Vintage Tonka Rescue Ambulance Figures and Stretcher Restoration

I completed this restoration project today. It's a vintage Tonka rescue ambulance complete with figures and a stretcher!
The two Tonka 6 inch figures and the 6.25 inch long stretcher (6.25”X3”X2” LxWxH) I believe are original to this Tonka rescue ambulance set. I also have another old damaged ambulance van that needs restoration too, and it would have been neat to put them together, but both are pretty big projects, so I'll do the ambulance van in the near future and show them together then.
One of the biggest challenges of this project was the cleaning of the little figures clothing.
These were hard working little guys, they'd been through a lot, definitely needed laundry and a shower!!
I had to wash them carefully four times in all to get a satisfactory result. The ordinary Tide detergent used for the first time didn't clean them at all, so next I washed the clothes with the stronger detergent OxiClean for a second try. They were finally clean, but the stains on the clothes were not removed.
I decided to try a little Clorox bleach detergent for the third time washing, and the stains disappeared, but as I was worried about, some of the color was washed off the clothes. Finally, I added a vinegar dip and the colors recovered a little. It's not perfect, but still looks pretty good. I had a plan to use some dye to restore the colors, but I was worried that the color wouldn't remain exactly the same, so I decided to just leave it alone. If some of you are paramedics, I'm open to advice on cleaning the stains out of your uniforms for future reference. :0)
I'm so happy that my daughter Emily got more involved in this project. She has strong hands-on skills and likes to make some things by herself. Once I walked into the garage last summer and saw her clamp a wooden board in the vise, and start sawing the board by herself!! It really scared me, but I was happy to see her so excited and courageous to start a project on her own!! My son Eric was actually involved in this project too, the last few seconds of the thank you clip in the video were edited by him. I'm really happy and proud that they both enjoy getting involved in my projects and want to give me a helping hand!
I hope you enjoy the results. Thanks so much for watching, and feel free to tell me what you think in the comments below.
If you like my videos, I would really appreciate a thumbs up and hitting the subscribe button!
#Restoration#TonkaFigures#DIY

Пікірлер: 43

  • @jiandu1773
    @jiandu17733 жыл бұрын

    Good job 👍👍

  • @annettemalaski1967
    @annettemalaski19673 жыл бұрын

    You did a great job getting rid of the sun damage!

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the compliment and comment!👍🌹

  • @c.j.cleveland7475
    @c.j.cleveland74752 жыл бұрын

    A.R.s Significant Other : "What're you doing in there, honey?" A.R. : "Just a little ironing, dear." 😁

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    2 жыл бұрын

    😄😄👍👍

  • @Tim-57
    @Tim-573 жыл бұрын

    Nice clean up. Great to see your Daughter in the with you. I would not want to meet the guy they modeled the figures after...just kidding😉

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the comment and support! 👍😊

  • @PatriciaHernandez-ez5li
    @PatriciaHernandez-ez5li10 ай бұрын

    GRACIAS. GRACIAS. GRACIAS!!! POR DARLES UNA SEGUNDA VIDA. RESCATAR ESTOS BELLOS EJEMPLARES AL PRINCIPIO. PENSE CUANTAS MANOS MANIPULARON ESTE. VOLKSWAGEN Y. JUGARON CON EL Y DEJAR VOLAR SU IMAGINACION. ES TAN BELLO TU TRABAJO MAGICO NUEVAMENTE GRACIAS. GRACIAS. GRACIAS!!! TE ENVIO LUZ. ATI A TU FAMILIA Y A TODOS MIS AMADOS HERMANOS !!!❤️❤️❤️

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    10 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for your wonderful comment!!!👍👍🎉🎉🍻😄

  • @johnkaiser2549
    @johnkaiser2549 Жыл бұрын

    Nice tribute to First Responders, well done! Hope we'll see the ambulance project in the near future! Thanks again, really enjoy your videos!

  • @johnkaiser2549

    @johnkaiser2549

    Жыл бұрын

    ..forgot a pat on the back to your daughter! Nice contribution young lady, good job!

  • @annettemalaski1967
    @annettemalaski19672 жыл бұрын

    I have never seen such effort put inti

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much! 👍👍🎉🎉

  • @paulorth2251
    @paulorth22513 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for showing respect for first responders as they help the sick and injured.

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    They are heroes, they are the most respectable people in the pandemic. Thank you for the wonderful comment!👍👍

  • @williamharris8367
    @williamharris83673 жыл бұрын

    I had this toy! It was around 1980. It was one of only two Tonka vehicles (that I knew of) that included figures. The other was a TV news van with a female figure.

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much that you let me know more about the Tonka figures!👍👍

  • @oneshotme
    @oneshotme3 жыл бұрын

    Sure looks 100% better Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!!!

  • @oneshotme

    @oneshotme

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@ar_restoration You are welcome!!!

  • @caracoolbaugh7530
    @caracoolbaugh75303 жыл бұрын

    Wow! The ambulance attendants turned out great! And the stretcher...I can’t get over how well that turned out! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the great comment and support as always! 👍👍🌹🌹

  • @samanthadean1083
    @samanthadean10833 жыл бұрын

    Woot! First comment!!! When I saw the masks, I just about died laughing! 😂 Fantastic job, as always!!! ❤️

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the great compliment and support as always! 👍🌹

  • @jadeblues357
    @jadeblues3572 жыл бұрын

    😎 Great job kind of nice when you can get your kids involved huh🥰

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    2 жыл бұрын

    👍👍Thank you for your compliment and comment!!!😊

  • @amilcarmoncada1801
    @amilcarmoncada18013 жыл бұрын

    Estupendo trabajo de restauración de camillas y figuras de ambulancia de rescate Tonka vintage, desde Venezuela mis respetos y saludos, 💯👍💯💯👍👍👍

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    Muchas gracias por tu gran cumplido, comentario y apoyo como siempre !!! 👍👍👍

  • @raylroads
    @raylroads3 жыл бұрын

    Loved how they turned out!

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for the comment!👍

  • @elisaortizmignolet419
    @elisaortizmignolet4192 жыл бұрын

    Muy buen trabajo este capitulo fue diferente lavar ropita y planchar muy lindo gracias

  • @Vicky-liwei-1393
    @Vicky-liwei-13933 жыл бұрын

    😊👍

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @citibear57
    @citibear57 Жыл бұрын

    That was fun! I loved the opening and closing with the ambulance. I know why those two men (twins!) were smiling....you didn't have to sandblast them! 😂 Awesome that your entire family (Emily, Mary, and Eric) get involved! Now that I know the names of your family members, may I also know your first name? Or is it just Mr AR? 😂Good job, everyone 👍

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much!!👍👍🎉🎉🍻😄

  • @r.j.messinger1116
    @r.j.messinger11162 жыл бұрын

    Would it have been possible to try running them through the dishwasher? If clipped to the racks inside, they might have been easier to clean. Just an idea, I have never tried it.

  • @larryweaver5667
    @larryweaver56673 жыл бұрын

    And black boots.

  • @joergcrux
    @joergcrux3 жыл бұрын

    top ng

  • @TerryProthero
    @TerryProthero3 жыл бұрын

    But aren't they supposed to look messed up because they were in a tragic accident?

  • @ar_restoration

    @ar_restoration

    3 жыл бұрын

    😊👍

  • @Vicky-liwei-1393
    @Vicky-liwei-13933 жыл бұрын

    Good job 👍👍