Old builds found, where to next?

[Walter]

I was cleaning out my workshop and I stumbled on a box with a few old builds. These kits are over 40 years old now, how the memories come flooding back. I might be crazy but I'd like to rebuild some if not all the kits especially the Do217 and the Fiat. What do you think, I've not seen any threads dedicated to such a task, there must a few of you who have taken on such a challenge.

 

 

One Lancaster is "G" for George the other is a dam buster.

 

 

 

[kiseca]

I don't have any of my old kits but I have purchased a few replacements and while my skills are still very basic compared to the average on this site, I do give them a lot more attention than I did when I built them as a kid. For me the nostalgia survives, and having them finished to my current standards is a bonus.

 

So not quite the same thing as what you're facing, and if I did somehow find all the old ones I'm not sure how much of the original work I'd retain without seeing them, so I don't know how much I'd put up with my own 40ish year old paintjobs

 

 

 

... but yeah, if I did happen to find all my old models in a box in the attic, I'd be a very happy bunny and totally occupied for the next hour or so just looking through them and enjoying the memories.

Edited August 30, 2021 by kiseca

[Giorgio N]

I have done this several times with some of my old models and a few years ago I even bought a lot of old assembled models at a flea market with the idea of recovering a few...

Now of course there are various levels of "restoration" possible, ranging from a simple pass of abrasive paper on the paint and decals followed by a new coat of paints and new decals to a complete rebuild. I'll describe my process for the latter...

My first step is, if possible, to remove the parts that may break when stripping the paint off. These would be landing gears, antennas, wheel well doors, propellers and so on. It is not always possible to remove the parts without breaking them, if I see that they are hard to separate I leave them in place.

It's then time to strip the paint... my favourite tool has always been brake fluid, although some other chemicals can be used. Just check that they do not affect the plastic. In some cases it's enough to leave the model in the fluid and the paint will peel off, sometime completely sometime not. If the paint does not peel off completely, I help the process with a brush or a hard sponge (of course all these tools must not scratch the plastic. I noticed that brake fluid also helps dissolving the glue, so the model stripped of paint is often easier to disassemble.

At that point I give a good thorough clean with plenty of water, to remove any trace of fluid and then I can start reassemble the model, introducing the desired changes, be it rescribing the surfaces or improving details and so on. It's then pretty much the same as building a new model, although of course some parts may have broken in the process or the glued surfaces may be not perfectly separated, so expect to have to rebuild parts or use more filler than usual.

Is it worth it ? Hard to tell, as with most things in the hobby thereìs no rule. Sometime it's a nice thing to do, other times it's a waste of time that could be used on a brand new model..

[Walter]

I think I'll start on the Do217 just the right thing to break things up a bit. 

[Bozothenutter]

If possible, buy the same kit and build to your current standards and ability, display together.

[Bonehammer]

I did this when I bought a partially glued Vulcan: put the model in a bag in the freezer for 30 mins or so. Frozen glue is weakened and you can snap the parts clean off. The brake fluid is also a must to remove paint: don't use it for brake lines once it's opened, it absorbs moisture that you definitely don't want in there.

[TonyW]

You are lucky to have such a link to your early efforts, most of us blew the things up, set them alight or even possibly shot them. Maybe lost them during a parental sort out behind our backs. Whatever the reason, most early builds are gone. What you have there is your own modelling history.

 

I would restore them as they are, without destroying their origins. New decals where needed and a good clean would be all they need. Modifying or rebuilding would make them just another kit, with the history and memories lost.

 

This Lancaster came to me in wildly wrong colours, I assumed that was all the builder had to hand when the kit was built. It's well made for an old build but there are no filled seams or detailed interior and so on, just the kit as Airfix provided.

Setting it against an original issue box shows that it's possible the builder painted his model as close to the box top as he could get. Displayed like this it tells a story and becomes a bit more than the sum of the parts.

 

 

They are your models, and you can do anything you please with them. If you decide to rebuild, that's perfectly fine but consider taking a ton of pictures of them as they are, so you have something to remind you of your early modelling days.

 

Tony.

[Walter]

Tony, I think will do just that on few of them, clean, repair and add new decals. 

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Hi Walter, Yes restore to what it was or or rebuild to your latest standards.  If it is rebuild you want then  I suggest you have a look at any of Brigbeale's posts to see what is possible 

Good luck 

Colin