andrew e

I've got "wood"

I see your CFs and raise you an old Fiat

Nice!
 
But, I raise you…


Full CF house!!
 

sensory overload

I've been keeping my eye out for one of those Majorette Escorts since they were mentioned a few weeks ago, think it might be a while before Europe gets them. In the meantime, more Matchbox sneaky peekys 

Well well well, looks like Majorette's dropping a Mk2 Escort into the range soon.

Be interesting to compare it with the recent Hot Wheels release (assuming someone here can find one!)

The most unexpected sight locally
a Mercury Monterey 
looking very very sorry for itself 

I did however come away with these two from last night's shopping trip:

1982 Nissan Skyline R30 Turbo, and 2001 Honda Civic Si, in relatively restrained 'scene' get-ups.
I kinda prefer solid colour versions like the Honda, as they tend to get detailed tampo prints on the front and rear, which looks a smidge more realistic than lairy graphics on the roof and sides. Mattel's policy on mainlines seems to generally put decoration on no more than three surfaces.

The R30 does have graphics on the side, which means it doesn't get so much detail on the front - though does have printed rear lights and a licence plate, which makes up for it a bit.

Having said that, the printing machine seems to have slipped on the offside unfortunately, so the stripe sort of runs downhill and the writing at the bottom of the door has been snipped off.

OMG ERROR CAR $$$$$
I didn't realise until I'd opened the pack, and looking back at the pics from the supermarket, I put the one that'd be properly printed back... well, duh.
But! 
I'm pleased to see some newish Hot Wheels releases are finally making it across the water.
Just have to find some of the Matchbox mainlines for 2024, now...

Sometimes i wish I hadn't seen things on here! What other versions are there, I could only see this one on Google? Now I've seen them I want a Hotwheels Mini pickup and van to go with the saloons I have! I do sometimes look through the Hot Wheels at toy fairs, but I've never seen a Mini and one seller told me he saves them for car shows where they sell for more money than most others!

Speaking of Hot Wheels... one I found in Asda over the weekend just past.

A 2023 release of a 1965 Mercury Comet Cyclone gasser.

I'm normally a bit put off gasser-style racers; they're not really my thing, but this one looked so nicely decorated with all-over tampos that it pushed me into handing over £1.90. I really like it.

It'd be nice to have a slightly more standard rendering of a '65 Comet, but I guess this is more what Hot Wheels is about.

I hadn't noticed the separate tailpipes exiting through the front arches until I took this pic, so that's a nice touch.

I'm probably gonna need more gassers now...

Hot Wheels one is nice but I've only ever found this version 
 

The pick up is a beauty!

I’m not sure anyone else who’s driven both would agree, but that’s opinions, they are all different 

That pick up looks great. 
Not many companies have done pick ups.
The only two I have had  1/43rd are these

 




 
Two that have alluded me over the years are the one from Spark, always very pricey when seen at fairs and shows. Rarely do they show up at auction.

The other one is from Ebbro. I have never seen one of these in the UK.

Some random shots from across France, some old some new all shite!
Will start off with a couple of blinders complete with failure to proceed!


Future shite we never got offered:

Where the streets have no shame:





Just parking….






French Ramrod:

FIN.

Some random shots from across France, some old some new all shite!
Will start off with a couple of blinders complete with failure to proceed!


Future shite we never got offered:

Where the streets have no shame:





Just parking….






French Ramrod:

FIN.

That was my original intention! The Patrol photobombing was a bonus!

Nice variety. Makes me look forward to our trip this year, little more than three months to go.
Your photos have me longing for the days when we can hopefully take a leisurely cruise around out of season.

In Sainsbury's, and they seem to have a load of late 2023 and early 2024 Hot Wheels cases mixed in together across two dump bins...
Anyone mad keen on any of these?

Civic and Skyline are especially nice. I've grabbed one each for myself.
Annoyingly, Sainsbury's prices are quite high at £2.30 a throw - so I'm not gonna be buying any more speculatively tonight, but will be here for the next 30 mins or so!
If you want any, do shout...

The Cambridge is looking fab @danthecapriman Just how Corgi should have done it!
Despite feeling shit today (I've managed to catch covid) I got a few bits and bobs completed between bouts of coughing and sneezing.
Mini pickup has had the bits of glazing that show polished as much as possible and the interior painted with black humbrol satin. This model is made from one I got to use the interior on another which I'd ruined the plastics with thinners so the good bits are in a green van now. The rough bits are from stripping the new paint off after it reacted with something and I didn't go over the top cleaning it up where it will hardly be seen.

Anyway here it is all back together

For the number plate I gooled mini pickup and used a reg I found

I kind of tried to keep it looking like it was made by Corgi

Comparing to Van and Countryman

Yes the interior of the pickup went into the green one

I also finally put together a Corgi Elan I painted ages ago  after seeing one someone had on here 155V6 maybe? Anyway I liked the purple with white stripe so here's mine

Needed a repro screen and the steering wheel comes from a Maisto Porsche

The Bburago 900 Turbo that I added the Aero body kit to is done as well, I know it's LHD and I stuck a UK plate on it, but I couldn't work out what a period Swedish one would be like. Perhaps I should have put an Italian one on.

It didn't have a steering wheel (I mean it never had) and I fitted one from a Corgi, but did no other modifications as I didn't feel like it any more, but wanted to get it finished.

It is interesting seeing it with the other Saab models I have, the Dinky 96 and Polistil 99 from childhood

 
The 9.5 I got the other day intending to use the Aero wheels on the 900, but decided it's too nice to ruin, however I am always a bit disappointed when the tailgate of an estate doesn't open

The two 99s are very consistant in size from the front to the rear wheel, extra length is in the hatchback

The grill on the Polistil isn't great though

While looking for the Saab 96 and 99 I found the other two Dinky Mini Clubmans (Clubmen?) I have, one is MIB and the other I already had is not as good as the one I got at the weekend
Interestingly the worst one also has sparkly lights which are yellow (been replaced?)  and has a different number plate

During the afternoon a large box was delivered...

It must have taken @Dick Longbridge hours to wrap this lot up, thanks again!
Since I was a bit off colour I didn't feel like wasting the excitement of unwrapping it all so that will wait, but I had a quick peek...

As promised, the old Corgi A60 is painted!
I still couldn’t decide on colours. I very nearly painted it maroon with white stripe, but having tested the paint colour first I wasn’t convinced. 
But, to be honest the colour scheme corgi used was nice. It was just the L plates and roof wheel thingy that bothered me so I decided in the end, if it ain’t broke… or whatever!
So,


Lada Adriatic blue with a gloss white stripe. The blue will tone down a bit once it dries. 
The stripe was a bastard to mask up well. A combination of fairly rough casting edges along what would be bright trims on the real car and this particular car has some pretty heavy chips and dings in the same place so the tape was hard to cut where they were. But, it’s a toy that’s been played with over the past half century plus so what do you expect!
The good thing is though I can disguise the wavy edges between blue & white by painting in the bright trim which Corgi didn’t do. That’ll have to wait a few days though as the blue needs to harden off.
There is a bit of a ding/damage to the boot lid too which I didn’t fix, and a slight - very slight! - bend to the roof… but it’s an old toy!
Not sure if I’ll find a replacement front solid axle for this or just glue the original steering wheels in the straight position. 
Obviously the steering mechanism won’t be getting refitted so the steering wheels will just flop around independently of each other if I don’t glue them.
I still think Corgi missed a trick not releasing this model later, maybe by altering the tooling to remove the L plates and fill the hole in the roof, and punt it out in various colour combo’s but what’s done is done I guess! We’ll never know!

\

Some random shots from across France, some old some new all shite!
Will start off with a couple of blinders complete with failure to proceed!


Future shite we never got offered:

Where the streets have no shame:





Just parking….






French Ramrod:

FIN.

More rubbishy diecast disposals coming up in three, two, one...
 
 

That was my original intention! The Patrol photobombing was a bonus!