How to Restore Classic Toy Cars, Trucks, Tractors, and Airplanes [Paperback]

Dennis David (Author)

Book Description

Series: How to Restore | Publication Date: July 11, 2003

This colorful book is a treasure chest of advice and ideas on restoring the most popular transportation toys of all eras and conditions. Readers will find easy-to-follow information on how to restore based on condition, when to restore (and when not to), the best techniques and tools, and common pitfalls to avoid. Author Dennis David offers a series of detailed case studies of ten recognizable transportation collectibles while providing a nostalgic look at numerous other toys. His experience in toy restoration provides readers a hands-on feel to the process as he addresses the universal steps of creating the most desirable toy artifact possible.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

• Covers a variety of toys that are enticing to the growing popularity among baby boomers
• Step-by-step guide features simple directions that make restoration easy
• Universal tips are applicable to any toy restoration project

About the Author

Dennis is not new to automotive writing - besides authoring Fifties Fins, How to Restore Classic Toys, and History of the Tonka Toy Company, his work has appeared in Car Collector, Cars & Parts, Special Interest Autos, and Automobile Quarterly. He's been involved in the Society of Automotive Historians, American Truck Historical Society, Classic Car Club of America, Antique Automobile Club of America, amongst being involved with esteemed events like judging for the Greenwich Concours de Elegance and the Councours de Elegance of the Eastern United States. To further prove his candidacy  for this subject, Dennis was the winner of the 1998 Hernando DeSoto Award and was also the Technical Editor of the National DeSoto club.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks (July 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760313067
• ISBN-13: 978-0760313060
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,142,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely worthless book!, August 3, 2004

By 

R. Langley (St. Paul) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Restore Classic Toy Cars, Trucks, Tractors, and Airplanes (Paperback)

This book basically says "sandblast the rust and then buy the missing parts". At best, it is a book about renovation not restoration. "The hubcaps 'appeared to be chrome' so we re-chromed them" is not a restoration statement but that of a hack. There is nothing on research (color matching, decals, creating missing parts, and so forth) and his examples are an endless repetition of the same theme of sandblasting . . . blah blah blah. He can't even tell you how to restore a serious dent or bend in the metal. The author does not seem to be a restoration expert but a writer about restoration. There is padding in the form of photographs of collectors. Tin plate models are really not covered in any depth yet these are the most difficult to restore. The list of suppliers of parts is pathetic. Don't waste your money. It is not even worth a 1 star rating.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not helpful, March 14, 2006

By 

E.Savage - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Restore Classic Toy Cars, Trucks, Tractors, and Airplanes (Paperback)

If this book is supposed to be a how-to book as its title states, it falls very short. I couldn't find anything of use for me, since I want to restore much more delicate models, than those shown. Even the things the author talks about do not really explain how to do anything.

I should have paid attention to the first reviewer.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not for the professional, March 28, 2009

By 

A True Professional - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Restore Classic Toy Cars, Trucks, Tractors, and Airplanes (Paperback)

This book is terrible! All the author talks about is sand-blast, then throw a coat of paint on it. Doesn't talk about how to restore a product to like new condition. Absolutely no body work is shown, uses tools incorrectly, etc. Even the pictures in the book show pitting after completed paint jobs and other incorrect techniques.

I am SO disappointed in this book. I should have listened to the other two reviewers who gave similar reviews.