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Hi guys I have some models with transfers that I wish to remove however they have been varnised.

Any good tips to remove them?

In short; there is no easy method once the varnish is on.

Cleanest method is to sand down the surface and repaint.

Depending on the varnish used, you can try a varnish remover for that varnish. It may or may not preserve the paintwork underneath. You are still likely to get a botched surface though.

Ok some of them are on space marine shoulder pads which I can just remove however the others are on a thunderhawk so might just paint over the areas

Orderless mineral spirits will eat away varnishes if you use enough. It will most likely damage the paint beneath it as well, though.

Daston wrote:
Ok some of them are on space marine shoulder pads which I can just remove however the others are on a thunderhawk so might just paint over the areas

If they are just on flat surfaces, you could probably get away with painting over it. In fact you could probably do it over the shoulder pads as well, just make sure to varnish yourself again when you have finished (once you put new transfers on, or freehand a pattern or whatever you are doing).

Mono Eraser...

You will need to touch up the paint - but a good, old school sand eraser will allow you to slowly remove the varnish and then underlying decal.

If you like tools - you can use an air eraser (looks like an airbrush - but shoots abrasive powder instead). I use mine for stripping stuff primarily, but a lot of diecast and model train hobbyists use them for removing decals without damaging the underlying paint.