It was poor timing too. i had to leave out of town an hour after the discovery. a friend of mine wants to articulate it for me, but since its a teug i would prefer the taxidery route. i did bag it and it is now in the freezer...
i had it for over a year and was the most recent bichir i have introduced to my tank. im really surprised to see it go. at least it looks to be in good enough condition to try and preserve.
skeletal articulation would most likely never work unless your friend is really experienced. bichirs are partially cartilaginous (subclass: chondrostei) so you wouldn't be able to do it like a normal actinopterygian fish. and not many people I know of are even skilled enough to do fully cartilaginous animals like sharks. so its a tall order.
I've read a thread here a while ago about preserving bichirs though I can't remember who wrote it. it was in 2005 I think. I would preserve it in alcohol (99% ethanol) and air dry it after proper preservation. from my experience, the ganoid scales that bichirs have are sturdy enough to hold their shape after air drying. you'll probably have to pin the fins to keep them in a position you like.
I've preserved the skull of my Senegal a year or so back and I can post a picture if you're interested after work.