repainting a die cast

I am about to undertake a project that requires me to repaint a 50th anniversary corvette 1:18 die cast. I don't know how to go about it.. should I lightly sand the paint thats on the model now and then prime and paint, or must I strip all paint before I apply any primer/paint.

I'd really prefer to not have to strip the car of its paint first, I am just concerned that if I don't sand the paint currently on the car, the primer and paint I add will easily scratch off. any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

It's better to strip the body then apply primer then paint.

Hi, I'm in the process of doing the same thing. I'm painting a Maisto 1971 Chevelle SS. It started out as a blue SS 454. I'm painting it the original 1971 color "copper classic metallic". He's what I've done so far.

1. Completely disassemble the car.
2. Wet sand the whole body with 400 grit paper to remove the clear coat.
3. Grind off the hood pins.
4. Prime the hood with automotive primer.

Here's a link to some pictures: http://www.picturetrail.com/ysr_racer

The pic's are in the last album called "CAR" and the password is hotrod.

http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL36/883856/3227378/39565243.jpg