This is GREAT !! This has already helped me (by letting me know it was safe to wriggle-off the rubber side-plate over the a/v area). Just to confirm though: Am I correct in thinking that the front can be removed independently from needing to (previously) disassemble the back ? For most consumers - their audacity ends with ribbon-cables and certainly before desoldering... but "screws, i can do". Also - how exactly does one "non-destructively" remove the rubber hand-grip?

These questions are likely to become increasingly relevant because this camera is bound to be a runaway hit. But since N_kon doesn't want to undermine their more-expensive "pro-ish" offerings, they seem (IMHO) to be "de-faciliting" certain features and accessories (like a vertical grip). This means than D5100 owners will be searching for hacks that don't discernably void their warranty (i.e. "future un-doable hacks"). THANKS !!