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So I've been working on a custom deciding to use DOTM Bee as a base (as there are presently a f**kton of Cyberfire "Murderbee" figures available in my general area for fairly minor amounts of money) and I decided I wanted to remove the bulk of the factory paint apps for the process, no sense in having areas slightly raised in my paintjob due to past paint apps still being present.
I was thinking of using a hobby knife to scrape the paint off, or sandpaper to sand it down, or even rubbing alcohol since I'd heard of it before...

It dawned upon me to try something I'd been using in my Gundam model building for years, the Gundam Marker Eraser pen

To my surprise, this instantly began removing the paint from Bee. Finally something completely approved (in fact designed) for use on plastics, that removes factory paint apps from Transformers, and is accurate, being a pen and all... Great if you want to remove certain areas of paint while leaving others intact (as long as you're careful, of course)

The only problem was that I wanted to remove a lot of paint from this toy... And a Gundam Marker Eraser doesn't have a whole lotta juice in it. So I went looking for a similar effect from a product with more volume, and I think I have the answer.


This, as the label no doubt shows, is Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. Again a Japanese modelling supply, I bought some today, on a whim to see if it could stand up to these paint apps like the Eraser pen did... Well it did, I dabbed some paper towel in it, and started rubbing Bee's forearm guard with it, and lo and behold the yellow started coming right off.

For reference, here's Bee right now, as I continue to remove more paint from him

for those unfamiliar with the figure, he;s supposed to have yellow electric-looking "cyber fire" running the length of his roof and doors etc.

So there ya have it, something to use to get those pesky paint apps off for doing custom work, I hope this helps.

Sweet, thanks for sharing. What will become of him?

BUT, does it get the paint off without making the plastic below more brittle and liable to crack? That's happened when I've used acetone on a Star Wars X-over Cad Bane, and that wasn't even near an angle or joint.

I'd love to be able to use some on heads of the Classics Starsscream mold to build my Seeker army. I'm adverse to alter a limited-run troop-builder like the CHMS Air Warrior anyway, but I absolutely won't risk breaking one's head anyway, so I need to know:

Did you murder any part of Murderbee?

Samsonator wrote:I was thinking of using a hobby knife to scrape the paint off, or sandpaper to sand it down, or even rubbing alcohol since I'd heard of it before...

I actually visibly cringed when I read your thoughts here on how to take off paint. Particularly sandpaper. Brrrrr.....

It dawned upon me to try something I'd been using in my Gundam model building for years, the Gundam Marker Eraser pen. To my surprise, this instantly began removing the paint from Bee. Finally something completely approved (in fact designed) for use on plastics, that removes factory paint apps from Transformers, and is accurate, being a pen and all... Great if you want to remove certain areas of paint while leaving others intact (as long as you're careful, of course)

The only problem was that I wanted to remove a lot of paint from this toy... And a Gundam Marker Eraser doesn't have a whole lotta juice in it. So I went looking for a similar effect from a product with more volume, and I think I have the answer.


This, as the label no doubt shows, is Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. Again a Japanese modelling supply, I bought some today, on a whim to see if it could stand up to these paint apps like the Eraser pen did... Well it did, I dabbed some paper towel in it, and started rubbing Bee's forearm guard with it, and lo and behold the yellow started coming right off.

I can't comment on any of your "solutions" here. I'm happy they worked for you. In my experience the best way forward is tee tree oil and patience. Easy to find, it can be purchased at any pharmacy and will certainly clear your sinuses, but is natural and works well on the hardest of paints. It's actually what Shawn Tessman, a first rate customizer and the man responsible for seven years of Botcon kitbashing courses, recommends.

Bumblevivisector wrote:BUT, does it get the paint off without making the plastic below more brittle and liable to crack? That's happened when I've used acetone on a Star Wars X-over Cad Bane, and that wasn't even near an angle or joint.

I'd love to be able to use some on heads of the Classics Starsscream mold to build my Seeker army. I'm adverse to alter a limited-run troop-builder like the CHMS Air Warrior anyway, but I absolutely won't risk breaking one's head anyway, so I need to know:

Did you murder any part of Murderbee?

In some cases the thinner parts did crack/break, but only after prolonged exposure. The trick, I've found, is to clean the parts VERY well after cleaning the paint off, to avoid damage. I also murdered his face, but it was in the interests of making a different character out of him

Transformers Hoarder wrote:What will become of him?

He's actually going to become a new version of Aligned Jazz, that will be on display this coming Saturday, March 9th at the Vancouver Transformers Collectors Show "MetroCon at Metropolis"

I would stay away from using the Gundam paint remover. It destroys whatever plastic transformers are made of. Use a nail polish remover pen. I've never had one of those mess up a figure.