I don't know why you would wont to remove what any manufacture has put on their product. After all even a real train car has to be built by somebody!

That said, get a decal printing paper and make a sign that says it was built by who ever. Paint over the offending verbiage with white paint let dry and place your new decal over the white box. 

If you try to remove the lettering you may ruin the paint job.

Good Luck.

Before......

After.......

Done with a sanding stick, 1000 grit with some water. 

Hi Dave, it's very good work but I'm still forced to ask why?

In any case next time I get unwonted paint on a car at lest I know how o fix it.

gg1man posted:

Hi Dave, it's very good work but I'm still forced to ask why?

Well, say for example that the car is a model of a 1940s or 1950s boxcar, with appropriate decoration for a prototypical railroad, why would you want to see "BUILT by MENARDS, 2017" on the sides of the car? What not place the "Built By_______" on the bottom of the car?

In any case next time I get unwonted paint on a car at lest I know how o fix it.

Nice job Dave.

At least for me I think of these as models of a real thing, not a rivet counter, In fact there are lots of details I overlook that others might see, but a brand on the train just isn’t for me.  I avoid all the Lionel items that do this as well.

I can imagine my NYC “empire” with a third rail but not a logo of the company that made the model.

Just my view.

I have removed lettering with a No 11 blade. Scraping very easy.  I did it to the cab on this engine. It had a large 2015. I scraped it off decaled it NS and put a smaller number on it. Have done it on Menards Nose Art cars. 

gg1man posted:

Hi Dave, it's very good work but I'm still forced to ask why?

 

In any case next time I get unwonted paint on a car at lest I know how o fix it.

As much as I love Menard;s train stuff.......or how much I think <Mark and Co have changed the hobby for the better......I hate 'Built by'  Lionel, Menard's or other name if it's not real. I am a defector from HO and still have a few traits that followed me over. 

For me it really does not bother me.

Using 93% isopropyl alcohol will take it right off.

david1 posted:

For me it really does not bother me.

And why this is a great hobby........100 model train hobbyist and 100 different ways to enjoy it!!! 

Thanks for the ideas. Would alcohol take off the underlying paint as well? Otherwise, I will try the sanding approach. I have a Menards flat car that is going to be repainted anyways to experiment with. 

It is interesting to see that this bothers some and not others. As I mentioned, the "built by Lionel" has always annoyed me as well, as it seems like a totally unforced error. Especially when buying a $60+ car. So much that I have tended to buy MTH in cases where both made the same car with the same road name. On vintage Lionel and more fantasy oriented cars, I doesn't bother me however. 

I have sanded it off of the Menard's flat cars I have purchased. Love Menard's, love their train stuff, not a fan with "built by". In fact when I re-entered the hobby as an adult, it led me toward buying MTH/Rail King stuff. I realize they are semi-scale models, but the "built by ___" just bugged me. 

By the way, this isn't the only hobby or fan group that feels this way. In sports it's called "logo creep" - and there are people removing the new era flag from the side of their ball caps, and see NBA uniform partner ads as pretty much a crime, because a uniform should be free from the supplier/company advertisements and about the team itself. Maybe it isn't all that different with our model trains? We want a box car's "uniform" of a paint job to look like it authentically should, free of additional advertising. Just a thought.  

  The gall ! What kind of sick minds would do that to a car 

Imo, it is at least listing a build date semi-logically, semi-prototypically, besides being a neat little nod to "tradition" .

 Also, I think some "true collectors" like that stuff; modelers traditionally make what they want out of what they get anyhow. 

Nothing new; "logo creep" is a comercial artist's job.

 Seriously; the way Lionel has done it blends in with the other text in style at least. That against the likes of "Lionel Lines", I'm good with it though . I"m not in a habit of reading the spec text anyhow  I focus on billboard art; and big text 

...the logos

It's a very detailed, "bright looking" logo; maybe smaller and a more stenciled look and wouldn't stand out as much ??

  Since it doesnt blend in well, I think it would be best moved to the bottom as is. 

...OK, enlarge it Mark

Or better, emboss it

I don't mind it. It comes in handy when I'm curious as to when a car was built, for instance when I buy a used MPC-era Lionel freight car. Don't have to bother looking it up, the actual manufactured year is on the car. Not much different than what's done on the real railroads.

Another method is a bit of Magic Eraser with Lectric Shave applied.  You do have to be careful as this will take the paint off as well, and it doesn't work for baked on or clearcoated lettering.  

Mitch 

Hot Water posted:

gg1man posted:

Hi Dave, it's very good work but I'm still forced to ask why?

Well, say for example that the car is a model of a 1940s or 1950s boxcar, with appropriate decoration for a prototypical railroad, why would you want to see "BUILT by MENARDS, 2017" on the sides of the car? What not place the "Built By_______" on the bottom of the car?

In any case next time I get unwonted paint on a car at lest I know how o fix it.

 

Exactly what I was thinking.

91% alcohol is what I strip lacquer paint with.....so I didn't think it would be a good thing to use. 

"...besides being a neat little nod to "tradition".

"the way Lionel has done it blends in with the other text in style at least."

Yeah, these comments sort of sum up my 50-50 attitude toward such text. The "Menards" (full disclosure: I own zero Menards items) logo will just not do. It looks like...a store logo.

But I do actually like the "Lionel" on PW items (see 2nd comment above), and I was sorry to see the "Built by Lionel" removed recently from their high-end, scale freight cars (see 1st comment, above). I always smiled when, after admiring the spectacular detail and scale fidelity (excuse the running gear) of one of their scale cars, I would spot the "built by" graphic.

Kind of like seeing someone you knew as a kid all grown up and impressive. Plus, as we all know, Lionel and the like have always been a wee bit closer to real than mere models.

My opinion, it's worth nothing, is that while I'm not a rivet counter I do like a realistic look. So for me I do remove the "Built by Menards" tags.  

All boxcars now have built by Menards on the ends so it doesn't  show anymore..Bob

cabinet Bob posted:

All boxcars now have built by Menards on the ends so it doesn't  show anymore..Bob

Well, not unless one looks at the ends.

Hot Water posted:

cabinet Bob posted:

All boxcars now have built by Menards on the ends so it doesn't  show anymore..Bob

Well, not unless one looks at the ends.

Simple solution.....dont buy one if it bothers the person...

I just rubbed 91% alcohol on the center rail throughout my layout to get it to disappear so the track would look more realistic... I had no luck at all, it’s still there! Lol!

Seriously though, I don’t even notice the ‘Built by Menards’, ‘Built by Lionel’ and ‘Built by Williams’ on my layout at all.  Seems like a waste of time and effort to try and remove those.  If people are going for realism around here, just graffiti over them!

I think that printing of mfg on car sides is kinda fun sort of like that crazy third rail running down the center, slap a little paint of a similar color right over it just like a real railroad would do  to paint over objectionable writing . enjoy them for what they are     conrail john

john f penca jr posted:

I think that printing of mfg on car sides is kinda fun sort of like that crazy third rail running down the center, slap a little paint of a similar color right over it just like a real railroad would do  to paint over objectionable writing . enjoy them for what they are     conrail john

Ha!  Good one. That outa quiet a few down! 

Thanks for the responses everyone. A little wet sanding takes it off, as you can see above. I'm a happy camper, time to buy more Menards cars. 

The only downside is it did create a bit of a pattern where I sanded, but you only notice when the light hits it at an angle (looks uniform when you look at it head on) I don't really mind that, it just looks like some one did a little touch up painting/sanding on the car. 

If you see the sanding 'scratches' you need a finer media. The 'sanding' stick I use is smooth to the touch and is used to polish paint. I'd try and find a finer media.  Look at mine.....invisible. 

Thanks for the tip,

I got a Tamiya 3000 grit sanding sponge today from the hobby shop to try since it is finer than the sanding stick I used at first. It works really well. Problem solved. 

AMCDave posted:

If you see the sanding 'scratches' you need a finer media. The 'sanding' stick I use is smooth to the touch and is used to polish paint. I'd try and find a finer media.  Look at mine.....invisible. 

So, AMCDave, if those sanding sticks are used to polish paint, does that mean their use will be noticeable on cars with flat and satin finishes. I'm asking because polish normally leaves a paint finish shiny or glossy rather than dull or flat.

It may gloss up the area....but apply very light pressure and use a few drops of water to speed up the removal.  With practice you can get the finish you want.  On my example you must hold the box car at an exact angle with the exact light to see a difference in sheen......and that never happens on the layout while running. 

AMCDave posted:

I may gloss up the area....but apply very light pressure and use a few drops of water to speed up the removal.  With practice you can get the finish you want.  On my example you must hold the box car at an exact angle with the exact light to see a difference in sheen......and that never happens on the layout while running. 

I've gotten scratches off passenger car roofs that were pretty noticeable with Turtle Wax scratch and swirl remover it would probably work for a finisher. Weatherings another option.

I agree with removal, not so much that it says 

but because their logo is too artsy fartsy for train cars. A simpler approach, similar to what Lionel did, would be more acceptable to the railroad eye:

Built 2017

MENARDS (include all or some of the part number if desired like Lionel did)

would be plenty acceptable, to me at least, and I think still in bounds of their copyrighted logo's.

Bogie

nkp4me posted:

I have sanded it off of the Menard's flat cars I have purchased. Love Menard's, love their train stuff, not a fan with "built by". In fact when I re-entered the hobby as an adult, it led me toward buying MTH/Rail King stuff. I realize they are semi-scale models, but the "built by ___" just bugged me. 

By the way, this isn't the only hobby or fan group that feels this way. In sports it's called "logo creep" - and there are people removing the new era flag from the side of their ball caps, and see NBA uniform partner ads as pretty much a crime, because a uniform should be free from the supplier/company advertisements and about the team itself. Maybe it isn't all that different with our model trains? We want a box car's "uniform" of a paint job to look like it authentically should, free of additional advertising. Just a thought.  

You probably haven't been to Europe or most of the rest of the world, where it's common to see sports uniforms and everything else displaying sponsor logos.  Now many secondary sports incorporate logos in this country.  I suspect you don't watch much auto racing.     Or Bass fishing, or golf.  Even football sports logos on helmets and cleats;  only a matter of time before it's on the jersey.

Waddy posted:

nkp4me posted:

I have sanded it off of the Menard's flat cars I have purchased. Love Menard's, love their train stuff, not a fan with "built by". In fact when I re-entered the hobby as an adult, it led me toward buying MTH/Rail King stuff. I realize they are semi-scale models, but the "built by ___" just bugged me. 

By the way, this isn't the only hobby or fan group that feels this way. In sports it's called "logo creep" - and there are people removing the new era flag from the side of their ball caps, and see NBA uniform partner ads as pretty much a crime, because a uniform should be free from the supplier/company advertisements and about the team itself. Maybe it isn't all that different with our model trains? We want a box car's "uniform" of a paint job to look like it authentically should, free of additional advertising. Just a thought.  

You probably haven't been to Europe or most of the rest of the world, where it's common to see sports uniforms and everything else displaying sponsor logos.  Now many secondary sports incorporate logos in this country.  I suspect you don't watch much auto racing.     Or Bass fishing, or golf.  Even football sports logos on helmets and cleats;  only a matter of time before it's on the jersey.

Your point, Waddy, about logos and sponsorship is true. However, sponsorship means those companies are paying the teams and racing car owners to put their company logos on those teams' jerseys and race cars. It's advertising for them where as Menard's isn't paying me to have their name on a boxcar but rather I'm paying them for that boxcar -- a huge difference.

As an aside, regarding designer clothing, athletic shoes, etc., why should I be a walking advertising billboard for those clothing manufacturers and not be paid for doing it? I guess for some folks, walking around in clothes that sport designer names and logos is a matter of status, but for me, I'm secure enough in whom I am that I don't need to bolster my self-esteem further by wearing such free advertising designer duds. 

If you examine MTH, Lionel and K-Line trains the "built by xxxxx" it is small black or white lettering and is not  obtrusive looking.  I don't mind this branding and leave it alone. On the other hand the Menards logo is in color, sharply unrealistic, and IMO looks out of place.

Dennis LaGrua posted:

If you examine MTH, Lionel and K-Line trains the "built by xxxxx" it is small black or white lettering and is not  obtrusive looking. 

I've never seen such "built by xxxxx" on MTH Premier SCALE rolling stock.

I don't mind this branding and leave it alone. On the other hand the Menards logo is in color, sharply unrealistic, and IMO looks out of place.

Dennis LaGrua posted:

If you examine MTH, Lionel and K-Line trains the "built by xxxxx" it is small black or white lettering and is not  obtrusive looking.  I don't mind this branding and leave it alone. On the other hand the Menards logo is in color, sharply unrealistic, and IMO looks out of place.

Now that's actually a pretty good reason for removing the logo.  You're right, it does look really out of place and totally unrealistic.

Not rolling stock but the Commaraderia Grill comes with a rather large Menards sign on the side wall.  Painted over, the wall becomes an ideal surface for bills.  John in Lansing, ILL