I'm so excited to start trashbashing this little red made in China truck bank that I found for 50 cents; it has a natural hole in the bottom for lighting--and I will be adding glassine or vellum windows--and maybe somebody "driving"--a silhouette if I can find one....its about 5 1/2 inches long by about 4 inches high--the perfect size and type for my Brooklyn Christmas putz and trashbashed brownstone https://www.flickr.com/photos/22283683@ ... F6q-ihu4W5

Hope it works out--I'm off to the store for snow glitter

I think that will make a good start. I just passed up three of those at a train show, but I wasn't thinking "putz," when I saw them.

Stage 2
almost there--needs snow, a new "label", window "glass"

Looks great, Maria!

Maria...is the finish "glitter blast"?...the photo looks like you used a gray primer first...

By the way...super low price...only 50-cents...I'll take about a dozen!...

My very best regards...Howard...

Great little truck, Maria. Toy cars are actually how I came to learn about cardboard Christmas houses and accessories, so I am glad to see others are at least mildly interested. One of my favorite looks in vintage toy cars is the red wooden wheel and white rubber tire treatment as was featured on slush cast and die cast toys in the 1930s. I always think of Christmas when I see them. Just to show what I am talking about, here is a poorly modified pic of your truck with them as well as a real photo of a Hubley LaSalle that I restored. Immitating the look is easy, just paint the tires slightly off white and the wheels red.

Love the Hubley!

Love the hubley!

As to the finish it is as follows:
one coat of primer meant for plastic
one coat of glue
one coat of sand
one coat of primer meant for plastic again
hand painted brown
finished with krylon silver glitter blast

lots of days of drying in between

p.s. like the red inside the wheels--may just have to try that

First DC thanks for the idea about the red in the wheels! Second thank you Paul for all the trashbashing encouragement through the years!

Stage 3

Added snow
Added red glitter to wheels
hit with a coat of sealer

now to try the windows--there's not much for the "glass" to grab onto--we shall see

A possibility for windows would be finding a vacuum formed clear plastic package from something you bought - anything that is sealed to a cardboard back with a "bubble" to enclose the product. It may be difficult to get just the right size and shape, but see what you have around before going to possibility number two. And that is using sheet plastic thick enough to hold creases. You will have better luck adhering the windows if you have a flat windshield and then fold back the material for each side window. With vertical windshiled pillars, this should work well. Again the raw material can be from a packaged item with sufficient flat clear plastic to make all three panes.

[Bends may be easier if you score the surface lightly with a sharp blade amd use a straight edge to keep the bend straight.]

Opps, I just realized, I am thinking of an unassembled toy car and adding windows during construction. This may be completely useless if you are dealing with a permanently assembled toy truck. But maybe it will at least be useful on your next vehicle project.