It's years since I owned a JR21 friction FAB1. My first was in 1965. My second 2009. My third, now.
The first my parents threw out. The second I swapped in the worst swap of my life ( I was desperately seeking SWORD lookalikes back then and delirious).
This new one is from a vintage toy shop in Otley and has fair warmed my cockles I must say. What a design! What a toy! My favourite of all the Thunderbirds vehicles. Is it yours?
My new FAB1 did have a few issues (hence the low price, £17): namely a missing wheel, a non-working friction drive, a missing FAB1 front sticker and a cracked canopy.
So, after some unscrewing, polishing, glueing, bodging, chroming and fettling, I mended the motor, created a sticker, made a wheel and had a go at the canopy.
This is how it looked when I got it. Not that bad on reflection!
Alas, this part of the job went south. Opening up the crack to glue it I created more micro cracks! In at attempt to fill them I covered it all in PVA. This achieved nothing but removing the PVA did leave a nice clean surface. The cracks remained and were worse!
You live and learn. I moved on. I don't want to mess it up anymore!
The body itself unscrewed easily and I was able to loosen the motor with WD4O and with some fixing got it to stabilise and work properly.
I finagled a wheel from a white draughts piece, two white rings and some bits painted chrome silver. Not brilliant but it'll do until I find a real one.
Some buffing and a new FAB1 sticker later and, ignoring the canopy cock-up, I was generally chuffed with it. I'm done now and will leave Parker and Penelope alone to drive.
Here's some snaps of it on the road to deadly danger.
Did or do you have a JR21 FAB1, either sort?
Pictures welcomed!
Woodsy, don't forget the concept of Kintsugi: the beauty of the broken. Your wounded FAB 1 is the only one of its kind in the entire universe, and is thus unique, especially as it found its way to you. SFZ
ReplyDeleteI love that SF. Kintsugi, what a lovely way to be. Imperfection accepted and welcomed.
DeleteThe FAB1 was an amazing find, at an amazing price. And that is an amazing restoration of a cherished icon. Well done, Woodsy. M' lady and Parker would be around of you :)
ReplyDeleteThanks a bunch Tone. It was a Yorkshire bargain. You'd love that vintage toy shop!
DeleteOne of my childhood friends had one. As I remember, it has a spring loaded battering ram that pops out the front, from under the bumper bar?
ReplyDeleteYep, I cleaned that up Looey and it works. Bit temperamental. I added a FAB1 reg to it too. Good fun. So glad that JR21 used screws to fix down the chassis to the body!
DeleteSometimes you just have to leave things alone, or you will just make it worse. Know when to call it quits. Sorry about the canopy, the place where damage is most obvious.
ReplyDeleteYes, the canopy is that place for sure and prone to bashing, I agree Paul.
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