Bill Ev's Matchbox Bantam Karrier Restoration

I decided to restore my Matchbox 2 Ton Coca Cola Bantam Karrier No 37.

Again, Plastikote did an almost exact match for the yellow paint colour. But it was a bugger to get an absolutely even coverage, as the toy is so small.

Again my trusty laser printer created the transfers which were glazed with some more Johnsons Klear. Although they were very fiddly to get straight and in the exact place the old ones were.

Here is the end result from toybox chipped to back on the display shelf.

Hope you like it.

Bill Everett

Wales

Bill Ev's Corgi Cadillac Ambulance Restoration

Sometime around 1966, I bought a Corgi Cadillac Ambulance.  As a little kid, I was attracted to the flashing light on the roof, and didn't consider the colour scheme.  By 1967, I had decided that I really did not like the Red and White livery and did something about it with a newly acquired can of white spray paint.

Sometime later, I discovered how to mask painted areas and added some nifty orange stripes and shapes.  By 1969/1970, I had tired of most of my toy cars, so into the toy box it was consigned.

Now, nearly 60 years have passed since I parted with my pocket money to buy the ambulance.  When I discovered it alongside the SHADO Interceptor, James Bond DB5 and the Thrushbuster, it was clearly another candidate for restoration.  To begin with, I resisted the temptation to jazz it up like the Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Ectomobile.  But I did research up if it was sold in a different livery.  I quite liked the White and Light Blue scheme, so I pressed ahead with that.  To begin with, it had a good soaking in a cellulose paint thinners, and after 24 hours all the paint had gone.

Next, it was sprayed white with a cadmium white colour spray paint.

The last process was somewhat fiddly masking off the areas to be pained blue and silver.  But the job was completed without much fuss, and it was on to putting the water slide transfer's on. These were incredibly fiddly, and it took a bit of positioning to get them close to right.

And then I attempted to lacquer it. God knows what was in the Plastikote clear lacquer, as it turned everything to crazy paving and dissolved the printing on both the transfer's and the number plates which Terranova had kindly sent from America to me, to complete the project!

I was gutted...

But, I'd spent some money to complete this damn thing. So back into the cellulose thinners it went, to repeat the whole process from scratch. However, I was not prepared to spend even more money on correcting this mistake. So I designed my own Red Cross bonnet transfer, and replicated the lettering to print both on my own water slide paper.

There was no way, that I was risking spraying clear lacquer again, [even a different brand] so I turned to my vintage supply of trusty Johnson's Klear.  Many people think this is floor polish, but its actually a water based acrylic varnish, which once dry can only be removed with ammonia! It also dries to a completely brushless shiny finish.

After an overnight stay in the warm conditions of my studio, and I finally had the completed upper chassis.  This was then bolted to the cleaned lower wheelbase, and the final work started on the battery case.  The original had long gone, so I sourced one off eBay.

And now, the end result, joining its siblings in the display case, with a replicated Terranova number plate.

And yes, I do have a Dinky FAB1 - I'll need to get some replacement parts for this, including Parker, who has gone AWOL since 1966. A restoration of this will be following.

And a question for the readers.  What brand/exact colour will be needed to accurately repaint FAB1? - I heard that the colour is called "Shocking Pink", but locating it is proving to be difficult.  Can the readers help and advise?

Sweet Vehicles: Milk Duds Diecasts

Hi Woodsy

You recently mentioned an American chocolate called Milk Duds. So I thought you might be interested in this trio of Hot Wheels Milk Duds die-casts.

They were originally made by Hoffman and Company, of Chicago, in 1928. But are now made by Hershey.

Caramel pieces covered in milk chocolate (although the formula was changed, and it is no longer technically chocolate). Milk Duds have gone through several owners over the decades.

Haulers were a fairly short-lived line of Hot Wheels heavy trucks, released between 1997 and 2002. There were a limited number of cab types, fitted with various body styles.

This conventional-cab model has a white die-cast cab and chassis, with a yellow plastic body, and is from 1997. It was also available in a four-model Haulers Gift Pack.

On to 2010, and the Sweet Rides series of 20 models. These were from one of the premium lines, with metal bodies, metal base plates, and Real Rider wheels.

The Milk Duds model was a '49 Ford C.O.E. (Cab Over Engine) truck. This time in yellow and brown.

Haulin' Gas was a streamlined petrol/gasoline tanker, in yellow, with brown trim. It was part of a ten-model Hershey's series from 2011, and was again a premium model with metal body and metal baseplate.

Four photographs from Worthpoint

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Rrrumblers Return

 At Christmas my good friend Paul Vreede kindly gave me some old toys as a birthday gift 

Among them were these lovely old re-painted childhood Rrrumblers.

With a Saturday afternoon free I thought I'd spruce these old Hot Wheels up a bit. I decided in most cases simply to re-glue some parts, re-touch the colours already used from childhood and re-chrome some of the metalwork.

It was a Rrreally fun to do and next I'll put them with a couple of others I have for their maiden Yorkshire tour later.

In the meantime here are the re-touched Rrrumblers. The third from the left just got cleaned, no painting - it just needs a rider, which I'm sure I have spare somewhere.

Hope you like them.

Have you any toy motorbikes?

Bill's Ford Consul - The Final Restoration

So here we are, the final update on the Corgi Ford Consul restoration.

To recap, I bought the car in 1965/1966 from a small toyshop in Bridgend Town.

As a child, I didn't like the original colour scheme, [a cream body with a red roof, which I still don't like] It had got significantly toy-box chipped, so in 1967, I decided to remove the remainder of the paint by literally scraping the rest off down to the bare metal! Unfortunately, I didn't like the end result either, it then languished in with a box of old toys for 58 years until I rediscovered my Dinky Interceptor which was restored in 2023.

As per the earlier photos, there was some further detailing, together with a replacement window unit needed to complete the project, the original has some very bad cracks in it. I also ordered a reproduction box to display it on, because the car is quite small in comparison to the other die-cast's in the cabinet.

Two things I did decide to leave as they were, was the base. You can see how bad the original condition of the paintwork was before 1967. And, as a small reminder of how the car looked prior to the restoration, I left the inside of the Bonnet unpainted.

The chrome areas of the car were carefully masked around and gently dusted with the spray can of 151 Chrome. Some areas were touched up with a brush. The red tail lights were painted on and then it was left to sit on its box in the display cabinet. Lastly, a quick wash of my precious supply of Johnsons Klear to seal the silver sections and the jobs done.

So here we are, the final result... I'm generally happy with it. Although the position in the cabinet where it currently is displayed means you can't see too much of the car, as it's a few inches above eye level. So as everything will require a re-arranging when the Dinky FAB1 is restored it'll be moved to a lower shelf.

The next restoration will be the Corgi 437 Superior Ambulance on a Cadillac Chassis.

Bill Everatt

UK

Ford Consul Project Update .

Hi All,

Re. My Corgi Consul, the chrome finish has come out very well! I think if I'd used a chrome pen, the paint may have clumped. Whereas the spray applied perfectly, as it just gently dusted on.

So I'm just waiting for a replacement window module and I can reattach the base. Then, other than a little red light detailing and a touch-up here and there and it'll be done.

It has come out a lot better than I expected.

Next up it'll be the Cadillac Ambulance!

Bill Everatt

UK

Bill's Corgi Consul Project

Woodsy,

Attached are some photos of the partly completed project.

So I'm at the detailing stages of the Corgi. It's not riveted in on the base at the moment because the BIG problem is that I'm unable to find a replacement window unit for this Corgi Ford Consul Classic 315.

Research of the number 315 shows a different car entirely. Additionally I was going to use some chrome paint on the silver parts. Sadly the only chrome paint I could find was way too expensive to warrant buying it. Also there was so much I'd never use it all as the spray can was huge.

So I resorted to trying some silver touch up paint for a car. I may well do some further detailing on the silver to remove the rather lacklustre finish.

There is a reproduction box on the way for it to be displayed on.

Finally, does the registration number look familiar?

Hopefully more to come.

SIG.

Bill Everatt

UK

Chitty Chitty Bang Up

 A Spring visit with the Missus to the always-great Huddersfield Second Hand Market garnered three little nifty trinkets this morning.

For the grand total of £2.50, I picked up a fab Peggy Nesbit Mountie, a neat 007 badge (a particular film?) and a banged-up Corgi Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was one whole pound!

There were many beat-up but neat die-casts from our childhoods on offer: SHADO3, SPC, Lunar Battle Chariot, Lunar Bug and Astro 1 to name a few, but with a price tag of a tenner each I gave them short schrift.

At £1, Truly Scrumptious made my day as I was desperate for a new and cheap DIY project.

Old Chitty's condition was pretty sh*tty tho, but it still had its fold-our plastic wings, snake horn and lever. The steering wheel too!

Ian Fleming's 'other' famous car may just work out yet!

(Where did the original movie car end up?)

So, Saturday afternoon was spent in die-cast heaven, jazzing up a toy I adored as a kid. 

I couldn't recall the plastic front and back wing attachments from my childhood, so I've not bothered making any.

Here's what I did come up with. Not perfect but hope you approve.

For fun here it is with the plastic Marx version I found at Doncaster car boot a few years back ( incomplete but I did get the inflatable wing rug!) and blogged at the time.

They're more or less the same size. Which do you prefer? Corgi or Marx?

Gran Fury Lives!

A couple of Sundays back I bagged a beaten up Dinky Plymouth Gran Fury for 50p.

It's the black and white one below the fire tender.

With a basic all-black respray, some new Green Hornet style green headlights and some rear light reddening it's ready for gran to get furious again!

Hope you like it.

Is it one you had?

Simon Snorkel Rides Again!

 A couple of Sundays ago I picked up this incomplete Simon Snorkel fire engine, Superkings 1978 for 50p at Wetherby.

I've had a pop at fixing it up a bit: 

new extension ladder end, new cage, new side ladders, new turning dial, new hose and nozzle and a general paint touch-up. Twas tender fun.

Here's the revamped version.

Hope you like it.

Is it a toy you had? I was too old at 17 in 1978. I'm not too old now at 64!