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I think the issue with questions like this is that there is no perfect answer, and everybody finds a method that works for them then suggests it and you get bombarded with all sorts of different methods - which probably all work to some extent.

It's often worth having a look at what the actual paint stripping ingredient is in most of these things. For example, the folks recommending Dettol - it's the Isopropyl Alcohol in Dettol that actually strips the paint so if that works for you you're much better off just buying Isopropyl and avoiding the smell and general unpleasantness that comes with using Dettol. But people keep suggesting Dettol because it's worked for them, and therefore folks keep using it.

Danielle Rae, it sounds like you might struggle with this paint stripping job. I'm not sure exactly what formulation of 'rubbing alcohol' it is that you used, but that often refers to Isopropyl, which is generally a good paint stripping agent. If that's failed, then I'm not sure how well these other products which contain alcohols as their main stripping ingredient will do. It might be that you just need to leave it for longer, use an ultrasonic cleaner or use an electric toothbrush or similar rather than brushing manually.

I can't help much with recommendations for plastic because I tend not to bother stripping it - I don't strip my old models and I don't buy used plastic models. I've stripped plenty of metal models but those are easy - just remove the base and leave them in acetone until I can be bothered to take them out and scrub them. You don't want to try that on plastic though, acetone will melt HIPS into goop.