Bringing One Back From the (Mostly) Dead

In that great cinematic epic, The Princess Bride, we found out that "mostly dead" means "a little alive." I'm reminded of this fact sometime when dealing with vintage items. The biggest question, however, is how "dead" does something have to be to warrent a push to the "mostly alive" side? You see, certain collectors will NEVER restore an item, preferring to allow it to tell its own story of a hard life.

All of that is well and good, but what if the item is just beat to death? And what if you can really make it look new again? And what if the value really isn't affected all that much? Well, in my world, you go for it!

Such is the case with this Hot Wheels Torino Stocker from 1975 that I found years ago in the car bin at Good Will. You see, many years ago, Good Will would throw all of their die cast cars into a cardboard box, and you could dig through them and purchase anything for fifty cents each. Unfortunately, someone decided that they could make more money by putting the box in the auction case, where it would go for many times what it was actually worth. Now, you won't find die cast at all at Good Will. In my mind, greed did them in.

Anyway, as I was saying before I interrupted myself, I grabbed this Hot Wheels out of the box...

Beat to death Torino Stocker

At first glance this thing is a real dog. The tampo (decals) are all gone. The paint is completely shot, the "glass" looks fogged, and the wheels are worn.

However, upon closer inspection, one notices that nothing is actually broken, the "glass" is actually just really dirty on the inside, and the wheels are, of course, redlines. So, I stuck it in a drawer and literally forgot about it for about twenty years.

I dug it out recently and decided that it needed a second chance. I found a guy on eBay that sells replacement decals for many Hot Wheels (Vince at scredlines) so I ordered some. Now it was time to paint!

The 1975 redlines had enamel paint, so regular "rattle can" paint would do. There are two ways to repaint a car. You can do a "frame on" paint job, or you can drill the posts out on the bottom of the car and take it apart. You then glue it back together. I decided I didn't want to drill the car, since that can cause its own problems. Therefore, I started without the drill!

 First I rubbed the car down with paint thinner (being very careful to not touch the plastic parts). After I wiped everything down, I went over it with sandpaper to get any remaining rough spots off. In the end, about two thirds of the paint was removed, and the rest was smoothed out.

Next, I masked everything off with regular masking tape. Even though the car is small, it took a couple of hours. There are a lot of tiny places to cover (or make sure you don't cover). The hobby knife is your friend here, since it allows you to trim the tape to exactly the right shape.

Next, came the paint. I always do a very light "dust coat" to start out. This gives the other coats something to stick to. The last of about three regular coats is the thickest, to give it a good shine.

Red!!!

One of the most fun parts of the process is taking all of that tape off (after allowing it to dry for several hours). The transformation already looks pretty good!

Better!

Next, I touched up the chrome. Hobby Lobby sells some stuff called "Liquid Chrome" by Molotow. It's a paint pen that writes in chrome! Talk about handy!

Before....almost no chrome on the base...

After! A newly chromed base...and grill...and bumpers...and wheels!

I had to wait a couple of days for the decals to get there, but not too long. Now I had to decide how to apply them. Since they went down the whole side of the car, around fenders and stuff, I decided to cut them into three parts and then fit them together. This was a huge mistake! As it turns out, all of the pushing around and messing with them tends to destroy the extremely thin decal.

However, Vince was more than nice when I contacted him and soon I had replacements in hand. The trick was to put the whole side on as one decal and then work out any wrinkles with a paper towel. It's a slow process, but patience will give you great results! Then you hit it with decal sealer (I used Testors brand) and there ya go!

Finished!

And at home in the redline case!

So there you have it! Sometimes "mostly dead" just needs a little TLC to come back to life!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

1971- The Next Three...Sort Of...

Well, we are continuing with our tour of 1971 Hot Wheels. Therefore, let's take a look at the next...uh...three.

First, we have the Mutt Mobile! This example is in pretty good shape...maybe even "near mint." I really like the blue.

And here are the mutts! 

Next, we have the Noodle Head, which is just a weird name if you ask me. Nobody did. The name comes from all of those noodle-y pipes on the back.

But the party is in the front! Yep, the headlights open up! As you can see, the paint isn't quite as nice on this car...

Finally, we have the Olds 442! This is a pretty easy car to come by on eBay, if you want to pay 250- 550 bucks. If you don't (like me) your car will look a lot like this one! Cool, huh?

So there you have it! Maybe someday I'll find a deal on that last one. If I don't, then my display case will continue to have a label, but no car. Oh well. You gotta have your limits.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

When Six Flags Was Cool....

Well, it's been a while since I climbed up in the ol' attic, but attics, summer, and Texas don't really mix. However, guilt began to weigh on me so I thought I'd share something not from the attic, but from the photo album. My wife's photo album to be specific. The pictures used to belong to her mom, and among all the family memories I found five very special post cards.

You see, there was a time when Six Flags wasn't just a roller coaster farm. When the park started, it was based on Disneyland, but with a Texas history theme. The designers took that theme seriously, and each "land" represented a different time in Texas' past.

The attractions were first rate as well. For example, the park boasted of the first mine train coaster (built by Arrow, who also designed the Matterhorn for Disneyland), the first log flume ride, and (according to rumor) the cave ride was the inspiration for the ride system used in It's A Small World.

Unfortunately the slump that hit theme parks in the late 1970s triggered a management change and a refocusing on thrill rides as a way to stay afloat. The original theme was put on the back burner and then forgotten completely. Six Flags as originally designed was gone.

Still, there are clues out there as to what it once was.... Here are the postcards that I found:

Interestingly enough, pretty much none of these attractions still exist. I don't think the different country flags are still used (I know the Confederate flag isn't). The Fiesta Train (with its catchy "La La La La Fiesta!" song) got axed for a coaster. The Astrolift was shut down due to ADA requirements and the Riverboats became a roaring rapids ride. The Overland Stagecoach (with its bandits) was shut down decades ago. By the way, the "Confederate" section is now just "The Old South." The only thing that might still be there (and I am by no means sure) are the gun fights.

So, if you want to go to Six Flags Over Texas, you certainly can, but you won't see any of the banner attractions from the early years. Kind of sad, but I guess that's the price they paid for keeping the gates open.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Racing Toward the Past

The year was 1968. The day was Christmas. The place was the garage of 1223 Woodlawn Circle, Denison Tx. One of the best Christmas presents ever was nailed to a 9 foot by four foot plywood board. The Eldon International 500 Race Set! I had seen the set that was set up at Sears, and now I had my own!

Now this thing was BIG (hence the huge hunk of ply) and featured a full banked curve. I ran the little Porsche and Ferrari like crazy over that track, and actually got pretty good at it. Times were good.

Unfortunately, when we moved to Garland, the set was taken down and never fully set up again. Eventually it sat in a closet and then went missing as so many bits of childhood do.

When I started collecting my old toys back, I put the set on my list. However, there was a problem. Although the set isn't particularly rare, finding a complete one that works can be tough. The biggest problem, however, is that, as I said before, this thing is HUGE. The boxed set weighs in at over ten pounds, which puts shipping in the 30.00 to 40.00 range.

Recently, however, a complete working set popped up on eBay. The clincher is that the seller lived just a few miles from my house! A few messages back and forth, a meeting at a gas station for "hand off," and I was once again the proud owner of the race set! Here are some pictures:

The box. They were proud of that banked turn. It actually did make it easier to drive fast around it!

This side shows the layout. When assembled, this set is very impressive!

The other side shows off the cars. Interestingly enough, these cars have different markings than the ones on the top.

Inside the box. The banked turn is on the right side. The lap counter track (with numbers 1 through 0) is in front. 

The cars. These actually do work. I tested them when I got home with a 9 volt battery. 

The Eldon controllers feature a "speedometer" built into the top. I'm about 99% sure that they aren't close to being accurate, but it's a fun feature anyway.

And on the side, we still have the Sears price tag! This set may have been a Sears exclusive. Santa was very generous!

I still haven't set it all up because I just don't have room...yet. However, someday soon I should have the cars screaming around the track again!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

A Bit of Luck from Old Denison, Texas

Today I'm going to share something that's actually my wife's. You see, I gave her this item several years ago as a gift, but since we live in the same house, we share the same attic, right? Before I show you the item, I'm going to give you a very, very quick (and very, very undetailed) history lesson.

In 1883 State National Bank opened in Denison, Texas. Denison was a rail hub, of course, and money was pretty much everywhere. The bank built a grand building in full Victorian glory on Main Street. This building lasted until 1970, when someone decided a marble box would be cooler. Here is a postcard that I found on line that shows the two buildings:

After...and before. I guess you can't tell which one I like better...

It was a sad day for a bank that, up until 1935 actually printed its own money! By the way, the box is still there, although the State National Bank is no more. I'm not claiming that tearing the old building down doomed the bank...but I'm not going to dismiss the idea either...

If only they had had a little bit more luck...like, maybe, THIS!

Yep, in 1958 State National Bank gave away aluminum key chains that held a shiny new 1958 penny! These were to celebrate 75 years of banking in Denison, and the "heads" side sports a four leaf clover, a horse shoe, and a wish bone in addition to the lucky penny!

I gave this to my wife for our seventh anniversary, since it was the "copper" anniversary, and she loves antiques. Also, the year is special as well.

So there you have it. She keeps it in her crystal ring box. Oh, and by the way, today is our 12th anniversary. Happy anniversary, Laurie!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Custom Customs...

When you collect tiny cars for a long time you may find that you have a whole lot of the same (very common) cars. They might come in a box that had something you wanted in it, or maybe they were priced at a garage sale for ten cents and....well, come on, TEN CENTS.

A few years ago I took three cars that I had tons of, some bondo, some super glue, some paint, and a Dremel tool and, in a fit of really weird creativity, made the following...

The first one was actually pretty tame. A quick wheel swap, jack up the back, slap a blower on the hood and there ya go!

The second one was pretty conservative too, in a way. However, it did take more work. I took two 1957 Chevys and cut them in half....Well, not exactly in half. I was going for the stretch limo look...

Which brings us to this...thing. what do you do with the other parts after you make a limo? Glue 'em together into a '57 Chevy Super Short! I actually like this one the best!

I soon got tired of chopping up Hot Wheels so these were the only ones I did. Still, it's kind of fun to have them around.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Testing- One, Two, Three...

This week I'm going to feature an item that really has no practical purpose any more, but I still think is just plain cool. I was at an auction in Denison, Tx a few years ago, and I picked up this...

This is the Aiwa TP-31 portable tape recorder from around 1968! Here she is without the cover...

The TP-31 is a very small unit that was made for recording on the go. Heck, it doesn't even have an external power jack. Power comes from two C cells and one 9 volt. And this unit is very, very hungry. Batteries don't last long.

Oh yes, it works. On the tape is a kid from the 60s or 70s singing....something. Obviously, they were playing around. Here is what they used to record...

Yep, it's not exactly high tech, but it does have an "On/Off" switch. So....there's that.

So why do I think this silly thing is so cool? After all, you can do everything it does (plus a whole lot more) with your smart phone. Heck, I'm writing this on my phone right now! Still, I have a feeling smart phones are never gonna have the same kind of "cool" these little reel to reels have.

For one thing, there is Mission Impossible. Not the retooled, slick, Hollywood, Tom Cruise movie- but the original 1960s masterpiece that always featured a tape burning away after presenting the mission; "...should you choose to accept it."

Also, there were these guys...

That's Bob Andrews and Jupiter Jones, two of the Three Investigators. Oh, look what Bob has in his right hand! Obviously, these things are cooooooooool! Add to all of that the fact that I had a similar unit when I was a kid, well I just had to have it!

By the way, Aiwa is still around. Here is my amp for my office stereo...

And what about getting a really nice reel to reel for listening to music? Well, it turns out I recently got that covered too...

Extremely cool, but in a very different way. You're not going to catch bad guys with that unit (although you can listen to tapes in quad...and that is just... so... cool)!

So there you go. Why do I need that little recorder? I don't. But I have it, and I like it, and I guess that's what matters.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!