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I've got a bunch or ork plastics and metals that I painted when the plastics first came out. My painting skills have advanced a lot since then, and though the old guys aren't terrible, I feel I could do them much more justice for the new book if I repainted them.

Does anyone know what is the best way to go about this? The models are just single colours painted over black undercoat (for example, goblin green skin, enchanted blue pants and bestial brown straps) but the paint was a bit thick in places. Not massively so.

Do you think I should just paint over it straight?

Or should I strip them? What is best for stripping plastics?

Thanks for any help.

I've had great success with using simple green.

I'll second Simple Green. Brake fluid works too, but it's a whole lot more toxic. I'd start with Simple Green and then move to brake fluide or oven cleaner if you're not happy with the results.

I'll have a look around for it, is it just a generic cleaner? (It might not be available in Ireland, but an equivalent might be)

It's advertised as an eco-friendly cleaner, but it's basically just your typical kitchen type spray cleaner.

After a day or two of soaking in it, I've even been able to remove spray enamels from figures.  A nylon scrub brush will help, though, as the paint doesn't just melt away.

ZF-

Cheers. I'll let ye know how I get on.

purple power or castrol superclean (a degreaser you can get from any auto store.. pepboys, autozone, etc) works very well . it won't melt the plastic and you can leave the models in it for weeks.

I agree with two heads talking, the castrol superclean/purple power is the best overall paint stripper ever... for metal models pine sol is my favorite (it makes the outer layer of plastic really soft however)

Love superclearn and use nothing else. That said, there are lots of new models coming out. If you can afford to, you could save the old models for nostaligia and big Aplocalypse games and paint some cool new stuff.

A few more tips on stripping (all good advice so far):

- Don't soak stuff longer than you have to.  If the paint is really thick, take off what you can after a few hours soaking, rinse (literally, to remove loose paint flakes) and repeat
- That old toothbrush that you really should have replaced six months ago?  Use it to brush the paint off of the model.  You should be using a soft toothbrush anyway, so it will be gentle even on softer plastic models.  And get a new toothbrush!  Don't put the "stripping brush" in your mouth (sound advice no matter what the setting).
- Pine-Sol will give your miniatures a pine scent (especially the plastic ones) that you'll never get rid of.  Just be aware of this.
- Don't be afraid to spend the extra time to get paint out of those pesky nooks and crannies; it'll smooth them out and you'll lose detail.  Do NOT use an X-Acto blade to dig these out either; you can easily scratch the model.  Trust me on this one.  If you have to dig, use the end of a round toothpick.

Hope these help!