I thought shop would be an easy way to maintain my grade point average. Why did you think it would be easy? Have you seen the dopes in shop? I take shop.
what i would do, wouldn't be a restoration in the strictest sense, as it would not incorporate any of the original parts, which would be left as much as possible as is, but scan each part for its dimensions, and then 3d print, brand new parts, without the deformations and voids, and assemble them into a whole new reproduction of what the origeonal would have looked like when whole and new. or possibly even lazer cut sheet metal of the original thickness. when i was little, toys made of that kind of tinplate with the little metal tabs that are bent over to join the parts, were quite common and i had some myself, especially little cars with flywheel or wind up propulsion. (i also had take it apart ivness, for which a single thin bladed screwdriver would suffice. the tabs could after all be straightened and re-bent, just not many times before they would succumb to metal fatigue.)
I have restored model cars and trains before. I have broken those little stupid tabs on them. It's a pain but it's worth it at the end.