Shite in Miniature II

[Noel Tidybeard]

16 hours ago, RoadworkUK said:

In a veritable flurry of inevitability, @bunglebus's car-boot / toy fair Superkings XR4i / Sierra Cossie encounters had me pining for an example of the latter myself.

It is, really, the only thing missing from my model toy Sierra collection; I have a MIB first-issue XR4i, a number of 1:36 Corgi examples and that lovely 1:43 Latin American partwork, which handily represents the Sierra Ghia my dad used to ferry me around in. It's even basically the same colour; Glacier Blue. 

I didn't, though, ever have the Matchbox Superkings  Cossie as a kid. I had the K-100 XR4i, and it was one of my very favourite playthings (and is now in an extremely playworn state), often being raced across my primary school hall floor against my mate Tim's K-162 Cossie. I always preferred the XR4i because it didn't have a silly race car livery on it. Nevertheless, I still coveted the Cossie.

So, I'm a big boy now, and I can have whatever toys I can stealthily sneak into the house. I got to wondering how cheaply I could secure a boxed example on eBay. A quick search found one that had six days on the auction, and no bidders as yet.

Possibly due to utterly dire photography:

"Oops, not quite. Try again"

"Bit better, but I'll have one more go"

"Ah, that's grand".

So, that pic was good enough to confirm that it... exists... in theory, but all bets were off when it came to actual condition. Nevertheless, in order to ensure that I didn't forget about it, I put an opening bid in.

I then forgot all about it.

UNTIL, that is, I was doing the washing up on Sunday night, and my phone vibrated with a panicked "AUCTION ENDING SOON". Bidding had, at that point, reached the giddy heights of £4 plus P+P. 

Hmm. High stakes for a dubiously described and portrayed model. But then... what if it's perfect?

And, it's only money, isn't it? I can always, like, get some more if I need it, can't I? Somehow.

So I did my usual thing of waiting, and waiting, and then entering the absolute maximum I could possibly justify, with seven seconds remaining. Out of the air, I plucked a figure that I thought excessive enough that I'm bound to secure it for substantially less. So I slammed a max bid of £14 in.

And won it.

For £14. Plus £3 postage. Ouch.

Anyway. It arrived today, in the hands of DHL, no less, and with fancy DHL packaging. Entirely unexpected. Within nanoseconds of its arrival, I had it out of the packing and in my mitts. And as it happens, I don't feel entirely ripped off.

There's a bit of wear to the box corners, and the plastifilm has cracked at the top in the usual manner, but it ain't bad at all. But most importantly, the innards are mint.

Well, I mean they weren't always entirely mint on leaving the factory. Strange highlights in the pic above make it look as if there are scratches, but there aren't. There's some orange peel to the paint, but I don't know if that's occurred over time or was there when it went in the box. The interior is entirely dust-free, though.

I LOVE this casting, just as much as I love the K-100 XR4i casting.  It's not 100% true to reality, but it kind of emphasises the features that make the Sierra the Sierra, if you get what I mean. It's like essence of Sierra. Same thing is true of the inside, too. The dash isn't 100% (or even quite a deal less) accurate, but it nails the essence of the original, that wrap-around shape and tiered layout. And the tilting seats, slightly oddly proportioned as they are, nicely portray the Cossie's deeply bolstered items. 

More than anything, though, it feels weighty in the hands. And with details like the clear headlights and glassy red rear lights, and wheels that resemble the Cossie's cross-spoke rims (incidentally, the flat-faced chrome items with the pepperpot-style circles embossed in are the One True Wheel for the K-100 XR4i), it feels authoritative. Proper. Official. 

Finally, I choose to believe that the presence of Matchbox's proprietary keyhole-and-twisty-thing mechanism points to this example possibly having never left its box. I'm tempted not to change that. It goes into my collection of "things I now own that I always wanted", even if I never actually play with it.

Besides, turning up at my primary school 30 year on to play in the hall would probably be viewed with suspicion. 

 

sorry to break your bubble but to have the door closed means undoing the "key"

[FakeConcern]

12 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

‘Tis not Ford. Should be Bedford. Must find Bedford.

That's if I can found it on the ground outside!

[egg]

17 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

In the window was this 1/18 Maisto Opel Speedster/ Vauxhall VX220, at a not unreasonable £15.

half the price of ebay...

[flat4alfa]

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Hot Wheels Premiums, too:

Surprised the Cossie was still there, they vanish almost immediately 

[bunglebus]

Alrightly then, here's a few bits from this morning's boot sales, a few from the toy fair last week I didn't get time to photograph, and a couple of eBay wins

Starting with the later, these came along with my main target. Anyone know the brand of the Routemaster? 

Dinky FX4 has blue paint under the black for some strange reason

Husky trailer seems to been a stand-alone release although it is sometimes paired with a tractor etc

Corgi trailer to go behind a Ford D

@Jon wanted one of these I think so I grabbed it

Escort is pretty common but tidy enough 

[bunglebus]

Bloody Hell! 50p's worth of tinplate funny car

This was the car I wanted in the eBay lot. Complete at least

A while back I bought a job lot of Matchbox to get this rare Scorpion

Every car in the lot had home-made paper wheel trims and most had plasticine plastered on the base too - luckily the Scorpion just had the trims.

Since then I occasionally see more clearly from the same person, including a load today

The guy said they were from a house clearance in Southend, most were not that great but a few I couldn't resist, such as this

Brilliant . 

Norev Mini Jet R18

There's no way I was leaving this behind - I mean, "BORD", it's such a brilliantly bad rip off

Another of the slot car buggies turned up too

[bunglebus]

Matchbox next - got all these for £6 at the toy fair. Victor and Merc are especially nice

Another victim of the paper wheel trims

And another but they mostly came off with a wash

I was today old when I noticed the door on the Pony Trailer is the same as the side door on the Bedford horse box

Grabbed two VW powered fantasy models

And some emergency vehicles 

Dodge Caravan has its door - red version I saw did not

I think I have a better version of the Brut Corvette but I can't help picking them up

Recently talk of Roadblasters lead me to buying another - did see one of the really garish 90s versions of the Group C Racer too but managed to resist 

Glow Racer!

Picked this King Size Fruehauf Hopper up for £2 as I thought one of you might want it?

Major Pack trailer has a tractor waiting to be paired up

Yet another trailer - tyres alone must be worth 50p

Lastly this belongs behind the big Mod Tractor 

[bunglebus]

Oh and I found this in Tesco last night

[Tenmil Socket]

Took the Shark vacuum to be repaired earlier and the fella said it will be 10 minutes so I popped over to the charity shop opposite. 
 

Found these for 20p each. The Corgi BMW needs the rear axle relocating and a wash. Check out the tow bar on the Discovery! It can be removed I think as it looks screwed on.

Available FOC if anyone’s interested?

[egg]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/385656396502

Anyone heard of Spanish brand Novolinea before?

[flat4alfa]

Pretty sure that Routemaster is a Budgie or a copy of one. Does it say Made in England underneath and the number of seats? 

[flat4alfa]

Tin plate funny car is ace

[Tenmil Socket]

11 minutes ago, egg said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/385656396502

Anyone heard of Spanish brand Novolinea before?

[bunglebus]

37 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Pretty sure that Routemaster is a Budgie or a copy of one. Does it say Made in England underneath and the number of seats? 

 

[bunglebus]

Wasn't going to go into town today - but I did. 

BuM have newish Matchbox but nothing we haven't seen before

Not long ago these would have been hoiked straight off the shelf and onto eBay

Smyths had loads of the Race Day series but of course all the Crapis were gone.

They had another range of larger scale cars though, these are #3 + 4, don't know what the others are 

Entertainer had an unopened N case, and two lightly-rifled P cases! Off home to take pics....

[MiniMinorMk3]

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

 

Came in lots of colours and was sold well into the 1980s, possibly 1990s, as a London souvenir gift shop special.

[bunglebus]

The two P cases in Entertainer had a few goodies inside

This Datsun has some amazing pearl paint - this would be the $uper if such things existed

[bunglebus]

I didn't think I was going to find much in Entertainer as their delivery was days ago, so I went to Smyths first. I was feeling a bit gutted looking at pegs full of Premiums but no Capri - so when I spotted this I thought I'd cheer myself up!

[FakeConcern]

4 hours ago, bunglebus said:

 

Lastly this belongs behind the big Mod Tractor 

No, this is where it should go!

 

[bunglebus]

How very dare you

Wonder why there was never any cargo

[FakeConcern]

Still prefer mine, useful too!

[FakeConcern]

I have just put more shite on offer

https://autoshite.com/topic/55662-fakes-firenza-free-no-spot-on-or-lone-star-diecast-shite-sale-you-thought-the-last-lot-was-bad-wait-till-you-see-these-the-biggest-anti-climax-since-millennium-eve/

This mornings boot sale didn't have much to interest us. Mrs Concern got a crap made in China caravan that cleaned up well with all the stickers coming off completely. She likes stuff she doesn't already have & the Hot Wheels Beach Buggy is new to her & she likes despite no screen.

I bought a strange Corgi Sting Ray that looks like the correct paint for a Whizzwheels version, but has the old base and wire wheels. Not sure if it's a repaint or actually swapped the base on a grey Whizzwheels one.

The Norev Jet Car Pug 504 is lovely! The only other Jet Car I have is a Citroen BX and I don't rate it.

 

[Spottedlaurel]

On 9/22/2023 at 11:01 AM, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Sometimes came in a Gift Set with Superfast cars.

Thought I'd have a go at recreating that with cars from my MIB-ish collection:

 

It was tight, not helped by the towbars, but it just about worked. The slight issue with some of these Superfast is that they're a touch too wide, whereas the early versions would fit nicely (but I don't have the Mustang so I couldn't recreate the early load).

While I was grubbing around in the cabinet I thought I'd get the other two Matchbox transporters out:

Trailer is pretty much identical, even down to sharing the registration JPB 74P, but there's a slight difference at the front of the top ramp:

They've done it to get a touch more clearance over the taller Bedford cab, but even so it's perilously tight.

 

 

I've had the funky red one since I was young, it seems to have survived the years pretty well. Well done Lesney design engineers.

[Jon]

Yes please to the Corgi Juniors SIIA, @bunglebus. I think I'm in arrears on my tat account, so will be in touch!

[junkyarddog]

Finally managed to find the Toyota Supra!!🙄

Also picked this up a week or so ago. 

Matchbox power track Mk2 Ford Escort. 

 

[Remspoor]

6 hours ago, egg said:

Anyone heard of Spanish brand Novolinea before?

They produced all sort of Christmas cracker filler type of toys.

https://es.wallapop.com/app/search?filters_source=search_box&keywords=novolinea&latitude=40.22794966&longitude=-3.646063105

 

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

strange Corgi Sting Ray 

Huh, that is odd. Something hinky going on with the width of the back axle too.

Mine have either got solid wheels or cast alloys, not wires 

(I really need a better one!)

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, junkyarddog said:

Matchbox power track Mk2 Ford Escort. 

Snap

[flat4alfa]

On 7/7/2021 at 2:58 PM, flat4alfa said:

Doris has this Banana Benz SLK

Made by Speedy Power in 1:32 scale

She takes it out to balmy evening BBQs 

Some Speedy Powering ^