WaterWar.net

As you all know I've been posting a good amount. The reason is that I'm finally setting up a decent armory. I got a f****d up Cps 1200 in the mail and I planned for it to be my primary. I want to open it up to reinforce the internals and paint it. Is there a semi-easy way to open it without destroying the appearance.

Thanks

Try this article: http://www.sscentral.org/repairs/opening.html
I'm not expert on this kinda stuff, though I am an expert on opening CPS 1000's, I've done it about 4-5 times in less tahn 2 months.
Congrats on the 1200, even though it's in not so great condition. I got a decent armoury built up just before summer, and the 1000 is finialy no longer in repair, so my poor Renegade can take a rest.

It will depend on which version of 1200 you have: http://www.sscentral.org/reviews/marks.html

1 or 3 can be opened with minimal to no visible aftermath. It's verified that 2 and maybe 4 have glued pump caps and nozzle covers. If you open those versions, the nozzle covers cannot be replaced the way they were unless you are extremely careful and meticulous with a flathead.

Mine is definitely a MK 1 or 2.

Are there any visible differences between them?

As far as I know, there are no visible differences. You will know when you get it and try to remove the nozzle cover. If you can, or the nozzle cover wiggles a little, that indicates that it is a Mk I and you have an easy road ahead of you. Fear not, removing the nozzle cover on a 1200 is not the worst operation in the world and, believe it or not, the 1200 does not look bad with its nozzle cover removed. It is one of the few water blasters that has an enclosed front end, the nozzle cover is only decorative. Underneath it you will find flat yellow plastic with a protruding orange nozzle tube. It's a minimalist design which I actually favor over the original. Just make sure you don't scar up the surrounding plastic in the process!

Good luck.

The nozzle cover on most 1200's protects the nozzle itself. (I haven't seen one where it is strictly only decorative and does not protect the nozzle in any way.) However, its priority is secondary to getting the blaster open.

Loosen up the cover and if, no matter what you do, it won't bulge, you can start cutting the covering apart, cutting along the plane where the blaster casing splits open. After cutting it a bit, it should loosen up and come off. Use a Dremel or a flathead screwdriver and hammer (former is safer and quicker, latter is much cleaner, less likely to damage other parts of the blaster, but a bit less safe and takes longer to do.)

As for the 1200 marks, I have a mk II and mk IV, but both PRV's open at much higher pressures than my 10k and 2100. My 2100 can't handle any balloons at all, and the 10k's PRV acts funny; it will activate if you pump it too quickly.