Shite in Miniature II

43,399 · June 2, 2023

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

I'm interested in thr 1/18 Audi TT and Scorpio estate if they aren't ridiculously priced.

Maisto Audi is great bar the missing mirror - happy to go ahead at £10?

Scorpio is also pretty good, though also lacking a passenger mirror. £5 asked.

I can throw in a full valet as a sweetener... MrsDC's out tonight, so I can close the curtains and get the toothbrush and warm water out, like the big weirdo I am...

34,887 · June 2, 2023

8 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Maisto Audi is great bar the missing mirror - happy to go ahead at £10?

Scorpio is also pretty good, though also lacking a passenger mirror. £5 asked.

I can throw in a full valet as a sweetener... MrsDC's out tonight, so I can close the curtains and get the toothbrush and warm water out, like the big weirdo I am...

Yes please Tim!

34,887 · June 2, 2023

14 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I’m glad it’s not just me that’s grumpy enough to notice this 🤣

I disliked fictitious castings as a kid and still do now.

It also used to annoy me that apart from a Sierra, Citroen CX, Metro and and Escort, the shops round where I lived in the early 1980s didn't stock any of the kinds of cars I'd see on my walk to the shops with my Mum. I only discovered these when I was much older.

I'd have loved a Majorette Simca 1100, Renault 18 or Fiat 127 when I was 4 but they just weren't around.

45,155 · June 2, 2023

On 5/31/2023 at 7:35 PM, bunglebus said:

Coming soon

Why do they do this fictitious stuff, who is it aimed at?

4 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Also I expected the Rover to have been release in the scheme of the other Works Rover P6, which was better known for this scheme and should sell well down-under

Maybe next time!

They'd have to change the branding on the side, maybe Llama Shite or something>

3 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Glad I’m not the only one!

Since when did LANCIA use Hino ZM Series? Just daft

Yet another poorly executed set of fiction. Why didn't they use the Alitalia striping instead of a botched Marlboro design.

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

I’m glad it’s not just me that’s grumpy enough to notice this 🤣

I find pretty much all of the Hot Wheels production to be pointless. They have some great tampo printed detail, but when it comes to racing stuff it is never right. I know they are aimed at kids and they are toys, they do like to get the collectors involved to, but most is just tat and destined to end it's life being battered to death in a Tat Stool holders box.

41,079 · June 2, 2023

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

I disliked fictitious castings as a kid and still do now.

It also used to annoy me that apart from a Sierra, Citroen CX, Metro and and Escort, the shops round where I lived in the early 1980s didn't stock any of the kinds of cars I'd see on my walk to the shops with my Mum. I only discovered these when I was much older.

I'd have loved a Majorette Simca 1100, Renault 18 or Fiat 127 when I was 4 but they just weren't around.

I was very much a realist as well, my favourite cars I took everywhere as a kid were a MB9 Rover SD1 and an MB56 Cortina GL, these were cars that were everywhere when I was a kid. I’d set my aspirations extremely low from an early age 🤣

34,887 · June 2, 2023

I had the SD1 but I thought models of Cortinas and Fiestas didn't exist. I wish I'd had the MB Cortina when I was younger, I'd have loved it.

41,079 · June 2, 2023

4 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I had the SD1 but I thought models of Cortinas and Fiestas didn't exist. I wish I'd had the MB Cortina when I was younger, I'd have loved it.

I still have mine, a metallic green one, they seem really scarce now which is surprising as you’d think they’d still be ten a penny. I had a Mk1 Fiesta by Mira (?) which I got in about late 80’s from a holiday to Menorca, used to love going and picking through all the chod from Guisval, Guiloy and MIRA. They were all prime shite like Renault 14’s, Fuegos that sort of tackle.

28,279 · June 2, 2023

4 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I was very much a realist as well, my favourite cars I took everywhere as a kid were a MB9 Rover SD1 and an MB56 Cortina GL, these were cars that were everywhere when I was a kid. I’d set my aspirations extremely low from an early age 🤣

Same here! The cars I saw on the streets or people I knew had were the toys I wanted.
All the fantasy and futuristic stuff I absolutely hated, I still hate them now too! Those weird fantasy futuristic Matchbox vehicles used to piss me off no end. There was shit loads of them around and you’d have to spend ages sifting the them to find the good stuff!
Im not much of a lover of hot rods and custom stuff either. I just want a nice stock car/van/truck model…

…This is why I’m not a huge fan of Hot Wheels. Don’t get me wrong, some are very good and I do have plenty. But I’m very selective about which ones I get. Some of the fantasy ones in particular are absolutely awful and there’s so many of them!

41,079 · June 2, 2023

I was interested in the weird seventies things like the Soopa Coopa etc but purely out of fascination, the ones that would be played to death would be the Rover and the Cortina. At about 5 my aim in life was to be a scrapman, I was obsessed with breakers yards so I had a box full of broken stuff that I’d arrange on the rug in the house, always in the same space, in the fashion of a breakers yard.

5,350 · June 2, 2023

You weren’t the only one!

4,943 · June 2, 2023

I was probably around 5 years old when I asked for a matchbox Cortina for Christmas, well before the mk4 came out but the mk2’s were no longer current, my parents said they went to every shop they knew and nobody could get them. One shop felt sorry for them and gave them a selection of around 5 cars, the one I liked the most was the Mini, a Cortina was always the ultimate for me. I am glad it is not just me who wanted toys that represented what was around at the time.

41,079 · June 2, 2023

The first two that I had, so I’m informed, would have been a Superkings Sierra XR4I in black and a Mercedes 190E in metallic blue, both of which ironically are some of my all time favourite real life cars. I think it’s like being in the Mafia, you are born into shite and you won’t defect over hell or high water. 🤣

34,887 · June 2, 2023

37 minutes ago, sierraman said:

..a holiday to Menorca, used to love going and picking through all the chod from Guisval, Guiloy and MIRA. They were all prime shite like Renault 14’s, Fuegos that sort of tackle.

Once again, am I you???

I went to Menorca and did exactly the same thing. It was 1993 and I was 13 by then but in spite of that my interest in toy cars never waned. Imagine my surprise when the Guisval carousel still had a Seat 131! They were still really common on the roads around the town so that must explain why the toy was still in production. There were a few other oldies like the BMW 3.0CSL that my brother got but the 131 is the only one that has stayed with me and its still on my shelf today complete with that weird plastic plinth you got.

41,079 · June 2, 2023

1 minute ago, Split_Pin said:

Once again, am I you???

I went to Menorca and did exactly the same thing. It was 1993 and I was 13 by then but in spite of that my interest in toy cars never waned. Imagine my surprise when the Guisval carousel still had a Seat 131! They were still really common on the roads around the town so that must explain why the toy was still in production. There were a few other oldies like the BMW 3.0CSL that my brother got but the 131 is the only one that has stayed with me and its still on my shelf today complete with that weird plastic plinth you got.

It’s bizarre isn’t it! I have the 131, the earlier wheels that didn’t run too well then the later super fast type wheels. I think it’s got an advert on it for fags naturally from the days when you could do that. We’d go camping in France in a static and the range of Majorette over there was on another level, I figure when it was the franc it was quite cheap for things like that but must have been expensive to eat out as we used to be eating stuff like chips cooked in the caravan. I remember about that time my dad putting the spare wheel on the roof rack and filling the spare wheel well of the Sierra we had with cartons of wine and mustard. It was only a 1.6 EMAX it must have been fucked by the time we got back up to Sheffield! Slight thread deviation but wine etc must have been bloody expensive in those days to have had to fuck about like that 🤣

26,959 · June 2, 2023

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

battered to death in a Tat Stool holders box.

Very apt description 🤣

9,900 · June 2, 2023

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

It's missing a rear spoiler and aerial, plus there's a bit of transfer loss to the windscreen topper,but otherwise not bad...

£5 on it, so let me know if you still fancy it!

I also managed to pick up that 1/24 Majorette Peugeot 405 T16 that you'd mentioned back in May - also at £5...

Sorry I'm late answering,Mrs managed to slice her thumb quite deeply whilst trying to trim some resin off a battery......

Definate yes with the 405 and I'll of course take the Vectra if you bought it,but if you left it there it's no problem.

43,399 · June 2, 2023

28 minutes ago, andy18s said:

Sorry I'm late answering,Mrs managed to slice her thumb quite deeply whilst trying to trim some resin off a battery......

Definate yes with the 405 and I'll of course take the Vectra if you bought it,but if you left it there it's no problem.

Yow! That sounds sore... hope she's ok now!

Not a bother - I did grab the Vectra, and as it was part of a number of purchases I bagged it for £4.

Since Market Blokey was looking a tenner for the 405 alone back in May, I reckon you're still up on the deal. 😉

63,162 · June 2, 2023

I can't leave anything alone. Got a trio of 1970 Rancheros off Datsuncog when they were going for 50p each, to steal the wheels from. Of course I just couldn't resist doing a detail and slam job on one of them

63,162 · June 2, 2023

Oh and I've been in talks with Black Square Decals about doing the bug for the front of the Flying Beetle - they sent me a trial copy and it looks spot on, so they're now live on the website if anyone fancies making one out of a spare Flying Bug. I'll be restoring my tatty one

43,399 · June 2, 2023

So how did the lunchtime market go, I hear you howl?

Pretty good.

The Maisto Audi TT and Minichamps Scorpio longroof were picked up for @Split_Pin at slightly under target price of £10 and £4 respectively.

The Audi has the usual Maisto precision and appeal, as 'everything opens'!

Interior is particularly nice here, too.

It needs a clean, but otherwise will hopefully display well!

The big Matchbox Chevy Suburban for @danthecapriman was still there too, and quickly snaffled - and despite the fact it's 1/24 scale, it's still quite a bit bigger than the 1/18 Audi.

The detail on it is unreal.

I mean, it's of its time - modelling's come on a bit in the 25 years or so since this was made - but it's got all the comms gear fitted and a boot full of firefighting gear.

It even has seatbelts and flocked carpets too.

Good underside detail and everything.

I'm really impressed with this one - hope you like it too, dude!

The DTM Vectra was secured for @andy18s, alongside the Majorette 405 T16 :

Impressively, the rear section lifts off the Pug, just like the real thing.

Will pop those aside with your other bits and bobs!

And... I picked up one or two things for myself.

I grabbed the Universal Hobbies Bond partwork AMC Matador Coupe, which I believe @flat4alfa had expressed an interest in a few weeks back - but I'm equally happy to keep this one for myself...

It's an odd thing to model, and I like it for that.

Not so mad keen on the front wheels at full lock, but still - dynamic stance, no?

Plus an Oxford Diecast Bentley S1 Continental, which I'd hemmed and hawed about for weeks when it was out for £10 while rattling round inside its cracked display box.

It now seems the box has been binned, but I'm not too sad about that. I'll take the £5 saving.

Even though I'm not a big fan of prestige stuff in general, I think the big Bentley coop is just one of those cars that looks perfect from every angle.

One I'm less sanguine about the loss of packaging is this...

This early Corgi Juniors Mercedes minibus was out on the stall in April, still in its original blister pack.

Somehow, the packaging has been lost. Which is a real pity.

However, silver linings - it did its job perfectly, keeping the bus factory-fresh for nearly 50 years. It really is mint.

A keeper!

And, staying with Corgi... the SD1 police car.

As I say, I have one of these already - a later example with part-tampo decoration, rather than paper stickers all round like this one - so I'll clean this one up and see if I can decide which one I want to keep, and which to pass on.

That interior is bright.

Base is good, too.

Decisions decisions...

Oh, and I got myself a Disco 1 off Colin.

It's tremendously detailed, given the size of it.

But there's more...

34,887 · June 2, 2023

Thanks so much for picking those up Tim, I'll PM you about postage. Although my TT is a Coupe, with the model being open, it let's me get a better view of the interior!

28,279 · June 2, 2023

You are the man @Datsuncog 👍

Im well happy that Suburban was still there! Can’t wait to see it! I’ve never seen one before so it’ll be a bit of a surprise to actually get my mitts on one.

I’ll PM you later and get you your money and postage. Thank you so much for grabbing it!

43,399 · June 2, 2023

After leaving the market, backpack bulging but wallet waning, I wandered over to The Entertainer.

That's right - I hadn't forgotten that they were now punting out their Matchbox Hitch & Haul range at a slightly more sensible price of £4.

Annoyingly all they had left was the Rodeo Set and multiple packs of the generic Construction Set - I might also have been interested in the Jeep and Trailer set with the luckless hiker being set on by wolves and bears, but no dice.

They had loads of Hot Wheels too - unusually both long card and short card packs.

I checked to see if there was a Gazella R in the Orange 'n' Blue Anniversary series - as I believe @flat4alfa was still seeking one - but sadly not.

There were these 'British Street Scenes' vehicles though - which I think might be based on the old Chad Valley castings from the early 2000s?

These are packaged as being made by Richmond Toys - but it seems to be the same LDV ambulance, Vauxhall Omega police car, RM bus and Austin FX4 cab as I recall from a long time ago now.

Basically a heritage range, now?

But looking at the Land Rover Discoveries...

I was surprised to see this one was absolutely thick with dust on the model itself.

Not on the packaging - on the model inside it. The box was perfectly clean.

I wonder if these had been left sitting unboxed in a storeroom in some Chinese factory for quite some time?

Hmmm. Interesting, but pricey enough at £12.

I like the Siku stuff The Entertainer carries - but crumbs, it's pricey.

Still, this coach was pretty cool.

Beats the holiday liveries, anyway.

And then - because I may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb - I headed over to the Smithfield model shop.

Basically I was after a few loose Majorettes for @Spottedlaurel - though the best I could do was this single Dodge pickup:

I'll keep looking for more, never fear!

I also procured this...

What a colour. Not a BMC original shade, I wouldn't have thought.

Available for £1, if anyone fancies it!

Then this blackwalls Hot Wheels oddity - a Cannonade.

With opening bits - not something many of them seem to have.

Hong Kong era, too.

~~Also looking a new home at £1!~~

[EDIT: now taken!!]

Ok, so I was starting to lose the run of myself now.

Oddity from an archaeologically themed playset (?) Isuzu Amigo/ Vauxhall Frontera SWB.

Raaaar! Again, £1 if anyone fancies taking it on.

And lastly...

A no-name (possibly MC Toy?) Mercedes 307D van.

I didn't realise until after I'd bought it that the headlamps were missing.

Damn.

Also available, at £1.

And that I believe is that, for this week kids...

Happy Friday, folks.

Now, I'd better go before I'm locked in for the weekend...

28,279 · June 2, 2023

Nice haul this week.

May I request the full valet on my rig please sir!😆

43,399 · June 2, 2023

Aaaaagh Ultra Hots.

I just had to bloody stop off at B&M, didn't I?

I've already a request in for the ~~SP3~~ from @w00dy - but is anyone else interested in the other five of these here, at £1.99 a throw?

[EDIT: it's a VW SP2, not SP3 - hey, it's been an intense kinda day...]

Is @bunglebus still seeking the Mercury Cougar and the Firebird?

[EDIT: yup]

I've already got a Brazilian Charger and an El Camino going spare, so I'm not buying any more of them - but there's two each of those remaining in this store, plus another Civic and another Shelby Mustang left on the strips.

No Gazella Rs, annoyingly.

Still a few of the more desirable Matchbox remaining, at £1.69.

I couldn't just take myself straight home, could I?

🤡

63,162 · June 2, 2023

19 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

@bunglebus still seeking the Mercury Cougar and the Firebird

Yes - and the Cannonade too please! I need all the Ultra Hots other than the Charger and El Camino...

I'd really like an SP2 as well if anyone finds one

43,399 · June 2, 2023

It probably doesn't necessarily look like it, but this is my happy place.

The Audi and Chevrolet are looking heaps better.

The Rovers are gonna need a dab of T-Cut, I think...

3,082 · June 2, 2023

12 hours ago, cms206 said:

The Camaro is Kidco, has a hole in the back... car launcher maybe? The Dome only has Dome underneath.

I think the Camaro is a Key car, which used a plastic key inserted into the hole at the rear to depress a spring inside, when the key was squeezed the spring was released & the car would be propelled forwards.

3,082 · June 2, 2023

12 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Okay then... Friday beckons!

After a three-week hiatus while Market Blokey was away sunning himself, I wasn't sure what to expect upon striding purposefully through the market doors this morning...

But as it turned out, all was well in Tatland.

Tat was tatting, giffers were giffering.

Before we all get too overly excited and lose the run of ourselves, it's maybe worth mentioning that today's stall was mostly the same stuff as we had nearly a month ago, back on 5th May.

Though that's not to say there was nothing worth having...

Lots of smallish tat, although not much genuinely old stuff.

1/18 and 1/43, plus 00 gauge commercials.

TK Maxx dustcatcher-grade tinplate T1 Samba to slice your finger on, if you like.

Trainshite was in evidence.

Also some big Corgi Classics Chipperfields stuff, at £20 a go.

Boxed Maisto Beetle also at £20.

Massive Matchbox Chevrolet Suburban is one I've only seen in books before - quite nicely detailed. £10 on it.

Boxed models were some Chinese make which my tired old eyes couldn't decipher at this hour of the morning - began with S, but not Sunstar or anything like that. Blue Chevrolet van towards the front seemed to be by ERTL.

More americana by makers unknown.

Corgi Lotus was dusty but tidy. Seemed to be a fiver each on these.

We've seen these Hongwell soft-roaders before... pity the X5 and RX300 are both missing a roof rail.

Slightly messy Lesney Scammell heavy wrecker was pretty much the oldest diecast item to be found on the stall today.

Assorted trucks, but mostly modern-ish stuff.

Some more of those 1990s release posh Matchbox Convoys, though - Kenworth and Peterbilt conventionals, in Corona and Pabst Blue Ribbon liveries respectively.

Solido Land Rover SIII wagon still here, though tragically missing its rear door.

Scammell Handyman Shell Tanker now missing its tractor unit!

Dear oh dear.

Escort Cosworth and Focus rallymobiles were fairly detailed, but I couldn't see a maker's mark anywhere on them.

New Ray MGF and B; plus various racers from various eras.

Some bigger F1 stuff at the back, too.

Unimog was quite nice, though seemed an odd scale - bit less than 1/43, it appeared.

But plenty of dust.

More racer stuff. Focus is by Bburago; Vectra by Onyx. Not sure about the others, mind.

Minichamps Scorpio estate just chillin' there with the fast bois.

Plus there was some Ladybird bookshite to be found elsewhere on the stall...

Some nice pics and illustrations in here.

If you can bear the annoying cartoon child, that is.

And other publications, indicating that weirdo collectors are nothing new...

Now I'm not quite sure how my day's gonna pan out yet, BUT I'm in Belfast all day today and if I can, I'll try to get back over at lunchtime. So, if there's anything you're mad keen on, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

But there were other stalls too...