Jump to content

Jon

Full Members
  • Posts

    2,658
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    9

Everything posted by Jon

  1. Still going well - up to 473k now. Managed to bag this momentous occasion, too. Lucky I had a passenger* to assist.
  2. I caught this on my Mk3 Mondeo last March. I had 100m to hit the reset button on the trip meter and nowhere to stop to do so. Managed it, though!
  3. Funny, I imagined the workaday Sierras would be worth a bit, too. Anyway: 😉
  4. Scrabbling round the $1 (50p) tub, I gathered up these bits of mild interest: Zylmex E Type, Kidco Fire Chief Something, FORD* station wagon, Fire Motion (Pontiac GTO?) Made in China no-named casting and a slightly scruffy Siku VW Transporter. Most/all can be passed on at cost, if it's worth bundling them in with other stuff down the line, to post to the UK. But mostly, I was gladly that I had cash on me, so I could buy all this, without having to reveal the true price to Mrs_Jon (although she probably wouldn't be that bothered, tbh) !!!!!!! A fresh collection of fire vehicles has been dropped in, due to a collector downsizing for a house move. Despite volunteering as a firey, it's very much the vintage Siku element that drew me in. I'm truly hard pushed to select a favourite but the Trekker is quite special, as is the Granada with all its little road cones. And the Benz 406D van has so many accessories! Anyway, my networking event has just begun and here I am, about an hour away from the venue, piddling about with toy cars for the benefit of about 8 middle aged men on the internet. If anyone desperately wants any of the Vanguards swiping up, let me know before 8pm tonight, so I can nip by and grab them on my way home.
  5. Part 2. Apologies for the glare but it's a bright sunny day here, around 28 Celsius. You know what it's like this time of year, eh? Anyway, I've been a bit cheeky here, as I did pick up an item of interest, to help fund what I found next....
  6. I've come up to Auckland for a piss-up end of year networking event, so thought I'd pop in to my favourite toy hobby shop, to see what was kicking about. Here's some Vanguards, if anyone can see anything of worth, to pick up? More to come, I've kept the images large, so you can zoom in on the prices.
  7. Watcher shite-pickers, I've popped back into my imaginary time machine for the first time in 2022 I think(!) and thought I'd nip over briefly to 1990's outback Oz. Bagged an HZ ute, to try and fit in somewhat. As you can see, the passing road train made the camera go all blurry. Strike me roan! Rolled into town for some supplies but the flamin' galahs were fresh out of all of their ranges of plant-based meat alternatives apparently, so I settled for far too many crates of Castlemaine XXXX instead, from Hotel Motel. Then straight in to some hard yakka to pay my way. I was there to pick up a consignment of sherry but upon loading the first bottle, the rear wheels comedically fell off the ute, rendering some understated dry comments from those in short shorts. The End.
  8. Small world! That said, Eden camp is only 30 minutes or so away from the car boot I found them, at York racecourse. Unless that's the Admiral sans plinth, I reckon that's a 3rd example. That said, it's not entirely out of the question that we've both seen the same Admiral, as Eden Camp is a private collection, so free to sell off anything donated to them, etc. But yeah, likely a 3rd example, discovered on this page in less than 10 minutes!
  9. Just going through my trawl of die cast photos I took back in the UK and came across this unusual pair I saw at a car boot sale last month: A couple of olive drab Opels. Reminded me of something distant, relating to similarly decked out Opel Senators in the 80's. "Presented to LT. Col C.P Dryland MBE MC by tour clerks April 1968", in case it's not legible. Looks Russian to me, plus the blue paint shown underneath should help identify the original maker. More home made additions but this time, even more, erm, rustic. Nice effort at the blinds in the back, though. So first up, these are Gama Opel Admirals, which I think would've originally been remote controlled, as such: Or maybe unpowered, as such: Seems they were also available in green, which may have been an easier staring point but I guess in 1968, you got your hands on whatever Opel Admiral you could find. And here's a couple of images of the equavelent version, 15 or so years later: Indeed, this rear shot is lifted from this very forum!: Anyway, it all relates to BRIXMIS: The British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission (BRIXMIS) to the Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG) was formed on 16 September 1946 under the Robertson-Malinin Agreement between the chiefs of staff of the British and Soviet forces in occupied (east) Germany. The agreement called for the reciprocal exchange of liaison missions in order to foster good working relations between the military occupation authorities in the two zones. More info here: British Commanders’-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany | BRIXMIS Seems a lot of the later Opels from the 70's onwards utilised Ferguson FF but there wasn't a lot of information on the earlier versions (Kapitans/Admirals), although this model in particular was favoured, as its styling blended in with new launched Volgas of the time. Here's a single photo from the site: Seems they tested them out fully! Seems also that the above one is a Kapitan. Anyway, unless you wondered if I walked away with a bit of military history that's almost certainly of interest to a few enthusiasts/museums, I didn't, as the guy wanted 140 quid the pair. Likely fair for the right person but I wasn't that flush or enthused and images are free.
  10. Yo @barrett, is that Corgi Oxford still available? Right up my alley, if so (and I can offer a UK address and cover all costs) but no drama if it's already claimed.
  11. Yo @barrett, is that Corgi Oxford still available? Right up my alley, if so (and I can offer a UK address and cover all costs) but no drama if it's already claimed.
  12. Hey @MiniMinorMk3, I've got an identical Solido Peugeot 104 with even worse wheels, which I think is a reaction between the hub and tyre materials. Funny that it only seems to affect a few models - the rims on my Solido Citroen LN are unaffected, so it's not a size issue relating to smaller hubs, etc. I know it's a factor on the wheels of some exotica @barrett is involved in (not) collecting but I thought Solido would be beyond all that nonsense.
  13. Woke up early this morning and learnt of a car swap meet going on, so headed off solo, in the hope of finding a couple of bits for my Commodore. No luck but I encountered a few excellent cars parked up: This 504 wagon was absolutely stunning! Anyway, I'm running out of image space on this post and this is about shite in miniature, so here's what £15 bagged me: Quite happy with that! Sadly no Commodore bits but there never are. Nice consolation prizes, though. Now to head home and share the great news* with Mrs_Jon.
  14. Short update from me today. Had a few minutes spare so I took a look through a box of stored die casts and came across this @Datsuncog sourced Corvair: I harboured ideas to repaint it but honestly, I'm a sucker for some period cosmetic restyling. Won't hurt to get the windows cleaned at some point, though. But the lack of tyres is a clear issue. Then I remembered the bag of grommets I'd bought a few months back, which I ended up not using. As they are, they'd be ideal to re-shod a truck of some sort but with a flick of a knife, 2 of the grommets could be repurposed into a full set of boots for the Corvair. Nowhere near perfect but literal pence to acquire and I quite like the big fat tyre wall as a result. The effect will certainly fit the bill for my mock-up idea of creating a display of sorts. I managed to fish an old tyre out of the BOAC bus, which has since provided the Vanguard with a full set. This was just a test to see how compact I can make a display (so I don't have the excuse of running out of space as the reason to stop buying die casts) but I'll need to assemble more materials before I'm ready to start the project. And also complete numerous other half done/not even started jobs of actual importance.
  15. Ha ha, @barrett is an old toy car collector! I'd be pointing and shouting 'Nerrrddd!' at you right now, we're I in that classic art house* film of the 80's, Revenge of the Nerds. But I'm not. I'm in real life and I've come to the same realisation. I'm at the age now where I'm beginning to care less and embrace this needless hobby more openly. Which is why today, I bought the first bits of materials to make up my die cast display zone, which will be fully visible to any normal people that come round our house. And also explains why 'Politoys' is now on my Trademe search list...
  16. I've owned my Mk3 Mondeo for 7 years and for the first 6 years or so, had mistakenly fed it the 'wrong' 10/40 oil, whilst it should be 5/30 (I think - whatever the official number is, is what it now gets). Can I sense any change whatsoever in performance, fuel economy or general engine behaviour? Not at all. I understand it's a far more modern car (also with close to 300000 miles, so very worn in) but I'm not sure a different grade oil will do an awful lot. Whatever though, I'm here for the ride in enjoying another jammy Trigger purchase, with a nice fast turnaround, great write ups and equally great photos. Please keep it all up, it's very much appreciated!
  17. It's a Yatming Scirocco, with slightly broken front suspension, sadly. But I had money burning a hole in my wallet, so it came back with me. Such a neat little piece. The Ro80 was a fiver, which I think was quite fair for its condition. Paid the same for the blue Mercedes, to complete the trifecta of overly dumpy Dinky renderings, to house the AA batteries required to power the lights. Not tested any of them yet, mind... And that snot green thing is I think a Maserati. Not in great shape but it's rather more 'exotic' than others, and for £1 I couldn't say no. I'll post more photos in good time. Indeed! It tickles me that I found these bits of Hornsea in rummage boxes at a car boot sale last Saturday - and within 5 days of buying, the tea pot has served tea on both sides of the world. (once again, the image is upside down for no reason. Which doesn't help with tea retention)
  18. Hi everyone, I'm back home! After 6 weeks of travelling about the UK (and returning my brother's car to him with around 100 miles left on the agreed miles policy) and meeting/dealing with many shiters on here, I can now give you a brief update of my wares that have flown across the globe with me: First up, a couple of tempting AMT models, procured from @eddyramrod from a meet-up at Lakeland Motor Museum. I'd previously tried to make a slightly earlier Impala but cocked up the spray job, so there's unfinished business here. Some day in the distant future... Then a small selection of smalls - artistically representing their new home down under and nothing to do with the fact that this image is upside down for some unfathomable reason. But here's the main event: Many further updates to come but check this lot out - didn't I do well! Some of these are the pickings of direct trades from @bunglebus, @andrew e, @eddyramrod and @sierraman and the rest was bought from two excellent car boot sales in York. I also met up with @Split_Pin and @AndyW201, to drop off wares from NZ (and in one case, return to pick up items I'd left behind!), so a very, very successful mini shite adventure. The best bit though is that barring swaps, the purchase of everything above was bankrolled by the sale of these: Of which I'll be ever thankful for the services of @AndyW201, who dealt with the sale of the Fiesta and 205 on Ebay, for a nice fat profit. Indeed, I've still got diecast spending money left over! And if anyone's wondering, we had 1.9kg and 1kg left in our baggage allowances, not helped also by our equally rich haul of charity shop/boot sale Hornsea pottery... And finally, as requested, here's a quick shot of the former @sierraman's Neue Klasse BMW in its new home. I've got so, so much gardening to do....
  19. Hi everyone. Excuse the radio silence from me awhile, as I've been busy zipping about the country these past few weeks, eeking very close to the 3000 mile limit of the insurance of my borrowed Merc, with a week still to go. (To those of you STILL waiting for a parcel from me, I promise to get them sent out tomorrow or Tuesday - see excuse above). I've also had chance to take a peek at my childhood stash of die casts but more of that later. So far, I've only sorted/tidied them, not looked at them properly! But I have been busy procuring. Only one example tonight before bed time and not a subject I'd usually choose - but it was only £4 at a boot sale! What a Bobby Dazzler! I'll freely admit that it being boxed was a major draw. First impressions are that it's fairly late for a rubber wheels Corgi but it seems quite fresh. Rear confirms that speedwheels were indeed a thing by this point. Perhaps very early 70's? Box was thankfully easy to open without damaging the box flaps (huh-huh) and it looks to be mint! All present and correct at the base. I like the detailing of the clippie out back but I imagine it'd be quite alarming to see someone with that shade of yellow hair in real life. There's a driver also but no passengers. I suppose they'll perpetually remain separated, and at the service of nobody. Ah well, back in the box they go! However, find me a more pleasant way of spending £4, than faffing around with mint/boxed 50 year old die casts - even if they are a bus. I spent more on a very mediocre coffee, the other day. EDIT: I noticed the advert above the cab mentioned Corgi Classics, which I'm sure were a short-lived venture the first time round, and over by the very late 60's?
  20. I think you're mid way down a very greased, very long die cast slippery slope and rapidly gaining momentum. I for one am happily witnessing all it brings! (Don't wish to spoil the surprise but I think it terminates into a ball pool filled with Lledos.)
  21. Looks like a Kinsmart 1/64 Chevy Stepside truck to me: https://www.toywonders.com/www.toywonders.com/ProductCart/pc/Kinsmart-Chevrolet-Stepside-Key-Chains-1955-1-64-scale-die-cast-model-car-Asstd-p534.htm
  22. 13 is a Matchbox Mack dump truck
  23. My altruism knows bounds it seems, as I reckon I'd nab most of them myself, if any liberating went on. Heck, I reckon you'd have to check my pockets, if I ever get to witness your small amount of die casts, which definitely don't constitute a collection...
  24. The Juniors Mk3 Transit was much more accurate than the Matchbox equivalent but the sprung wheels and clear rear window on the latter were much nicer touches. Been to the Lakeland Museum today, so have some pics of the nicer examples of the miniature tat (they actually have a glass display cabinet with a shelf dedicated to Days Gone and Corgi Cameos!) The white Whizzwheels SL must be a lot less common than the blue version?
  25. Anyway, here's another core slice of nostalgia I managed to pluck out my stash of wonderment over at my folks' house, in the 2 minutes of peeking I allowed myself: This, along with an early Corgi Juniours Nova in red with white stripe and the large scale Corgi Mini Metro in orangey red, we're seminal toy cars to me. Words can't describe the joy that a yellow Sierra with brown bumpers and red interior and tail lights emotes to me. I'd say this is akin to @Datsuncog's beloved red Cortina. So how lucky was it to find it sat at the top of a now quite buried collection of die casts! I doubt I've seen this in at least 20 years. Later on, I got a 1/36 Corgi Sierra that had opening doors and the most excellent wheel trims ever but it was a police car, so major points deduction - civvy stuff was my bag. I've even (hopefully, still) got a Siku Sierra which is a lovely old piece but I found myself internally defending the plucky little Corgi's delicacy back in the day, over the German maker's over-engineered rendition. Plus, it wasn't yellow, with brown bumpers and a red interior with red tail lights, so no competition, really. This one may be coming back to NZ with me..
×
×
  • Create New...