Shite in Miniature II

7,971 · December 24, 2021

Would be interested in rehoming that Plymouth taxi if it's not silly money. I had what you might call pre-Christmas diecast turn up, my uncle arrived yesterday with a lovely Matchbox BMC 1800 Pininfarina he'd found for a quid in a Nairn charity shop and I also had a delivery yesterday from Ramrod Diecast Distribution in the form of a tidy boxed Lone Star '61 Dodge Plodcoop and a very appealing Corgi Chrysler Imperial. Thanks again Eddy! We welcomed my Dad to our new house this evening having not seen him in 14 months and it was a delight showing him what's new in the cabinet. A very merry Christmas to my fellow diecast botherers.

56,356 · December 24, 2021

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

70s fantasy Superkings, still with its rear cover intact

Ooh...interesting! I have found a couple with canopies intact lately but none have the slide out part that holds the car in place. One to keep in mind if you ever return please!

The Dinky Marzal is also tempting if it's not eye-wateringly expensive.

Happy Christmas everyone

56,356 · December 24, 2021

1 hour ago, junkyarddog said:

All the Wild cat Mustangs had the green glass,pink or orange version.

I should know that but it looks really different against that colour. I blame the drinks...

56,356 · December 25, 2021

I've wanted one of these for years, I knew I was getting it but the Mrs has kept it until today. Hot Wheels redline Evil Weevil

With some old friends

I only found out recently that it's not a modified Custom Volkswagen, it's a narrower body

27,962 · December 25, 2021

No diecasts among my prezzies today so I'm especially glad of my parcel from Norn Iron the other day!

40,658 · December 25, 2021

No diecast here either from Father Christmas, so here's some better pics of Thursday's unexpected market finds:

The Foden's swivelling tow hook is still attached, and the jib is undamaged (unlike the mangled one from childhood memory).

Ideal rescuer for when it all becomes a little too much for the Italian electrics...

Since this is marked as a King Size rather than a Major Pack, I think this may be a later example - but I'll check that.

I'm really pleased with this one.

And also this:

Lightly playworn, but all intact.

I've been after one of these for a while; he had a very banana'd one the exact same on the stall over the summer, and also a battered earlier green and red example a while back. I'm glad I held out for this one.

Hoping to dig my later DAF transporter out at some stage to compare the trailer castings. This one has a more involved rear folding mechanism than the 'hydraulic rams' on the DAF.

Good vibes.

Both keepers, for now.

13,586 · December 25, 2021

Merry Christmas all! No diecasts or kits for me, but I did get some new brushes and a pin vice (mini drill thing) which I'd selected several weeks ago.

7,971 · December 25, 2021

No diecast but my Dad's given me this, which I'm reading in front of the fire while dinner is cooking.

56,356 · December 25, 2021

Datsuncog's book is out but he's used a nom de plume

7,971 · December 26, 2021

I was wrong, in a sense. As in, it's injection moulded not diecast but I'm grateful all the same. Never seen one of these before. Forgive the iffy photos, I've been on the piss.

5,124 · December 26, 2021

As hoped for, Santa did bring a small amount of diecast. (Well, the first was actually bought by me and given to the Mrs to wrap up, but got to try and keep a bit of magic going...)

This was one of my holy grails. I've never really gone for the Vanguards Mini, mainly because it's not exactly the best rendering of the Mini, the old Lledo casting almost seeming to date back as far as the Mini itself. But a good few years back, Vanguards did a range of Hidden Treasures models, which were meant to portray old, neglected "b*rn f*nd" type cars. I managed to get all the ones from the two original releases,

However, some years later, about 2012ish, Corgi brought out this version of XLL 27, the fourth oldest surviving Mini, which had been discovered in a barn (genuinely this time I think!) after being laid up for four decades and fetched an impressive £40k at auction. The model represents the car in its as-discovered 'unrestored' state.

So, for me I had to have one as a continuation of the Hidden Treasures collection. Not that I'm one of those who has to have every example of a type or range of model... No, not me...

The faked patina is pretty good on this one, I've compared it to photos of the real car at auction, and it's not far off at all. Wrong colour interior though, should have red seats...

A little treat for mismatched panel fans!

A couple of little disappointments with this model though, I wish I'd got it out of the box it came in, before I gave it to ~~the wife~~ Santa to wrap up, as the display case has a crack in,

And the box has been opened at the end with the seal on. (Why not the other end?...🙄) And I'm not sure if this release came with the collectors card, but if it did, it's missing now.

But, beggars can't be choosers, as this model just does not come up for sale often. And it's a Vanguards Holy Grail ticked off the list. Of course now I really need the dirty version of the bullnose Transit MK1 to go with the dirty flat nose version I already have and the rocking horse shit Truman beers Morris J van, a small batch of which got fake patina'd at the factory by mistake and is regarded as the ultimate Vanguards Hidden Treasure.

But I'm not a completionist. No.

5,124 · December 26, 2021

This next one was a genuine surprise. Me and the wife were in Smyth's a few months ago looking for something for 201-lad's birthday, and I saw these,

I got quite excited by them, I am quite partial to a Majorette premium, but I baulked at the £15 price for 5 1/64 scale cars.

Bless her, she went and got the pack for me for Christmas next time she was over there.

I must admit, the Celica caught my eye first, the Majorette version is a beauty. Far better than the Hot Wheels one IMO.

But this little beastie is the star of the show for me.

All have some kind of opening feature, I need to stop being so much of a fanny and get the pack open to have a proper look...

56,356 · December 26, 2021

9 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

Truman beers Morris J van, a small batch of which got fake patina'd at the factory by mistake

Now that sounds like an interesting story! I'm more "toys" than models but the Mini looks nicely done, odd that the interior is the wrong colour as that must be one of the easier things to get right in the first place

56,356 · December 26, 2021

9 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

I must admit, the Celica caught my eye first, the Majorette version is a beauty. Far better than the Hot Wheels one IMO.

But this little beastie is the star of the show for me.

Yep those two are the stand out pair, I also decided £15 was a bit too much for my liking. I did snap up several different versions of the Beetle and bus when they came out a couple of years ago along with a Mustang and 2CV, but I've not found the Celica and R5 as individual castings yet

7,856 · December 26, 2021

19 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

No diecast here either from Father Christmas, so here's some better pics of Thursday's unexpected market finds:

The Foden's swivelling tow hook is still attached, and the jib is undamaged (unlike the mangled one from childhood memory).

Ideal rescuer for when it all becomes a little too much for the Italian electrics...

Since this is marked as a King Size rather than a Major Pack, I think this may be a later example - but I'll check that.

I'm really pleased with this one.

And also this:

Lightly playworn, but all intact.

I've been after one of these for a while; he had a very banana'd one the exact same on the stall over the summer, and also a battered earlier green and red example a while back. I'm glad I held out for this one.

Hoping to dig my later DAF transporter out at some stage to compare the trailer castings. This one has a more involved rear folding mechanism than the 'hydraulic rams' on the DAF.

Good vibes.

Both keepers, for now.

How ironic---i have both of these! The Foden i have had for years as i am a long time Foden enthusiast and the Guy i bought a couple of years ago as it reminds me of my car transporter days running out of BCA,but not with a Guy!

5,111 · December 26, 2021

Happy Christmas miniature shitters 🎄

Father Christmas obviously knew I’d been good this year and knocked this up in the north poles sister workshop in China 😉 It’s one of those collapsable spray booth extractors (off Amazon I think). Seems quite sturdy, will have to see if it is in practice. Lights inside are fiddly so might no go the distance, and you need a box really for the extractor pipe work. The rotating table was inside too.

20,320 · December 26, 2021

No tools this year - I intend to spend less time working on cars. However it was a toy rich xmas -

Matchbox nasa tracking vehicle. I remember buying this as gift for my brother during a trip to Alton Towers - 1982 I think....

4x4 open back truck. Never owned this one. Cheaper 'cos end flaps have come off - the last of the line 1-75(before matchbox went) are surprisingly expensive.

Mercury police car. Fab.

Juniors ERF. I bought this because it has the metal base - it was soon swapped for the cheap plastic base.

D series skip truck. I remember my brother getting this from Woolworths in Widnes - it must have been around 1977.

Whizzwheels camaro. A few chips and a repro roof but dont care 'cos cheap and all stuff works.

Saint's jag. Never owned this one before. Needs a clean.

Another I missed out on first time around.

Big volvo.

4,922 · December 26, 2021

Santa in the form of Mrs CSW got me this for Christmas. In fact two of them, cause she made a mistake. I'm not complaining

56,356 · December 26, 2021

2 hours ago, Bren said:

Whizzwheels camaro

You got some lovely bits but that has to be the standout - rarer than the gold version surely?

20,320 · December 26, 2021

11 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

You got some lovely bits but that has to be the standout - rarer than the gold version surely?

Yes it is very rare - only made for a short time.

2,192 · December 26, 2021

Mercedes-Benz 200D in 1:64 scale. It's my first Schuco and I'm quite pleased. It's pricy and the level of detail isn't mind-blowing, but it is done competently. Nice roller.

I think they've got the right idea with packaging, too. Compare with Greenlight's large plastic clamshell which is wasteful and difficult to open.

Anyway, the model itself.

4,803 · December 26, 2021

I had some nice models for Christmas and had fancied a P6 for some time so these were a great surprise:

The Zephyr is a nice model considering it is not a Vanguard and is a great colour scheme. The Rover is fantastic in Almond. Oddly the box clearly states Rover 3500 V8 Almond with exterior pictures to match, the interior pictures are of a mk1 Granada Ghia.

I will need to wait until the tree is down to add them to my already full display cabinet.

56,356 · December 26, 2021

I've only got older Schucos but they seem very nice for their size

13,394 · December 26, 2021

My Xmas gift to my self, looks good for the money I paid

32,123 · December 26, 2021

Lots of lovely diecast gifts there folks! I especially like the patinated Mini.

No diecast for me this Xmas although I did get the Italeri re-release of the MK2 Escort kit from my wife. I already have the Esci Ertl original with both the cycle-type arches and the bubble arches but building it will take me back to 1994 when I got my first example.

5,124 · December 27, 2021

15 hours ago, Shite Ron said:

I had some nice models for Christmas and had fancied a P6 for some time so these were a great surprise:

The Zephyr is a nice model considering it is not a Vanguard and is a great colour scheme. The Rover is fantastic in Almond. Oddly the box clearly states Rover 3500 V8 Almond with exterior pictures to match, the interior pictures are of a mk1 Granada Ghia.

I will need to wait until the tree is down to add them to my already full display cabinet.

Nice to see another Vanguards fan! I like the P6 myself (perversely I like the facelift version best) but so far only have the Hidden Treasures version, which looks a bit like yours after spending 10 years sitting on a driveway! (BTW, all of the Lledo-era Vanguards boxes of that time had the Granada interior pics.)

And the Brasilia brown 3500 which was a cheapie version marketed by Corgi for their 60th anniversary.

The Corgi Classics Mk2 Zephyr casting is a very good one, it did actually make it into the Vanguards range after a bit of a refresh!

56,356 · December 27, 2021

On 24/12/2021 at 12:56, 155V6 said:

My weakness is Majorette Dodges

Just how many versions are there exactly? I've had to resist trying to grab every one I see as there seem to be endless variations

13,586 · December 27, 2021

41 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Just how many versions are there exactly? I've had to resist trying to grab every one I see as there seem to be endless variations

I have several and they really, definitely aren't something I collect. Contemplating dropping a camper bodyshell from a later Majorette onto one of them, making a bit of a start on diecast modification/restoration.

In the meantime, I'm hoping to complete a couple of kits over the Christmas/New Year holiday:

I started this Tamiya BMW project early in 2020, just a reshell of a build I did back in the '90s. I couldn't improve much on the engine, floorpan, running gear and interior but I had a spare bodyshell and felt I should be able to give it better paintwork. Mainly foil bright work and detail painting to finish now.

Also going to do this refresh of a Monogram '57 Chevy I first built back in the mid '80s. Found most of the parts I need scattered amongst various parts boxes, and I have a few bits leftover from the purple one I bcompleted a few years ago. The brush-painted black Hunbrol enamel issn't too bad, I'm planning just to give it a gentle wet sanding and polishing, then do new brightwork and reassemble it. It'll be far from perfect, but will be good to see it together again and reminding me of how I did things as a teenager.

24,745 · December 27, 2021

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

Just how many versions are there exactly? I've had to resist trying to grab every one I see as there seem to be endless variations

Has anybody ever seen a real one of these?

I have a few,but they are hard to find in decent condition.

10,105 · December 27, 2021

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Just how many versions are there exactly? I've had to resist trying to grab every one I see as there seem to be endless variations

Here's some of what I have

Safari Truck,four different wheel types