Strip and Renew

[Tom Flynn]

Hello folks,

I have been asked to refurbish a National DC8-52 in 1/50 scale. But before I do, I want to ensure that by doing this, will it 'devalue' the model?

The gentleman that owns it plans to sell it and I believe that by making it 'brand new looking would not be a good idea. Am I right about that?

I hope to have photos of it soon. It has some corrosion on the wings, portions o the decals ;have lifted off and the white crown has yellowed.

Any input would be appreciated!

Tom

[Henry Tenby]

Hi Tom,

Different collectors will give different opinions. Personally I think it is no problem for the polish of metal model to be brought back to shiny new standards so it is fine to polish it and make it look good. Scratches, discolouring and other marks in the aluminum can and should be polished out in my personal opinion.

As for the white crown and decals, this is where it gets subjective. For me, if the damage is so severe that the model is ugly, then the model is at the point where strip and repaint with new decals makes sense. For me personally.

If the paint has yellowed and the decals are chipped, again, I personally feel that lightly polishing away the tarnished mildew and accumulation of dirt without damaging the surface is fine. And minor touch ups to the decals to repair obvious brakes and missing scheme is fine.

Lastly, if the model painted crown is in fairly decent shape, I would not do too much to it. And yes, I agree that it is best to leave it alone.

So it really boils down to the specific model in question. Maybe post some pics here so other people can chime in with their opinions too.