available ,unlettered &painted models

[kewatin]

 I see on BACHMANN'S homepage that they are listing the 4-6-0 item #51451 as available  unlettered&painted. does this mean that bachmann is considering on offering this option again? there was a post some yrs back that this option fell out of favor ,as product would sit longer on retailers  shelves longer etc. most of my bachmann dcc models were ordered unlettered unless i could buy them in cnr or cp lettering,that way i could apply my own decals. is this a testing of the waters or is it a one off available item. i  along with many other modellers would like to see if this option would be offered again.
regards&later KEWATIN

[Bucksco]

This model was issued in 2011. The only scale that painted/unlettered sells reasonably well in is On30 so if any models are issued this way it will probably be in On30.

[Flare]

I use Testors Easy Lift-Off to 'unletter' locomotives and rolling stock. 

[gatrhumpy]

Find unlettered engines on eBay.

[spookshow]

I'm kind of surprised that painted/unlettered locos don't sell better. Factory-lettered steam locomotives are rarely released for the steam era roads that I model, so whenever possible I get the unlettered version and then just apply decals myself. The models might not always be exact matches for the specific prototypes I'm trying to replicate, but they're usually close enough for my purposes.

Of course, unlettered locos don't make much sense for very iconic and road-specific models like the K4. But for smaller and more generic steamers (4-6-0, 2-6-0, 0-6-0, et al) I'd think they would. But maybe most people don't care what it says on the side of their engines and just run whatever catches their fancy.

-Mark

[James in FL]

Easiest and fastest way to remove B'mann lettering that I have found;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gf7xqIHGMQ

YMMV

[dutchbuilder]

I use brake fluid to remove lettering.
It's aggressive enough to do that without damaging the paint underneath.

Ton

[brokemoto]

I am surprised that you can use brake fluid to remove the lettering, only and not damage the base coat of paint.  Every time that I have used brake fluid, it has taken off all the paint.  The one exception is the B&O "powder blue" and grey paint jobs on Rivarossi passenger cars.  It takes some serious scrubbing to get off all that paint.

You do have to be careful with brake fluid, as well, because it can turn the plastic brittle.  Life Like shells do not stand up well to brake fluid.  Some Kato will, some will not.  Some B-mann will, some will not.

I use a plain, old eraser to remove lettering.  I am very careful and patient about it.  To be sure, there is a slight smudge, sometimes, but since I apply glossy coating before I apply decals then apply a matte coating afterward, you must look with a magnifying glass to find the smudge.

In some cases, I will remove the whole paint job and start again.  Usually, ninety-one per-cent alcohol works well for that.  There are some that are more stubborn and are >made of stronger stuff!  For those,  I do use something else.  Any more, if I do use brake fluid, I let it sit only a short time, then scrub, put back in for a short time, scrub and repeat until the paint all comes off the surface.  Brake fluid is toxic, so I use rubber gloves.  I scrub the shell several times using soap and water.  After I am finished, I wash my hands several times with soap and water.

[spookshow]

91% alcohol on a Q-tip always works for me. Stripping the numbers off of Kato locos is particularly easy as the underlying paint is like armor plating.

-Mark

[kewatin]

well MARK, YOU certainly lifted my spirits, 90%  alcohol to remove lettering etc. a little humor here/ does this mean in an emergency i can use my 90 proof white rum,&vodka  to doe this job..and here i have been using an eraser. my gosh at 77 i am still learning and having a smile every day.who said model railroading isn't fun. mark thanks for your support on the mfg regarding  offering unlettered locos ,as i see some are releasing available &unlettered. but not many.
regards&later KEWATIN