Shite in Miniature II

[Datsuncog]

Well, it seems it was just too nice for me to pass up. I put my hand in my pocket for this...

I do have a soft spot for the NSU Ro80, that futuristically flawed wonder which promised an engineering revolution but delivered little more than sufficient warranty claims to ruin the parent company, and push it into VW ownership.

Dinky's slightly narrow-looking take on it also promised some futurism, in the form of AA battery operated headlights and tail lights. It appears that a leaky battery has also caused some power-related woes in this smaller version.

The fact that this model unscrews to allow me behind the scenes, as it were, will hopefully allow me to take a stab at getting the lights working again. We shall see. A fiver doesn't seem too unreasonable, hey?

That colour, though. Oosh. Beautiful.

And crikey, can't you just see how the lines of this car developed into the Audi 80 some twenty years later? Truly a car of great significance, even if the embittered owners who slung in a Ford V4 to keep them on the road possibly didn't quite see it that way.

 

I also went back for this.

It was the only unsold boxed Corgi left from this morning, and coincidentally the one I wanted most. Early version, in the Mettoy 'small box' with a picture on the back, so probably dating from 1980/81.

 

'Ford Escort Europe' refers to the fact that the Mk3 Escort was also sold as the Escort in the US at the same time (and also badged as the Mercury Lynx).

Although the European and US Escorts had the same basic body outline, and could be spec'd with the same 1.6 CVH engine, outwardly their trim made them look very different.

As Mettoy were trying to make inroads to the US at the time, making Chevrolet Caprices and AMC Pacers, they were keen to avoid people thinking that Corgi just made really crappy models.

 

I had (and sold on) a few Escorts in this scale, but they were late-80s cars with plastic bases and slightly naff-looking wheels (not to mention a saggy back axle).

This one is gorgeous, though.

The more intricate two-piece wheels look way better than my previous example. I've never seen these fitted to an Escort before (though I doubt this is a particular rarity), but they look pretty decent. The colour looks like it could be a genuine Ford shade, too.

There's the usual crappy Corgi rough casting below the roof panel, but no obvious paint flaws. Other than a light mark to the windscreen, the glazing is crisp, clean and unyellowed - this has been stored away in the dark for a long time, I reckon.

It's amazing. I love it. At £10, I think this was a fair enough price. Another one for the Corgi Cabinet, I think...

 

Then there was this...

I've nearly bought this model from the Model Shop in Smithfield on a number of occasions over the past six months. I like it, but I'm not sure I like it enough to pay £8 for it.

Fortunately, this one popped up on the stall for a mere £3, which I reckon is a bit of a bargain.

I'm sure we've all heard that tired urban legend about how Mitsubishi had to rename their Pajero as the Montero in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries in South America (and as Shogun in the UK and South Africa) because in Spanish the word 'pajero' supposedly means...

Oh.

Looks like it's true after all.

Although it can also mean a person who sells drinking straws for a living, and possibly also a plumber.

Either way, that's probably not what Mitsubishi were intending to portray (the car was apparently named after the wild Pampas Cat of South America, Leopardus Pajeros).

Don't say you never learn nothing here, kids.

 

So that was my haul from Market Blokey's stall... and I didn't leave the charity stall empty handed, either.

Zing! More Wankelling, with an extra helping of Ro80 goodness for you today.

Although this initially appeared in decent nick, only when I had a proper look did I realise that it's suffered a glancing blow to the roof at some stage, and is a tad out of sorts.

Mmm, yeah. While the rear rivet is in place, the front retaining bar beneath the bumper seems to be broken, which is annoying.

But still, 50p, yeah?

And it's all for charriddee…

 

Not only that, but...

An early Superfast MB33 Lamborghini Miura, with non-standard waterslide decals applied (Scalextric, mebbe?) and the usual wonky axle. And another somewhat faded Escort Mk3, which may or may not scrub up.

 

Finally, these:

The Disco is a Motor Max example, as detailed by a fair few folks on this page. If anyone wants it, happy to pass it on!

The Volvo C30 is because I had a gold version from new, and then got rid of it last year. I then forgot that, and felt sad when it wasn't there a few weeks back, upon opening my old carry cases. This red one has some toybox scuffing to it, but is generally not too bad.

I don't know what appealed to me in the Majorette portable generator trailer, but I just liked it.

 

So if there's anything here that catches anyone's eye - except for the blue Escort and the Mitsubishi Wanker - let me know and I'll set it aside for you.

Hopefully next week brings more joy!

[egg]

Nice haul. Yep, my dad had an escy laser pretty much that colour I've posted b4.

[Bren]

6 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

You know... it is!

After a long break, it's a good 'un, too:

Loose models - all priced at "About the £5 mark"

I was very tempted by the Corgi Dyane and Matchbox Superkings Capri II - but they were just slightly below display quality, for me. The Dyane also had some odd stickers of what looked like a duck wearing French national costume on the doors and bootlid, too. Most strange.

Renault 5 wasn't too bad; Fiat X1/9 and Kojak Buick Regal had some battle scars but were otherwise fairly good examples.

Corgi Classic Collection Mercs from the early 80s. The red Gullwing was good, the silver one less so. Both the big tourers at the back had bits missing/broken though.

Husky Ford Camper more dirty than damaged, still with the sliding door in place.

Bedford S-type is a plastic model, probably 1950s or 60s, stamped Made In Hong Kong and with a round maker's logo I couldn't decipher. Quite charming, though some A-post damage, sadly.

De Tomaso Mangusta is a Corgi version - and, IMHO, superior in detail to Dinky's offering, with what looks to be a very detailed (and detachable?) backbone chassis. Missing tyres, but otherwise quite clean.

Elan is also by Corgi, missing the windscreen but still with its 'I've got a tiger in my tank' boot decal.

Ro80 is Dinky with the working lights, missing the battery cover but otherwise still in decent nick.

Very dusty Porsche 959 might be a Maisto? Dunno what the story is with the big plastic JPS racer at the back! 

Buses and trucks, including some local hauliers like Dukes and McBurney, so there'll probably be strong interest on those. Back in my model shop days, anything local was invariably pounced on very quickly (Ulsterbus models especially).

And earthmoving equipment - didn't check, but might well be by Joal. Another big seller, back in the day - there were lads who spent hundreds of pounds on model plant equipment . Not my bag, but takes all sorts, hey? Some James Bond partwork tat, too.

1/24 and 1/18 soopacar giffer trinkets by Maisto, plus an EFE Leyland artic and an OOC rendition of a London Transport Optare Delta.

Jag XJ220 looks like it has Shell logos on the base, so probably another early 90s fuel promo giveaway item. Collect 10,000 tokens, or something like that...

Has to be here, it seems - the customary parade of unloved and very cheap boxed Days Gone/MoY, plus this time an ERTL vintage Buick, a Renault Spyder and some planes - one Matchbox jet, two Days Gone biplanes.

The white 1930s Mercedes looked ok, actually. How long before I crack and buy a Model of Yesteryear? Place yer bets...

 

Tragically, there was NO 50p tat box on the stall today. I know, I know. I'm gutted too. ?

Despondent, all I could do was look at a tin of 1/72 scale soldiers (not made by Matchbox, theirs were much more finely detailed)...

...and some 0 gauge track.

But just as I was about to leave....

These appeared.

Now, who here likes Mk3 Escorts?

These are priced at £10 each... the yellow one's quite not mint, but they all look pretty good and in decent boxes.

The other one's a boxed Renault 5, same as the loose yellow one in the very first pic.

I like these, but I've owned and disposed of my Escorts and R5s, so I held back.

If anyone wants me to bop back over at 12... happy to do so!

 

More tat to follow from the other stalls!

I bought the yellow escort from the co op hypermarket in Widnes when I was around 10 years old - it was reduced to £1.69 which was very cheap. I had it until it shed most of it's paint - just like the real thing.

[Datsuncog]

Oh, and here's a few unrelated pics from today's market adventure, for your pleasure:

Giffer Alley.

Observe the face on yer oul boy sitting down, just cos I'm taking a picture.

Priceless.

Now the younger fella here is a baker at the end stall - but he's also minding the adjacent stall on behalf of its resident giffer. Because these priceless collectables must be guarded at all times.

Naturally, if anyone here is desperate for a copy of the programme from Phil Collins' 'No Jacket Required' tour, I'll happily do the honours.

Most of these oul fellas no doubt tell their wives they're off conducting all sorts of important business transactions, whereas in reality they just dump a load of jumble sale grade tat on a stall and then sit chatting and drinking coffee with each other for five hours, breaking off only when they feel the need to patronise someone eyeing their fine wares.

Thinking about it, though, most of their wives and partners may be glad of the break...

 

And this is the gateway to Narnia, as it were - the narrow gap between the hilarious novelty drinks coaster stall and the colourful sock stall which permits access to the VIP area for the charity stall's diecast box.

I feel there ought to be a velvet rope or a doorman or two just to keep the riff-raff out, but I guess you can't have everything.

 

Good to be back, and glad today has sparked a few memories for folks!

Til next week...

[Amishtat]

Until last week when I saw this one I never knew there were three types of wheel on those Corgi Escorts and now you've found its better twin! Every day's a school day.. 

[egg]

I feel like flying out to Belfast to experience the highs and lows of diecast tat Friday first hand. But I fear the rollercoaster of emotions might be a bit much! Thanks again for the write up DC.

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

 

 

 

 

 

Those two are lovely. I'll keep my hands in my pockets for now though!

[Amishtat]

That's one of very few I have boxed. Never tried a battery in it though. Only just noticed the luminous interior claim too

[flat4alfa]

I wish I’d put my hand up for the Corgi RO80 now!

[FakeConcern]

@Datsuncog if you are getting rid of the red C30, I'd be interested (have a gold one already)...

Meanwhile, I bought another Welly 1:24 C30 so I can make it into a replica of my T5 which is a facelift so I'd better stock up on the Isopon for the conversion!

This one has a bit of poor finish in the lacquer so it will be the doner car...

While browsing in a junk shop in Lewes I spotted a 1:24 ferrari testarossa for £1 and thought it might be useful for the build if I could use the wheels, but it turns out they are much smaller (Q- would the ferrari testarossa wheels have been smaller than 18 inch?) so if anyone wants it I'm happy to post it.

Missing the engine cover, front grill & wipers that I've noticed.

Says Revel & made in China on bottom.

Also someone was interested to know the price of the terrible Triumph 2000 I posted a few pages ago so as it was still for sale I had a look...

Crikey! They want £35!

[Sudsprint]

That Sundym tinted glass is the most accurate thing about it

[Datsuncog]

20 hours ago, egg said:

Thanks DC - the Heinkel bubbles go for about £5-8 + postage on ebay - so he might be keeping them for a while. Shame he could have a crisp fiver in his pocket tonite. Thanks for trying.

Agreed, there's nowt as queer as folk... I'd have thought that any market trader would be pretty keen to convert stock into cash too, but apparently not... I've previously enquired about other stuff on his stall (non-toys) and they've always been comically overpriced.

Maybe his core demographic is tourists who are a little bit hazy about the exchange rate... but clearly, he doesn't actually know what these are wurf.

£5-8 sounds about right for a toy made in their millions. I gather the Heinkel stayed in the range well into the 1970s as it was the cheapest car in the whole Corgi line-up, and hence a big seller: 19p according to my 1972 Corgi catalogue - or £2.46 in today's money.

Still, I'll keep my eyes peeled for another decent one priced at around the fiver mark!

 

18 hours ago, Amishtat said:

Until last week when I saw this one I never knew there were three types of wheel on those Corgi Escorts and now you've found its better twin! Every day's a school day.. 

I really ought to get myself a decent book on Corgi, as I'm still very unfamiliar with a lot of their output... but yes, I think these are my favourite wheel variations. I only had them on my Radio Luxembourg van-radio thing, so I'm well tickled to find them on an Escort.

I note the one in your pic has a towbar, whereas mine from yesterday doesn't... much variation!

 

18 hours ago, egg said:

I feel like flying out to Belfast to experience the highs and lows of diecast tat Friday first hand. But I fear the rollercoaster of emotions might be a bit much! Thanks again for the write up DC.

Well now, depending on your cabin baggage limits it could well be worth your while - the out-of-date biscuits represent excellent value for money, while stunning deals on white socks, yellow dusters and multipacks of tea towels are also to be found... you could make the trip pay for itself. ?

 

17 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Those two are lovely. I'll keep my hands in my pockets for now though!

Give me a shout though, if you find yourself experiencing a degree of wantage... I'm happy to fiddle around with these new arrivals for a few weeks, but ultimately I'll be moving them on before long.

 

16 hours ago, Amishtat said:

That's one of very few I have boxed. Never tried a battery in it though. Only just noticed the luminous interior claim too

Oh wow - now that's fantastic.

I experimented for a while with my Ro80 in the dark last night, but couldn't see much of a glow off the seats - possibly the luminescence has worn off after fifty years?

Couldn't get my lights to work either, so I'll pop the baseplate off and have a fiddle with it later.

 

15 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

I wish I’d put my hand up for the Corgi RO80 now!

Well, it's not too late... though I can certainly keep an eye out for a non-biffed one, if you prefer?

 

12 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

@Datsuncog if you are getting rid of the red C30, I'd be interested (have a gold one already)...

Sure thing! I'll set that aside for you - having thought about it, I'd sooner hold out for another gold one anyway. Mind you, I already have quite a nice 1/43 Cararama version, so maybe I don't need another Matchbox C30 anyway...

[Datsuncog]

And as if yesterday's market tat haul wasn't enough, there was another fine diecast delivery waiting when I got home, courtesy of @Split_Pin - another retro Corgi in the form of a very nice Mack Fire Tender, plus an early Vanguards Rover P4.

Many thanks for that! Some display cabinet re-jigging will be required, I think...

[Skizzer]

13 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

 Q- would the ferrari testarossa wheels have been smaller than 18 inch?

Oh goodness yes. Fifteens.

Huge diameter wheels are a recent thing.

[bunglebus]

Going to the Brentwood toy fair the day after I got paid probably wasn't my wisest move;

 

20191026_131021 by RS, on Flickr

 

Gather round children, let's have a look at what came home with me...

 

This very much didn't - always found the toy fair odd as there are 50p tat boxes and lots of stall asking for eye-watering amounts of cash too

 

20191026_101531 by RS, on Flickr

 

I won't go through all the Hot Wheels as I feel they're not quite right for AS, but I can't resist a packaged blackwall for £cheap

 

20191026_131533 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_132216 by RS, on Flickr

 

And a few loose ones

 

20191026_132249 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_132324 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_132354 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_132440 by RS, on Flickr

 

OK, into Matchbox;

 

20191026_132707 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_132752 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_132811 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_132848 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_132921 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_132939 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_133015 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_133023 by RS, on Flickr

 

Picked this up to replace a lost childhood one - only this colour combination has the spare wheel cover, they deleted it on the next variation

 

20191026_133037 by RS, on Flickr

 

More Mod Rods - the overpainted blue one I bought recently may give up its engine for one of these

 

20191026_133117 by RS, on Flickr

 

More donor cars to fix others

 

20191026_133136 by RS, on Flickr

 

Bought this purely as I'd never seen one before

 

20191026_133209 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_133220 by RS, on Flickr

 

I've been trying to find one of these with a black base to complete my Adventure 2000 set but they go for silly money. I may paint the skirt on this so it looks right

 

20191026_133233 by RS, on Flickr

 

Bought this as the panel van seems to be unusual - unfortunately it's come a cropper

 

20191026_133303 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_133319 by RS, on Flickr

 

20191026_133346 by RS, on Flickr

 

Look at the arse on that!

20191026_133409 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_133427 by RS, on Flickr

 

20191026_133442 by RS, on Flickr

 

Another I was unaware of

 

20191026_133506 by RS, on Flickr

 

OK, Corgi - lovely little beach buggy

 

20191026_133610 by RS, on Flickr

 

20191026_133645 by RS, on Flickr

 

I've been looking for the ovloV estate for a while - came home with three...

 

20191026_133731 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_133756 by RS, on Flickr

 

Polio

 

20191026_133827 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_133837 by RS, on Flickr

 

Here's an interesting one - Matchbox Porsche 911 Turbo rite?

 

20191026_133859 by RS, on Flickr

 

Rong

 

20191026_133919 by RS, on Flickr

 

Summer Jag XJC

 

20191026_133937 by RS, on Flickr

 

Another one ticked off my hit list - Majorette beach buggy. Meant to have a roof but as I saw I complete one for £8, I don't think this was bad at 50p or £1

 

20191026_134002 by RS, on Flickr

 

Another misleading one - Tomica yeah?

 

20191026_134026 by RS, on Flickr

 

Nope

 

20191026_134034 by RS, on Flickr

 

This must be the bargain of the day - Corgi AMC Hornet from the man with the golden diecast gun

 

20191026_134226 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_134230 by RS, on Flickr

 

Guess how much I paid?

 

20191026_134217 by RS, on Flickr

 

 

Most expensive car today, but at £4, still well under eBay prices for one of these

 

20191026_134254 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_134318 by RS, on Flickr

 

Mercury Commutator needs a good clean. No dogs in this one

 

20191026_134344 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_134359 by RS, on Flickr

 

Kicking myself for selling a spare of the red version of this - would have made a good parts donor. Didn't notice the broken wing but it was only 50p

 

20191026_134415 by RS, on Flickr

20191026_134424 by RS, on Flickr

 

Last but not least, Police Corgi Beetle

 

20191026_134441 by RS, on Flickr

[Sudsprint]

My RO80 doesn't work either!

Maybe in true RO80 tradition as Amishtat and I pass each other we should stick fingers up indicating the number of AAAs we have gone through.

[Sudsprint]

However Teutonic efficiency wins through with both the BM and MB lights working fine.

[Amishtat]

When I get home I'm going to see whether the luminous interior still does anything.. 

[Datsuncog]

9 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Another one ticked off my hit list - Majorette beach buggy. Meant to have a roof but as I saw I complete one for £8, I don't think this was bad at 50p or £1

Just let me have a rummage later on... I may well have a roof for that, salvaged from a tat box. White, oval rear window?

Cracking haul, by the way! Some really nice pieces in there, well bought!

[bunglebus]

That's the kiddy, awesome if you do have one!

 

[Datsuncog]

Looks like you're in luck...

Bit grubby, and the decals are slightly grotty, but appears to be the same moulding ok.

I'll pop that aside for you! Nice to know my hoarding tendencies have a positive outcome once a decade or so...

...let's just say it fell off the back of a lorry, yeah?

[egg]

A little Matchbox unboxing for ya.

 

[morrisoxide]

/\ I just watched /skipped through  that. Its strange how the UK got this box before the Americans?

Also my latest charity shop finds, the loose ones where in a pack of Chinese plastic tat and naff hot wheels.

The 300zx is branded Playskool, and has a motor and lights. The Dyane is a Mini Jet Norev, I thought it didn't have any seats but they are cast into the base.

The moral question is do I leave the Majorettes in the boxes or not?

 

 

[Amishtat]

Yes, the Ro80 still has a luminous interior but it won't photograph satisfactorily.. Bollocks.. 

[morrisoxide]

Well I thought the interior on the Ro80 was illuminated by the battery but its glow in the dark!!

This is my Dad's childhood NSU that I also played with as a nipper.  My Dad gave it a vinyl roof and black wheels. I've never dared trying a battery in it.

Crud picture 

[Amishtat]

That's the effect I've got but can't photograph! 

[AndyW201]

A small shopping trip (Asda and Tesco) met with moderate success...

Was chuffed to find the Alpine, and I'm quite fond of the recent MK1 MX5 casting, not TOO chavved-up for HW! I've already got one in the quite realistic blue colour. Sadly my local Morrison's, who I could usually rely upon to keep up with recent HW releases have done away with them and replaced them with the cheap and nasty Teamsters shite, so I'm not doing well for recent stuff. Have a lot of want for the Jag XF, RR Velar and the purple Porsche 964 but can't find them anywhere at the mo.

Looks like our Tesco have also had a restock of Matchbox. As mentioned, it seems the Merc W123 was in an earlier case so little chance of them being stocked now. It's been a well-received casting though, so hopefully we'll see a few re-releases in other colours.                                       

Although, I'm still tempted by the 9 pack with it in, especially for the reduced price of £7.20...

Was tempted with these two, especially at £1.10 each! Nice to see a return of the old R53 Cooper S, although it needs the window surrounds painting black IMO, and I missed the Ranchero last time it was released as a single model, so grabbed that also. White isn't as glamorous as the previous metallic pink release, but makes the Ranchy look more workman-like.

 

[bunglebus]

You need a decent long exposure to capture glow in the dark stuff

 

[Jon]

Hi Everybody!

I've had the luxury of over 2.5 days at home this weekend, with a bonus day tomorrow, too, which is by far the longest number of hours I've spent at my own gaff for a number of weeks, so despite not having achieved countless jobs on my to do list, have some photos of tat I've bought in the last couple of months, or thereabouts.

 

Today's haul were all collected from my favourite Auckland purveyor and collectively represent a whole £5 investment*. I'm sure they're always happy to receive such generous funds that result from my looking at EVERYTHING they have for sale.

 

Representing half of the budget alone was this unboxed Escort van; I always found it strange that Corgi didn't share the casting of the hatchback with front half of this van. I reckon the van version is the more accurate casting but I always preferred the looks of the hatchbacks. I also always wondered why they didn't just launch standard coloured vans with no signwriting but then I'm a funny old sort. Anyway, I didn't really want/need this but it seemed good value for the price, is in very good nick and it tickled me that a promotional model celebrating the business feats of a Chicester-based automotive company turns up in New Zealand.

 

Much the same with this Majorette 205 CTI - don't need it, not overly enamoured with the rendition despite owning a 205 GTI (why didn't Majorette make a tin top version of this?!) but for 50p, it seemed rude not to. By the way, that's a Mazda 121 in the shop window (the type made infinitely famous by Gregor Fisher in his unforgettable hit series The Baldy Man). Please note my pointlessly unerring necessity to find period correct backgrounds for my subjects, when I could be doing something much more constructive with my life.

 

This was a nice little find, as I'd known of the existence of these Whizzwheels Reliant Ants but I've never knowingly encountered one before.  Love the municiple utility colour, too. A nice pleasant casting and one of the greatest ways to spend a dollar.

 

A real Citroen SM would factor very highly on an imaginary no holds barred car wish list but in retrospect, I'm not sure that I've found a good die cast rendition of one. I'll admit that the Superkings version was vastly superior and much better detailed but this one couldn't be more different to it's larger sibling. Ah well, it was also only a dollar, so no biggie.

 

I imagine this little Jeep could be jazzed up with 4 correctly sized rubber washers (or 5 if I include the spare) but I'm not sure that my energies will ever strive in achieving such a simple goal. Incidentally, I used a few images from 1980's advertising industry magazines and I think this background is linked to a perfume, hence it's weirdness. In hindsight, not my greatest effort.

 

This one's a bit better though and shows arguably the best angle of a Matchbox GT Starfire - I really don't like those graphics but again, this one was in good shape, if you disregard the casting flashings. I'm due to take a trip back to the UK next year and am sure to take the opportunity to have a purge and bring anything over that may interest anyone.

 

So watch this space in about 6 months!

 

[Bren]

The glowing interior on the RO80 suggests it should have been buried at pripyat.

The talking police car I can sum up in two words - christmas 1977.