Toy Collection

Renovations


Renovations

Another developing hobby, renovating old, tired models. As far as possible I try to use the originals parts. The only "new" parts are the decals, which often have slight differences from the originals. A major difficulty has been matching the original paint colours, though many models have variations of colours anyway. An attempt to "bake" the finished paint jobs was not a success as the colours all changed!
Thanks to Jeff Whitlock (jhw2) for coming up with the great idea of using paint colour charts for helping out with colour matching. Waiting for the warmer weather before venturing downstairs to the garage to have a go at a few more of the rarer variations.
I soon found out that plastic windows do not like paint stripper - see Jaguar Mk10 with "frosted" windows. Still, lots of fun and I think that I'm getting better at it. I usually mark or leave bases intact to show that these are "restorations".
Judge for yourself how successful I have been.

04 C2 Triumph v.jpg
4 C2 Triumph T110
05D Bus.jpg
5D4 Bus
08 Ford Mustang.jpg
8E6 Ford Mustang
08v2 Ford Mustang.jpg
8E6 v2 Ford Mustang
09 Merryweather.jpg
9 Merryweather
13 Thames Trader2.jpg
13C2 Thames Trader
10b1 Mechanical Horse & Trailer.jpg
10B1 Mechanical Horse & Trailer
10b2 Mechanical Horse & Trailer.jpg
10B1 Mechanical Horse & Trailer
10b3 Mechanical Horse & Trailer.jpg
10B1 Mechanical Horse & Trailer
10b4 Mechanical Horse & Trailer.jpg
10B1 Mechanical Horse & Trailer
13 Thames Trader.jpg
13C3 Thames Trader
23a Berkeley Cavalier.jpg
23B4 Berkeley Cavalier (metallic green)
25 Dunlop Van.jpg
25A1 Dunlop Van
28 Jaguar MK10.jpg
28C2 Jaguar MK10
30 Magruiz-Deutz Crane Truck.jpg
30B2 Magruiz-Deutz Crane Truck
25C4 Aral Tanker.jpg
25C4 ARAL Petrol Tanker
25C41 Aral Tanker.jpg
25C4 ARAL Petrol Tanker
25C42 Aral Tanker.jpg
25C4 ARAL Petrol Tanker
25C43 Aral Tanker.jpg
25C4 ARAL Petrol Tanker
30c 8-Wheel Crane.jpg
30C1 8-Wheel Crane (mint green)
32grey Jaguar E Type.jpg
32B1 Jaguar "E" Type
32 Jaguar E Type.jpg
32B3 Jaguar "E" Type
32blue Jaguar E Type.jpg
32B Custom Jaguar "E" Type
36c Opel Diplomat.jpg
36C3 Opel Diplomat (sea green)
42 Evening News Van.jpg
42A3 Evening News Van
44 Rolls Royce.jpg
44A2 Rolls Royce
46 Pickford Removal Van.jpg
46B9 Pickfords Removal Van
model1.jpg
50A6 Commer Pickup MK VIII
53 Aston Martin.jpg
53A4 Aston Martin
53D Ford Zodiac.jpg
53D Custom Ford Zodiac
56 Fiat 1500.jpg
56B3 Fiat 1500
60 Morris J2.jpg
60A2 Morris J2
60A9 Morris J2.jpg
60A9 Morris J2
68 Mercedes Coach.jpg
68B1 Mercedes Coach
69 hatra.jpg
69B6 Hatra Tractor Shovel
69v hatra.jpg
69B Hatra Tractor Shovel
74 Daimler Bus.jpg
74B3 Daimler Bus
75 Thunderbird.jpg
75A1 Thunderbird
75var Thunderbird.jpg
75A2 Thunderbird

Renovation Process

I've had a number of enquiries over the last few months regarding the renovation of models. I have attempted to explain the steps that will enable anyone with a few basic tools and a degree of patience to have a go at their own renovations.
Items required:
Clean work area; Selection of enamel paints; Paint stripper; White spirit
Wire wool; Spray gun - compressor powered or air can; Small file; Drill
Small hammer or flat steel bar; hollow punch; Rags, old brushes

I highly recommend this site for for detailed information of the renovation process Tinman's Restoration Handbook



model.jpg
rough model
drill.jpg
drill out rivet
separate parts.jpg
separate base & body
axles.jpg
file off axle ends
parts.jpg
separate all parts
stripper.jpg
apply paint stripper
rough clean.jpg
rough clean
wash.jpg
wash with white spirit
wool.jpg
wire wool
mask.jpg
spray preparation
undercoat.jpg
spray undercoat
dry.jpg
drying
dryrack.jpg
drying rack
spray gun.jpg
spray gun
1coat.jpg
1st Coat
mask red.jpg
mask off 1st coat
2nd colour.jpg
apply 2nd colour
blackbase.jpg
undercoat & base colour
cleanaxles.jpg
clean axles & wheels
fit parts.jpg
fit wheels on base
tap ends.jpg
hammer-spread axle ends
round.jpg
hollow punch to round axle ends

Finished Model

The above steps are the result of a lot of trial and error. A few important points to note are: keep all dismantled parts together, always wear a mask when spraying, plastic reacts to stripper/spirit so keep separate, have a play with some rough models to build up your confidence and above all don't be afraid to experiment - it's a lot of fun and at the end you can get great looking models like this.

model2.jpg
50 Commer Pickup MK VIII
model1.jpg
Red & White Body
model3.jpg
Rare Silver Plastic Wheels

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