birthday workshop: crafty salvage by kevin d.

Crafty Salvage

I have fairly specific collections of space toys, I'm not a generalist. I've got Spacex, Project Sword and Anderson stuff and that's about it. (Which wouldn't be a mile off a sentence in my biography!). I've managed to get most of what I'm after, partly by luck, partly by persistence but also because I'm not fussy (and there's another line).

Long ago, I realised that, despite what all the experts tell you on the 5,628 antiques shows that the BBC produce each week, condition is NOT everything! If you want something and it's rare, why wouldn't you buy a really battered example, rather than not have one at all?

Thus my gameplan was formed. I picked up all sorts of damaged goods, TB1 with no fins and a chewed nose, Apollo Saturn missing a fin, Fairylite Stingray missing the rear third and a Moon Ranger missing almost an entire Moon Ranger!

I didn't wish to display these as if they were from some far future scrapyard, so I needed to set about scratchbuilding replacement bits. Doubtless this detracted from their value but I didn't care, they looked good and they had been saved.

It was never really difficult. I have always kept boxes of random junk for building models, so I usually had something that would do the job.

When I picked up the C21 rocket transporter with a missing fin, I managed a replacement using an old chrome pen lid! 

TB 1 was fixed with some plasticard and letraset. 

The Apollo Saturn fin was really easy as the others were there to copy.

I was really aiming for cheap when U got an ebay Moon Ranger minus most of its bits. A plastic dome from a gift machine, some chrome tape and wire and the job was done! 

The same chrome tape saved my Bristol 188 that had broken the sound barrier once too often.

So, never underestimate what can be done when you love the toys of the Space Age and you're a cheapskate!

Kevin