i ruined my tank

[wibblywobbly]

It's not ruined, it is simply needs stripping and repainting. I have owned a Tiger for about 4/5 years and during that time I have given it around 4 complete repaints, including one because the paint dried to a totally different colour to the one that I was expecting.

I have cleaned off acrylics and enamels too, without any damage to the plastic.

To get acrylic off I use good old washing up liquid and a plastic scourer, with a toothbrush for the fiddly bits. Screenwash will also do the job, as it is a detergent as well. Acrylic is water soluble, so once you have worked a water based product into it, it will start to break up and dissolve. It takes a fair while to get there though, and when you start off it looks as though it will never come off, but it does.

Enamels are different though, much harder, and they bind to the plastic. If you cannot remove them, then simply use an abrasive such as sandpaper or emery paper. Use a fine grade, otherwise you will leave scratches in the plastic that will take forever to polish out.

The oven cleaner trick is a good one, just make sure that you pick the right one, or you will end up with less of a tank than you started out with!

At the end of the day, it will do no harm to have a 'rough' looking paint finish, after all it's what a real tank has. Paint was applied by hand using clumps of grass, or old cloths on the battlefield, and I can spend more time and effort attempting to replicate a bad paint job, than I do spraying a showroom finish onto one?

[adam4472]

how do i remove all the electronics from my tank

[wibblywobbly]

90% of it is held down with screws, hot glue and sticky tape.

Disconnect and remove the battery.
Unplug everything from the main board (easy if it is an RX18).
Three screws hold down each gearbox.
Remove screws holding down receiver board.
Usually 2/3 screws underneath (possibly in battery compartment) retaining speaker.
A couple of screws holding the smoke unit from underneath.
One screw holding the small rectangular bridge with lighting wires attached.
You can the remove the turret retatining ring.
Unscrew the bottom of the turret.
Unscrew the retainers for the gun.

It all comes apart quite easily.

LEDS's are glued in so it may be easier to cut the wires and resolder them when you reassemble.

If you haven't done anything like this before, tape labels on the wires so that you know where they came from.
Put the screws from each part of the tank into seperate containers, old yoghurt pots, egg boxes etc.

If you get stuck at all just shout and someone will provide pics/instructions.

I have done this so many times I could do it blindfolded, but like you, the first time was an OMG moment.

Rob G

[Saxondog]

The cautions about metal and wiring when using easy off are important. But the method does work very well on plastic. Make sure it is the name brand EASY-OFF and all should go well, hot soapy water and a tooth brush will help removing the paint. I generally let the easy off work for 20-30 minutes. Sax

[adam4472]

i just tried paint stripper and guess what
it didnt work

so how else could i remove the paint with houshold materials

[Woz]

lightly sand it with a fine sandpaper the use a toothbrush to scrub it with some car brake/clutch fluid. Leave it to soak in for a few few hours then scrub it off. May take a few try's if the paint is thick. Once clean rinse it with water and a bit of washing up liquid.