Restoring old models?

Ok, this is just a curosity question, but what is involved in restoring an old kit? I mean, is there something that loosens up the glue and then you strip the paint and re-do it? Just wonderin'.

Ive done it once before on a 1/12 T-Bird that was built like 25 years before, and most of the glue just came apart with little force.... it somehow breaks down over time.... then I just sanded down the model and painted it again.

Same with my Dad's old Cobra. Most of the joints would come apart with a little force. None of the freezing/hot water/etc tricks I've heard of really worked on the stubborn joints. Your best bet there is to just paint the whole assembly one color, then mask and paint the rest (if they need to be different colors).

Hope I could help.

Coug