06-21-2010, 10:50 AM
Test any material you want to use on the inside of the shell first, to make sure it doesn't destroy the plastic. For some reason the plastic used by Kato and Atlas is very finicky about what you can use for paint remover. I know nothing about the various British or European brands. As I understand it, brake fluid is primarily denatured alcohol mixed with a little oil. I think straight denatured alcohol is a better choice than brake fluid, but that is just my opinion. A friend and I tried removing paint from some new Athearn shells and found that they have changed the formula for their paints. We tried both denatured alcohol and Pine Sol and neither one had any effect on the paint. We found that only Scale Coat Rinse Away would work on the new Athearn shells. He was looking for a less expensive alternative.