Dissolving or weakening plastic glue?

[Helias_Tancred]

I've got a handful of assault marines that I want to remove their jump packs. What can I soak them in to dissolve the plastic glue or weaken it so I can easily pull the jump packs off?

 

Thanks.

 

 

[Orion]

I don't think you can. Plastic glue itself is a solvent mean't to fuse the two parts together using the plastic itself.

So, knife. The answer is knife.

[andes]

Brother @JayJapanB is correct, though if the glue was applied lightly you might be able to avoid the knife and carefully pry them off.

[Grotsmasha]

Yeah, the glue makes the models pieces one piece bu melting them together. Unfortunately I think you have a choice between saving either marines or jump packs. UNLESS, you can also remove the arms while leaving them intact, if you can do that, you'll have better access to the pack to cut it away whilst saving all parts. 

[Firedrake Cordova]

Depending on how much glue was used to stick them and the strength of the bond, sometimes painting along the seam with glue will soften the plastic around the bond enough to allow you to pry them apart. I don't think I need to point out the downside to this approach, though!  

[MadMek83]

Best way try pry them of is to find a gap or make gap with a hobby knife. Then use extremely thin plastic glue. My preference is Tamiya Extra Thin (with a green cap) let it does it work in about 10 mins, use knife to gently pry more open then gap and repeat action till you get jump packs off. After getting jump packs off, you will need to clean any glue residuences with soap and warm water and sand off carefully the parts cleaning them. 

 

With in luck damage will be minimal and not noticable. 

 

A wire saw is a tool that has 101 one usage also in dismanteling cleanly the models. 

[Sky Potato]

I’ve always had good results with using methylated spirits to deconstruct stuff.

 

It’s always been a side effect of paint stripping, but the models always come out of the meths bath much much weaker at the join where the two halves have fused back together - to the point where simple pressure from an old electric toothbrush to scrub the old paint off can disassemble the model.

 

Jump packs & back packs, shoulder pauldrons, arms and weapons generally seem the most affected. Heads for some reason much less so.

Edited October 20, 2023 by Sky Potato
Posted too early! Need to finish my post.

[andes]

10 hours ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

(...) sometimes painting along the seam with glue will soften the plastic around the bond enough to allow you to pry them apart. I don't think I need to point out the downside to this approach, though!  

 

This is a solid tip. Thanks!

[LameBeard]

I have found the best way is to heat the joint with a hairdryer - as hot as you can get it - and then (safety first, some sort of gloves may be needed) prise apart the joint. It will be a sticky mess but that should be mostly where the join was.