UT99 IG power up - disguise

[curbstomp]

Hello,

Let me start off by saying that I've not previously written any mods for ut, but I do have experience with java and I can read uscript.
As you've probably gathered from my title, my goal is to have a power up that changes the owner's appearance to that of someone on the opposite team. It seems a fairly simple undertaking, but having never created anything for this game I figured I would post my idea here and perhaps someone more experienced could make sure I'm heading in the right direction.

I'll get on with it then, here is how I imagine this working.
1. Create a class that extends the shield belt.
2. Add to this class the functionality that switches the skin texture for the pawn.
3. Add this power up to a map.
4. Everything goes according to plan.


Are all my assumptions correct?
Is there an even easier path that I missed?
Bonus: is there a way to improve the disguise by setting the player's appearance to mimic a random person from the enemy team?


Thank you in advance