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Hey folks,

Recently got a used Tau Commander that is in bad shape. I need to strip the primer off him and I am hoping to be able to separate the glued pieces. The owner claimed he used Citadel plastic glue.

Any help would be appreciated as I need to clean each piece carefully (he green stuffed some of the detail for some reason) and want to replace the head.

Thanks.

If it's finecast and the previous owner used plastic glue - it should just be a pile of bits.

Finecast can't be stuck with plastic glue.

Havent tryed to strip a finecast piece yet myself, but the resin basing details kit's strip perfectly fine using the UK's fairy powerspray.... dunno if theyre the same resin or not?

Truth be told I havent painted a finecast piece to strip one... I bought one figure, Belial, and frankly im unimpressed with the warping, and know that warping isnt considered a replacement defect as it can be reshaped with some heat.... my point is... its not a 'fine cast' its a miscast due to being pulled too soon. piss poor. and is priced for a high end model, with the product not living upto its name... its not even the material tbh, its not great.. its all bendy and stuff.. but its down to poor craftsmanship...... something which GW think they lead the market in..... afraid not this time. their staff are letting them down with the production, probably due to ridiculous targets being set.
They clearly switched to this resin because it didnt mean making new molds, and is cheaper than the white metal alloy they used before. Yet we pay more for it. LOL
The plastic figures are better quality... its a real shame becasue I can see how good the detail on the cast is, and had they waited that bit longer before pulling, it'd be great.

But for your mini, try some oven cleaning products... do you have any finecast sprue you can test with to save on gambling with the figure? would be a good way to go.

if it was plastic glue like you said, its already falling to pieces. Im suprised it was ever in one piece that way.

Super glue breaks easily enough usually... be careful about bending the pieces though as the resin is very soft it seems. might be wise to carefully prise them apart with a craft knife.
Another good idea is to freeze it, superglue is weak to cold, and will be easy to pop apart if it doesnt just fall apart at sub zero temps.

I tend to let my resin/plastic products soak for a few days in dot3 brake fluid. If the glue doesn't wear off by then, it usually just comes right off. Be careful though.

Be careful indeed, both while using AND disposing of brake fluid. That stuff is a neurotoxin and CANNOT be poured down the drain!!!!!!

It does work, but you should be wearing gloves and eye protection with it.

I recommend Simple Green, much easier and safer to use.

in the UK, Fairy Power Spray is the best stuff to use

Don't use oven cleaning products - they're generally very nasty stuff and resin is a delicate material at the best of times.

Give LA's Totally Awesome, Castrol Super Clean, Simple Green or one of those sorts of things a try first, on a piece of sprue or a section if possible. If not, then check it every couple of hours to see if the detail is starting to melt.

I'd avoid any of the really nasty stuff - they'll melt Finecast 9 times out of 10, and you may also get health issues. Brake fluid, gasoline, Pinesol, Oven Cleaners, etc. Also avoid acetone like the plague unless you want a puddle of resin.

I used Fairy Power Spray on some sprue for a finecast model (the Dark Eldar Archon) and while it did strip the paint, it also went very, very bendy. YMMV. However, Fairy Power Spray is mostly only easily available in the UK.