Shite in Miniature II

[Split_Pin]

10 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

I have the same set,never tried to see if it it works,or a least i don't think I have

I had a similar set as a kid, except it was 2 De Tomaso Panteras. It annoyed me that the body split precisely into 4 quarters with the glasshouse popping off, quite unrealistic! They weren't Corgi though, no idea who made them. I did play with them a lot though and they never stopped functioning as intended so they must have been well made. They seem to have been lost to the midsts of time now.

[Spottedlaurel]

9 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

That is a Majorette,it's called  a "Sonic Flasher"

The lights flash and it has a working siren.

That'll be why then! Probably past my prime playing-with-toy-cars days (and before my current ones).

This is what I ended up with as a result yesterday's visit to rainy, windswept Essex:

Good to fill some gaps in the boxed Superfast collection. All three of these finish off various sets:

Sticking with Matchbox:

The three at the front seemed like a natural group to rescue from a tat box, the RX7 in particular needs a bit of TLC. Supra possibly a different livery to what I already have? Prairie has evaded me until now and the CX is a replacement for the similar example I got in a Stunt Jump set when I was young, and which seems to have gone AWOL, last seen in one of Master SL's boxes.

Randoms:

Certainly a lot of carded HWs on offer. I liked the colouring on the 240Z, possible inspiration for a 1:24 kit. Horizon by Guisval, a quick search didn't immediately show that Castrol-liveried variant. "Rocky III" by Ertl, with no mention of it being a Maserati Quattroporte. I think it would be possible to buy a different Corgi Buick at every fair and never get a repeat, I remember Ratdat having assembled a large collection of them.

Majorette assortment #1:

Cut-down Renault is an oddity, but quite well done. Mercedes cab was a separate purchase to the Renault trailer, but it needed something to make it complete.

Majorette assortment #2:

There were two that I had in mind before going, the Volvo estate and VW K70, and happily I managed to acquire both of them (will have to see if the black paint on the latter can be removed). Simca 1100 needs a repaint, maybe bronze? Haven't previously seen that wheel style on the Simca/Chrysler Alpine. Sierra is a nice one, more attractive than the yellow with amber glass one I already have (different wheels too). TR7 is the version with narrower wheels (but still with overly chunky bodywork). A310 will make for a good comparison with the 1:43 kit I'm finishing off. BMW is more familiar to me from the pull-back motor version I got in France when I was young.

Bigger things:

Felt sorry for the Prelude, don't remember this white one - did it come in a gift pack with a trailer of some sort? Apparently no Japanese cars of that time were considered to be World Class.

1:36 caravan by Majorette goes nicely with the bigger Corgi range, and also this:

 

I already have a later version, good to find this earlier, boxed example. Pleasingly the base can be removed, so I can do this even if it's not the most pleasant colour combination:

Did Majorette offer much else in this 1:36 "3000" series? The stallholder had another 4x4 of some sort, something American as I recall.

An enjoyable morning out and good to meet @bunglebus

[sierraman]

The Majorette thunderbird would have originally had a prop cast into the engine bay to hold the bonnet open. 

[Spottedlaurel]

8 minutes ago, sierraman said:

The Majorette thunderbird would have originally had a prop cast into the engine bay to hold the bonnet open. 

Aha, I can see where something has been snapped-off. Another one that's after my time.

[bunglebus]

41 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Horizon by Guisval, I think it would be possible to buy a different Corgi Buick at every fair and never get a repeat

Cut-down Renault is an oddity, but quite well done. 

I must have missed that Horizon! 

I did pick up the Renault 5, but decided I didn't need any more strange customs that other people have created. I always see a Matchbox Boss mustang with a V8 in the back at the Raleigh fair but have resisted so far. 

Those Corgi Buicks are a real slippery slope, think I have 14 or 15 different ones now and I don't deliberately track them down

[AndyW201]

@Spottedlaurelthe plain white Prelude was an individual release.

There was also a white one with a green stripe which towed a trailer with a glider in it.

[junkyarddog]

I picked up this Majorette Sonic Flasher last year at a show.

They can have the batteries replaced,but it's a bit of a faff with varying degrees of success. 

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

13 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

 

A Lone Star Maserati 'Mistrale' in 'Flyers' flavour.  Yes, they spelled 'Mistral' wrong.  The model was named after the Mediterranean wind.

 

But Colin popped over, gave it the once-over and determined it has a problem!  Can you tell what it is?

 

 

Bonnet opens at the wrong end and the rear quarter windows should be bigger.

 

 

13 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Last, but not least, is this

 

 

That remind me of one of my favourite old toys, which Corgi probably reacted to

 

 

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

They're not too bad as these things go, the Sunbeam is my favourite. Fairly easy to find in good condition too

 

Those look like they could be Johnny Lightning recasts.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Back to the RIO theme, they don't just do vintage cars, they have produced  varied selection of things.

Fiat 128

Mercedes 300D Hearse

Various Citroen DS models

[flat4alfa]

On 7/22/2020 at 9:37 AM, flat4alfa said:

On the other end of the realism scale is this Summer Fiat 131 Abarth.   It looks to be near 1:50 and its dimensions and crude detail do try to make it recognisable as one

For some reason, poorer condition examples have sold well, having being outbid on a few in the past.  So grabbed this one as it was on BIN and cheap. 

It has some sort of 'wheelie car' base, so more toy than model.

There is a wind-up motor in there.  Carlos Fandango rear wheel track improves the comedy.  Never had one of these so wondered what it did. 

Well it's daft - you wind it back, let it go and it rolls along .....until its last few inches when it raises up its front and performs a wheelie.  Which is the wrong way around.  A wheelie at the END of its run.  I ask you...

Summer FIAT 131 Abarth @bunglebus

[flat4alfa]

29 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Bonnet opens at the wrong end and the rear quarter windows should be bigger.

Winner!

Yes Lone Star put the bonnet hinge in the wrong place

 

Mattel placed it correctly, at the front

[flat4alfa]

14 hours ago, bunglebus said:

 

Oh I didn’t know they were remote control

It seems I had the Kenner set that I think also had a ‘rip cord’ that spun a gyro wheel, like that Denys Fisher ‘Rev Rods’ set  in the @MiniMinorMk3 post above.   Not sure if it was rebranded for the UK, but is was definitely the Beetle vs US Pickup

 

I don’t remember much about it, or having it long so it can’t have lasted.  Do remember the stickers were in place though

[junkyarddog]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

Mattel placed it correctly, at the front

But they got it wrong on the Redline Rolls Royce.

 

[Richard_FM]

15 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Marchon Tune Up @bunglebus

I used to have exactly the same model,  the hex nut needed about half a turn to release the brakes, which would come on after it was crashed into something solid.

The wheels were a little brittle & cracked after a while & had to be glued back together.

[bunglebus]

On 07/01/2023 at 13:29, bunglebus said:

 a thread I found on Planet Diecast suggests it's a Dinky copy by Summer

 

15 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Dinky Rover 3500 kindly donated by @Spottedlaurelthat hopefully will fix my copy one

Well waddya know

If there was any doubt about the SS-909 being related to the Dinky, I think this confirms it. The guy on Planet Diecast was also adamant it's a Summer, but I thought SS numbers were Superior or Sunnyside

Only differences are mods to fit the pull-back motor, glass colour, dash/steering wheel and a crap plastic spring for the doors on the copy (not even sure it's a copy, more like a modified version from Dinky's moulds)

[155V6]

Not much at the car boot this morning,but I did manage to get about  3/4 of a Dinky Pontiac Parisienne

Also picked up this box of Britain's bits,mainly for the two pig stys 

Now the pigs won't have to live in an old caravan 😂

[bunglebus]

On 22/07/2020 at 09:37, flat4alfa said:

Summer Fiat 131 Abarth.  

Mine doesn't do wheelies

[155V6]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

Oh I didn’t know they were remote control

It seems I had the Kenner set that I think also had a ‘rip cord’ that spun a gyro wheel, like that Denys Fisher ‘Rev Rods’ set  in the @MiniMinorMk3 post above.   Not sure if it was rebranded for the UK, but is was definitely the Beetle vs US Pickup

 

I don’t remember much about it, or having it long so it can’t have lasted.  Do remember the stickers were in place though

I had that set,it was called Stock Car Smash Up over here

There were also a couple of different sets that friends had

[155V6]

2 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Back to the RIO theme, they don't just do vintage cars, they have produced  varied selection of things.

Fiat 128

Mercedes 300D Hearse

Various Citroen DS models

I've got both of those Rio Hearses,bought when I had my real Granada Hearse.The rally DS is the car that won the 1974 World Cup Rally.We went & watched one of the stages as it was held in a forest about 5 miles from where I live.

[bunglebus]

16 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Marchon 'Tune Up

Turned the nut, bumper came out, rear wheels released and engine now pushes down properly. Magic!

[bunglebus]

Just adding the Corgi Personnel Carrier to the cabinet - why are panel vans and pickups RHD but Kombis LHD, and why is the army version the only one with a driver?

[AnthonyG]

9 hours ago, sierraman said:

The problem is most charity shops are run like an antique shop. Unfortunately the people volunteering there usually know the square root of fuck all about anything, they’d get a Days Gone By and assume it was old and therefore collectible. The last one I went in I saw a Haynes Manual for an 80-86 Nissan Cherry for £7, a car there is probably 3 or 4 left on the road. 

Having volunteered in a charity shop I agree. All Haynes manuals - £10-20 new so therefore ones for ‘classic cars’ must be worth at least £5, even if anyone who still owns a 1977 Toyota 1000 must have at least three HBOL by now.

Back to the bagged up collection @flat4alfa purchased, I used to work with a manager who knew a bit about collectibles (this is pretty rare tbh) I think the only ones she (or I if I had found them) would have saved from bagging up would have been the Corgi Lotus, and perhaps the little British Gas van if it was mint. Are there any other collectibles in there? 

[andrew e]

Sent across from by a mate, this might intrigue a few of you!

https://www.eroinamusic.com/kinoramas

[AnthonyG]

Someone put up some post office/national mail service vehicles earlier, so I thought I’d include this recent find: 

Vitesse Mercedes 170D, from an antique place in Weobley Herefordshire. For a antique place, quite affordable at £4! 

Made in Portugal so I am assuming 80s/early 90s. 

Interestingly (to me anyway!) the swastika in the Deutschmark Reichpost logo is actually an ‘X’ - looking on Wikipedia,  reproduction of this symbol is illegal in several countries, not least Germany and Austria. 

[MiniMinorMk3]

Talking of models with swastikas, I once sold one of these RIO Mercedes models on ebay, and was amazed at what it made.

 

A few months later I had found another, so listed it, hoping to get a similar result, but it was removed by Ebay for cause offence.

Another model that I have a few of over the years is this Mercedes W125 race car.

 

When listing either of these models now I retouch the pictures to cover the black part of the insignia and just put a note in the description that says it has insignia that might offend. Not had any removed since.

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, AnthonyG said:

Someone put up some post office/national mail service vehicles earlier, so I thought I’d include this recent find: 

Vitesse Mercedes 170D, from an antique place in Weobley Herefordshire. For a antique place, quite affordable at £4! 

Made in Portugal so I am assuming 80s/early 90s. 

 

That's an early Vitesse from around the mid 1980's. They did quite a few Mercedes 170V models in various liveries.

Frankfurt Fire Service

Reichpost

Swiss PTT

Bally Arola

Suchard

Ambulance

[bunglebus]

15 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

it was removed by Ebay for causing offence.

I had similar problems selling 70s Mayfair magazines. No rhyme or reason to which ones

[flat4alfa]

I had a Confederate flag pulled.

However, as a relist but with the words 'South Army Flag' used instead, it ran without a hitch.  So I assumed it was the word, rather than image recognition

[flat4alfa]

10 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Did Majorette offer much else in this 1:36 "3000" series? The stallholder had another 4x4 of some sort, something American as I recall.

1981/2 Chevrolet [K5] Blazer in 1/36 by Majorette

[Spottedlaurel]

Back to plastic today, finished this one off:

 

Quite a bit of work and some parts swapping to make it look like an original UK version. It started off like this: