How do you remove a keyring from a car?

[Steve K]

Hi all - just what the title says, really. I've managed to acquire a couple of the rather smart little keyring vehicles that you occasionally see in M&S, Sainsburys or wherever. For instance, I've a Mini and a VW campervan which are both pretty much spot on for HO. Elsewhere, I've seen Morse's Jaguar, an E-Type, an Only Fools Reliant Regal, and others, too. Some are OO, some HO, some probably in between, but they're all surprisingly nice models for the price - I think they're made by HighSpeed or Schuco?

 

You know the sort, I'm sure - the Mini is seen here next to a Matchbox Ford Thames:

 

 

Now, I've read somewhere (on here, presumably) that it's a simple matter to separate the keyring from the car. I'm sure it is, but I can't work out for the life of me how. Well, that's not entirely true - I could manage it easily with a hammer and chisel, but that would defeat the object. Perhaps someone with experience could enlighten me as to where to begin, and how much pressure to apply without smashing the things to pieces!

 

Many thanks, as ever, in anticipation.

[pointstaken]

A job for the Dremel, with great care ?

 

Dennis

[Dan Griffin]

when i bought the trotters 3 wheel van from marks and sparks as a 1:76 scale car on keychain, the keyring simply unscrewed from the back of the van. leaveing a small but un-noticable hole.

[Steve K]

I'll try that again, Dan, but IIRC, the keyring just spins around freely in the hole.

 

Thanks for the Dremel suggestion, Dennis (although there are no rivelts to drill out or grind away), but I'm keen for a non-destructive method if possible!

[ozzyo]

Hi all - just what the title says, really. I've managed to acquire a couple of the rather smart little keyring vehicles that you occasionally see in M&S, Sainsburys or wherever. For instance, I've a Mini and a VW campervan which are both pretty much spot on for HO. Elsewhere, I've seen Morse's Jaguar, an E-Type, an Only Fools Reliant Regal, and others, too. Some are OO, some HO, some probably in between, but they're all surprisingly nice models for the price - I think they're made by HighSpeed or Schuco?

 

You know the sort, I'm sure - the Mini is seen here next to a Matchbox Ford Thames:

 

 

Now, I've read somewhere (on here, presumably) that it's a simple matter to separate the keyring from the car. I'm sure it is, but I can't work out for the life of me how. Well, that's not entirely true - I could manage it easily with a hammer and chisel, but that would defeat the object. Perhaps someone with experience could enlighten me as to where to begin, and how much pressure to apply without smashing the things to pieces!

 

Many thanks, as ever, in anticipation.

 

 

 

Would it not be better to show us how the keyring fits to the back of the car.

 

OzzyO.

[PhilJ W]

The keyring on the Reliant van is inserted before assembly and the end is 'belled' to retain it. I have removed the key chain from several of these models. first remove the rest of the chain leaving just the pin inserted in the body, then take a pair of pliers and grip the pin with them, hold the model firmly in your hand and with a good sharp pull the pin should come out. If the pin will not come out use needle nose pliers and grip the pin as close to the body as possible and work from side to side until the pin breaks. On one occasion a sharp pull on the chain itself was all that was required. Incidently the Reliant van is spot on for OO scale, most of the others are HO scale, the Jaguar XK120 is about 1/78.

[cromptonnut]

I cut through the pin with an old pair of Xuron cutters - then used a little filler and paint to cover the hole before weathering to hide it.

 

Of course, if you're going to have the back of the car facing away from the viewing side(s) then you don't need to bother to hide the hole

[BernardTPM]

The scale of the Mini is pretty easy to work out since they were 10 foot (and a quarter inch that you can ignore) over bumpers, so just measure that in mm and divide by 10 and that's how many mm to the foot.

[Steve K]

The scale of the Mini is pretty easy to work out since they were 10 foot (and a quarter inch that you can ignore) over bumpers, so just measure that in mm and divide by 10 and that's how many mm to the foot.

Hi Bernard - the Mini is pretty much exactly 35mm long, therefore HO. The VW minibus also works out pretty much exact for 1:87.

 

Update: I've managed to get the VW open (without breaking too much) by inserting a penknife blade under the front, closing my eyes, and levering as gently as I could manage. The end of the keyring retaining pin is crimped on the inside of the van's back end, which explains why I couldn't pull it out from the inside. I'll have a go tomorrow at snipping the pin - if successful, then it's mission accomplished!

[shipbadger]

Umm... I think you'll find that the VW minibus is actually a Thames 15cwt, a Ford product using bits from the contemporary Ford Consul. One featured in the original version of 'The Italian Job' as the 'footie fans' transport. Although a contemporary of the VW Transporter with the split screen the survival rate must be one Thames to a thousand VWs.

 

Tony Comber

 

 

OOPS! Ignore all that, I've just read the last line of the original post again. I'll crawl under a rock now :-(

[Steve K]

Sorry to have confused you, Tony - that photo of the Ford "not a VW" Thames next to the Mini was just one I happened to already have on file. I used it to show what the car looked like, and how it sized up next to what is, hopefully, a more familiar model.

 

I haven't actually taken any pictures of the VW, but now I've got it open, I may do so in order to illustrate how the keyring's pin is attached.

[28XX]

Wilkinsons currently (26 Oct 2010) have the Del-Boy's Reliant Regal on sale a.t.m. in the Droitwich store at least.

[Poor Old Bruce]

Wilkinsons currently (26 Oct 2010) have the Del-Boy's Reliant Regal on sale a.t.m. in the Droitwich store at least.

and in Derby at 2.97 GBP.