Spottedlaurel

Family fleet attendance at another enjoyable East Coast Japanese meet:

Star car of the day, for me at least, was this lovely Camry:

Recently purchased at an ACA sale.
Closely followed by this Piazza:

The Laurel was second-oldest, with a friend's Celica Liftback taking the honours of being the most aged:

Got home to a parcel from Ana's Hot Wheels site, who I use occasionally to get the stuff I can't find in the shit shops round here. 
First off, a couple of Matchbox mainlines,

I must be about the only person in the country who couldn't find this one in the shops when it came out, but now I've got one. Already got the yellow and metallic blue ones, but I'm still on the hunt for the Target-exclusive Onyx green version, after narrowly missing out on it a couple of times ...



The MR2 looks good in metallic blue,

A very sparkly metallic blue!

Bunglebus beat me to it with showing one of these, but I'm loving the Moving Parts Beemer CSL, like I did the original Superfast one I had as a kid.

I like the new Moving Parts packaging, but FFS Mattel, would it kill you to have tuck-in flaps on the ends of the boxes rather than gluing the bastards down? I wanted to have this one out but it was impossible to get the glued down flap open without damaging it,

Still, it's out now, and it's a lovely thing.

Nice detailing for the size,



Bonnet opens like on the real thing, lift the front first, and slide forward slightly, then open,

To reveal some lovely under bonnet detail.

In all, a little belter!
And a few HW Premiums which, again, I didn't stand a cat in hells chance of getting anywhere else,


Sierra Cossie looks great, apart from that bloody locating pillar,




Finally got the flat-front Escort MK2, again, a nice wee thing.

Very close to the livery of Björn Waldegård's 1977 British Airways-liveried car, one of my fave liveries.



But getting this one was the highlight though, I really wanted it at the time, then kind of forgotten about it until it came up on the sales site,

Yep, it's a bit '90s Max Power with the body mods, etc, but it's a bloody Purple Corrado, so that's good enough for me.



Another little stunner!

Oh how about that...

Mine 11 years ago.

The camera on my iPhone is shite, apologies... the irony how the stickers said Flash! 😆
 
Before


 
After

 
 
 


 

New bits in Smyths 


I liked the Torino, but being as it's this exact release
Just on a different card, I'll keep my £9 thanks

After my Mito was condemned due to rust, I decided to go old skool for its replacement - 50 mile drive home - goes spot on. Forgot the pez shot sorry 😎

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

Managed to get two 1/24 builds off the bench this weekend, spurred on by wanting to get them on display at the show.
Number 1 was a quick, simpe refurb of a Tamiya 280ZX I bought already built, ostensibly to strip and rebuild but it was tidy enough just to work with what was there:

 

As bought, with brush-painted enamel paintwork and some loose components, but mercifully no glue on the glass.

 

 

Wheels and tyres swapped from another version of the 280ZX kit, missing rear light found inside the body and lenses  painted with clear red and orange, bumpers reattached, mirrors replaced/refitted, body washed and resin polished, and perhaps most satisfyingly was adding foil to the window trims. I left the interior and driver as it was. It came with the little motor as was common in Japanese kits of the time, and I couldn't resist popping a couple of AA batteries to see how it went across the garage floor - pretty fast!
Not immaculate, but better it sitting as a complete model on the shelf rather than in a box as a 'pending' project. And I have a boxed, unstarted kit when I want to do one 'properly'.

A bit of SIM II news to report today:

Sold 3-4 unbuilt kits. I take a few built ones along as a talking point, and to show buyers what can be done with them. This is the Mk1 version of the stall, which then had to be rearranged behind the shelter of the car due to the wind lifting lids off the boxes and redistributing contents....

Put a little bit of the proceeds back into these - left and middle rows from other sellers at the show, two on the right from shops.

The Sunny Truck was one I was particularly keen after I saw it there on a stand last year, because it reminds me of this kit I built with similar wheels and colour:
More in a moment once I've done a bit of editing....

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

Family fleet attendance at another enjoyable East Coast Japanese meet:

Star car of the day, for me at least, was this lovely Camry:

Recently purchased at an ACA sale.
Closely followed by this Piazza:

The Laurel was second-oldest, with a friend's Celica Liftback taking the honours of being the most aged:

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

Family fleet attendance at another enjoyable East Coast Japanese meet:

Star car of the day, for me at least, was this lovely Camry:

Recently purchased at an ACA sale.
Closely followed by this Piazza:

The Laurel was second-oldest, with a friend's Celica Liftback taking the honours of being the most aged:

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

Family fleet attendance at another enjoyable East Coast Japanese meet:

Star car of the day, for me at least, was this lovely Camry:

Recently purchased at an ACA sale.
Closely followed by this Piazza:

The Laurel was second-oldest, with a friend's Celica Liftback taking the honours of being the most aged:

Miniature shite has been a bit barren around my neck of the woods. Apart from 1 singular 2nd hand diecast purchase, last weekend saw the first splurge from from me for 2024, after '23 ended on a high with my AS bulk purchases arriving all at once!
Partly, there's been a bit of shite apathy on my part, due to life stuff and the glut of arrivals late last year as mentioned - but most importantly, my phone broke a few months ago and I 'upgraded' it to a newer, better model, which takes terrible, terrible photos. That's proper knocked my mojo in documenting anything.
But document I must, now I bought some stuff, from an annual car swapmeet.
First up, a couple of Yatmings and a PlayArt quattro:

Actually, it's an Audi Coupe, as shown by the script on the rear. But you'll have to take my word for it, as my brand new phone is so shockingly bad.
Then I grabbed this Greyhound bus as a cheapie:

Been out in the sun too long, as the glass and interior are all warped an melted.

But I've never seen the removable Superfast axle cover in red before - nor a double axle cover either, for that matter. Or even a Superfast Greyhound bus! Though I'm sure none of the above is that uncommon.
Also from the same seller was this sorry Siku:

Missing the roof and rear door, but I have a complete one in the UK. I've defo got one or two trailers with missing hitch locks, so this'll help fix one of them at least.
 

One seller had a few boxed Matchbox at $4 each, or 2 for $6 (roughly £3), so I nabbed these two.

The grey 760 was one of the earliest new Matchbox toys I can remember owning, although I know I owned earlier versions. I can live with an unopened but stuffed box at this pricepoint.

The Astra was a slightly educated gamble (of a whole £1.50), as the box made me think this was really quite a late issue for this casting. And if a cursory glance at Ebay for Hertfordshire Constabulary versions go for, this more than bankrolled my day out!
 

Picked up this E-Type from a guy selling a load of Jag 1/43s, though this was by far the oldest, so of most interest to me.
 

I'm a sucker for this era of Dinky, especially if it's not painted metallic red! That's a lovely shade, but this purple which I think was also used on the Capri is a lovely period hue. And the gold base just sets it off!
 

Baby blue interior is a perfect colour match to the exterior shades, don't you think? Note the driver's seat back, which looks like it's spent all its 50+years wedged beneath the dash and steering wheel. If I'm not mistaken, this has all its parts present, although I'm not sure why there's 2 holes in the bulkhead  when there's windscreen wipers cast into the 'screen.
That's as far as I dared open the rear door, however:

 
Finally, I bought this hefty lump:

 

Perusing the model art on the back of the box reveals that I have a worrying number of these castings, or variants of...

It's at this point that I must remind readers that I don't collect fire stuff. But if it's made by Siku, there seems to be an exception. Which explains why I now have an alarming amount of 70's Siku fire vehicles.

Initially, the sheer weight of this thing and its modular construction led me to believe it'd be laden with features - but in actual fact, you're looking at them all. 4/10, buyer's remorse kicked in, yo.
And actually, once I'd bought it, I'd remembered that I'd shunned it the year before from the same seller, though I did pick up a couple of other gems from him back then.
But it's OK, as although he was firm on his price, I managed to get this wee box of nostalgia thrown in, as a veiled gift for my wife, who loves Lego:

But I didn't check the contents first....
 

Honestly, the old guy stiffed me, wittingly or not. This is one of the sorriest excuses for a toy-shaped-object ever. The flipping wheels don't even spin on their axles. 
 

Look at the driver mocking me. 
 

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.

Managed to get two 1/24 builds off the bench this weekend, spurred on by wanting to get them on display at the show.
Number 1 was a quick, simpe refurb of a Tamiya 280ZX I bought already built, ostensibly to strip and rebuild but it was tidy enough just to work with what was there:

 

As bought, with brush-painted enamel paintwork and some loose components, but mercifully no glue on the glass.

 

 

Wheels and tyres swapped from another version of the 280ZX kit, missing rear light found inside the body and lenses  painted with clear red and orange, bumpers reattached, mirrors replaced/refitted, body washed and resin polished, and perhaps most satisfyingly was adding foil to the window trims. I left the interior and driver as it was. It came with the little motor as was common in Japanese kits of the time, and I couldn't resist popping a couple of AA batteries to see how it went across the garage floor - pretty fast!
Not immaculate, but better it sitting as a complete model on the shelf rather than in a box as a 'pending' project. And I have a boxed, unstarted kit when I want to do one 'properly'.

A bit of SIM II news to report today:

Sold 3-4 unbuilt kits. I take a few built ones along as a talking point, and to show buyers what can be done with them. This is the Mk1 version of the stall, which then had to be rearranged behind the shelter of the car due to the wind lifting lids off the boxes and redistributing contents....

Put a little bit of the proceeds back into these - left and middle rows from other sellers at the show, two on the right from shops.

The Sunny Truck was one I was particularly keen after I saw it there on a stand last year, because it reminds me of this kit I built with similar wheels and colour:
More in a moment once I've done a bit of editing....

Number 2, a Fujimi issue of the Nissan Fairlady ZG (Datsun 240Z with aero nose):

What I started with. There is an engine, but as there's minimal underbonnet detail then I've kept that for another Datsun project.

Went for a distinctly non-stock colour - Tamiya Lavender with pearl clear and then gloss clear. Arches, bumpers and spoilers were painted dark metallic grey.

Wheels by Aoshima, tyres from yet another kit. Window trims finished with foil, and wipers and some other brightwork done using Gundam chrome marker.

 

Interior painted metallic salmon pink (!), with a bit of light grey and felt carpet to give it a bit of texture.

 

A couple of quick outdoor shots that still don't really do the pearl finish justice - it's subtle but works well, slightly different to a metallic/mica finish.