Posted 14 years ago
paulsidney
(5 items)
These 4 pictures show my first attempt at restoring an original 1967 Mattel Hot Wheels Thunderbird know as the Custom T-Bird Made in Hong Kong back in 1967. The first picture shows the car before it was restored the last 3 show the 1967 Custom T-Bird restored and with 2 unrestored originals. All 3 cars have a stamping of 1967 but the blue Mattel Hot Wheels is Made in the USA and has a total different mold compared to the green restored model and the original purple 1967 Made in Hong Kong pair. I like how the restored one looks.
I like your action shots on flickr. I used to try and make realisitic looking scenes with my cars when I was little, never took pics though.
Nice, I love it!
Restored!!!!!
it still nice
I'm sure your aware that a restored hot wheels/matchbox car renders the car worthless in a collectors eye. As long as your just doing it for your own satisfaction, enjoy. BTW, I have a '68 version of that tbird w/out a hood, molded motor w/blower, small spoiler on the rear. gold w/ black stripe.
slapster.... what you have is the Hot Wheels T-N-T Bird known as the Spoilers series, which were some of the original sets made into a wilder custom models such as yours. I have a couple of Spoilers that are 1968 Firebird convertibles.
As for me restoring my Hot Wheels for my own satistaction of course that is why I did it, and they were nothing but junk before that. My 67 Mustang even needed body work before repainting. I have many collector friends of Hot Wheels and many other scale model cars of all types. When my collector friends saw my restored cars they asked where I got the parts, because they have some needing restoring also. Personally I would not pay more than $10.oo for an original Hot Wheels unless I really felt I needed it, let alone a restored one. I like the bargain bin of old worn out toys that I can bring back to life for my own collection. I have restored many original dealer promos just by taking them apart and cleaning them. So for me as my real cars its fun to make them look new again. There are large groups of collectors that enjoy restored Hot Wheels because they are much cheaper than original and the original style paint is available. I see restored Hot Wheels selling at shows and online for $10 to $50, would I pay that, no I would not. Do I enjoy restoring them and displaying, yes I do. If you look on my flicker files you will see many original and some restored cars.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47661552@N00/
though I don't personally collect restored hot wheels they are collected by quite a few people.I also restore beaters for the fun of it but I don't really try to sell them although I have sold them every so often to other collectors that saw them and had to have them,but I don't try to pass them off as original pieces.