I usually try to keep things original. Trying to source original parts and do as little modifications as possible but this particular TPS-L2 belongs to a friend who's looking to quickly get it up and running and suitable for use, so here comes the custom handmade parts! The TPS-L2 was in a sorry state. On top of the missing parts, the whole mechanism was jammed, and there was no sign of life. The culprit was rust, in the battery contacts and deep inside the mechanism. Which necessitates a total teardown of the mechanics (first time for me to actually tear it apart this much). After cleaning off the rust, I repainted the chassis and cassette compartment and reassemble the mechanism. Then I started on remaking stuff. Starting with the door hinges which was completely torn off. For this, I used aluminum strips from soda cans. The blue side panel was hand carved from a sheet of ABS plastic. I've made some of this before and am quite happy with how it looks. The battery cover was carved out of 5 mm PVC sheets. I opted for PVC since it's much easier to carve & sand. I should have used thinner stock, but I didn't have any so I was forced to sand them down to 1-2 mm. It was very difficult to get a precise shape and dimension, partly due to it being thicker as well, so it wasn't a perfect fit. It's fitter using a hinge of the same system of the original and I printed some metallic stickers to complement it as well. The battery latch is replaced with a velcro system (which is completely removable if a proper battery cover is found) Achieving the correct color proves to be quite difficult, and the end result is a bit of a compromise. If repainting the entire body, I'd say it's an almost perfect color, but that's not something I wanna do. I kept the original blue of the panels and the original albeit worn down silver of the side cover. To achieve the color, I experimented with what canned spray paint I could easily find. In the end I decided on a 6 coat process of primer, dark blue base coat, a thinner coat of silvery ice blue, 2 very thin extra coats of a darker blues to further deepen the ice blue, and a final layer of dull lacquer. The end result was a shade that very closely resembles the original at some angles, but differ at other angles. Oh well, I'm quite content with it. Not bad for a first try I think. In contrast, the electronics were in excellent condition. Just some contact cleaner on the volume sliders and things were good. Only the motor was jammed, which is easily fixed by spraying some cleaner. In case anybody's wondering, 3D printing was quite far off my mind. That would require a 3D model, something I'm no longer familiar with. I did, though, think of resin casting. But the raw materials are expensive (considering the amount my friend is willing to pay for this particular project), and I'm not sure of its strength if the end product is this thin. And making stuff from scratch is fun as well
Excellent job on this restoration. I didnt see the original battery cover but making a new one is almost like an impossible task just by basic Technics you used. How did you get the label on battery cover???? its same as original:
Thanks!! I do enjoy challenging myself, especially on the cosmetic and mechanical side of restorations. As for the electronics side, I still have a lot to learn The label's home made as well. Created a ~95% accurate vector file of it based on a scan of real ones and laser-printed it at home on a metallic silver sticker. Laminated it too for durability. I'll share the vector files here perhaps. I have many extras as well if anybody wants one, but I'm not sure they're worth the postage...
Yet another prospective member for IPMS (international plastic modellers society) is being born Impressive Job!!! The closest I have ever got was when fixing Sony D-150 Discman:
Hmm... Firlsy, my heart wouldn't let me do that. In some way, I'm more of a how-it-looks than how-it-sound kinda guy. So those mono units are not something I'd sacrifice for parts. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it's not actually a practical option. International shipping is around $30, and you just don't find them in the local market. While I can say that there's a TPS-L2 or WM-3 every 1-2 months you rarely see any TCM-600. As an example, in my 3 years of collecting, I've had 5 TPS-L2 (sold 3) and 4 WM-3, but I've only ever seen 6 TCM-600 for sale anywhere, 2 of them last month from a guy who buys stuff abroad. On top of that, these units are fetching a premium, in the neighborhood $50-100, whereas the market price of the TPS-L2 and WM-3 is around $75-150 and $50-100. Hi! Wow, that's some very impressively precise bevels. What plastic & technique did you use?
