Rummaging through the stash the other day, I found a partially done Arii (Otaki?) P-51D Mustang. The glue joints were poor on the fuselage and the wings, I managed to separate them with out a lot of damage (upper corner of rudder).



The fwd cockpit bulkhead, engine and engine mount seem to be solidly attached, but the parts need attention.

What are some good ways to get this down to small parts without destroying everything?

Believe it or not, give Castrol Super Clean a try, just pour into a container with a lid and let set a couple of days, the paint will be gone and most of the glue joints will fail.

Found this out by accident

YMMV

OK then... How did your kit get sealed in the bottle of Super Clean?

Just pour the super clean into a plastic storage container that the model will fit into and let it soak.

Someone at the model club suggested freezing the plane to break the old glue joints. After about 30 hrs in the freezer, the cockpit has seperated from the fuselage and the fwd wall of the 'pit had come free of all other parts. The seat/ radio parts still seem firmly in place along with the engine & mount.

I'll leave if a little longer and see what happens.