Painting a Mini - Disassembly

I've been asked for a model Mini as a Christmas present for a friend. It has to be a convertible, and the new owner loves pink things. She also doesn't read this blog, so by writing up the job I'm not spoiling a surprise.

The best I could find was this 1:24 version. Sadly, they only sell purple, so I needed to do some work.

Taking the model apart was interesting. On the positive side, the main bits are screwed together. Finding the last pair are under the rear wheels which have to be pulled out on their axle to permit access.

There are a few more screws for the doors and windscreen. Most of the other bits are clipped in place and come away with a bit of waggling.

Worst are the lights which are heat-sealed inside the body. Carving away the heated "mushroom" and then poking out worked pretty well. At this point, I realised that I needed to work in a box are things like the front spotlights are very tiny, easy to use and difficult to replace. I piled them up on the seats hoping all the bits would stay together.

Next, the metal bits found themselves in a bath of DIY store paint stripper. I'm pleased to say this worked a treat and the shell was quickly reduced to bare metal. The trick is to be patient. Let the stripper do its job, the poke at the metal with an old toothbrush.

Wear thick gloves too. I started with nitrile ones and my fingers started tingling. They don't offer enough protection it seems.