Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: Holiday Gift Ideas... Restore Old Toys! Continue reading the Original Blog Post
Man I wish I could find some of those hubcaps/ white walls lol. I’ve been strategically parking them so you can notice the missing pair lol
Last year I restored an old fire truck pedal car for my Grandson complete with flamed paint job. A very enjoyable project to complete and give away. I also enjoy watching him ride it. I was surprised at the availability of replacement parts for these old toys.
be careful what you restore. those Nylints have little value even when in the original box. other toys you can take a $1,000 toy and turn it into a $500.00 toy with a paint job.
Antique Road Show on PBS be like: "Now if you wouldn't have restored the item, it would be worth between ten and twenty thousand dollars in it's original condition, but as-is, you're looking at around $50... Thank you so much for brining this in."
Watching that guy wash the car in a tiny bowl was the most frustrating thing i've seen today. Get a friggin' bucket. Geez...
Yea....lost all its character and appeal. You can restore it a million times but its only original once.
Thomas Toys, Inc. (thomastoysantiquetoyparts.com) Lot's of toy part's If you don't see what your looking for give them a call and ask Good folks to deal with
But not to a little kid that gets it as a gift. They get to start creating their own patina. To an adult collector, patina is important, to a kid..... it just looks like a junky old toy that someone threw out. I vote for giving a kid something as near new as possible. The real value is not the$$$, it's the enjoyment and memories it makes.
Restored a 1959 evinrude golden jubilee for my dad a few years ago that belonged to his favorite cousin. This is the first Christmas with dad gone, and I'm restoring the first outboard motor he owned (1939 Johnson m39) for my brother to hang in his boathouse. He's gonna chit when he sees it.
This is true, very. Sometimes the worst thing you can do is restore something. Research what you have first!
A lot of us HAMBers are into vintage toys and post them in the "ANTIQUATED" threads. I have over 150 of my Japan tin cars in... { VINTAGE TIN } | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com) I also have toys in.... Vintage Pedal Cars | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com) ...and in... Vintage toy trucks and buses | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com) Also check out.. Hot Rod toys | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com) Vintage Tether Cars | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com)
Well said! Not everything is about the bloody money. The child that gets that will probably hold it dear to their heart because Grandpa, or some other important person in their life, gave it to them. Who knows, it could steer them into liking old cars...
EXACTLY! Well said! I can appreciate an old toy for its value in dollars, but that is nothing compared to the value of the memories a kid can make with that toy.
But if you know the value of your stuff, maybe you can sell or trade it and make 3 or 4 kids happy- spread the joy. I always have a bucket of dinkies at the swap or flea market for the kids to take their pick from.
Hello, Restoring or modifying old toys is a great idea. Our granddaughter is a teenager now. Driving, no less… But, when she was a little toddler, we took her to the Balboa Pier for a day at the beach many times. She just loved her grandma and grandpa taking her to different places her parents would normally not take her. She loved making sand forts in dry sand, running down to the water and scooping up some water to make her walls and sand bucket blobs. One day, she was digging a deep moat around her wet sand wall and castle. She had this smile on her face that was surprising. She had found an old beat up, salt corroded Pontiac, Hot Wheels car in the deep sand. Normally, most lost toys were found just kicking up some sand or smoothing out the beach towels, as they were left there by the previous beach goers. But this one was about 12 inches deep and the moist sand/salt water had corroded the metal and paint. It still rolled, so she was happy that she found a car for the road to get into her sand castle. Over the times we continued to take her to the beach, that Pontiac, Hot Wheels Car always went with us. As a teenager, she is now driving and when we talk about her beach going days, she has a smile about a mile wide. She remembers that Pontiac, Hot Wheels Car and how many times it went up different flat sandy roads leading to a castle, a boat or whatever was the build of the day. It was her prized possession. So, I thought it would be a great surprise for a Christmas present that she would never suspect. A restored Pontiac, Hot Wheels Car that was once her prized possession. I had a candy color purple paint and all of the stuff necessary to strip, sand and detail the different parts. It would look brand new. Jnaki Currently, she has a cool desk in her room and it is filled with chargers, phones, cameras, books, and other teenage stuff. But for the last three years, my addition has always been brought up with my wife and we thought those little projects I had created would go over big with a memory laden teenager. So, do I start the Pontiac, Hot Wheels Project? Would the refurbished new/old car be as memory infused as leaving the corroded Hot Wheels Car the way it was found by our little toddler? Choices, choices. Well, if I cannot decide if the new/old Pontiac, project would be good, there is always the continuation of her other favorite toddler memory of being in an old Chevy, Ice Cream Truck. It was a very cool truck that had fabulous purple flames on a pearl white body. The ice cream was delicious on that hot summer day, too. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/cars-that-look-like-toys.1242049/#post-14206004 That project has been in this build array for quite some time and I can’t seem to get moving on it. The finishing is close, but still, it takes a lot of preparation, work and finishing for a Christmas present. Worse comes to worse, an easier project is a 55 Chevy, Red Nomad floating inside of a plastic globe that will have snow flakes inside of the globe. It will have mini fairy lights, as well as the white flakes floating anytime it is picked up. That project is my backup if I ever take it out of the model car drawer. What to do ? Note: In talking with my wife and seeing the bright eyes light up when our granddaughter recently saw the purple corroded Pontiac, sitting in her old drawer of “her” bedroom upstairs, the Pontiac, shall remain with the patina that she found 13 years ago. The globe Nomad project is now #2 in the quay, while the ice cream truck still resides at number one. If I ever have some time, during these pandemic “rest” days. Rest is another name for a “healthy nap.” Ha!
I feel you on the overwhelming amount of plastic toys. It's a struggle to find meaningful gifts, especially with the still ongoing supply chain issues. One idea that's worked for me is embracing the trend of personalized gifts. They add a thoughtful touch and have a lasting impact. It's a win-win - unique, memorable presents that don't contribute to the toy clutter.
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