I have recently finished off some modes that I took in exchange for doing the Toy Collector Van Series for the site. 50 vehicles in all and some are Special Events Vans, Cars and Trailers.

Here is the Riley Saloon. I have repainted it in one of the rarer colors, Cream with Green Hubs. Very striking and a nice model to work with. Base plate is Gloss Black and it has new Tires, straight polished axles and original hubs.
Here are the pictures of As received, Stripped, Primed, and finished model.
Clickable Thumbnails

I can\'t believe how neat these restorations are. I\'ll never get it up to that standard.

Thanks for that Richard. It is just time and patience that will do it for you. A good little compressor, an air brush (mine costs $20 Mailed) Good thinners ( I use Testors enamel Thinner for air brushes) and then a quality paint. I usually spray one coat and let it dry under my heat lamps for an hour or so then give it a second heavier coat by going over it twice the second time. Watch you don\'t overspray as you will get sags and/or runs. IF that happens it is back to the stripper bath. Masking is also important when doing dual or multiple colors. Always start with the light color and second and third colors should be darker. You can\'t always do this as in the case of a white strip over a red car but the white can be sprayed first and then masked. I have a Dinky Toys Bedford Van I am doing at the moment and it should be finished today along with an Austin Raleigh Cycles Van. Two more from the TC Series for doing the job. 8 months it took in all.

Nice work.  I always find matching the paints to original Dinky colours difficult. So I have tended to use my own colour combinations. I have done a Riley in Cream and Tan -non Dinky combination.   

It is also a smart idea to keep progressive photos during the renovation and build.  I have been doing that recently with  renovations and modifications, but have probably repainted and modified 40 plus models where I have the original and end product photos but nothing in between.

Some work that I do for myself I don\'t always take as many pictures. If it is a commission for a customer then I take pictures at every step as a record for the owner of the toy. I also send a CD along when I return the toys. Most of my customers appreciate and enjoy seeing the complete process. Once you see how much work actually goes into restoring a toy, you gain a better appreciation for it and also don\'t mind my prices. Not that they are very high to begin with.