10-31-2019, 09:45 AM
I'm assuming that the cars and windows are both plastic - if the manufacturer used a solvent-type cement, your chances of removing the windows are slim.
However, if you can remove the trucks and couplers, and perhaps the underbody, too, you might try letting them soak in water, with some dish detergent, in the hope that the glue is water-based, and will eventually dissolve or at least loosen its grip.
If you're planning to repaint the cars, but can't remove the windows, your only likely option is to mask the windows. On most passenger cars, there are two or three sizes/shapes of windows, but it you can duplicate each of them in sheet styrene, you can use them as templates to cut out masking tape.
Apply the masking tape in strips on a smooth hard surface - a sheet of glass is ideal. Apply the tape in layers, three or four, so that when you trace the shape on the tape, then cut it out, you'll have masks for 3 or 4 windows every time. If the windows are square or rectangular, the task will be a breeze. If they have rounded corners.....well, it's still do-able with the patterns, but will need a little more finesse. Use a sharp blade in your X-Acto, and hone or replace it as needed.
There is, or was, a paint-on masking material available at one time, but I can't recall its name or manufacturer - perhaps someone else will be able to provide that information. I would think, though, that it is brush-applied, which could prove even more tedious than cutting out shapes from masking tape.
Wayne
However, if you can remove the trucks and couplers, and perhaps the underbody, too, you might try letting them soak in water, with some dish detergent, in the hope that the glue is water-based, and will eventually dissolve or at least loosen its grip.
If you're planning to repaint the cars, but can't remove the windows, your only likely option is to mask the windows. On most passenger cars, there are two or three sizes/shapes of windows, but it you can duplicate each of them in sheet styrene, you can use them as templates to cut out masking tape.
Apply the masking tape in strips on a smooth hard surface - a sheet of glass is ideal. Apply the tape in layers, three or four, so that when you trace the shape on the tape, then cut it out, you'll have masks for 3 or 4 windows every time. If the windows are square or rectangular, the task will be a breeze. If they have rounded corners.....well, it's still do-able with the patterns, but will need a little more finesse. Use a sharp blade in your X-Acto, and hone or replace it as needed.
There is, or was, a paint-on masking material available at one time, but I can't recall its name or manufacturer - perhaps someone else will be able to provide that information. I would think, though, that it is brush-applied, which could prove even more tedious than cutting out shapes from masking tape.
Wayne