dylan the rabbit Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 I need to remove the fuselage assembly from the wings of a Spitfire build as it's not set right. How can I "soften up" the plastic glue/sprue mix I used to set it to get it out? Cheers, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 While nothing will guarantee you any success Nick, I've had a modicum of luck in the past using nail polish remover. It has to be one of the varieties with acetone in it, but don't use straight acetone! Just brush it thinly over the join and let it sit for a few minutes, and then start wiggling the parts away from each other. You don't want to leave the nail polish remover to sit too long, or use too much. Your best bet is to apply small amounts at regular intervals, all the while working on freeing the join. Like I said, no guarantee of success, and no guarantee that there'll be no damage either, so use this approach with caution! One other option that I've read about, but never tried, is to seal the parts in a freezer bag in and pop them in the freezer for a while (not really sure how long). It's supposed to make the glue brittle and lose its hold. Worth a shot, and I'd try it before using any solvents! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dylan the rabbit Posted August 16, 2008 Author Share Posted August 16, 2008 Thanks Kev. I'm thinking the freezer route may be the best one. I really don't want to use acetone, as it eats everything! My only fear is that putting it in the freezer would loosen up the glue used in the cockpit and fuselage? Whaddya reckon? Cheers, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 Thanks Kev. I'm thinking the freezer route may be the best one. I really don't want to use acetone, as it eats everything! My only fear is that putting it in the freezer would loosen up the glue used in the cockpit and fuselage? Whaddya reckon? Cheers, Nick Yeah, that's a good point actually. You may find yourself starting again! This is where targetting the area with nail polish remover might be worth a shot. Remember that nail polish remover contains acetone in a quite weak solution, and is much less aggressive than the straight stuff. I use Cutex brand if it helps at all! Anyway, there's no magic bullet here unfortunately. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dylan the rabbit Posted August 16, 2008 Author Share Posted August 16, 2008 I'll give that a shot. I think I'll have to administer it with a syringe in the joins and cotton bud around the rear fuselage join. Shame this. The 1/32nd Revell Spit with the Hassy wings really does have a piss poor wing join, and I wasn't expecting it to be this problematic. The whole fuselage, when seated in the wings, sits at an angle I'm really kicking myself now for now not having dryfit and looked at this before glueing it up. I've just finished building a Classic Airframes kit. I should have been second nature! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 I'll have my fingers crossed for you Nick! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallyho Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 I'll give that a shot. I think I'll have to administer it with a syringe in the joins and cotton bud around the rear fuselage join. I did that recently on the stableizers of my P51 and it worked quite well. After the nail polish took effect I had to "work" the parts for a few minutes, add a little more and eventually they seperated without damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotary Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 the wing to fuse. joint /line-up is o.k. on my spit 1/11 but i am using aries cockpit------but iv'e never had big problems on these kits(mk.1/11---mk.V) my suggestion---for what it's worth-- is don't try to soften at all. use a razor saw to cut down the joint using a scribing motion-----sort out fit, then re-glue and clean up mess. should'nt be that much of a problem. cheers dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dylan the rabbit Posted August 16, 2008 Author Share Posted August 16, 2008 Right, the old girl's just come out of major surgery, and everything's ok. The wings are off, and she'll be fine after a bit of glueing, sanding and rescribing. It's weird. It's almost as if the fuselage will have to be shimmed higher on one side in order to sit vertically in the wings. I'll then have to sand the buggery out of one side in order to get the wing root flush. I must have bought a warped kit, as I've never come across this before. Anyone got any smart ideas on how to set up a home made wing alignment jig to make sure I set it right this time? Cheers, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 Right, the old girl's just come out of major surgery, and everything's ok. The wings are off, and she'll be fine after a bit of glueing, sanding and rescribing. It's weird. It's almost as if the fuselage will have to be shimmed higher on one side in order to sit vertically in the wings. I'll then have to sand the buggery out of one side in order to get the wing root flush. I must have bought a warped kit, as I've never come across this before. Anyone got any smart ideas on how to set up a home made wing alignment jig to make sure I set it right this time? Cheers, Nick Can't help you with the jig Nick, but I'm curious to know which method, or combination of methods, did you finally employ to get the job done? Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dylan the rabbit Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 Can't help you with the jig Nick, but I'm curious to know which method, or combination of methods, did you finally employ to get the job done? Kev Good old fashioned scraping with an X-Acto blade, and a little nail polish remover was also applied down the seams to loosen up the really stubborn bits so I could get the knife in. The only damage was a slight 3-4mm split on the fuselage by the wing join, but nothing that can't be sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avro683 Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Shame this. The 1/32nd Revell Spit with the Hassy wings really does have a piss poor wing join, and I wasn't expecting it to be this problematic. The whole fuselage, when seated in the wings, sits at an angle That's really odd Nick considering that the entire kit is actually Hasegawa in origin but in a Revell box. Hope all goes well with the surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ron Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 For any future builds of this Spit kit don't assemble the upper and lower wings first and then try to fit to the fuse. Glue the upper wing halfs to the fuse first, then add the lower wing half. You'll get a perfect wing joint every time if you use this method. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightymax Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 I was gonna add this. I don't believe the stick it in the freezer method will work unless you used Testors tube glue and it is really an old build. Say like 1970's! The joints would then have really old brittle glue on them and the freezer would help make it sheer off when pryed. If you used liquid cement I think you are gonna have to cut it apart then come up with a repair plan. Good luck! Max Bryant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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