😭😭🙌🙌🙌 I’m crying with such joy that you restored it!! It’s so great Jim! The details you added make it phenomenal! You guys that do this kind of work are such an inspiration, everything turned out fantastic!! 😎🔥🔥🔥
Thanks so much Brian and thanks again for the casting! I just couldn't resist working on it - it pretty much jumped ahead of everything on the bench lol
As an artist, I've learned the value of CLARITY of image. When it comes to lettering on cars, signs, or logos, clarity is absolutely key, so you made a great decision, Jim. It's far better to have one single, contrasting color on letters than to have multiple colors, fade effects and textures. Keeping things simple ensures that the lettering remains clear and readable/legible. If you can't read the letters, the letters serve no purpose at all. That's how I see it, and it's one of the reasons I love the way you finish your vehicles. You always keep things clean, and always there's nice contrast allowing decals to be clear and easily read. This turned out to look fantastic! So much better than it would have looked originally, yet very close to its classic look! You stepped up its game!
Thanks SO much Loston! I truly appreciate what you said! This was such a fun, fantasy build to work on...to pull those details out. I couldn't be any happier with how the decals worked out and their clarity (although you're going to shake your head at the "fuzzy" decals on next Saturday's build lol - but that's pretty much how they appear on the actual ancient Lesney casting lololol). I always feel pretty fortunate for the logo I've been using since the start of the channel - it's a very simple design, yet it is clear and easily recognizable.
Epic respect for this restoration work on the Spacer Racer, you nailed it perfectly and the red color choice is perfect for this project, good to go with this one.
Thanks GW! I couldn't be happier with how the gold turned out against the red...like brass on a red firetruck. The gold pen was perfect for getting this to work out.
Thanks for the ride jim !! Came out great !!! I had a few of those in mint condition gave them to a younger collector that collects vintage cars !! He comes to the shop once a year !! With his dad .
Thanks Eddie! That's so cool that you passed those along to a kid - hopefully he played with at least one of them and let his imagination soar! Go Team Honcho!
Nice work as always, Jim! UV resin also works well for filling in holes and sands well once cured. I've even used it to make/fill in small windows (though not perfect).
Thanks Patrick! I have one of those Bondic resin pens, but for some reason, I use it infrequently...always opting instead for my good old buddy JB Weld lololol I really should think about the resin more often.
Thanks Fernando! I was hoping the gold would really give it that look...and it would be a shame to leave all of that wonderful detail hidden under the paint.
Thanks Brian! You should do one! When I've looked at the casting, I've always been tempted, but until I received this one with the nozzle, I just never got around to it. Now I want to do another one completely differently lol
Thanks! I think one day when school isn't in session, I should borrow a metal detector and see how many casting I can find (heck, the elementary school I attended is within walking distance...I might be able to find some of my own childhood cars lol)
Lovely work. I always smile when restorers take apart a model and find the part that is normally missing like the hose you can’t just pull off. So how did they all get lost on most models 😂
RIGHT!?!?!? That was exactly the question I asked when I read that it was a nozzle lololol. I guess we can’t question what’s possible in fantasy space lololol. Thanks Jamie!
Welp. You failed your own assignment. It doesnt look like a toy....😐 To be perfectly fair, Im not really a huge fan of fantasy castings. This one does in fact look like the future of first response rescue and flame repression. Something we could see if we colonized Mars. You did a fantastic job. Your intent to avoid making it look real and keep it toy friendly backfired. In an enviroment solvent of our own concepts of earthbound rigs would find compounds and alloys that might ressemble the plasticky yellows you left. The hyper detail of the brass lines and the chrome fittings served to ellevate the realism. So....yeah....good on you for another perfect Silva Build....
😭😭🙌🙌🙌 I’m crying with such joy that you restored it!! It’s so great Jim! The details you added make it phenomenal! You guys that do this kind of work are such an inspiration, everything turned out fantastic!! 😎🔥🔥🔥
Thanks so much Brian and thanks again for the casting! I just couldn't resist working on it - it pretty much jumped ahead of everything on the bench lol
As an artist, I've learned the value of CLARITY of image. When it comes to lettering on cars, signs, or logos, clarity is absolutely key, so you made a great decision, Jim. It's far better to have one single, contrasting color on letters than to have multiple colors, fade effects and textures. Keeping things simple ensures that the lettering remains clear and readable/legible. If you can't read the letters, the letters serve no purpose at all. That's how I see it, and it's one of the reasons I love the way you finish your vehicles. You always keep things clean, and always there's nice contrast allowing decals to be clear and easily read. This turned out to look fantastic! So much better than it would have looked originally, yet very close to its classic look! You stepped up its game!
Thanks SO much Loston! I truly appreciate what you said! This was such a fun, fantasy build to work on...to pull those details out. I couldn't be any happier with how the decals worked out and their clarity (although you're going to shake your head at the "fuzzy" decals on next Saturday's build lol - but that's pretty much how they appear on the actual ancient Lesney casting lololol). I always feel pretty fortunate for the logo I've been using since the start of the channel - it's a very simple design, yet it is clear and easily recognizable.
This has got to be the best one Jim, something about the casting, you really brought out the design.
Thanks Tomas! They put SO much detail on this casting - it's fantastic to work with!
Detailing is great, and you are right, the gold piping really pops and frames out the entirety of the casting. Really fun, thanks for posting it!
Thanks Brian! Against that red Metalcast paint, I really hoped the gold piping would stand out...and I couldn't be any happier with the results.
Epic respect for this restoration work on the Spacer Racer, you nailed it perfectly and the red color choice is perfect for this project, good to go with this one.
Thank you!
The gold tubing really makes it pop.. the decal info was great too.
Thanks GW! I couldn't be happier with how the gold turned out against the red...like brass on a red firetruck. The gold pen was perfect for getting this to work out.
Thanks for the ride jim !! Came out great !!! I had a few of those in mint condition gave them to a younger collector that collects vintage cars !! He comes to the shop once a year !! With his dad .
Thanks Eddie! That's so cool that you passed those along to a kid - hopefully he played with at least one of them and let his imagination soar! Go Team Honcho!
Wow great job. Those gold pipes pop. Cheers Graham
Thanks Graham!
A very cool fire truck, that turned out beautifully.
Thanks John!
Thanks for that decal trick! Simple and effective!
Thanks! It really is a quick and easy way to get a white background in some situations for inkjet or laserprinted decals.
One heck of an upgrade. Paint looks amazing on it. The gold accents makes a big difference
Thanks Neil! Gotta love the Metalcast paints! The cheap gold pen set I picked up on Amazon really came in handy for this build!
I wasn't sure at the beginning, but this came out awesome. Love the fire truck vibe.
Thanks Scott!
It looks awesome
Thanks!
Awesome job Jim 👏. Love the color. Thanks for sharing, take care and stay safe my friend 😊
Thanks Gary! That Metalcast red is a tough color to beat! You take care and stay safe out there too!
Another amazing customization, looks beautiful!👍
Thanks so much!
Great job Jim! I remember having a silver Spacer Racer. This brought back some memories.
Thanks Greg!
Excellent Jim!
Thanks Ron!
I played with that hotwheel alot when I was seven! I loved it! 😊
Very cool casting Dad, I'd never seen this one before either. Turned out fantastic like always!!!
Thanks so much Son! It's a cool little casting...I really want to do one again, but with an entirely different look.
WOW! This is awesome. The little details are spot on. Love it!!
Thanks Leo!
Spacer Racer is my all time favorite Hot Wheels casting.
Great job Jim. I loved this casting as a kid
Thanks Pete! It really is a fun casting!
Nice work as always, Jim! UV resin also works well for filling in holes and sands well once cured. I've even used it to make/fill in small windows (though not perfect).
Thanks Patrick! I have one of those Bondic resin pens, but for some reason, I use it infrequently...always opting instead for my good old buddy JB Weld lololol I really should think about the resin more often.
As a kid, I thought that casting was always cool and had a couple of them. You did a fantastic job with it, brother. I like it.
Thanks David! I had a blast doing this one!
Great work buddy, looks better than new
Thanks Dan!
That turned out so nice. Good idea to paint all the piping in gold, it makes it look more like a firetruck 👌
Thanks Fernando! I was hoping the gold would really give it that look...and it would be a shame to leave all of that wonderful detail hidden under the paint.
looks great, and you're right, firetrucks never look plain. :) Love the details you added, and you're right about the lettering. :)
Thanks Lothar! Yep, to do a proper firetruck, it should look amazing.
Very nice restoration buddy 😊
Thanks Charlie!
What an awesome job the gold on the pipes does stand out. The was great 😎
Thanks so much Armando!
👍 Thx 🇧🇪.
Thanks Rudi!
Don't remember that cast, you've done an excellent job, Jim. 👍🤓
Thanks Uri!
Very awesome build, Jim. That paint and gold piping look great. I also really like those wheels and tires.
Thanks so much Todd!
Great job Jim 👍🏻
Thanks Mark!
@JimSilva-SilvaDiecastCustoms you're welcome 😊
This turned out great. I never look twice at this casting, but now you got me wanting to do one! 🤣
Thanks Brian! You should do one! When I've looked at the casting, I've always been tempted, but until I received this one with the nozzle, I just never got around to it. Now I want to do another one completely differently lol
Today I decided to read the comments first before writing one. All the nice things are already said and I agree with them.
Thanks Fritz!
Pretty sick Jim, love the attention to detail! Had this as a kid, 2nd hand and the gun/nozzle was half broken. I think I may have traded for it. LOL
Thanks Ray! I couldn't leave those details hiding any longer lol
Awesome build Jim Silva
Thanks Brandon!
I think it looks kinda like Space 1999. You really improved it!
Thanks! I can see the Space 1999 look in it too!
Awesome job Jim, I love the paint and details. I still have mine and remember loosing the water cannon in the sandbox in kindergarten. 😅
Thanks! I think one day when school isn't in session, I should borrow a metal detector and see how many casting I can find (heck, the elementary school I attended is within walking distance...I might be able to find some of my own childhood cars lol)
@JimSilva-SilvaDiecastCustoms that's a great idea
Lovely work. I always smile when restorers take apart a model and find the part that is normally missing like the hose you can’t just pull off. So how did they all get lost on most models 😂
🤣🤣🤣 All I can figure Andy is that I'm much weaker as an old man than I was as a kid 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for watching!
Nice resto mod. Looks great.
Thanks Jody! Hey! When does your event start? Go Team Honcho!
@ more details coming on Wastelands Wednesday this week
😮❤️🔥👍😎
Thanks Dane!
I've never seen this one before.
It's a really interesting casting!
Looks great! Although, with no air in space, can there be fire??? LOL
RIGHT!?!?!? That was exactly the question I asked when I read that it was a nozzle lololol. I guess we can’t question what’s possible in fantasy space lololol. Thanks Jamie!
Welp. You failed your own assignment. It doesnt look like a toy....😐
To be perfectly fair, Im not really a huge fan of fantasy castings.
This one does in fact look like the future of first response rescue and flame repression. Something we could see if we colonized Mars. You did a fantastic job. Your intent to avoid making it look real and keep it toy friendly backfired. In an enviroment solvent of our own concepts of earthbound rigs would find compounds and alloys that might ressemble the plasticky yellows you left. The hyper detail of the brass lines and the chrome fittings served to ellevate the realism. So....yeah....good on you for another perfect Silva Build....
🤣🤣🤣 Thanks so much Don!
Nice but when I was collecting I never purchased sifi cars…. Im more of a real guy…plus i’m retired FDNY…