Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

Grabbed a couple of bits at the boot sale before the heavens opened

Not too bad Martini K-7

One of the Brisca roundy racers

And a pig wagon for the mrs

[155V6]

There's a home here for the Brisca F1 if it ever needs one

We have the pig truck too 🙂

[bunglebus]

I've got two more somewhere 

[danthecapriman]

Did some more bits to the pile of projects today. Had to do it between the torrential downpours though, just going from the house to shed I’d have got soaked.

Did a quick colour test on some cardboard for the SEB vans. Ford Diamond White, Ford (US) light green (same colour as my Mercury - how convenient!). Looks pretty good I think. Close enough?

 

Filled the holes in the Transit roof & coin slot on the Commer, there was a tiny crack on the corner of the Commer too so did that while the filler was out.

 

Put a couple of coats of colour onto the Volvo. Authentic Volvo Green-Blue metallic! 
Lights a bit crap in the shed but outside it looks lovely.

Here’s the Corgi A60. Stripped completely and I’ve drilled & threaded the old rivet stubs to take some little screws for the base plate. In the week I’ll find my dremmel and start grinding off the stupid cast L plates from the front & back, and the bit on the roof.

Here’s the pile of bits and crap all over the bench! The Transits replacement tailgate is also now stripped and clean ready for primer.

[bunglebus]

4 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

I’ll find my dremmel and start grinding off the stupid cast L plates from the front & back, and the bit on the roof.

I've wondered about that before but it's the plate over the front grille that will prove the challenge I reckon

[danthecapriman]

4 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I've wondered about that before but it's the plate over the front grille that will prove the challenge I reckon

Annoyingly it basically ruins half the grill. I’m going to try to grind off as much as possible, then files for the last bits. If I can get it flat with the grill I might be able to make up the strip in the centre from a bit of plastic micro-strip or something.

It’s one of those models that really pisses me off! Why do it as a L car!? Why do it with the L plates cast!? It pretty much meant that casting could only ever be a L car, yet the A60 was probably one of the most common cars of that time so a standard car in any number of colour combinations could have sold well imho. Surely some little plastic clip on L plates would have been better?

[Split_Pin]

Corgis first issue of a civilian Morris Minor saloon was a black L car for some strange  reason. The second civilian issue was a regular car in Trafalgar blue.

Thankfully the plates were just clipped on.

 

[flat4alfa]

4 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

So did you buy it?

No because the tag said £70 and as it's in resin, thought better of it

Plus had annoyed daughter in tow

[eddyramrod]

4 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Did some more bits to the pile of projects today. Had to do it between the torrential downpours though, just going from the house to shed I’d have got soaked.

Did a quick colour test on some cardboard for the SEB vans. Ford Diamond White, Ford (US) light green (same colour as my Mercury - how convenient!). Looks pretty good I think. Close enough?

 

Filled the holes in the Transit roof & coin slot on the Commer, there was a tiny crack on the corner of the Commer too so did that while the filler was out.

 

Put a couple of coats of colour onto the Volvo. Authentic Volvo Green-Blue metallic! 
Lights a bit crap in the shed but outside it looks lovely.

Here’s the Corgi A60. Stripped completely and I’ve drilled & threaded the old rivet stubs to take some little screws for the base plate. In the week I’ll find my dremmel and start grinding off the stupid cast L plates from the front & back, and the bit on the roof.

Here’s the pile of bits and crap all over the bench! The Transits replacement tailgate is also now stripped and clean ready for primer.

Call yourself a modeller?  That bench is far too tidy!

[quicksilver]

7 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Also noticed those Fords are not identical livery, whereas the Leylands matched

The two Leyland National mobile banks were JHV 611N based at Whitby and JYO 751N at Grantham

 

JYO is the one that was converted into a bus and used by Volvo to demonstrate their replacement engine option for the National, then went into service with the Birmingham Coach Company. JHV disappeared without trace when its banking career ended, last taxed in 1990 so presumed scrapped. EGW993J was based at Northampton but I don't know where BML435H was based; it was photographed at Grantham in 1990, which is odd as JYO was apparently based there at that time.

[danthecapriman]

21 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

JYO is the one that was converted into a bus and used by Volvo to demonstrate their replacement engine option for the National, then went into service with the Birmingham Coach Company. JHV disappeared without trace when its banking career ended, last taxed in 1990 so presumed scrapped. EGW993J was based at Northampton but I don't know where BML435H was based; it was photographed at Grantham in 1990, which is odd as JYO was apparently based there at that time.

I’ve just looked and JYO is currently on sorn. Last logbook issued in 96. Engine size 8200cc. I wonder what’s going on with it? Be nice to see it back on the road in its original bank livery.

[quicksilver]

6 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

I’ve just looked and JYO is currently on sorn. Last logbook issued in 96. Engine size 8200cc. I wonder what’s going on with it? Be nice to see it back on the road in its original bank livery.

Last recorded in 2003 with Chepstow Classic Buses and not in use so it's probably rotting away in their yard. It would make an interesting restoration project and a good companion to the Super National that dollywobbler tested.

[Spottedlaurel]

Stuff purchased today:

Found an Aldi with the new(ish?) case by the tills. No sign of the Alfa or Datsun estate, but was happy to pick up the rest of them for £1.69 each. Probably wouldn't have bothered with quite so many if I'd found them at £2+ prices in the big supermarkets. F&F Skyline came from B&M, which was a pretty miserable experience as it was far busier than when I usually pop in during the week, it was pouring with rain when I left (in the Laurel) and it took ages to get out of the car park.

Limited range of HWs and Matchbox in PoundStretcher, but I think the Mini somehow passed me by and I couldn't resist more LS400s. Maybe one day I'll open one up and do something with it, although it's already a pretty decent replica of my 1:1.

[sierraman]

I have dunked the Ford Transcontinental cab in some DOT4 to spray it in white. I’m not going to ‘over restore’ it, want it to look a bit scruffy as it’s a recovery wagon. 

[bunglebus]

36 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Matchbox in PoundStretcher,

Ooh I'll have to check my local ones, only found Hot Wheels and the boxes of Matchbox 

[flat4alfa]

37 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

Last recorded in 2003 with Chepstow Classic Buses and not in use so it's probably rotting away in their yard. It would make an interesting restoration project and a good companion to the Super National that dollywobbler tested.

Looking for a red roof!

https://www.bing.com/maps?cp=51.631569~-2.67222&lvl=19.0&style=h  and 51.631333166477845, -2.6724540772442196

Maybe it's more likely tucked in a corner, indoors

Or tucked down in Devon  https://www.google.com/maps/search/chepstow+classic+buses/@50.8670977,-3.9640921,300a,35y,302.03h,45t/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

[sierraman]

I had the Martini Car Transporter, with the Hi-Tailer in the back. Sold it for a pittance in about 2006 like an absolute fool. Another one I’m looking to replace. 

[bunglebus]

5 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I had the Martini Car Transporter, with the Hi-Tailer in the back. Sold it for a pittance in about 2006 like an absolute fool. Another one I’m looking to replace. 

Well this one's not as good as what I had already, as it turns out 

[sierraman]

I didn’t realise until the other day they were fitted with a sliding bed for the race car. 

[FakeConcern]

I finally managed to finish off a project that was fully painted in May!

It was a Corgi Firebird with Teledial Whizzwheels I bought on Ebay hoping it could be used for my Tri Deck set. When it turned up it was much worse than the pics showed having totally collapsed suspension, no lights at all as well as the defects that could be seen. (The seller decently refunded half the money)

So I then bought the Mint Red Spot version which has been on the transporter since and took this one to bits and painted it while setting aside the wheels.

Today I started to put the thing together at last with the aid of some wheels I had in the parts box and a few Steve Flowers repro bits.

 I am pretty happy with it although I noticed I’d forgotten to fix the bite out of the rear bumper when I was bonding bits into the front grill surround, but as I was actually in the process of gluing it together I left it for now (that’ll never be done then!).

I think the wheels suit it well and I’m happy with the overall look.

 

Which brings us on to what happened to the teledial wheels? Well decent Teledial Firebirds are few and far between, plus more money than I want to pay.

I read somewhere that the wheels could be removed and replaced without opening the car up and I’d since got another pretty good Red Spot Firebird for cheap (also another not too bad Teledial one and yet another fucked up Red Spot!).So the idea was to remove the Red Spots and put the teledials on the decent Firebird to complete the transporter set.

I actually took two lights off of another Firebird to make sure they match properly, funny how they fall out, but are quite hard to get off intentionally.

 

So now I have the complete Gift Set 20 as it appears in the Corgi catalogue. It will be even better hopefully when I get a Whizzwheels base for the Fulvia (thanks @Datsuncog).

[Spottedlaurel]

55 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Ooh I'll have to check my local ones, only found Hot Wheels and the boxes of Matchbox 

Only looked in a couple so far, they seem to be a bit random as to what they have. Makes a nice change to have the HWs on dedicated pegs, even if there aren't many of them.

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

I didn’t realise until the other day they were fitted with a sliding bed for the race car. 

Yeah most of mine are missing

[AndyW201]

Finally! Found an orange Kadett at B&M yesterday. Luckily @bunglebus has been keeping one to one side for me so I could open this one and piss about with a  quick and dirty Blindworks (TM) detailing job...

Just can't do this sort of thing like I did when I was younger!

It's already a nicely detailed thing, compared to the GT/E version. I didn't actually notice the small Opel blitz  badge on the bonnet until I had it out of the packaging. 

So, just a bit of brightwork on the bumpers and window frames, and some black on the mirrors, C pillar vents and door handles. Yes the window frames look a bit heavy, my Sharpie is a bit too thick for a job like that methinks...

.

Back in it's little home. To cause possible consternation on  motoring forum tat threads in 40 or so years time to rival the current Tat Friday Glue Bombs...

 

[bunglebus]

I've got one here I was going to do  the same thing too, but then I'd want to paint the valances to match the body and I'd never get a match - so it's still in the pack!

Mattel do a good job with their decals for lights etc, even if it's not quite as pleasing as the detail Lesney used to put into the castings way back when.

Oh and good job on the window frames, I never attempt that as I know it'll look awful

[bunglebus]

On 23/10/2023 at 23:37, Datsuncog said:

Seven-day warning:

Lidl say they'll have Hot Wheels in-store from Monday 30th October.

Or at least, they will over here, anyway. And probably not these exact ones - I know from experience they seem to use any old library pic to illustrate Hot Wheels in their flyers.

Could this be a chance to nab some from the latest release case?

As we've no Aldi branches and the big supermarkets seem stuck on earlier cases, I'm vaguely hopeful...

I decided to cut my lay in short and fight my way to Lidl this morning - nada.

But then my local branch is small and not very well stocked, so others may succeed where I've failed

[bunglebus]

Aldi #3 now have two boxes at the till and at least four poured into a bin - no Super

[barrett]

A slightly convoluted history to this one, as far as I understand it. The original Dinky Toys France Renault 6 was produced in the 1960s. By the time they came to facelift the model, production had moved to Pilen in Spain so this is one of the Spanish Dinkies. It was produced under the Pilen name from 1974, apparantly.

I'm pretty sure the casting is identical to the French-built car except for the restyled grille/headlamps, which is why this perhaps looks a bit basic for a mid-70s model

I like the doors which open with their frames, which isn't something you see too often on period toys

Oh look, a collection of ex-Dinky Spain Pilen Renaults. Don't all rush at once, ladies

 

[bunglebus]

I found another Sze Toy van....

...bringing the grille versions to four

The black one came along with a Datsun Sunshine. Not a pet name.

[Datsuncog]

22 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I decided to cut my lay in short and fight my way to Lidl this morning - nada.

But then my local branch is small and not very well stocked, so others may succeed where I've failed

Ah yes - I totally forgot about this... 

Managed to swing by my local store mid-afternoon yesterday, and there were Hot Wheels to be seen:

Although the merchandising space left a bit to be desired.

Not to worry...

A handy display of gift wrap proved a useful surface to get 'em all out and see what's what.

So I think this is the latest selection (Q Case?), though there were no green Volvo 240 estates, Alfas, or any Treasure Hunts to be seen.

Strangely omitted, or already filleted?

Some nice vehicles though, and relatively wallet-friendly at £1.49 a touch.

I couldn't very well bring them all home, but did select a couple:

Jeep FC is an unusual choice to model - other than the Corgi version of the 1960s, I can't think of many other toy representations of this vehicle. Jeep Scrambler just looks good in metallic grey with sand-effect wheels, while the '62 Corvette hardtop simply appealed to me - the wheels really suit it.

[Split_Pin]

I like that Jeep FC, it does indeed remind me of the Corgi version I used to have.