To strip or sand????

You have two options. One to strip the kit with a industrial cleaner such as

which after you remove the paint and rinse well will not effect painting again.

Or, you could simple wet sand the model down to level the irregularities in the primer, just as a car builder would do painting a car being restored. It is labor intensive but will give you a great properly prepped service for the reapplication of primer or paint.

If you want to restore the engraved panel features, all you need to do is run a scribe through those panel lines to remove any primer within them.

Michael B,

I recently had to strip a hood on a Monte Carlo.  It had primer, an enamel finish paint and clear coat which orange peeled the entire hood.  I sprayed it with Easy Off Oven Cleaner (Heavy Duty type) and sealed it a zip lock bag overnight.  The next morning I was able to scurb it clean with a toothbrush.  Just make sure you wear gloves and and a mask.  I've also stripped over models with this method with good results.   

Strip if possible, or you will probably get a loss of detail.

Owen cleaner or brake fluid are the usual remedies.

Yeah....what they said. 

I have used brake fluid in the past with excellent results although a bit pricey.  As already mentioned, bleche white and oven cleaner are other options.

Good luck!

All,  Last weekend I removed the primer after soaking the 'vette body for about 36 hours in a 50% Simple Green / water solution.  It came off relatively easy with the aid of an old tooth brush.  I reapplied the primer and it turned out much better and no sign of lifting.  Thanks for the advise.  Regards, Michael B.