Shite in Miniature II

[danthecapriman]

Your all losers trailing in my wake!!

Im Proton-ed up!

It’s out there chaps!

[Nibbler]

Oh I need that Proton in my life!

I made the best out of Black Friday and went EEREC (East-Europe Rear Engine Crazy). So today the two following packages arrived. More to come in the following days because I went absolutely crazy on a variety of online shops and auction sites. Tatra 1/18 and Skoda 1/24.

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

Your all losers trailing in my wake!!

Im Proton-ed up!

It’s out there chaps!

Think I'm doing ok

[sierraman]

Jesus people are asking £15 on eBay for the green Escorts

[Christine]

Same with ek9

[Spottedlaurel]

No Proton excitement here, a more humble selection of purchases by me today:

Boxed Matchbox from a different branch of Poundstretcher. They also had a fair few of the Mercedes and HW Delta Integrale.

Greenlight Datsun was from a little collectables toy shop I hadn't visited before. They also had a '66 Patrol plus modern Nissan Z - the latter isn't of as much interest to me, but I might find time to go back for the Patrol and have a better look to see what else they had.

[danthecapriman]

2 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

No Proton excitement here, a more humble selection of purchases by me today:

Boxed Matchbox from a different branch of Poundstretcher. They also had a fair few of the Mercedes and HW Delta Integrale.

Greenlight Datsun was from a little collectables toy shop I hadn't visited before. They also had a '66 Patrol plus modern Nissan Z - the latter isn't of as much interest to me, but I might find time to go back for the Patrol and have a better look to see what else they had.

I do like Greenlight models. More pricey than the usual 1:64 size stuff but more detailed too. The 1:43’s are just as nice.

[danthecapriman]

These arrived for me today.

The usual 1:43 Argentinian collection cars!

Peugeot 405 is really good. Looks the part and well finished. 
Dodge 1500 was a new one on me but it’s pretty clearly a badge engineered Hillman/Chrysler/Talbot Avenger! There’s very little visual difference between the Dodge and UK versions, so this is another one for a repaint and right hand drive swap. 
Car transporter trailer is a 1:43 Cararama that’s for another project…

[eddyramrod]

2 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Your all losers trailing in my wake!!

Im Proton-ed up!

It’s out there chaps!

Oh I REALLY need one (or more) of those!

[Spottedlaurel]

Finally completed my 1:24 Accord Wagon (Aerodeck) with the guts of an NSX:

Stretched the floorpan and extended the coolant pipes:

Fitted the NSX interior tub, aftermarket seats, NOS bottle, part of a Corolla rally car rollcage and cobbled-up a folding engine cover:

Added some decals to the seats, plus a sports filter to the otherwise unmodified V6:

Painted it BMW Boston Green and fitted Monogram Chevy Citation side vents and the remnants of the front spoiler cut down from the Fujimi RX7 kit I built earlier in the year:

Fitted Fujimi brakes, exhaust tailpipes and 18" wheels with staggered tyres from yet another accessory set:

Kind of silly, but it's been interesting to do a bit more modification than I usually undertake.

Not sure what to do next, probably a quick, simple almost OOB build, and finish off some longstanding WIPs that are already painted.

[danthecapriman]

57 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

Oh I REALLY need one (or more) of those!

They must have only just been released. I haven’t seen them before today and actually opened up a fresh box to get this one!

[AndyW201]

Oh, some nice 2024 Hot Wheels there. Sadly supply is all fucked up round here now since Morrisons stopped stocking them. B&M are still full of last year's stock, and Smyths and Entertainer round here are a waste of time for mainlines. Never mind,  it was getting out of hand a bit anyway. One of my jobs over the holidays is going to be sorting out all the Hot Wheels and Matchbox in the loft and having a possible purge...

Anyroad, Got this off eBay in a Black Friday deal.

Since the Corgi Vanguards range went up its own arse and started flooding the market with modern Fords, I've been looking at this new Youngtimers range from Solido. Over the last couple of years they've really made a comeback with a mix of modern performance cars (Audi RS6, Merc C63 AMG and the like), but more to my liking are the  large range of 80s and '90s stuff they've started to do (Citroen BX & CX GTi, Pug 106 Rallye & 306 S16, BMW E34 Alpina, Merc W124 AMG to name but a few),  and this Audi S2 appealed to me as I've always liked the shape of these. 

So I was intrigued as to what this would be like. I've got a few Solidos from the '90s and even at the time they seemed a bit basic, but they were a bit of a budget brand.

This Audi is pretty nice. They've definitely captured the shape of the real thing well. The paint is a nice sort-of pearl white. There are a couple of rough bits compared to say a Norev or Minichamps model, but these are nowhere near the price of those. A good level of detail includes separate wipers front and rear, separate roof aerial, separate mirrors and pretty decent tampo printed badging.

Nice detail up front, the grille badging is good, if very slightly on the wonk,

Pretty good at the rear too, the twin pipes are well done, and the boot lock in the tail light cluster is a small but nice touch.

Nice also to see heating element detail, particularly the Quattro logo.

Usual narrow windows and all black interior prevent any good interior shots but the seats are a good stab at factory leather Recaros

Nice steering wheel with printed Audi logo, and it's good to see the dash dials too, I wasn't expecting that.

The S2 wheels are done pretty well and we even get a bit of disc and caliper detail behind them

In all, I'm chuffed with it. Unles Vanguards pull their finger out for 2024, this Solido range is going to be my new go-to for 1/43.

[Split_Pin]

Aye that is indeed really nice, one to watch!

[Datsuncog]

[Split_Pin]

You manage to make a bleak winter morning actually look pretty!

Minus 3 here. 

[Datsuncog]

Not a bad morning, all things considered.

Certainly a bit nippy, though.

And not very much warmer in the market hall.

But... tat?

Well, yes.

Sort of.

Aha!

Haven't seen a proper rummage box for a while... though contents were kinda mixed.

A lot of promotional Lledo, MoY, Maisto and Corgi Cameos in amongst recent-ish Teamsterz and Mattel stuff.

And yet, something told me it might be worth having a good old poke right to the bottom of the box...

[Datsuncog]

The black Merc outside told me our old chum The Nemesis was already in and at work, and indeed he'd found a few items of interest - quite a clean '60s Corgi Land Rover S2, a Husky Guy tanker, a very tidy '80s Corgi caravan and a Matchbox Superkings Iveco (?) truck and tanker.

Some Superfast era Lesney were lurking, too:

And Hot Wheels blackwalls.

I've still a perplexing attraction to Corgi Cubs, though fortunately I've already got a nice one of these tankers:

No maker's name on this trailer, just the 'TT' sticker - but something makes me think this is a Corgi Qualitoys item.

Fairly bashed Majorette Focus.

Bbbbburago Hippo.

Can't now remember who made this tipper, but it was a late '90s item.

Slightly slab-sided New Ray Impreza in annoying c.1/30 scale

And there's more...

[bunglebus]

Is that pink Hot Wheels transporter cheap enough to ignore how terrible it is? Wouldn't mind that 

[bunglebus]

New Range opened today at 9 am. I was there at 8.59 behind a large queue - having navigated that I immediately shot up the escalator to the toy department 

Meh. The Lakeside branch has Hot Wheels 

[Datsuncog]

This Superkings Peterbilt sleeper cab was originally paired with the Christian Salveson trailer, I believe.

I was kinda interested, but then flipped it over and found it was held together with screws and glue...

Mmm.

Less good.

This no-name smaller rendering of the same subject was pretty crude:

Possibly by Summer, going by the wheels?

Every expense spared.

Lone Star Majors generic artic was in okay nick, but suffering from axle shonk and - honestly - just doesn't do it for me.

More rubbish commercials, plus a not-too-bad Majorette Toyota 4 Runner:

This all-plastic Cragstsan vintage roadster was a bit of a oddity.

Nemesis was interested - and, impressively, after some sifting managed to find the broken-off headlamp at the bottom of the box.

Other more recent stuff kind of appealed to me, but only because it was there.

Possibly a Corgi three-pack?

Rubbishy Matchbox Renault ambulance with plastic body and metal base.

For form's sake, I riffled through the crate of boxed models...

EFEs abounded, but nothing much to warm the cockles this morning.

Seventies MoYs, and an odd all-plastic Fowler steam wagon in Halls Mentholyptus get-up.

Fark me, were people still joining the Lledo Collector's Club in 2002?

Guess they must have been.

How's that investment coming along?

MK3 Transit minibus possibly the only item of any real interest - and that's pushing it...

[Datsuncog]

10 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Is that pink Hot Wheels transporter cheap enough to ignore how terrible it is? Wouldn't mind that 

Ehhh... They're not that cheap. Certainly nowhere near as cheap as I'd hoped.

£2 a go? 😬

[Datsuncog]

Not a huge amount on the other stalls, sadly:

Optimistic Bobby had managed to lose one of the ships from last week.

Well, he had it. It was around somewhere. He just couldn't put his hand to it.

I told him if he could find it, I'd buy it... so we'll see.

He still has the Piku Alfas...

...and the Tudor Rose Willys Jeep.

WOT NO 4X4

Some hot Slade action available, though.

Colin's Irish Tat had a few new Greenlights:

Also the Oxford Commer PB.

Isetta bubble car was an ADAC liveried thing.

Charity stall had very little...

And neither did Alan, particularly.

No takers yet for the bust Corgi Pug 205.

Shocker.

Ah well... scone time.

The butter pats are, predictably, rock solid...

[bunglebus]

10 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

£2

Yeah if you're passing please

[FakeConcern]

What's the random Slade pic about?

[Spottedlaurel]

14 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

More rubbish commercials, plus a not-too-bad Majorette Toyota 4 Runner:

If the Majorette Toyota is £2 then I'll go for that please.

[bunglebus]

Poundtown have restocked Q case

[flat4alfa]

@Datsuncog Maker was KENTOYS.  

Quote

but I don't want it sorry

[andy18s]

2 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Poundtown have restocked Q case

Can you grab a landrover and subaru if you are still there plz?

[flat4alfa]

 

Quote

No maker's name on this trailer, just the 'TT' sticker - but something makes me think this is a Corgi Qualitoys item.

Turbine Trailer

For dragging behind one of the 'Gas Turbine' trucks.  Qualitoys by Corgi, yes.  Short-lived series from 1969

Never seen one of those, quite scarce I think.

 

[flat4alfa]

On 26/05/2021 at 19:06, Datsuncog said:

I'd seen a few of them kicking around the market stall, but I didn't realise exactly what they were until I got the Great Book of Corgi last year.

"1969 Overview - A new series of 'Turbo' trucks would be launched under the brand name 'Qualitoys'. This new range would in fact be delivered in mid-year, against no comparable competitive product. The initial response to it was very good. Although not part of the Corgi range, they were publicised as being from 'the makers of Corgi Toys'. The revolving merchandising unit headers however, just had the names Corgi and Qualitoy." (p.182)

"September 1969 - The Qualitoys range consisted of eight items as follows:

• 0701 Pick-up Truck
• 0702 Side Tipper
• 0703 Breakdown Truck
• 0704 Tower Wagon
• 0705 Horse Box
• 0706 Giraffe Transporter
• 0707 Fire Engine
• 0708 Pick-up Trailer

This is a range of very robust and sturdy looking vehicles. All these toys used the same basic parts. The idea of the project, apart from providing suitably sturdy toys for the pre-school age group, was to be able to mass-produce on a vast scale, thereby keeping costs as low as possible. The common parts included the chassis, wheels and axles; the cab and its window; the seat moulding, which also gave a styling strip along the sides. The cab itself was a double impression mould in which the cabs were moulded back to back, again to keep unit costs low. The whole range was in great demand by the trade once they had had sight of the pre-production samples and the initial response was very encouraging." (p.190)

"1971 - six further Qualitoy items were introduced during the year, but these would be the last." (p.215)

It doesn't say what these six are, sadly!

There's details of one fella's attempts to track down a full collection on the Diecast Rescue forum:

the unknown Corgi's: Qualitoys turbine series - Diecast Rescue (tapatalk.com)

That was where I stole the above dining table pic from...

Corgi Toys Qualitoys chapter excerpt from CogBook™ above  ^^

I read somewhere that Tom Karen at Ogle designed the truck.  Cleemput and Karen were friends apparently.  There must be a sketch somewhere if it's true

They are coming to get you

Just look at those transfixed Giraffes.  Totally deafened by the gas turbine engine