Shite in Miniature II

[Datsuncog]

11 hours ago, Amishtat said:

I used to do that too, one or two of my Corgis still have sticky-paper numberplates. Since I was that sort of child B37XEV very probably was a Mk. 3 Scrote

I feel you... I think some of the Corgis you had from me might still have Scalextric waterslide numberplates attached, since they were close enough in size... but it bugged me knowing that most of them were incorrect in terms of the registration suffix vs. the age of the car...

[sierraman]

That’s rung a bell with me, I have the Scalextric Metros both on V plates. The spares I had I put on my buses. As a kid though I was fascinated with Q plates, so if I made a plate it would probably be that. 

[Datsuncog]

Ah... eBay fun.

So this arrived yesterday.

Erm… a plastic bag, wrapped in tape. Which had been forced through the letterbox by Postman Plod. Let's look inside.

No other packing inside beyond a single layer of bubblewrap...

So have the contents survived the journey intact...?

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Erm...

FFS.

This thing had survived reasonably well for 41 years, and now the box is bashed to buggery and back.

Also, I'm not sure I would describe this as an 'immaculate condition' model, as the vendor did. It's far from dreadful, but the pics on his original listing were angled and lit in such as way as to do an excellent job of concealing the quite obvious chipping to the arches, A-posts and side vents.

 

Ah, so what to do... I feel the packaging was wholly inadequate given the old and rather fragile nature of the contents. The model is not really as good as described in the listing.

BUT it was also a cheap auction win, at the same sort of price most vendors are offering out unboxed and battered 'restoration project' X1/9s.

I feel that I can't in good conscience leave positive feedback, as other buyers will rely on that and likely be disappointed too, if this is how blokey habitually angles his camera and packs his items. But is leaving negative feedback a dick move here? Should I contact him?

It's not that I want to send it back for a refund, nor do I expect a partial refund. If I'd encountered this model on the market stall, and been able to inspect it and note all the damage, then on balance I probably still would have taken a punt on it for the same money (full disclosure: it was about £8, posted). And I do particularly like the green version of these (a 1978 colour, I think). And it will still display ok with the others, pretty much.

I've been repeating the above line to myself all morning but I still feel a shade annoyed. It's just... not as good as I'd hoped, based on the pics and description. The Renault 11 and Opel Senator, also eBay purchases, were unboxed but a similar price - neither are unblemished but the vendors were upfront about that, and in fact both of them were better than I'd expected.

Am I whining about nothing here? Caveat emptor, and all that?

I probably just need to suck it up, buttercup, and try to enjoy my little car.

It is very green, after all.

[Tenmil Socket]

I'd be gutted. That's terrible packaging!

 

[Amishtat]

I agree, and that's speaking as a man in that line of work. Completely inadequate 

[Datsuncog]

Aye, it's more about managing expectations... if the car and box had arrived in exactly the same condition but carefully packed in a proper mailing box, then I think I would have accepted that maybe he'd just been a bit artful with the lighting. It's certainly not trashed, but it is lightly chipped. 

I knew the box wasn't pristine from the listing pic, though it does at least look vaguely rectangular - but it ain't now, and that was avoidable.

I sorta feel I've no right to be annoyed given how little (comparatively) I paid, but I'm still peeved.

Still, swings and roundabouts. The gold Senator is a belter.

[Tenmil Socket]

Quick tip that's worked for me...

Carefully separate the glued parts with a sharp blade. Then iron flat on a low heat with a towel over the cardboard. Re-shape and glue back together.

[Tenmil Socket]

Just found a MK3 5dr Escort on Google...

[Tenmil Socket]

I'm aiming to source all the MK3 Corgi Escort hatchbacks.

Can anyone tell me if I've missed any off the list...

Corgi Escorts

1:36

Met Green - Beige interior – Got.

Met Blue - Black interior – Got.

Solid Blue - Beige interior

Solid Red - Beige interior - White stripe

Police Car (2 versions) – Got the one with the white doors.

Datapost – Got.

RS1600i

Ilford Touring – Got.

Brooklyn Touring – Got. Solid Yellow

(+ Numerous Vans)

1:64

Duckhams (2 different wheel types) – Got both of them (Thanks Amishtat).

Red XR3i – Got.

Blue XR3i

Police car

Met Green – Beige interior – Got.

Met Blue – Beige interior

Solid blue – Beige interior

Solid blue – Grey interior - Got (Thanks Amishtat).

Ilford Touring

Total Touring

Datapost Touring

Solid White

Solid Green Fahrschule

[155V6]

17 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I'm aiming to source all the MK3 Corgi Escort hatchbacks.

Can anyone tell me if I've missed any off the list...

Corgi Escorts

1:36

Met Green - Beige interior – Got.

Met Blue - Black interior – Got.

Solid Blue - Beige interior

Solid Red - Beige interior - White stripe

Police Car – Got.

Datapost – Got.

RS1600i

Ilford Touring – Got.

Brooklyn Touring – Got.

(+ Numerous Vans)

1:64

Duckhams (2 different wheel types) – Got one of them.

Red XR3i – Got.

Police car

Met Green – Beige interior – Got.

Met Blue – Beige interior

Navy – Beige interior

Ilford Touring

Total Touring

Yellow 1:36

[Tenmil Socket]

Indeed there is, thanks...

(Now added).

[sierraman]

I’ve got the Edward Force Corgi Book at home I’ll have a look for you. But it’s by no means exhaustive. 

[Datsuncog]

Quote

 

I'm aiming to source all the MK3 Corgi Escort hatchbacks.

Can anyone tell me if I've missed any off the list...

 

My 1985 Corgi catalogue shows a 1/36 Touring Escort in Total fuels livery (C423), pretty much the same as the 1/64 version  (J56) you have noted - not sure if it was ever actually issued, though?

It seems to have been intended to replace the Brooklyn touring version; but then there's a few '85 models shown that never managed to hit the shelves...

[EDIT: Pic added from the relevant catalogue]

[Jon]

Here's a couple that I used to have, that don't seem to be on your list:

This was a lovely model and all the better for being 'everyday' solid red, rather than a racing version.

 

Apologies for the small library image above which is not only a Scalextric Escort rather than a Corgi one and is a modified model to boot but I wanted to confirm Datsuncog's suspicions that a Total liveried 1:36 Corgi RS1600i was launched. I had one back in the day and mine came in the later blue Corgi packaging and had the RS1600i spoked wheels. The livery wasn't exactly the same as the one above but quite close - the number  84 slanted on the bonnet certainly seems familiar. What I do remember is that mine had clear red rear lights and clear red front indicators (!), rather than the much nicer solid coloured plastic ones of the earlier 1:36 models.

 

 

Here's a blue version of the laughably lacklustre Junior effort of turning a cooking model into a hot hatch. Note the earlier wheels - my red version had the later wheels with 4 segments that look a little to me like cloverleaves.

 

Actually, I've just remembered that I bought one of those later red XR3i ones last year!

 

I'm not sure how far you're wanting to delve in to the Mk3 Escort mini rendition buying but if you wanted to broaden your scope, I reckon the blue plastic thing shown above is most likely a Mk3 Escort, or at least an artist's impression of the US version launched and sold at the same time.

 

And apologies for the re-post but I've only recently had this come into my possession - a Solido Mk3 and I'd argue that accuracy-wise, it pips the Corgi 1:36 version - but there's something just so charming about the large Corgi Escorts that they're my overall favourites. Not so keen on the front end treatment of the van versions, though.

[Split_Pin]

1:64 Escorts: Solid blue and solid red with no markings. I have both but I repainted the former Titan Blue about 25 years ago.

[sierraman]

Siku did a mk3 Escort. As did majorette. 

[Tenmil Socket]

Thanks everyone for the information thus far. I think I'll concentrate on Corgi for now (I do already have a few other makes too). I agree that the front end of the van versions isn't very good. I wish Matchbox would've done a hatchback. List updated...

Corgi Escorts

1:36

Met Green - Beige interior – Got.

Met Blue - Black interior/Beige interior – Got one of them.

Solid Blue - Beige interior

Solid Red - Beige interior - White stripe

Police Car (2 versions) – Got one of them.

Datapost – Got.

RS1600i

Ilford Touring – Got.

Brooklyn Touring – Got. Total Touring (Ever released?) Solid Yellow Solid Red

(+ Numerous Vans)

1:64

Duckhams (2 different wheel types) – Got one of them.

Red XR3i – Got.

Solid Blue XR3i (early wheels)

Solid Blue

Solid Red

Police car

Met Green – Beige interior – Got.

Met Blue – Beige interior

Navy – Beige interior

Ilford Touring

Total Touring

Datapost Touring

[bramz7]

There's a Datapost 1/64 as well, I still have a boxed one. 

 

 

[Tenmil Socket]

Of course, I missed that one...

[sierraman]

Matchbox were due to produce an Escort RS1700T but similar to the real thing it got pulled at the 11th hour. 

[sierraman]

Re the Corgi 1/64 Escorts, some had metal bases and others plastic, I’ve the two type on the Duckhams one. 

[Datsuncog]

^^^ Aye, supposedly the metal bases were created at the insistence of BP, who wanted their promotional models to feel 'quality' - so Corgi retooled to put metal bases on some of their Juniors models which previously had plastic ones.

Hence the early Vauxhall Nova models (red) sold to the public had a plastic base/bumpers, while the later 'BP Visco-Static' version in silver was metal top and bottom - those 1/64 Duckhams Escorts were the same, though I dunno if the different bases also came with each of the two different wheel types  (in which case there's potentially four variants out there of that model).

Conversely, I think my all-blue 1/36 Police Escort had a metal base, while my later red-with-a-white-stripe civvie version had a plastic base. Might have been a cost-cutting measure, that.

[sierraman]

The Duckhams ones usually have fucked back axles for some reason. 

[Tenmil Socket]

It appears I've got some searching to do!

 

[Tenmil Socket]

I've also discovered that there are the following makes of varying scale:

Norev

Gusval

Majorette

Polistil

Burago

Solido

[Datsuncog]

Corgi branding also appeared on that weird MC Toy/Maisto 'light and sound' police car, which appeared to be based on a pirated casting of the Matchbox Mk3 Escort Cabrio with a peculiar hard-top added...

But it's not a 3-dr hatch, so maybe best ignored for now? As you say, plenty to be getting on with already!

[Tenmil Socket]

I'm almost certain I had one of those as a kid...

[Split_Pin]

1/36 Metallic blue versions came with a beige interior as well.

[Split_Pin]

Solido did a 1/43 RS Turbo as well.

[Tenmil Socket]

Updated, thanks...