Diecast top removal

[Leroy]

Re: Diecast top removal

Birdlover, I was thinking of making one out of round toothpicks and painting it black? Leroy

[JerriLampon]

OK, I've searched the threads for hints for dismantling Maisto 1:18 Special Edition 'Birds. I'm trying to remove the chassis from the body and I'm stuck. Front and rear screws out, but there is an attachment (or two) in the middle somewhere that isn't visible to my abilities. The two I'm trying to take apart are a 007 and a WW with attached hardtop. Any clues will be greatly appreciated to maintain sanity.

[2K2BIRD]

OK, I've searched the threads for hints for dismantling Maisto 1:18 Special Edition 'Birds. I'm trying to remove the chassis from the body and I'm stuck. Front and rear screws out, but there is an attachment (or two) in the middle somewhere that isn't visible to my abilities. The two I'm trying to take apart are a 007 and a WW with attached hardtop. Any clues will be greatly appreciated to maintain sanity.

For the Maisto, you'll need to pop out the exhaust system. The rear portion has to come out before you can remove the front. Use a flat screwdriver to push the mufflers in so the tab will come out of the undercarriage. After the back is out, do the same to the front portion where it's attached. There is a screw holding it all together under the "transmission".

I've never taken a 007 apart so someone else will have to help there.

[wcoates]

For the Maisto, you'll need to pop out the exhaust system. The rear portion has to come out before you can remove the front. Use a flat screwdriver to push the mufflers in so the tab will come out of the undercarriage. After the back is out, do the same to the front portion where it's attached. There is a screw holding it all together under the "transmission".

I've never taken a 007 apart so someone else will have to help there.

have you removed the two under the rear wheels?

the Beanstalk has the same set up as the Maisto but is just a slightly bigger size so be careful switching parts

[RustyFrye]

Maybe it has to be in Park before you can take it apart..... same rules as lowering the softtop?

[JerriLampon]

have you removed the two under the rear wheels?

the Beanstalk has the same set up as the Maisto but is just a slightly bigger size so be careful switching parts

Yes, I've removed the rear wheels, no problem, but I can't find any other fasteners to release the central portion of the chassis.
I'll attempt to remove the exhaust system to see if there is a secret screw there.

[JerriLampon]

Maybe it has to be in Park before you can take it apart..... same rules as lowering the softtop?

Yes, I've pulled up the parking brake handle significantly, but it hasn't helped loosen the chassis from the frame. I even moved the shifter into neutral, but, alas, no progress.

[JerriLampon]

For the Maisto, you'll need to pop out the exhaust system. The rear portion has to come out before you can remove the front. Use a flat screwdriver to push the mufflers in so the tab will come out of the undercarriage. After the back is out, do the same to the front portion where it's attached. There is a screw holding it all together under the "transmission".

I've never taken a 007 apart so someone else will have to help there.

I think that's it. I reluctantly attempted to move the resonators out of the way, but didn't force them too much for fear of irreversible damage.
Now if I can just find a flat screwdriver (kidding).

[2K2BIRD]

For the Maisto, you'll need to pop out the exhaust system. The rear portion has to come out before you can remove the front. Use a flat screwdriver to push the mufflers in so the tab will come out of the undercarriage. After the back is out, do the same to the front portion where it's attached. There is a screw holding it all together under the "transmission".

I've never taken a 007 apart so someone else will have to help there.

In case you missed it.

[JerriLampon]

For the Maisto, you'll need to pop out the exhaust system. The rear portion has to come out before you can remove the front. Use a flat screwdriver to push the mufflers in so the tab will come out of the undercarriage. After the back is out, do the same to the front portion where it's attached. There is a screw holding it all together under the "transmission".

I've never taken a 007 apart so someone else will have to help there.

Followup:
As per the above instructions, success. I removed the recalcitrant mufflers (tabs are large) and followed up to the resonators. Those have one tab each that release easily and the unit can be removed. The forward engine portion has two tabs, one on each side.
The "missing" screw to release the chassis from the body is recessed.
Many thanks from all the experts!!

IMG_2105.JPG
IMG_2106.JPG

[2K2BIRD]

Great picture! Yes, those muffler tabs seem unnecessarily long.

Be sure to show us some pictures of your modified diecast after you get them done.

[JerriLampon]

Great picture! Yes, those muffler tabs seem unnecessarily long.

Be sure to show us some pictures of your modified diecast after you get them done.

Not much of a modification.....I'm stealing the chrome wheels from the 007 to put on my WW. I couldn't get the front wheels off without removing the chassis first. I think.

After the wheel swap, I'll use the first part of this thread to attempt a hard top removal on the WW.

[wcoates]

Not much of a modification.....I'm stealing the chrome wheels from the 007 to put on my WW. I couldn't get the front wheels off without removing the chassis first. I think.

Jerri, I am with you. I will buy any Beanstalk that I can get cheap just for the chromed wheels to put on my favorite Maisto. I have found the the chassis needs to be swapped. If you find another easier way let me know. Latest cheap WW I found now has chrome wheels, a black hardtop and a completely red interior. Find swapping pieces parts takes me back to my old building days of 60+ years ago when I got glue on everything.

Removed many tops using the smallest flat head screw driver I could Find. Place it between the visor and the top and apply gentle pressure should get it off. Have done many and never a problem. Good luck.

[2K2BIRD]

Not much of a modification.....I'm stealing the chrome wheels from the 007 to put on my WW. I couldn't get the front wheels off without removing the chassis first. I think.

After the wheel swap, I'll use the first part of this thread to attempt a hard top removal on the WW.

As Bill said, the hard tops are a breeze. A tip I'll give you, for what it's worth, is when you use the Beanstalk wheels on the Maisto, exchange the Maisto tires for the Beanstalks. As Bill said earlier, the Beanstalk 1:18 scale cars are just a very slight bit larger than Maistos are. To my eye, when you use the Beanstalk tires on the Maistos the model sits a little too high. I suppose a lot of people won't notice, but I notice that bit of imbalance from a mile off.

Bill, another way to get nice chrome wheels is to swap the chassis around from the black concept car with the red interior. Of course they are chromed 24 spoke wheels instead of the correct 21 spoke ones on the Beanstalk, but cheap Maisto bkack concept cars are generally a lot easier to find than a cheap Beanstalks. The only Beanstalk wheels I have used on Maistos is one Neiman Marcus I corrected (with wheels and a correct body) and one Toorch Red I changed to replicate Jewel.

[JerriLampon]

Jerri, I am with you. I will buy any Beanstalk that I can get cheap just for the chromed wheels to put on my favorite Maisto. I have found the the chassis needs to be swapped. If you find another easier way let me know. Latest cheap WW I found now has chrome wheels, a black hardtop and a completely red interior. Find swapping pieces parts takes me back to my old building days of 60+ years ago when I got glue on everything.

Removed many tops using the smallest flat head screw driver I could Find. Place it between the visor and the top and apply gentle pressure should get it off. Have done many and never a problem. Good luck.

I just realized my 007 is a Beanstalk, not a Maisto, but I was able to swap out the front and rear wheel units directly without hassle. I did find that the WW chassis screws aren't exactly the same as the 007. Rear screws are OK, but the fronts seem to be buried behind the wheel liner on the WW. I took out the screw under the "transmission" on the WW, so I think I can access the interior without removing the wheels and exhaust system.
I've not been able to squeeze the hardtop enough to disengage the rear tabs as suggested, yet. If I can remove the chassis, I can get better visuals on how this unit fastens to the hardtop. As difficult as the WWs are to find, I don' wanna break anythin'.

I have a Fritz WW with all the goodies, but maybe now I'll have two.