So today’s theme seems to be less [blank] weekday than breaking-stuff-and-or-seeing-how-they-work-day. I thought of calling this “Parting Out” but Pickup_man already used it. He also seems to be inactive in the community, so I can’t exactly request permission. It doesn’t quite fit, in any case.
Vdubyajohn showed off his latest collection of spares in some impressive photos
and ZTP took apart a Ford COE by Jada
I’m going to attempt to follow in those footsteps with my own deconstruction of a Jada 2007 Jeep Wrangler with swappable wheels. I actually did this awhile ago, just because I wanted to know. I never got to writing it up, but now seems as good as any.
First, some ORAT!
I know virtually nothing about off-roading, but that seems dangerous
Jeep by Jada, muddy hole it had to climb out of provided generously by my dog.
Now that it’s good and properly dirt encrusted, we can move on to the Jada’s trick behind this particular model. Before it went into the wild, it looked like this
Definitely the only model I’ve bought that came with its own screwdriver. (Also, foreshadowing: This will come into play later)
The engine is one piece of black plastic, but it’s quite nicely molded black plastic
The “Just Trucks” sticker never would hold. It had a very short lifespan. Little details like the impression of a rear wiper blade are appreciated at this scale and price point. 1/24 and $19.99, respectively.
Opening doors!
The instructions look like this. However, when I saw screws and a screwdriver, I was certain I could take it from there.
The dash is integrated into the top
This probably isn’t meant to be removed, but again, screws + guy with screwdriver
This interior actually really impressed, with a level of detail I didn’t expect. A clutch pedal, range selector, ribbing on the seats.... There are even cupholders!
...and I must not have documented the process of swapping out the wheels because I can’t find any more photos. I know I put it back together, because sometime between not reading the instructions and changing the wheels, I discovered a remarkable fact: You don’t need to take it apart at all! The wheels just twist off/twist on. Yet a screwdriver is provided and the instructions definitely show the model being disassembled. I thought this was strange at the time and I’m still not entirely sure why you’d be encouraged to take it apart. Maybe Jada didn’t think the spare wheels were enough draw? This Wrangler is recommended for ages 8+ but if the top had just been made removable without the need of a screwdriver it would be fine for 4 or 5 year old with the twist off/on wheel changes. Jada also wouldn’t have been inclined to include a screwdriver, which must add to the cost. Finally, once apart you end up with all this tiny screws a child is certain to lose. It’s not like they’re special screws -they can be replaced with ones you already have plenty of in your garage- but.... why was this deemed the best way?
I did give this to my son and he played with it a few times. However, it never aroused his interest the way taking apart diecasts that aren’t meant to be taken apart have. This Jeep seems to fall almost in an in-between place, where it is not really detailed enough for display, but also not simple enough for children. I did enjoy taking it apart though.