Removing body from chassis - Hornby VDA

[TexChem]

Over the years I have picked up several of these vans on ebay in various states of (dis)repair and plan on improving them - a means to learn some skills.  As part of this general process, I need to strip the paint off two of these vans as the prior owner repainted them and I would like to separate the bodies from the chassis to facilitate the process; I do not see how to do this.  Rather than force the issue, I thought that I would appeal to the general audience out here and solicit your help.  Any advice would be gratefully received.

 

Also, I am based in the US and I do not have ready access to "authentic paints", i.e., railfreight brown - any suggestions for alternatives in the Tamiya range?

 

Thanks,

 

Tex

 

[Mark Saunders]

The body clips over the buffers and will part company quite easily!

 

Alas the whole thing is showings its vintage from the late 1970's with the wrong chassis and horrible thing growing out of the roof  that does not exist in reality!

 

It has been superseded by the Bachmann one!

 

Colour is a matter of perception and weathering is a game changer!

 

Mark Saunders

[JDW]

The body is clipped on at each end, if you look at the buffers you'll see that the bufferbeam (part of the bodyshell) fits around the shanks.  These are effectively the four clips which hold it on, it just needs carefully levering off.  I've remeoved the body from 10 of them and broken one buffer, so be careful - although it's easy enough to glue back on of course.

[TexChem]

Mark + JDW - thanks so much.  I will check them out tonight when I get home.

 

I know that they are far from perfect renditions, hence why I plan to use them to hone various skills. 

 

Tex

[JDW]

It's a simple enough job to remove the huge round thing on the roof with a couple of grades of files and replace it with a piece of very thin microstrip, that makes a big difference.  Although as Mark says, the chassis isn't exactly accurate.