Bill Ev's Childhood FAB 1 Restoration Progress

Hi Woodsy

My Dinky FAB 1 restoration is coming along very nicely. Extremely slow but a solid progression.

I've watched a number of videos and read up on it extensively. Pretty much all of the results can literally only be displayed and barely touched, as I know the paint finishes will mark, if even lightly played with. One of the unseen goals I have attempted to undertake with all of my restorations is to ensure the end result can be handled and even lightly played with.

Hence a good wash with Johnsons Klear and then baking the whole lot in sunlight in my conservatory. The Chassis has been completed and once the wheels are cleaned, I'll be able to fit two out of the three axels.

The next big piece is to strip the bodywork down to the metal. Once that's completed sprayed, and lacquered with a wash of more Johnsons Klear, it'll be on to fitting all the plastic parts. The last time "'er Ladyship's" ride will have looked as neat as this, will have been when I unboxed it in 1966!

I was advised that this FAB 1 is extremely difficult to do. Which is why I'm taking my time. It's a beautiful model, and even though it's not as accurate as the Corgi version, I much prefer its shape. I can look at this, and with its sleek, low-slung design, I can imagine it racing along at 200MPH. Not so much with the Corgi design.

After this restoration. That will be everything from my Anderson toy box. So it's bitter-sweet. I still have a number of Dinky, Corgi and Matchbox toys that can still be restored.

One of these is a huge Luxury Coach with the Chinese-Six wheel base! Although that may never be done, as there are a significant number of parts that are broken/missing. And after an extensive search on the Internet/eBay and everywhere else, the bits just aren't available. Plus, it's a really big model. So even if I were able to restore it, there wouldn't be anywhere to display it.

FAB.

Bill Ev.

Cast Aside 2: Bob's Finished SpaceX Moon Buggy Recasts

Woodsy,

First astronaut cast was generally successful. 

I painted him chrome.

Wheels need trimming and painting before installation.

I am casting extra wheels, and other SpaceX and LP parts for future in scale, original design, space rover projects. I love this scale. Pics attached.

Bob Aucutt

USA

Cast Aside! Bob's SpaceX Moon Buggy Recasts

Woodsy

My Moon Buggy was missing its astronaut driver. 

 I found one similar in size, and pose. It was made in flexible plastic.

First picture is of Moon Buggy with original wheels, and new proposed driver candidate.

I decided to recast the driver as well as repair the wheels' teeth. Then recast new wheels. The astronaut was rather thin, and under proportioned. I decided I wanted to make a new solid resin recast of a "thicker" bodied astronaut driver, to look more like the original.

I rebuilt the back side of the astronaut's body, and helmet to more respectable proportions using miliput putty. Sculptured some space suit details in. Then I mounted on toothpicks for air escape holes, and a resin pour hole for after it was casted in molding rubber. Air bubbles at this scale, are a killer to success!

Some pictures of molding making for Moon Buggy wheels also attached.

Final result pictures coming.

Bob A

USA

Sindy, Incidentally

 We all need stuff to occupy us in retirement. One of my distractions is repairing toys, even if they don't want to be!

Deploying my usual 'use what's lying around' philosophy, here's two doll-related repairs I've done this summer. Not perfect but they'll dolly well do.

First up we have this quaint lady. Sadly she was missing her right foot stroke shoe after too much dancing with Action Man.

The Missus' stock of Fimo came to the rescue and old dolly can dance again!

Next up, Sindy's Range Rover.

I picked an incomplete one up probably twenty years ago at a boot sale.

It's huge!

Here's a complete one with its box off the net.

Alas, mine was missing those important rear black struts supporting the roof.

Keeping things simple I cut a 12 inch ruler into two parts and once snug, I glued them in position at the bottom. The tops were left free so the roof can be removed. 

Painted black they're not that bad.

Sindy can rove the range once more!

Do you like 'repairing' toys or maybe something else readers?

Chad Valley and the Poorly Hedgehog

 Having bagged a few fixer uppers at the boot sale yesterday I began the repairs.

 Always great fun. 

This Year 2000 Carlton FAB1's talking unit didn't work. Parker was muted. The three corroded batteries removed, I cleaned up the unit and sprayed a little WD4O. Alas, even with new batteries the conversation, although audible, is a mere whisper. I've a horrible feeling the WD4O ran into the talking mechanism. Ah well, it's still a new member of my growing FAB1 fleet. 

Repairs were paused for a poorly hedgehog jnr. Having been found in our front room, placed back in the garden with food and water, it returned to the front door two more times during the day. Sadly, we think it's Mom is the dead hog at the side of the main road here. With alarm bells ringing, Thunderbird 2 was launched and poorly tiggywinkle was taken to the local hedgehog hospital in Castleford last night, where he'll get the best care going. Our German toddler guest was asked to name it and so 'our' hog became Erlemann, after himself. Has this happened to you? Poorly wildlife?

Back to the toys, I took apart the next one, a Chad Valley Give a Show Projector. 

The original 1960s Ever Ready batteries were still inside! 

and after some oil lubrication and hefty biffing (cracking the battery unit!) they came out, reluctantly.  Everything cleaned up and power restored it lit up perfectly yesterday. Today nothing! Doh! I shall Chad that Valley one more time.

At 25p each I can't resist a doll which has a Bild Lilyesque face. This one had a foot missing, so some FIMO later, a new foot was fashioned. Annoyingly I overcooked it and burnt it to a crisp! It's just not my day! 

With three out of three repairs a big fat failure I've resorted to photographing the other three things I bought, which simply needed a new home.

I give you a quasi- Sindy, Conan with shaking legs and a Queen Catherine Howard music box.

Oh, and a Four Feather Falls annual.

Time for a cold beer. Oops, only 11am. Make that a coffee!

*

Postscript

Not one to give up on toys and coffee in my system, I had another bash.

Bild Lillyesque got a new foot and shoe, the Projector decided to work and the FAB1 got put back together, albeit remaining silent. Two out of three ain't bad.

All Ashore!

 The Missus picked this up for two squid at a charity shop for the Grandkids. 

All Ashore by Waddingtons.

A cute game involving pull-string people and boats. 

The little people were missing two members. 

Say no more! I finagled a couple from beads and caps.

Can you tell which?

Get Out A Dodge!

 I picked up this shift-weary Polistil Dodge ambulance last week. I tend not to buy die-casts now as I went overboard the last few years -I've hundreds! - but this still had its plastic stretcher and for a squid I had a punt.

Missing a red siren, two small lamps, side lights and some orange trim, along with a few scratches, I set to and had a go at fixing it up.

With several bits from the bits box and a roll of site tape it came together quite well, ready for another big emergency in the city.

See what you think.

Let's Face It

 I've had fun with this car boot cheapo.

His plastic face was damaged.  On the nose, mouth and ears. A right scalpel job!

Initially trying PVA glue, which didn't work, I then deployed FIMO into the holes.

A little colouring later with a paint pen and voila!

All this fella needs now is some feet!

Batteries and Coffee

 This morning I've been attempting to repair some old toys. 

Yep, coffee and screwdrivers. 

First up was this front truck cab motor. It took six brand new batteries but nada. The wheels won't turn. And then I saw the problem, the drive cog is split and not gripping the driveshaft.

I couldn't get it off so I placed a drop of super glue in the split and left it to dry.

Watch this space.

The cab is from a nice big Radio Shack remote control boxed container truck courtesy of a Holmfirth charity shop. For some reason it reminds me of Gerry Anderson TV shows.

There's a sort of Johnny Speed vibe to the cab and the truck too.

Next in line was Snuggles.

An animatronic pet, Snuggles, like most battery toys, had been discarded with batteries left in.

A little elbow grease, some contact cleaning and Snuggles lives again!

Ernie - or Bert?  - had the same trouble. 

The bane of collectors.

Leaking batteries.

Thankfully, despite the grisly condition, after a little tinkering, Ernie was singing Old McDonald Had a Farm once more. 

Not so Elmo. 

Another old kids character - Sesame Street too? - the leakage was so severe that vinegar, WD 40 and Baco-foil just couldn't revive this silent critter's voice box.

Right, now to store them properly. I must remember to take all the batteries out! 

How do you handle leakage?

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

DUCK and DIVE

 A recent purchase at the boot sale, this plastic duck car by Nacoral was quackin' fun to fix up.

The seller had bought a huge cardboard crate of them somewhere - presumably Spain - and hoped for big things at the sale, but I bet I was one of the few brave souls who rummaged enough to find an almost complete toy and box amongst the wrecks.

In the end, after a darn good dive, I found all the parts except the bill, which I'm convinced wasn't in the crate. They were all bill-less! 

The box and separate box lid were crumpled and weak so I ironed them with a steam iron and both look a lot better for it. I think the two boxes, one being just a lid, represent two ways this toy was packaged in Spain.

For convenience I've slipped the colour lid over the much plainer but complete box. 

The instruction leaflet got a quick ironing too.

The toy itself needed a little glue on the windscreen, the hands re-wheeling and a good clean. 

Oh, and that missing bill I replaced with a party whistle. 

Googley eyes were added too.

The toy itself is pull-along, the duck going up and down as it's pulled. Very cute.

See what you think.

Have you any ducks?