Would you build this kit?

Drew, I believe that this kit has been re-released by Revell-Germany. You might want to consider purchasing this one if you intend to build a 1/32 P-38 rather than go through the trials of disassembly, cleanup and reassembly.

Boy are they impressive when built up, go for it what have you got to lose. I trade old kits and got $35 for the last one I sold. That kit was open but otherwise complete. I only have one left and it's factory sealed. Sounds like your getting off cheaply!

I haven't tried this myself, but I'm told that if you put the parts in the freezer overnight, then drop the parts onto a hard surface, the glue becomes more brittle than the plastic so breaks in preference

See as how he GAVE it to you, regardless of the condition, how can you loose?
If the undercarage conserns you how about doing it with the wheels in the well, and hang it. That way any small imperfections you cant get out wont receive as close examination as on a shelf.
Regardless of how I'm sure the final satafaction and kit enjoyment is what counts.
TTFN Dave

Drew,
What have you got to lose? Even if it turns out to be a trashcan job in the end, at least you'll have the experience of learning what you can and can't do, and probably gaining new skills in the process. That's always a win-win situation.
Besides, you also might just end up with a real eye-popper that you can be proud of forever.......
Cheers
LeeTree

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Other than dropping a frozen model to make it break at the seams (a neat idea, but one I'm not too inclined to try right away), what other methods do you know for ungluing a model?

Regards,

-Drew

Warm water has worked for me before now, hand hot that is, you don't want to warp the plastic. I have built this kit, & yes, it is impressive when finished. there's a lot of detail to add so get researching!
As for the landing gear, try drilling though it & putting in metal rod's for strength.
I think a bit of twisting after the freezer treatment may work, rather than dropping it. Then again, what have you got to lose?
Pete

IT WAS FREE......Go for it. With a bit of work it will be ok. use a fine saw to separate halves.

Some guy in the Nov 03 issue of FSM cleaned up an old put-together Revell rocket and re-did it. Pretty nice job, too. It's one of the feature articles. Some techniques for loosening old paint and glue were listed, I think. Personally, sounds like a lot of grief to me when you can just buy the darn thing new.

Hey Lufbery;
I've built a few of the Revell 1/32 P-38's and it did take a little bit of work but what I did was rescribe the panel lines polished the styrene and painted them bare metal and they looked really good I gave 1 to my Dad and another to my then Father-inlaw and kept the last one for myself they went together pretty fair but needed some filler in some areas(that's why I rescribed) and put a metal rod in the main gear struts, but you could have loads of fun with that kit, just let your imagination run with you

I forgot to mention the following;
Don't forget to rub down all the seams to get rid of the old glue
The tailbooms are a pig to align properly, you may want to build a jig, maybe lego bricks or strong card.
There are some intakes missing from the engine cowlings, or they're the wrong shape.
U/C bays are very bare, you'll need a good reference for them, a while ago one of the forums contained a ref' to 'Glacier Girl', he may have taken pic's.
For Shamrage, It's all about sticking to budget for me, plus you get a kick out of seeing the end result & resurrecting a kit from 'the scrapheap'.
Pete

Greetings,

I've found that placing the kit in a tub (in this case a large one) filled with bleach and letting it set for about two weeks will break the bonds of the glue no matter how much the surrounding plastic melted (from the glue that is) it's less ahrmful than some who use brake fluid to break glue bonds...and you could always pour off the bleach and do a load of dirty socks ......anyway, if you would like to do a rebuild, I'd try the bleach. If it has been painted anywhere, soak the parts in a tub of Formula 409 household cleaner for three to four days. Pull it out a srub the loose paint off with an old tooth brush. No matter how many years the paint has been on, the 409 will take it off. I re-worked an M-109 that I painted five years ago and the paint came right off.

Heck, try the re-build..it's not that hard and if you like a little challenge then you'll love it.

Best Wishes
Steve