Pimp my Barbie Bus

[DollyKim]

This is a Barbie motorhome made of a hard yet thin plastic, and it's softer fixings. Have some sense, don't do this to a bus that's in good shape, them's worth something as they are. Mine has been well loved and the body is cracked in several places. The shower door is warped, and there are other problems that would only make it attractive to a three year old and not a collector.

All the innards were removed and I took the hose to the bus, thirty yeas of dirt and dust bunnies came out. After drying I did a test patch of Krylon Fusion and regular Krylon, both stuck. I tested one of the beds and the regular Krylon stuck to that too. I don't know if I'm going to finish priming in grey (I'm out of Fusion) or just use the non Krylon black we have. BUT first the stickers have to come off.

The not exactly easiest but worked quite well way of getting the stickers off involved a scrub brush and water. I lay a wet rag over a patch of stickers to get them as wet as possible then used the brush to take most of it off. There's still some residue but I'm letting the bus and that dry then I'll wash it again. If there's anything left I'll try Magic Eraser and/or rubbing alcohol.

[DollyKim]

In everyone's closet lives a man in a tuxedo and top hat who occasionally hops out and sings MISSTAAAAAAAAAAKE!

Good news, I was able to budge some of the nuts and get the bus apart.


Bad news the test paint is chipping off.


DOLLIEH SANCTUARY AND MOST REASONABLY SANE PERSONS WILL TELL YOU DO NOT LET ACETONE WITHIN THE SAME ZIP CODE AS ANYTHING PLASTIC. DON'T DO WHAT I'M ABOUT TO DO. Which is, I'm going to take the paint off with acetone nail polish remover. I did a small test patch, with plenty of frequent rinsing, and it survived. In doing the rest of the paint I know I am taking my own stupidity in to my own hands and accept any outcomes.

If the bus survives I will need to figure out a new way to cover it with something and change its color. Once I get all the sticker residue off.

[EAB]

Good luck.
I've been wondering what was happening with this bus.

[DollyKim]

Well to update the regular Krylon, grey, smudged off and looks like road dirt. The Fusion, black, actually held up pretty well. It scratched and the acetone was able to dissolve thinner parts and cause thicker parts to come off but not like the regular. So it looks like this might be something Krylon Fusion can do.

So now I'm going to ponder using Fusion and a clear top coat to keep it from scratching. Once I get all the sticker residue off, with a jack hammer, I may blast it with a base coat of black. The regular paint on top of the Fusion held on pretty good so things are looking up for a metallic color. Still the big thing is going to be how to keep it from getting scratched up.