily, but is more likely to leave filling work safe.

Thanks for the replies guys. Guess I'll leave it for the time being and work on the other bits then.

I was thinking about smoking it but wasn't sure how easy it would be to get a consistent darkening effect with that?

Hope to post some updated pics soon.

Cheers
Oli

your finish looks great... i would hate to strip that...

Don´t Strip :D