Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

Well cool ?

[Tenmil Socket]

@bunglebus those charity shop finds are amazing! especially the escort?

I never find anything like that in charity shops....

well done ✅ 

[Amishtat]

39 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Well cool ?

Exactly! I just had to.. 

[andrew e]

Bunglebus that’s a hell of a haul - the ralle Merc’s just lovely and so is that green 911, I gave my niece one of the last versions of that casting this week as a back to school treat.  I had a Bburago Mustang kit in in gold as birthday gift many many moons ago, (which I stuck several scalextric cars worth of transfers on!) long gong of course!

[RoadworkUK]

4 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Fox Mustang is badged as a Capri - but then it does have a Pinto under the bonnet

Capri could be a potential mis-build if it still says Ford Mustang on the chassis. Mercury Capri RS had the pinto in turbocharged 2.3 format, as also used in the Mustang Cobra.

Not a model I was aware that Bburago made. Rather nice! Good find.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

5 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Moving down a scale or two, first of all a Tonka I did buy - mentioned recently IIRC with the friction motor, still working and making the awful noise. Another £2.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is what I love about this thread. 

I keep on seeing models which stir a faint memory from at least three decades ago. The fact it then leads me to that popular buying and selling site is the downside ?

Any ideas which other cars came in that range? The wheels and mini hot rod look seem extremely familiar, but I can't actually visualise the model I owned...

Edit: I think it was red...

[andrew e]

Where as mine was yellow!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Boom! It looked like this...

Shame I'd need to visit Amurica to buy it. 

 

[andrew e]

Stolen pic!

[Split_Pin]

Y0 @Datsuncog those French Dinkys are a great buy. Until you showed the base, I was convinced they were Atlases, especially the Ami as they did remanufacture it in that colour, rather than light blue.  Very very hard to find outside France. I got a blue Ami at a Swapmeet in 1998 and I was pleased even back then to get that just one for about £18, but it's in playworn although complete condition.

I have always wondered what the random-looking lettering stands for on the base though.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

And I had one of these! Any ideas what model it was based on? 

 

[flat4alfa]

6 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Fox Mustang is badged as a Capri - but then it does have a Pinto under the bonnet

 

 

Not any old Pinto - it's the super-rare Mercury Capri RS, the turbo-charged Pinto one. Must be more models about than the real thing!

 

Pretty please first dabs on the Alfetta GT with Milano plates ?

 

[flat4alfa]

Damn, just found out - too late on that one, after page refresh....  ?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

@bunglebus Could you add the squashed Mercury to my reserved models please? Am happy to stump up for them when you're ready? 

Edit: @Datsuncog I think I meant you, not Bunglebus? Have lost track!

[flat4alfa]

18 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

And I had one of these! Any ideas what model it was based on? 

1969-74 Ford Maverick

[Datsuncog]

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Usually that's the case here - only found 3 that have tat in but for some reason this one often has loads. 

I think some charity shops don't bother selling toy cars, maybe it's not worth it/H+S risk or something. I can't believe they never get given any. 

From my extensive* experience with charity shops, it does sometimes happen that certain shops specialise in things that others don't - and so there may be a lively exchange economy local to you, with volunteers from one shop dropping off things (like toy cars) to another shop, and maybe picking up DVDs or garish pottery in exchange... some just can't be bothered setting aside an area for things that rarely sell.

*'Extensive' as in having spent waaaaay too much of my teens and twenties riffling through sagging boxes of Harry Secombe and Mantovani LPs in the hope of turning up something rare and wonderful... which did actually happen from time to time. But that's a whole n'uther thread...

[MarvinsMom]

8 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

No, the Jag wasn't as clean as all that - quite a bit of chipping to the roof and wings, and missing the jewels from the headlights. The pics definitely flatter it!

ugh sound horrid! glad then to be able to give it a swerve!

[antony denman]

here my jags to be honest the green one daimler v8 love jags off 60s and 70s.always wanted a mk2 jag one day lol

[eddyramrod]

Excellent "60s-Jag" colours on those!

[Datsuncog]

22 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Thanks.

You have a memory I could only wish for!

Nah, just a note on my phone for requests!

10 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Y0 @Datsuncog those French Dinkys are a great buy. Until you showed the base, I was convinced they were Atlases, especially the Ami as they did remanufacture it in that colour, rather than light blue.  Very very hard to find outside France. I got a blue Ami at a Swapmeet in 1998 and I was pleased even back then to get that just one for about £18, but it's in playworn although complete condition.

I have always wondered what the random-looking lettering stands for on the base though.

 I spent a fair while looking them over, as that was exactly my first thought too... Atlas releases that had been allowed to get really dusty. Since the bases lacked the Mattel and Made in China stamps, my next thought was they must be older restorations.  But seemingly not, though I couldn't swear they haven't seen a dab with a paintbrush round the silverwork at some point. But no, not at all common - how they all ended up in a Belfast market is anyone's guess.

Yes, I was hoping someone might be able to decode the bases! A lot of curious lettering, very peculiar! I'll try to take some better pics later...

10 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

@bunglebus Could you add the squashed Mercury to my reserved models please? Am happy to stump up for them when you're ready? 

Edit: @Datsuncog I think I meant you, not Bunglebus? Have lost track!

Heh, that'll be me alright! Yep, will add the distressed Mercury to your box, and ping you a total shortly, thanks!

[Spottedlaurel]

14 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

But no, not at all common - how they all ended up in a Belfast market is anyone's guess.

Have you ever asked market blokey where he gets his stuff from?

 

[egg]

Last resto of 2020 maybe...

[Dick Cheeseburger]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Nah, just a note on my phone for requests!

 I spent a fair while looking them over, as that was exactly my first thought too... Atlas releases that had been allowed to get really dusty. Since the bases lacked the Mattel and Made in China stamps, my next thought was they must be older restorations.  But seemingly not, though I couldn't swear they haven't seen a dab with a paintbrush round the silverwork at some point. But no, not at all common - how they all ended up in a Belfast market is anyone's guess.

Yes, I was hoping someone might be able to decode the bases! A lot of curious lettering, very peculiar! I'll try to take some better pics later...

Heh, that'll be me alright! Yep, will add the distressed Mercury to your box, and ping you a total shortly, thanks!

Cheers!

[Datsuncog]

11 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Have you ever asked market blokey where he gets his stuff from?

Yes, I think he mostly he gets them from house clearances and the like - there's a number of antiques and collectables stalls at St George's, many of them specialising in certain things - jewellery, say, or china and glass. There's one fella does mainly old cameras, another lad mostly old tools. From what I can tell, there's blokes who advertise to carry out entire house clearances - usually at no cost to the client - and stallholders from St George's, or Nutts Corner, or any other secondhand trader, call round to their yard to sift through any recent stuff for their stock. There also seems to be a bit of internal trade - other stallholders often seem to be sidling over with a box of stuff, "think this might be more your thing, what do you reckon?", followed by teeth-sucking and haggling.

Seems my Tat Stall of choice does mostly random nostalgic stuff, like toys, children's books/annuals, magazines and comics, postcards and photographs, police memorabilia, washboards, old bottles, ancient packets of things like Brillo Pads and borax and liver salts, and things from garages like old Haynes manuals, owners handbooks, road maps and oil cans. Basically ephemera, and the kind of stuff you'd find in attics and sheds.

I think this is where much of his stock comes from, and it does make me feel slightly uncomfortable... all the damaged partwork stuff with the acrylic cases missing smacked to me of someone who had the models on display, and whenever they pegged out everything was just swept into a black bag... doubtless the plastic cases and packaging were stored somewhere else, and likely got binned.

He does advertise on the stall saying he buys and sells too, and I think this accounts for the stuff that pops up mid-morning - I've seen people arrive with boxes of models (often Days Gone and Models of Yesteryear, inevitably) looking to sell - though they usually leave disappointed after being offered 50p each for Granddad's carefully preserved 'nest eggs'.

From overheard conversations, he basically looks to double his money, so the £10 French Dinkys were probably bought mid-morning for a fiver each. The odd thing, as I've said, is that he professes no interest in old cars at all, so it's a funny game for him to be in... but it works out ok, since if he had more of an eye for what's what, then the Dinkys from yesterday might have been straight on to eBay and I never would have got a sniff...

[andy18s]

So this arrived this morning 

Quality is superb, and the paint looks great

Think it'll be staying in it's box for a while though

 

[Split_Pin]

Those are lovely. Paint job is great and the lights are spot on.

It's just a shame that for the money the cost they don't put any chassis detail on and have no opening features. The interior details in them are amazing but it's hard to see through the glass. I had a BMW M3 by GT Spirit but I sold it a few years ago for that reason.

[eddyramrod]

Agreed!  Some years ago I won an Otto Peugeot 306 rally car in a magazine and found exactly the same issues.  I gave it to my friend Costas who is something of a rally nut.  He was, of course, delighted.

[bunglebus]

I don't mind the Nascar theme on the Hot Wheels Hudson Hornet, but I felt it would also work as a mild custom. Not much done here other than the usual removal of casting marks, Matchbox wheels and silver paint with some rose gold faded up the sides.

Hadn't realised how similar the shape is to the 49-51 Mercury if you ignore the heavy grille

[antony denman]

been in the loft the mrs is playing holy hell about the state off it,anyway as am cleaning i found this van i havent got a scooby what it is looks russian to me just dont know,no makers name been in there for over 20 years its a friction and faded to hell must been in a window faded the plastic,lol,must off been a boot find cant rember,does anyone know what it is,its friction motor in it still works perfect probaly just bit off worthless tat lol it quite large looks 1.24 scale mybe,and spot on mga should i restore or just do a symathtic restore just put a windscreen in and steering wheel got them,cant make my mind up,have restored red one,in two minds ?just rememered goes topless turns in to a pick up lol 

[bunglebus]

I like the van, looks "period" rather than a later creation. 

If the MGA is original paint I'd replace the missing bits and leave it be