FAIRYLITE STINGRAY RESTORATION

One of my earliest Gerry Anderson toy-related memories is being given a Fairylite friction-drive Stingray around the time the TV series was first being shown.

Although it didn’t look exactly like it did on the box, or  its TV counterpart, I can still remember the satisfaction of owning one. It's described by some as a bit of an 'ugly duckling', but from certain angles I think it looks pretty good.

Anyway, that was way back in the mid-sixties and all that’s left of my toy Stingray is a distant memory. I’ve often thought about adding another Fairylite, to my collection, so I was pleased to see and buy a damaged and dusty looking one on fleabay last month for just over twelve quid.

As is common with these toys, it was missing its rear end. The two tail fin supports and tail fins had long since snapped off and the Rate Master was missing.

The clear plastic window section was loose but intact, and the shaft of the original periscope was stuck down its hole on top of the cabin.

So, I set to work carefully taking the toy apart. In spite of its damage, once I’d cleaned it up the rest of the toy was in reasonable condition with few signs of distress. I managed to force the broken periscope out of its hole, and glued the clear screen back into place.

I needed and  got some excellent replica parts for the clear red Ratemaster, left & right hand tail fins and a periscope from Graeme Walker at Toy Replicas.com, who uses materials similar to what was used when the toy was originally produced. Optimistically, I also decided to buy a replica box to complete the package.

The first thing was to create a new set of tail fin supports. After studying photos of an undamaged version, I decided to mould them out of close grain Ramin hardwood, and made a plasticard template of the rear to get the angles something like.

Once I was happy with the look, I superglued them into place and primed them white.

I painted the top with Revell gloss light blue (50) mixed with a little white, and the base with Revell gloss yellow (12), again mixed with a little white. Not a perfect match but close enough for me.

Of course, close inspection shows up the repair, but I reckon it looks fairly reasonable on display, and takes me right back to those far off childhood days.

Here's a link to Graeme Walker's Toy Replicas site for anyone who might be tackling a Fairylite Stingray repair themselves. http://www.bigredtoybox.com/cgi-bin/s-mart.cgi?command=listitems&pos=140&type=all