here's what a friend of mine and I did with my MPC:
To take off the side panels:
- unscrew two screws in each of the side panels found on the bottom of the MPC
- the side panels slide off towards the front of the MPC
To take off the memory card slot cover:
- there are No screws. Just take a knife and pop it off. Starting at the top, about 1cm from the right would probably work best
Spray paint works really well for an initial few coats. I got my paint from a model store, they suggested stuff that would work. I put on two or three coats before my friend painted the girl (with acrylic paints - same stuff you use for painting on canvas - leaves a bumpy result).
After everything was done, I put on seven or eight coats of a clear flat (non-gloss) spray paint. The flat coats really pulled everything together. It created a strong shell for the paint, and gave all the painting techniques a consistent final look and feel. Be prepared to spend some time - spray paint the plastic one day (multiple coats) and let it dry overnight. Then paint a design, let it dry, and put on a bunch of clear coats. You should probably let it dry for 18-24 hours before putting it back on the MPC.
