Shite in Miniature II

[Spottedlaurel]

My local Tesco has restocked on Matchbox, I picked up the Mercedes 220, VW Thing and Caprice tonight. They had at least one more of each, plus a few Ranchero and Thunderbird. Several Mini Cooper and an Alfa too.

[AndyW201]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

Shopping list:

Anyone know if it really is electronic?  One seller says dashboard lights up but I'm not sure as cannot get that confirmed anywhere

I had that when they came out, (I think it's still in my childhood diecast stash at my mother's house). Lovely model but sadly not electronic. It refers to the fact that the real car it was based on (the TXE) had a digital dash as an option, I think.

[FakeConcern]

Thanks @bunglebus for scanning the catalogues, they're both great! I'd not even heard of Siku until recently and was never into Matchbox when I was a kid. The only MB I had as a kid from that catalogue was the Mercury Cougar and I don't seem to have it any more so don't know what happened to it. I did buy a blue & white cabin cruiser boat & trailer for Mrs Concern's summer house on Ebay, it came attached to a Renna 5 so I was surprised to see it in the 69 catalogue!

Also @Datsuncog I seem to think you said I could buy your red MB Volvo C30, so should I PM my address and you give me your Paypal details & how much you want or what?

[junkyarddog]

11 minutes ago, egg said:

DAF city car?

That's interesting!

I like that,trade for the Matchbox Merc 220 rally car?

[Datsuncog]

13 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Shopping list:

Anyone know if it really is electronic?  One seller says dashboard lights up but I'm not sure as cannot get that confirmed anywhere

Fairly sure there's not much in the way of electrickery in the C384 Corgi R11, tragically - certainly not on mine anyway, nor mentioned in the Corgi catalogues at the time - though the opening doors and boot get a mention.

1983: still under wraps as 'New Saloon Car'

1984: Depicted for the first and only time in a Corgi catalogue - though I've never seen a red one; beige and blue seem to be the only variants in circulation.

1985: deleted from the range in the post-Mettoy restructuring.

I think the Electronic was the top-end R11 with the digital talking dashboard, and it seems Corgi changed the packaging on their new model late on to harness that buzz - since the baseplate and the bootlid just says 'Renault 11 GTL'.

Bit of a swizz, really! With Corgitronics just on the market, I'm sure more than a few kids ended up disappointed at their 'electronic' toy.

Still a nice model though, and an unusual subject too - also, it seems that some (like mine) had a slightly crap silver-painted grille that doesn't look much like the real thing, while others apparently have a better one with a moulded-in diamond badge (as per the red one in the catalogue).

All the best with your shopping!

[egg]

6 minutes ago, junkyarddog said:

That's interesting!

I like that,trade for the Matchbox Merc 220 rally car?

Yup, let's do it. I've enjoyed looking at the CityCar since I've had it, but time for a new home now.

[junkyarddog]

12 minutes ago, egg said:

Yup, let's do it. I've enjoyed looking at the CityCar since I've had it, but time for a new home now.

PM'd

[junkyarddog]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

Also, anyone have one of these to shift?

  any condition

 

This poorly example any good?

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, eddyramrod said:

Fiat 131, you say?  The Matchbox model, as you know, was the Abarth rally car, but there was also a similar-sized model by (I think) Polistil, of a relatively plain pre-facelift 4dr.  I have one upstairs, made up to look like the facelift one I had in 1986...

Guisval made one exactly as you describe, badged as a Seat though.

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, FakeConcern said:

Also @Datsuncog I seem to think you said I could buy your red MB Volvo C30, so should I PM my address and you give me your Paypal details & how much you want or what?

Yes, absolutely - that's been set aside for you. If you're happy enough for me to send it on to you, drop me a PM with your address and I'll get that off to you.

50p + post will do well, and I'll measure the C30 just in case it might squeeze through the Royal Mail sizing guide as a large letter (95p) rather than a small parcel (£3).

Equally, if you want to delay posting to start a new box in case of future tat discoveries, or indeed if any of my other stuff from past weeks catches your eye (see the post from 11 Oct for a full run-down of what's still available), then you're most welcome!

[eddyramrod]

On 11/4/2019 at 11:05 PM, junkyarddog said:

Yes,it's the Abarth one that would interest me the most,but I may be interested in the Polistil one if you wish to trade?

What model are you interested in Eddy?

I'm sorry, my example is staying with me!  It's part of my slowly-expanding collection of cars I've owned.  Also, I'm afraid I don't have the MB model to trade either.  Sorry to get your hopes up there!

[Remspoor]

12 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Shopping list:

Anyone know if it really is electronic?  One seller says dashboard lights up but I'm not sure as cannot get that confirmed anywhere

 

This may shed more light on the Reggie.

[junkyarddog]

1 hour ago, eddyramrod said:

I'm sorry, my example is staying with me!  It's part of my slowly-expanding collection of cars I've owned.  Also, I'm afraid I don't have the MB model to trade either.  Sorry to get your hopes up there!

Oh you tease!! 

[junkyarddog]

17 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

I still have these to trade,if anyone is interested in them.Prefer Majorette from the 70's&80's.I'm open to anything really if it tickles my pickle!

I also have a few of these,Tomica Mitsubishi recovery trucks.

All new,but no boxes.For trade too if anyone fancies one.

The rear bodies can be made to fit other castings too,if you should be so inclined!

Mercedes rally car on it's way to Egg!

 

[FakeConcern]

11 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Yes, absolutely - that's been set aside for you. If you're happy enough for me to send it on to you, drop me a PM with your address and I'll get that off to you.

50p + post will do well, and I'll measure the C30 just in case it might squeeze through the Royal Mail sizing guide as a large letter (95p) rather than a small parcel (£3).

Equally, if you want to delay posting to start a new box in case of future tat discoveries, or indeed if any of my other stuff from past weeks catches your eye (see the post from 11 Oct for a full run-down of what's still available), then you're most welcome!

That's very kind of you. I did have a look at your stuff, but this thread moves so quickly I lost track of what was still going and what had sold I don't know how you manage it!

I'm not really looking to have a collection as such as I don't want to have a load of toy model cars on display in the house apart from a few of cars I have owned , hence the C30.

What I would be interested in is the XM if you still have it (I had a real one until a couple of years ago so that's allowed!) and anything that could fit in Mrs Concern's summer house collection so If you have a Lotus Seven still I'd be interested in that even though it's not the proper Prisoner style. I couldn't see any in the pictures, but I'd be interested in any caravans or boats (including towing cars), ice cream vans and beach buggys or anything that can fit in with a loose seaside/holiday theme see pics of Summer house here...

https://autoshite.com/topic/20735-doesnt-fit-anywhere-else-shite-thread/page/4/

[Split_Pin]

@Datsuncog, if you still have that friction powered 127 when I get paid on 15th, can I bagsy it please?

Everyone heard my detailed story about how I chose between that and an Alfa Romeo 1300  Junior Zagato in a Newsagents in 1984 and how 35 year laters that Alfa needs a friend

 

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, FakeConcern said:

I'm not really looking to have a collection as such as I don't want to have a load of toy model cars on display in the house apart from a few of cars I have owned , hence the C30.

What I would be interested in is the XM if you still have it (I had a real one until a couple of years ago so that's allowed!) and anything that could fit in Mrs Concern's summer house collection so If you have a Lotus Seven still I'd be interested in that even though it's not the proper Prisoner style. I couldn't see any in the pictures, but I'd be interested in any caravans or boats (including towing cars), ice cream vans and beach buggys or anything that can fit in with a loose seaside/holiday theme see pics of Summer house here...

Yup, it can move fast here, it's true!

Yes, XM still very much available for your automotive biography, alongside the C30...

...as is the Lotus Seven.

Loving the themed summerhouse... I haven't much in the way of caravans or boats, but I do have this Majorette ice cream van, if it's of any use to you?

The canopy still slides out and everything.

All at 50p each, should you fancy them!

[Tenmil Socket]

DC, is that yellow Escort MK5 available?

[Datsuncog]

4 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

DC, is that yellow Escort MK5 available?

Sadly not, Sierraman bagsied it straight away! I'll keep an eye out for another one, if you're interested though. The world of tat is chaotic, but sometimes it delivers...

[Datsuncog]

23 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

@Datsuncog, if you still have that friction powered 127 when I get paid on 15th, can I bagsy it please?

Everyone heard my detailed story about how I chose between that and an Alfa Romeo 1300  Junior Zagato in a Newsagents in 1984 and how 35 year laters that Alfa needs a friend

Sure thing - delighted to send it on its way!

 

Happy to set that aside until the 15th, and give the wee Zagato a friend!

 

A bit of online sleuthing leads me to believe these were made by East German outfit Piko-Anker; they really are very appealing.

Even though I'd never seen the Fiat 127 before, it was the distinctive grey wheels and rubber tyres which gave me a Proustian rush a few weeks back, as it immediately transported me back to a rather clumsy Jaguar XJS, Audi 100 Avant and Barkas B-1000 minibus which I owned back in the mid-80s.

The minibus came from a stall at what I can only describe as a proto-Continental market in Bangor one winter, maybe 1985, when some enterprising Europeans seem to have approached the council to set up a street market for that year's Christmas Lights switch-on. Seems that they brought a load of DDR plastic tat with them too...

It looked like this:

I think I might still have the roofrack hiding in a box somewhere, but the bus itself was no doubt a casualty of 'enthusiastic' play.

Thinking about it, quite possibly the Jag and Audi had their origins from the same market stall, since I acquired both of them not long after the Barkas at my primary school's May Festival in 1986 (think: jumble sale with added face-painting and donkey rides in the playground).

This is what they looked like:

Note the same wheels and tyres used on all models, as seeing them brought the other memories back so strongly when I clocked the Fiat - even though I'd never seen the little 127 before.
 

Luckily*, I helpfully wrote down and illustrated my May Festival tat stall finds in my Primary 2 Story Jotter, which surely proves that I've been at this malarkey for waaaaay longer than I'd previously suspected...

I actually do remember all this.

The 'racing car' was a white Lucky Toys Porsche 924 with Martini Racing decals, but the rear axle mount had snapped and so the axle sat back up into the body. Clearly this was a source of chagrin to my 5-year-old self, causing me to devote a full quarter of my story to this great disappointment.

It would have looked like this:

While I've correctly capitalised Jaguar, you may note my rather idiosyncratic spelling of Audi as 'adaiie'. Clearly Audi was not a make I was very familiar with.

The 'pick-up van' referred to was, I believe, a Lucky Toys Ford F-Series pick-up, a bit like this one:

This is the only image I can find on the net - but mine was plain yellow, with a red ladder rack behind the cab and a moulded-in 'load' of barrels and timber, if I recall correctly. The bonnet opened to reveal quite a detailed engine, too. It had no description on the base beyond 'Lucky Toys' and 'Hong Kong', so I didn't know what it was - and spent many years thinking it was a Chevrolet.

Wellworths was an Irish chain store, a bit like Woolworths but which also sold groceries. They had a decent toy aisle, including the first release of the Matchbox Dinky range which didn't really sell - they had shelves of the green E-Type and the blue MGB GT sitting for years. Eventually they decided to focus on the grocery end, and changed their name to Super Valu.

I'm not sure of the accuracy of my £1.99 claim, but evidently my penchant for bargain tat runs deep...

So there you go. Tat Stall Report #1, May 1986, from deep down in the Datsuncog archives.

You're welcome!

[Split_Pin]

Cheers Tim and some brilliant Info there.

I recall seeing the Audi 100 at a stall in Ingliston Sunday Market some time in the late 1980s. It was yellow and I thought it was a Passat at the time. I didn't know it was made by the same company as my Alfa.

Looking forward to taking the 127 on-fleet. Actually it will also sit well with a rather nice 1/20 scale plastic Skoda Estelle that I have.

[Tenmil Socket]

For years and years it's bugged me not being able to remember/discover what this model was as I also had one as a kid. I'd always assumed it was a Metro. This has rest the case. Thanks!

*Is there a reason for the black bootlid not being body coloured?

[egg]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

East German outfit Piko-Anker

Cheers T, interesting to know. Do not enter search term into eBay - much wallet lightening could occur ?. Hnnnggg

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alfa-Romeo-1300-Junior-Zagato-Anker-Piko-1-20-33038/362742230385

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Piko-Anker-1-25-FIAT-242-PICK-UP-SERVICE-TRUCK-Blue-Plastic-Car-Rare/162863729221

[egg]

If you have £100 spare you could have a remote control police Wartburg!

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/ddr-spielzeug-presu-anker-piko-fernlenkauto-mit-karton/1245724288-234-3468

They did a Trabby too, naturlich..

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/ddr-spielzeug-anker-piko-trabi-trabant-601-in-ovp/1203487282-234-2192

Oh and a Tatra, solid gold shite model company!

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/tatra-613-ites-anker-piko-ddr-spielzeug/1055301239-23-2422

[egg]

Slightly more down to earth, I've been through the modern matchbox wiki pages, and decided this was the other must have model. Arrived today.

[Datsuncog]

46 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

For years and years it's bugged me not being able to remember/discover what this model was as I also had one as a kid. I'd always assumed it was a Metro. This has rest the case. Thanks!

*Is there a reason for the black bootlid not being body coloured?

This place has no equal when it comes to mystery-solving... glad to be of service!

I wasn't sure about the black bootlid either - but since all the pics online have them too, I'm guessing it was a way to keep costs down by fitting the same bootlid regardless of what colour the bodyshell might be?

[Datsuncog]

That Tatra is glorious... still, HFM!!!!

Weird to think that for all the famed Corgi and Matchbox collectability, these semi-disposable plastic toys from behind the Iron Curtain could have been a canny investment in the late 80s...

There still is an Anker Play Products making toys, although they seem to claim 'American design' and an address in Florida - not sure if it's the same company or not?

http://ankerpp.com/about/

[Split_Pin]

Tesco in Cumbernauld has finally had a Matchbox restock.

Plenty of Rancheros and VW 181s, not my thing though.

Got these.

Caprice is dated 2019 on the baseplate so presume it's another new casting and the Ford Taurus is 2010. I really like American domestics so these are bang on.

[egg]

Ah, did they have the Bini though?

[Split_Pin]

6 minutes ago, egg said:

Ah, did they have the Bini though?

Nope, no Binis, Guilias or Marcs sadly.