Just arrived, the last of the Dinky racing car series. This is the Alfa—Romeo 23F. As usual, a decision has to be made when restoring a collection or starting from scratch as to whether to leave as is — job done, it is meant to look like this — or to restore the model.

Really it is a personal decision. To talk of reducing the value of the model really means reducing the money one can get for it on eBay. Original models in pristine condition in their original boxes, command silly money. To achieve this, the original purchaser ( or collector) will have to put the boxed article in a dark room or secondary box, away from the light and bring it out 50 years later. Not really a very good investment and of course, no pleasure in playing with the cars.

My models came in a variety of dilapidated states. Some had been repainted — really, just overpainted and poorly at that. The paint work was chipped and faded.

This latest model had its original paintwork. The tyres had perished (we do replace the tyres on real cars from time to time without loss of value — indeed to some gain in market price). A good paint job also gains value.

And so:

• dismantling — starting by drilling out the rivets
• caustic soda bath (very refreshing) to remove all paint
• primer spray for bare metal
• gloss black spray (2 coats) for the baseplate
• hammer the axles straight
• brush paint for body and driver plus details
• repeat as necessary
• allow paint to cure
• reassemble, superglue in new rivets
• enjoy

Final pics of completed set on the Dinky section of this website. In the meantime, some pictures of the Alfa in transition

This then is my Book of the Month : The Mystery Of Easter Island by Katherine Routledge. A facsimile of the original, published in 1919. Setting out to explore one last unexplained area of the world before they died; they were away for more than 2 years. The 1st World War started after they were well on their way and the world was not the same as when they departed for the Pacific— contrary to the reassurances they made to their family and friends. The transportation to Easter Island even had to be built in the form of a 'yacht' called the Mana.

The first excavations of the stone statues and the last chance ever to speak to the old men (not women) who carried the oral history of the island were carried out by this expedition.

A good read and beautifully written, with just the right amount of 'dated prose'.

A cogent and entirely reasonable argument for the retention of books in print rather than ebooks (though I really miss the ability to define words and to chase interesting facts and ideas down the rabbit hole of Wikepedia.

You can buy this book. From a really nice shop on the Main Street of Hanga Roa or almost certainly from Amazon.

As an aside, I'm also reading World War Z by Max Brooks — either Easter Island or the Falkland Islands would be good places to escape the Zombie plague — assuming that of course you close down the airports after you arrive.

Rivets drilled out and caustic soda applied, old paint washed off.
Primer sprayed onto body shells and base plates sprayed gloss black.

Well on the way to a complete refurbishment after 50 years.

Now for the fine, painstaking (and colourful) work on the racing strip. HWM is on the grid