Patching paint vs stripping and repainting - boxcar project

[lars]

I'm going to take a crack at detailing a Walthers ACF 5090 boxcar for CSX.  End ladders and side grabs will be carved off and doors will be replaced.

They offer a CSX scheme that looks reasonably good in terms of lettering.  In a position like this where I'm carving things away from all the lettering, is it easier to match the paint and airbrush the disturbed areas or is it easier to just strip and repaint the whole thing?  

I'm curious to see how others would approach this.  Thanks for the advice.

[csxt8400]

Well, to stay on topic, with grab irons being the bulk of the replaced, I'd most likely attempt to paint match.

But, to stray slightly, if a person was to put a good amount of effort into the endeavor and had a passion/knowledge of the equipment, I would be more inclined to make it everything it should be instead of salvaging. There may not be this very second, but better lettering/data is on the way for CSX yellow.

[drsvelte]

If it involves significant carving - side ladders/grabs, end ladders, brake appliance, brake platform, coupler walkeover, etc - my inclination is to strip. Just too difficult to try to match paint, mask, and then apply.  

[Mr. Trainiac]

I would also strip completely.

I think the issue you will run into is sanding. Even if you take a chisel or a hobby knife and remove the cast-on components, you will still have to sand any residual material and smooth the area to remove defects (especially around the ends of the car). What went from a small strip of bare plastic behind the molded-on grab iron will quickly become a large bare patch after sanding, and that's a lot more difficult to cover up and match the exact shade and finish of the factory paint.

If this was a basic model that lacked grab irons entirely, or was designed to have them added on later (like Walthers Mainline diesels), I would say to paint the detail parts and keep the body intact.

[lars]

Thanks for the replies. I decided to go with a full strip for a couple reasons; a different door was going to make a for a large patch area, some car data on the Walthers car is incorrect and I was going to need decals for the door anyway. It’s nice to know going in that I remove and sand as much of an area as I like.

I’m new to this aspect of the hobby, but I’m really enjoying the problem solving of fitting all the pieces together for a project, even before I start the actual work.

[slowfreight]

Weathering and careful surgery can save a full repaint. With decals sometimes hit/miss, and time being at a premium, I'll salvage a factory paint job when appropriate.

Car has replacement door and rebuilt door tracks, patched to match original Intermountain paint



Car had all molded detail shaved off on ends and replaced with freestanding parts. Only lower half of end was repainted. Weathering blends it all together.