Datsuncog

Not much of interest to be found out and about today: B&M have some Hot Wheels Flying Customs in, alongside their other premiums.. ...but no price made me a bit chary, and the three left on the pegs just didn't quite interest me in the same way the VW Rabbit and Chevette did in the older range. So, nah. Poundland only had some of the 'orrible Speed Trapper trailers left. And that was your lot - no Hot Wheels or anything. Poundstretcher could have been interesting, with their Matchbox Working Rigs now HALF PRICE, but... ...empty pegs. Still, this branch only had a handful left a fortnight ago - but the Belfast Castle Street branch had dozens last Friday, so might be worth a looksie on Monday... There was this boxed (but opened) Porsche 911 Rally still kicking around, though. And plenty of these rubbishy generic diecast, the range of which I realised were actually just exactly the same models in different packaging... How does a car that doesn't exist scale to 1:64, anyway? I swung past Home Bargains too, but they had no Matchbox and nothing Hot Wheels beyond a few lurid fantasy playsets. Ah well.

In the interests of full disclosure, some purchasing was done earlier. This lot. See, I felt a bit sorry for the Limeflower Marina, rattling round loose in its box, so felt it incumbent on me to perform a rescue of sorts. In fact, most of the hard-boxed stuff today was unsecured and bashing around inside along with the screws and plastic spacers, which wasn't really helping matters for anyone. All for the want of a small screwdriver. I've already a Marina 1.8 in Teal in the Cog Collection, but I kinda like the little split nose seen on the early 1.3 versions. I'd noticed a pale Marina just about visible in the pics and hoped it was the Sandglow version - but Limeflower's still pretty good. Other than a slightly wonky wiper, it's in good shape. Ditto the Oxford Daimler DS420 limo. Just as the actual car's a monster of a thing, so's the model. I'll post up some better pics of these two at a later date, sure. The Pat Moss Monte Carlo A40 for @AndyW201 is in fairly decent fettle too. The 'collector card' is a bit creased, but still present. One of 1,500, apparently. Collect 'em all, kids. And a quick stop-off at B&M Newtownabbey yielded these on the Matchbox clipstrips: Yup, that's a Carrera for @eddyramrod - assuming I've got the right model, I'll be able to get your latest tat box packed and sent! I just like the Mk1 Civic; and I don't have a red one yet. But I do now.

Sure thing - will check for that next time I'm in. A lot of the Vanguards were a bit so-so: plenty of missing/ squashed mirrors, and those rattling round the acrylic cases unsecured had lost roof lights and other details. The Nemesis claims he doesn't do eBay, but I'm sceptical... Ten pounds asked on that one - but then all the EFE stuff was priced the same. What is it, and why's it rare? My knowledge of buses and bus models is rudimentary at best...

I was still around - and the '59 Monte Carlo Rally-winning A40 now picked up for you. No deals currently offered - it's all new stock, so he's keen to get a tenner each on them. I daresay in a few weeks he'd be happy to reduce them to £5/ discuss deals on whatever's left, but not just yet...

There wasn't much to be seen on the other stalls today, really. Alan's 50p Tray was uncharacteristically chaotic, but didn't have much new to interest. Charity Stall had even less. Unless you're mad keen on secondhand kitchen gadgets... Irish Gifts had more Hot Wheels, and the same Greenlights we've seen before... And also this boxed ID Racer at the top right, at a fiver. It's probably a good day for him to offload these Greenlights, too... So, there we are. With no office to scuttle back to, I sat down with a coffee and a remarkably crumbly scone to crop the photos and assemble some sort of summary to chronicle the morning for posterity... But I think that might be it for this week. Happy Friday, kids.

Well then - despite getting a clear run in, and managing to park directly outside the market, I was not the first to today's Tat Table. As feared a few weeks back, The Nemesis did not take kindly to me besting him over the Rockets Capri and Gamdakoor Impala, so presumably now has his alarm set for 4.30 to ensure maximum diecast opportunity. Hell's teeth, it was only 7.45 and he already had a sizeable stack set aside at the back of the stall. That's a Mk1 Escort, Avenger, and P6 in rozzermobile trim he's had, plus a Mini 3-piece set - and I was saddened to note there had been a delightful Roman Bronze MkIV Cortina in the crates, along with two police Transits - one of which was the accident set, with figures and cones and whatnot. He'd also dibsed an early Corgi Classics Mk1 Lotus Cortina, that blue Series 1 P6 under discussion yesterday, and the red Mk1 Granada that I'd kinda had an eye on. Must be £100+ there, easily. Yeah, this is kinda getting out of my league, somewhat. Talk about an arms race. *Sigh*... Looks like this is the only Roman Bronze I'll be getting my paws on today... But! All maudlins aside, here's what there actually was left: Plenty of police Vanguards, though the boxes are a bit rumpled and foxed. Assorted Atlas reworking of Vanguards police castings, plus civilian castings. Top left is a Jaguar XJ12, upside down. More oldish Vanguards, Atlas and a stray Oxford or two. There doesn't seem to be anything here that anyone had asked me to keep an eye out for Some rally stuff - P6 and A40 - and vans. First sweep's always a bit messy, as the stuff's usually just whacked into the crates any old how, and it takes me a while to straighten them all up. That's a bit better. Another johnny-come-lately box then put in an appearance: I'd hoped there might be some treasures therein, but not really. I don't know why there's a Vanguards Anglia in a Schabak box - just one of many mysteries... Cararama 1/43 all rattling round loose in their boxes. Also some late 1990s twin sets, priced at £15. And this Haynes tie-in, also £15. There were also a few loose items - but mainly just last week's stuff. Corgi Classics were very dusty and missing mirrors and wipers etc. And there were some loose Hot Wheels and similar. 'And similar' encompassing these no-names: And that was... kinda that, I'm afraid. Ah well. Some you win, some you lose.

Bit less snowy this morning, it's true. Kinda misty, though. Officially sponsored tat-hunting trainers: ON.

Will see what shows up in the crates come the morning! Just to say, tomorrow's a public holiday here so I'll only be swinging past the market in the morning - bit of a 'one and done' situation. I'll try to get some pics posted up around 9am, and I may be able to hang around for a short while afterwards, in case there's anything anyone's mad keen for me to secure on their behalf - but come 10 o'clock I'll need to be hitting the road, so it's gonna be a brief event with no lunchtime second round this week! Catch you on the flipside...

Yep, that looks like the one. Add Martini stickers and one extra headlight, then delete the spoiler, and you're there. I think I was always slightly cross with it because it didn't look like a proper 911 to me...

Good stuff - will see what turns up, sure! I think the '73 3500S in Scarab Blue was a limited-edition run (1500 produced, maybe?), so it's a bit tougher to find, but - anything's possible! I kinda fancy that S1 P6 myself, so that could all work out well. I've the S2 in Avocado Green, but got rid of my Tobacco Brown S1 because it had a weirdly warped base with a gap between door and sill, so didn't display all that well.

In terms of creating a circular economy, I reckon this thread has it nailed...

Think that Unimog forklift passed through my hands, many moons ago. 50p Box refugee from December 2019.

There looks to be a blue P6 in one of the crates, but going by the box it'll be an earlier version without the vinyl roof, rather than the eggbox-grille '70s version. Still, will keep my eyes peeled just in case - is that Scarab Blue?

Not sure if it was me or someone else - but I definitely had one of those when I was very young, or at least one of the copies - mine was red, and the huge rear spoiler had fallen off at some point, along with one of the headlamps. No idea where mine came from - either new from a 50p shop or secondhand from a jumble sale, possibly. It lived in a twilight netherworld at the bottom of my toybox, like a little diecast Gollum - too small to mix it with my 1/36 Corgi and Matchbox Superkings stuff, but too big to fit on the Playtrack with my smaller Matchbox, Corgi Juniors and Majorettes. In the end, I think it went into a box of my old toys which ended up in my mother's classroom for her P4 kids to play with - I hope it found its purpose there. I'd expected her to bring them back home when she retired, but they got given to another teacher! Still, it was playing with some utterly trashed 1950s Dinkys and Matchbox on wet lunchtimes c.1985 which sparked my interest in really old toys, along with finding this book in the library... So maybe my work here is done.

On the flipside, there are certain Tat Traders who seek to help rather than hinder... I have it on good authority that these will be on the market stall tomorrow morning. Mostly Vanguards, though some Oxford, Atlas and Corgi Classics in there too. Some OOC & EFE bus action too, having been absent for a few weeks now. I'm told they'll be priced at £10 each - so not cheap-cheap, but probably a fair enough price. If there's anything you see that you like, or anything you're particularly searching for, then do sing up in the next few hours...

All I'll say is it must have taken him a right while - he's got a veritable wall of Oxford stuff, about double what's shown there in the photo:

Sure thing! Don't know if I'll get a chance to tack across town tomorrow, but I should be in on Monday - let's just hope it's not £25 by then! I mean, inflation's an issue right now but that's nuts... Yeah - sometimes it's the money, and sometimes it's the goddam principle of the thing. I checked all the Rolls models in case there'd been some mistake and another one had come to the front during the shelf move, but two of the three were priced with a (suspiciously fresh) £15 sticker, while one had no price but looked like a sticker had been removed. Hmm. Just annoying. Every time I'm in there I just come away feeling slightly annoyed, which is why I've given it a swerve for nearly three years now despite having some quite desirable stock. From what I can tell, much of the store's turnover comes from the plastic kits side of the business, which makes up quite a bit of the floorspace. Military stuff, for the most part. There used to be a fair few places that did model kits in the city centre - The Model Shop, Leisureworld, The Modeller's Nook, even Hawkins' Bazaar - but they're all gone now, leaving this as the last place standing. I can remember from my own model shop days that there was huge markup on the kits - if they were priced at £10 on the shelf, then they wouldn't have cost us more than £1 to buy in wholesale. So, if that's what's keeping him afloat then fair enough - though I also noticed he'd been through all the Oxford Diecast 1/72 stuff with his marker pen, crossing out '£6.50' and writing '£7.50' directly onto the packaging...

Also - more Thursday Tat Unboxing, and this time we're Live From Lidl. The first challenge was to surreptitiously retrieve the box from the parcel cabinet on my way out, all while MrsDC was standing in front of it. But, mission accomplished. And inside... A(nother) Ford Crown Victoria in California Highway Patrol colours, and a Wartburg Tourist! Hey, I'm a sucker for a longroof. Thanks so much, @eddyramrod!

Oof, that Montreal is delightful! One of my all-time favourites, I have to say. A fantastic addition to your collection (which you don't have, so it's not). 😉

I suppose good originals will always hold their value - but yes, I think I'd be waiting for the Corgi Model Club issue if I wanted to get my hands on one!

Oh, and I had a closer look at this one while I was in yesterday - turns out it's priced at £60. Not cheap, exactly - but I daresay you could spend more on (what appears to be) a MIB example. The five final phase Matchbox Dinky models, made using the old Vitesse castings, were priced at £30 a throw. Also could be worse - but there were not many bargains to be found...

I took a look in our local Tesco Extra last night, but the bins there were still devoid of Matchbox bar about five motorcycle trailers, two grey Mazda 3s and a lone Buick convertible. Still, good news that more might be on the way soon. B&M's still cheaper, mind...

Remember this little lot of 1980s Matchbox Superkings goodness, from Friday? And that @Noel Tidybeard was keen on the Suzuki at the advertised price of £15, while @Split_Pin was interested in the Rolls at £10 - the same price as the E32 BMW and Jag XJ12, which also came from here? Well, I went back in yesterday afternoon. First thing that I noticed was that the shelves had been rearranged, and so these Matchbox had been moved from the very bottom to the middle tier. Mmm, okay. Second thing I noticed... Sorry, what now? Ah great. Those... weren't the prices shown on Friday. I wonder if he noticed me looking at these, then wandered over afterwards and thought "mmm, those are a bit cheap"? Well, bollocks. I mean, it's his shop and all, etc etc, but still - that's a bit of a hike. I bet the lower prices are still written below the stickers, directly onto the box. Cos that's what he does, and it bugs me inordinately. Forty year old Mettoys - price scrawled on, in permanent marker. It's not like he doesn't have labels either. Ah well. Right. That threw me a bit. It's a cash-only store, and I'd made an ATM withdrawal on the way over based on the prices I believed they were. I'm still happy to go back and get these two, folks - if you're alright with the 33% and 50% price hikes, respectively. But I didn't want to charge on ahead and scoop them up at a higher price than I'd led you to believe. I mean, they may well still be cheaper than equivalent eBay pricing - but nonetheless, I felt quite miffed about this turn of events. So let me know if it's a yea or a nay to proceed. Just to wind myself up even more, I glared at the sealed freezer bags of tat heaped up, still with zero takers. I don't know why this place irritates so much - but it does. Actually, I do know. I'm also regretting deleting my whingey screed from Friday now. Aaaaaaand breathe. So, trying very hard to feel a little more zen, I wandered over to the loose tat section at the far end of the counter. The Mercedes C111 was still there, as was the Paul Bracq designed BMW Turbo concept car, from 1972. Both are Hong Kong made Lintoy clockwork models; both (still) priced at a fiver. Not mint - but both pretty good. Didn't try the powered mechanisms, though. So, I did buy this pair - any good to @flat4alfa? Otherwise I'll offer them out more generally on my tat thread (which I really ought to update later on). There were also a few other oddities which I hadn't noticed on Friday: Kidco Corvette and no-name 300ZX key cars, at £1 a throw. Majorette beach buggy with yellow wheels and a front light bar, at £2. Texaco and Agip transfers look like they're Scalextric waterslides added on by a young owner, not Majorette originals. Though I could be wrong... This Siku model of a 1920s White lorry was one that's unfamiliar to me - but priced at £15. And I hadn't really noticed before, but there are loads of these ceramic pigs stuffed into various cabinets - I think @bunglebus mentioned these earlier in the week. No gold ones, though. I did manage to pick up the Corgi Rockets GP Beach Buggy for Mr. Bus, and in an effort to throw off my grump, treated myself to a not-quite-mint, but still very nice, Whizzwheels Lotus Europa. The buggy's paint could be better, but the windscreen and rollbar are intact so I guess that's not too bad for the price. So - all a bit meh, I'm afraid. Old toys, eh? Minefield.

Well, there's your problem m8. These things need a damn good thrashing from time to time. Says so in the Haynes manual.

Indeed it is still alive - I snapped a few pics of it yesterday on the outskirts of Belfast: Looks very much cared for - and I hope to see more of it, if it's local! But yes - just the three doors. Out of interest, where did you find your pic of CBE? Online search result, or is it a 'known car' in shiter circles?