Hi Paul, go gentle to start, a chemical stripper might be the best, then a light sanding. The glass cloth i mentioned will do all the strengthening the hull will need, once you have applied the cloth (smoothly) snad to find the flat spots, then etch primer, more expensive but will key the paint, 2 coats of primer sanded in between, then the top coats, i prefer semi gloss rather than full gloss, seems to look better on the model, mirror finish only seems to go well on lifeboats
Mark