I was recently contacted by a fellow fan of the show to purchase some parts for his Maruzen Detachable P-38. He also mentioned that he was lucky to find an MGC UNCLE Walther P-38 replica for $10.00!!!!
It was, I thought, in pretty good shape and agreed to restore it.
Upon receiving it, I saw there were plenty of problems that needed to be addressed.
The slide and trigger were locked in place, the barrel was split, the magazine just falls out, the safety lever would not lock in place.
The left-hand grip had, at one time, developed a crack from side-to-side and repaired with super glue.
Both grips had surface scratches and the grip retaining bolt was super glued in place on the grip.
After grinding out the original bolt, I saw that all the springs needed were missing!
Using my wire brush attachment on my bench grinder, I stripped off all of the original finish and used hand files to sharpen the edges and remove blemishes.
I was lucky enough to find springs in my parts box that were able to be used as substitutes.
As you look through the photos you'll see what I did in the restoration process.
All in all, I felt pretty good that I was able to bring this replica "back to life". I know he'll now proudly display it alongside his collectibles.
Hope you enjoy the post. ---Ed
