Fighter Pilot Window Box Restoration

Like location in real estate,  in collecting the three most important things are condition, condition, and condition.  Even when the economy is rough, rarer pieces in outstanding condition can still bring astounding prices.  But what about rare items in rough shape?  Kids, time, and poor storage have not been kind to most vintage toy packaging.  Usually when a piece is seriously damaged it is best to pass it by, but sometimes an item is uncommon enough to warrant an investment in restoration.  A case in point is this 1967 Fighter Pilot box.  On first glance it's a heartbreaking disaster:

The box exhibits serious water damage and de-lamination and loss of the paper surface, especially at the top of the box.  The illustrated side panel has a number of tears across the image, some of which had been badly glued together.  Most boxes in this shape should be resigned to the back of the shelf.

Working on the box

While it might be better to run away from such a project piece, the Fighter Pilot window box is rarely available on the collector's market, and in decent shape can command thousands of dollars.  This is a case where the chance to find one makes up for the work necessary to repair it.   Thankfully, Anthony Restorations, the talented husband and wife team who previously restored two Special Value Boxes and the original art for Danger of the Depths came to the rescue again.  

After careful assessment, Brian began by disassembling the box.  I provided him with reference  photos of missing sections, courtesy of  fellow collector Joezeta.  

The box was carefully pressed flat and carefully cleaned.  New surface paper was adhered to areas of loss, and the graphics replicated by a combination of photographic reproduction and hand painting.  The extensive edge wear was retouched.  Tears were closed with neutral ph adhesive, and missing detail carefully retouched.  The brown lines from water damage were cleaned and retouched with a matching background color.  Below, the box in process.

Left, the box reassembled and ready for final work.  Note the mid process work on the logo area below.  I made up a matching backing card and resewed a high-grade fighter pilot set to it. 

The finished product...

It's hard to believe that this is the same box as the one at the top of the page.  The stability, color and excitement of the graphics has been brought back from near destruction.  Upon close examination, the repair work can be detected, so there is no chance of this being passed off as 100% original, but the visual impact is second to none.

For protection I enclosed the box in cellophane that I carefully taped closed.  In the past I have had boxes shrink-wrapped but have found that over time and in the case of poor storage, the wrap can continue to shrink and end up damaging boxes.  Heavy duty clear cellophane available through art supply stores is inexpensive, won't shrink, and can be easily removed and replaced.


If you have any vintage box restoration in mind, especially on higher end items, it will be well worth your time to contact Brian and Kim at Anthony Restorations.  Visit their website, or e-mail them at thehaneyplace@sbcglobal.net