RoadworkUK

I.... quite like early E65s. Especially on the inside; that analogue/ digital dashboard was a real foretaste of the colour TFT things that are everywhere today, and I love the chest of drawers in the centre stack, with that pop-out phone keypad. Also, the electric seat controls on the centre storage cubby are brilliantly placed. The E65's shape was a tad* inelegant after the E38, but its bulbousness meant SO MUCH MORE interior space. It's far from pretty, but massively more individual than its W220 S-Class or D3 Audi A8 rivals. The facelift, which many people like because it tamed its excesses somewhat, turned it into a bit of a featureless barge in comparison.

Cheers DC. Yeah, I have the road car version of that model: It might be a giggle to have the LM version one day, too, but it's not something I hitherto had any real interest in doing, motorsport veehickles not really tickling my pickle all that.

ABORT! Unless it's too late. I'm going to be strong for once. I just went all magpie for a mo. SHINY THINGS.

McLaren F1; not for me – looks like a few bits are missing, but it's probably a decent buy-to-flip investment. I'd better rescue that Chrome OOC, though, hadn't I? If it's intact.

How much is on the 1:18 McLaren F1 in Gulf colours? Looks like it's by UT Models

That Vanguards Esprit with the functional pop-up lights inspired me to do some more dicking about with cars and cameras. To whit: This is a 1:18 BMW M1 by Norev, and it's quite nice. My favourite bits are the lights, which are quite absurdly well depicted: Basically, this was all an exercise to see if my new mobile phone can do what my old one could, and it... can't. So I've broken out a 2004 Olympus Mju Mini for these — the best camera I have for macro stuff. I guess there are unhealthier hobbies. Fin.

I love how crisp and accurate Matchbox used to get model designations, particularly on Fords. The Volvo 760GLE is another good example.

And with that, the week is over. Nothing but mindless tedium in store for the next six and a bit days until our next glorious taste of St George Market excitement.

Interesting* that the wheels should be so similar to the chrome 5-spokes that graced everything from the Sierra XR4i to the three-axle Peterbilt dump truck. Lovely thing, that.

Esprit is rather a cracker, isn't it.

Wahey! "Hey, Nicola; my friend in Northern Ireland has picked up another model bus for me!".... is exactly what I'm in absolutely no danger of exclaiming to my wife.

I resemble that remark.

Sometimes Maisto just gets it absolutely bang on. Or a lot banger-on than they really needed to, given the pretty modest price points their models commanded. Okay, not super-fine in terms of detail, but in terms of rightness and observation, they're terrific. Lovely model, that. I have one, alas one evening I ended up playing around trying to swap the wheels onto my Argentinian partwork 1:43 Sierra Ghia, and one of the Scorpio's wheels have been absent ever since. I'm a dolt. I'd really like to have the saloon version, too.

Singlehandedly keeping the economhy afloat in Norn Iron, Tim.

Britbus AEC Swift, please (if it's a fiver!)

COSSIES! ARRGGH! (Spirals into a deep, existential quandary as to whether he'll ever find one mint and boxed for less than £££££ and whether, in fact, a substantially okay unboxed example will fill the gap) If either of the Texaco ones are REALLY nice, there's a fiver (plus p/p) here for it.

Damn you Mr Tidybeard. That means I probably need to find a Honda Ballade, too.

Completely forgot I'd posted those! One of my favourite brochures from the JDM portion of my collection. I, too, have the Corgi Prelude... somewhere. Bought it for 50p at the Beaulieu Autojumble years ago. It's tidy enough, bar an annoyingly cracked windscreen. Your own Acclaim looks a treat. Frustratingly, I have zero photos of mine.

Not going to write war and peace about this one (you're welcome), but after the Metro I posted last, I inevitably succumbed and spent money that I haven't got on something I don't need. Except I so do. My excuse for buying it is that, having owned an Acclaim as my first car, when I was 17 back in 1998, it was inevitable that I'd own the model at some point. Of course, mine was finished in Champagne (BL for beige) and didn't have hilariously over-sized door mirrors to operate the steering with, but still, it's the closest I'll ever have to a model of ELR 90Y (Elroy to its fans) And it isn't a bad model; attention to detail is good, down to the accurately picked out side rubbing strips, and the (unique to this model?) wheels have a stab at representing the pattern of holes found on the Acclaim's standard 13in steelies. I had to have this version, too, and in this packaging, which closely resembles the Acclaim dealer literature that would have been in circulation at the time, circa 1981 – when both the Acclaim and yours truly were brand new. The packaging has obviously had its window replaced prior to sale, so it isn't 100% original, but I doubt there are many survivors anyway. I didn't fancy the driving school version, with its enormous roof-mounted steering wheel, half as much. Sadly, it's destined to have rather a dull life with me. It'll remain in its box, undisturbed for the most part, until it eventually forms part of a legacy that some poor fucker will inherit. Which, incidentally, is exactly how I came to own ELR 90Y in the first place.

These are a really good, planted drive. Manual V6 diesel is a nice combo, too! In a previous life I once took a petrol 2.7T in as part exchange for a grand. It was an absolute weapon but was using A LOT of coolant. Also the rotary encoder volume knob for the stereo only went up. Also, it had Recaro-branded seats front AND rear, which I thought was cool as.

AutoArt did the Disco in 1:18?! Didn't know that. They certainly did a 1:18 P38, though, and I rather like it:

Well there's another mystery solved by the Tat thread. I had what I now know to have been the Corgi Cubs Racing Car, but mine was bright red with a blue plastic base, I'm pretty sure of it. I also don't remember it having any maker's name, but I remember thinking it strange that a racing car should have the same wheels as a double-decker London bus. Edit: like this one, found via Google: I now assume that mine was one of the Avon-marketed examples. Alas, a trip to the attic leads me to believe it to be lost.

Lot 22 - Mini Cooper S timing chain tools in case "In case" lol.

Absolutely nailed-on 2003-spec. Lovely stuff

Of Merc R230 SLs with functioning folding roofs, the 1:18 effort from Motormax ain't at all bad. Not my pics but you get the general idea. The actual roof mech works pretty much exactly like the prototype; the only limitation is that the bootlid doesn't work as a conventional bootlid like it does in reality, but to model that would have involved a fiendishly complicated double hinge of some kind. The other 1:18 I have with a working roof is a Welly Peugeot 206CC (my pics this time) This is a legitimately great model, bought because I really, really like it when a diecast maker decides to model something entirely humdrum and prosaic to a large scale. What's more, after it had been released for ten years or so, it wasn't exactly sought-after, so I picked it up on eBay for like £12 or something daft. I particularly like how the little casting error on the front wheelarch makes it look like rust is taking hold. Prototypical to the last.