Grime Lord: Looey's Dr.Who Dust Cover

It's Garden Show time here at Oz Base and the Missus suddenly hit me with a big printing job for the handouts.

My ageing laser printer couldn't cope with multiple prints at such short notice so I fired up a brand new printer I'd bought specifically to print DVD discs.

Having to put it somewhere in my crowded studio, I devised a sliding shelf in the foot well of my desk.

A shiny new printer is a magnet for dust, so it really needed a dust cover. I remembered years ago how one of the fabric stores had advertised Star Trek Wrath of Khan printed fabric. I knew that would be unavailable now, but the Missus and I went in, each of us looking for bits for our current projects.

She held up an almost used up bolt of fabric and said "Isn't this funny?"

It was perfect!

( see how I just used an AI writing style?)

It actually had a 1996 copyright on it, so maybe it has been hanging around for a bit!

By that evening, I'd whipped out the sewing machine and my dust shield was operational!

Does this stir any memories of printed fabrics for you, Moonbasers?

Looey Oz Base

It's a Barbie Swirl

Spent a happy hour cleaning two old car boot cars.

The little merc got an overnight Dettol bath to remove a layer of red repaint (thanks Bill) and a vigorous swirl in a jam jar of soapy water. It's taken most of the original blue off as well, but that's OK. I like the look it's got now.

The big Barbie roadster is a pinanan ... A Ferrari, which has cleaned up really well with a damp scouring pad. 

Are you cleaning stuff?

Car Wash

 I'm washing some old figures and parts.

Can anyone guess the bigger car that's in the toy bath?

Avoid that Droid

A mate gave us a spare robot floor cleaner. It's very small and plastic and has bump n go action like the toys of the sixties! Reminds me completely of the SWORD Moon Prospector, which I adored as a kid.

Alas, despite my nostalgic gawping, little Moonbase Miss can't stand it! The whirling droid is in its back in the box! I'll have to sell it to the Jawas!

THREE MEN IN A TUB

I recently picked up this cardboard crate of modern Action Men in a charity shop. It was a very fair price.

This lot of Nineties and Noughties men were on top.

Hidden underneath were two vintage goodies, the Palitoy Mountie's Brutus dog and the Cherilea German Motorcycle and Sidecar!

There may also be a vintage Deep Sea Diver outfit but the figure its in is dated 1992.

Blue, who's 13 now, cast his trained eye over this lot too and gave Brutus a little growl!

Next job is to clean the mildew off some of the figures.

Where's the soap!

Oh ... it's here!

Rub a dub dub!

Getting mould off those rubber limbs aint no joke!

How would you do it readers?

DETTOL AS A PAINT STRIPPER?

Hi Woodsy,

Headed up to the local shopping area. I finally managed to get some new Hot Wheels, including the Mattel Dream Mobile you featured recently - a very 1950's looking model. A few others too. I also treated myself to a Big Mac combo at McDonald's - that took care of lunch!

I think I have mentioned this before. I saw an article recently in Model Collector which recommended the use of Dettol disinfectant (and it must be Dettol brand, regular brown type) as a paint stripper which is safe to use on plastic. 

Well I was finally able to get a bottle and try it out. 

Dettol is amazing! 

It gets the paint off without melting the plastic, or your hands, unlike most types of paint stripper. How is it this is so little known? 

I have only just discovered it. There are a few instructional videos on You Tube, most dealing with fantasy wargaming figures. 

I need to do a few more experiments, as it is not always suitable for use on soft plastics, but this is really something worth knowing.

Paul Adams 

New Zealand

How Do You Clean Your Toys?

Do you clean your toys and models for display?

What do you use on plastic?