Dinky 70a/704 Avro York Airliner

[Red Firecracker]

Just to show that these models are not always beyond repair, a little love and and a few parts got this;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

to this;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

Same main casting, new propellers and tail section were required.

Edited by Red Firecracker on Thursday 1st August 13:08

[dr_gn]

Excellent job - just the right colour.

I've restored about 40 of these Dinky aircraft and put them in display cases - some had twisted propellers, but some had flat ones like yours. I wonder if there was any pattern to the ones that were flat/twisted (post war/pre war maybe)?

[Red Firecracker]

Cheers.

I did wonder about putting some twist into the props, but to be honest forgot to in the end! Most of the mint originals I've seen had had flat ones, some of the more playworn ones had twisted.

[perdu]

I don't remember seeing new ones (yes I am that bloody old) with twisted props, but frankly being so old I don't remember much these days. When I was a lad these were still in the toy shops.

To the point...

You have made a lovely job of this York and it looks "right" to me.

[Red Firecracker]

Cheers.

I did it for a full, blow by blow restoration from start to finish for a diecast restoration forum I host (there's a story...). If you're bored enough, the full horror of the original is here;

http://www.diecastrestoration.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtop...

[perdu]

That's a great site Kelvin and your article is characteristically clear

I am sure I will be able to use some of your stuff in there "out here"

Thanks

[Eric Mc]

Lovely job.

I wish someone did a decent 1/144 injection moulded plasric kit of a York.

[Red Firecracker]

It's really not my area of expertise, but does anyone know how accurate these old toys are? Obviously the fine detail is not there, but from a shape/proportion point of view, how on the ball were Dinky?

Thanks for the kind comments all.

[Eric Mc]

I don't think they were that fastidious in being 100% dimensionally accurate. After all, theese were toys for small boys to play with - not models for aircraft enthusiasts or memorabilia collectors.

[dr_gn]

Red Firecracker said:

It's really not my area of expertise, but does anyone know how accurate these old toys are? Obviously the fine detail is not there, but from a shape/proportion point of view, how on the ball were Dinky?

Thanks for the kind comments all.

I can recognise all the aircraft as being what they are supposed to represent with the exception of the Spitfire, which is terrible.

[Red Firecracker]

perdu said:

That's a great site Kelvin and your article is characteristically clear

I am sure I will be able to use some of your stuff in there "out here"

Thanks

Cheers Bill. Feel free to grab information!

Eric Mc said:

I don't think they were that fastidious in being 100% dimensionally accurate. After all, theese were toys for small boys to play with - not models for aircraft enthusiasts or memorabilia collectors.

Quite. The only reason I asked is that some of the Dinky road stuff is actually very accurate (apparently), but as you say, that was not their market. Then you get down to the Corgi Bond Aston, which is actually two cars in one!

[Eric Mc]

Back in the 1930s to 1950s (the heyday of Dinky), there was no real demand for really accurate rendition of aircraft.

I'd suggest that the quest for mass market accurate models only really came into its own in the 1960s as people began to become serious about plastic kit building.

[Red Firecracker]

Resurrecting this thread to show the complete process after the Octopus truck was well received.

Obviously the before and after pics are at the top of the thread, but hopefully the mechanics of getting to that stage will hold some interest.

Here is the model we are going to be working on;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

Here are the spare parts that I have purchased to complete the model, they being a white metal tail section, which is the common area for the York to sustain damage, and also four three bladed propellers;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

The next update will be detailing the process I go through when starting out to restore a model, the things I look at and the options involved.

[Red Firecracker]

The first stage of actual practical work is to take the model apart, which means, in most cases, drilling out the rivets, or at least their heads. The Dinky York has three rivets along the bottom of the model holding the tin plate on.


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

In the picture above you can see that I am two thirds through drilling the rivet heads off. The process I use it to use a small drill bit (0.5mm) in a pin vice to make a small hole as near to the centre of the rivet head as possible. I then enlarge this a couple of times with progressively larger bits until I use the final size, which is the same size as the rivets I plan to use to re-affix the baseplate.

One I have drilled the central shaft enough to take a rivet, I can then remove the rivet head with a larger drill bit. This has to be done quite gently to avoid biting too deep into the baseplate and causing excess damage.

Here is the York with baseplate removed;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

The eagle eyed amongst you will see that whilst the rearward post is fine, I was slightly out on the front two, exasperated by the fact that they are thinner than normal. Whilst annoying this does alloy me to demonstrate a technique later on to easily fix this issue, so not all bad.

The final step before the model can go into the stripping solution is to remove the wheels. It is not totally necessary on this model as the wheels are metal, so they're not going to dissolve in the chemicals, but the supports do need straightening so it is better to remove then wheels. The wheels are held on with little pins with peened ends, the same as on some axles. As access is quite limited I couldn't use my normal method of a grinding wheel in a mini drill, so it was time to break out the needle files. If you take a look at a needle file, chances are that one of the edges will have a file pattern on it, the other edge will be smooth. This is important in this case as it allows me to file the edge of the end of the pin but not file into the diecast around the pin.

Here is the model with the wheels removed;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

Finally it's into the stripping solution;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

Next time I'll cover cleaning the model after stripping, starting to rectify the defects and also measuring for the replacement tail.

[Red Firecracker]

So here's the model once it has come out of the caustic soda batch and has been dried. It is very important to wash the model after stripping in clean water to remove any traces of the caustic and to stop any reactions.


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

As you can see, it doesn't actually look that different, but it is actually stripped of paint and is very dirty. No matter how well you clean it afterwards, it will always need further cleaning work, which is what I am going to cover in this instalment. The tool I'm going to be using is my faithful Como mini-drill that has seen a good 20 years service so fa, which has included, I hate to admit, a few trips across the workshop both intentional and unintentional/. To this I fit a steel wire wheel;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

It is now a case of going over the whole model with the steel wheel to not only clean off any dirt and remnants from the stripping but also to de nib the model so that the primer coat and later colour coats adhere to the model well. These next two pictures show a half and half view of the model, one side cleaned the other note, to demonstrate how sever the difference is;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

Here is the fully cleaned model;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

A couple of things to note here. Firstly, you will notice in the picture of the underside of the model that I have cleaned into the recess. To me this is a vital part of the quality of a restoration as this area will be visible even though there is a tin plate to cover most of it up. A great restoration can be pulled down by inattention to areas such as that. Additionally, you will notice that there are what look like bubbles on the upper surfaces of the wing towards the trailing edge between the two engines and that is essentially exactly what they are. Old diecast can become quite porous and soak up water or liquid and that is what has happened here, so even though I said the model did not have any obvious signs of corrosion, it was and is lying under the surface. This isn't an issue as we can see it and we can fix it. Here is a closer picture of the areas;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

I'll cover the rectification of those bubbles and also the manipulation of the bent areas of the model in the next update.

[Red Firecracker]

Now we come onto the the start of the major work on the model, the first stage of which is the rectification of the deformities of the body.

We'll start with the undercarriage legs, which as can be seen in the picture below are quite bent, which is common for this model;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

There are various ways to manipulate diecast material to your will and your choice of technique will depend a lot on the age of the model, the condition of the material and also the location/thickness of the material. In this case, the Dinky York is quite old so the diecast is quite mailable without the need for external aids such as heat in the form of gas torch or soldering iron. The tool is decided to use for this work, in fact all the manipulation in this stage, was a pair of wide, flat nosed pliars.


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

You don't need to use excessive force, you just need to grip the material and very gently ease the metal back into position. Once you've done it a few times you get to know when you're moving it too much and also when to stop. I did not crack any of the casting in this work. I find the best way of getting the results you desire is to take a leaf out of the Renaissance era and embrace the world of the Lever. To try and explain better, instead of gripping the piece with the pliars and pulling or pushing, try and use the nose of the pliars as a pivot point against the model and then ease the piece into shape. This way you require far less force and less force means less chance of snapping.

Here is a picture of the complete undercarriage legs;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

If the material is not as soft as the model here, then there are various ways you can help the process using heat. The simplest way is to dip the model into boiling water. This heats up the whole model and will give you a period of time to manipulate the model. Of course, it is then wet! Another way is to use localised heat and this is where you need to be a bit more careful. I have successfully used a small gas power soldering iron/torch to heat up small areas of a model and then use the lever/pliars technique to move pieces back into shape. You do have to be careful though as you can melt the model very easily. Also, be careful of your fingers as the models still stay hot long after their workable heat has dissipated. One way of keeping the heat localised is to use heatsinks. By this, I mean that you can attach crocodile clips to the area surrounding the area you want heated. When you heat the area the heat is kept localised as the heatsinks will grab the heat rather than it going through the whole model.

Onto the wings.


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

As you can see, both the leading and trailing edge of the wings have suffered in their time from years of enjoyable play. To fix them, it is just a case of getting the pliars back out and working on small areas at a time. Move a bit, check. Move a bit, check. Move a bit, check. That has to be the mantra as if you go in all guns blazing and try to do it all at once, you run a far greater risk of either breaking what is quite thing material or even obliterating the cast in detail. One thing you may wish to do is cover the jaws of the pliars with masking tape, especially if you're working on a model that you haven't stripped and are not planning on repainting.

Once you have spent some time moving little bits at a time, you will eventually get to a stage where the pieces is back to its former shape. Towards the end of the process you will be able to move larger areas in one go, as the movement will be so much smaller. However, the thought process should always be, how little can I get away with.

Here are the same areas post manipulation;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Finally for this stage is the correction of those pesky bubbles. The way I approach this can actually be combined with a process that I go through on every model that has had some work, which is a good going over with some wet and dry paper. This has had the dual benefit of knocking back the bubbles and also of removing any light marking from the pliar jaws. Here's an overview of the York ready for the next stage;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

[lufbramatt]

This is fantastic, I have a Dinky "seaplane" which I think is meant to be a shorts mercury 4 engine float plane. My dad found it whilst clearing out his old room at my nan's house when they had to sell it. sadly it's missing about 10mm of one wingtip, both floats and one of the props. I think it might be restorable though, especially after seeing your Leyland octopus thread might be a project for the winter as a little Christmas present for my dad. Where do you get the spare parts?

[Red Firecracker]

Thank you.

There are a few places to get spares, but you have to bear in mind that delivery is slow (a few weeks) and that the bits they sell are more often than not made by the same person. I tend to order parts before I start and then (depending on the parts, obviously), they should arrive as I need them.

The main places are;

http://www.modelcarparts.com/

http://www.model-supplies.co.uk/

http://www.diecastrecoveries.org.uk/indexdm.html

[Red Firecracker]

Now that the original model has been seen to corrected, it is time to start work on the replacement whitemetal tail. First of all though, a little moan on the subject of the part.

It is awful. Truly awful.

Here is a close up of the inside of one of the fins;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

As you can see, there is very heavy pitting extending right to the tip. The rest of the part isn't much better with quite a lot of flash;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

Additionally, as can be seen in the underside picture, there is a section of tail that is extremely poorly cast, specifically the sections under the centre and also towards the end of the port tailplane.

My moan centres on the fact that I build a lot of white metal models, from various producers ranging from small cottage industries to large concerns and 99% of the castings are consistently better than the parts I continually see being offered to restorers. The issues aren't insurmountable, not by a long way, but it is a pain and is really quite needless. Good moulds are not hard to produce.

But anyway, enough of my moaning!

To work on the part I am going to use the following tools;


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

namely some needle files and a brush attachment in my mini-drill.

First of all I have cleaned all the flash from the casting with the needle files. One thing to remember, certainly with the flat file, is that one edge has file teeth on it, the other is smooth. This is a great help as it means that you can file upto an angle and not fear filing into the angle as you just use the smooth face. With parts such as this, that is very helpful and helps you to be very precise.

Once all the flash and casting marks have been filed off, remembering to let the file do the work and not to press hard into the piece with the file, it can then be cleaned with the wire brush. This is an important step as white metal is quite a dirty material so needs to be cleaned for best end results.

Here are a couple of pictures of the piece in the process of being worked and cleaned. There is still quite a bit of work to do such as filling and making good, which will be best tackled once it is on the model.


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr


Dinky 704 Avro York Airliner Restoration by Red Firecracker, on Flickr

The next step is to remove the tail from the original model and attach the new piece, which will be the next instalment.

[lufbramatt]

Red Firecracker said:

Thank you.

There are a few places to get spares, but you have to bear in mind that delivery is slow (a few weeks) and that the bits they sell are more often than not made by the same person. I tend to order parts before I start and then (depending on the parts, obviously), they should arrive as I need them.

The main places are;

http://www.modelcarparts.com/

http://www.model-supplies.co.uk/

http://www.diecastrecoveries.org.uk/indexdm.html

Thanks for the links, looks like I have a "63B Seaplane", and the floats and decals are available. Pretty sure ~I can make a new wingtip out of plasticard, probably have to reinforce the joint underneath so it will never be perfect but should look ok once painted up.