Shite in Miniature II

[barrett]

Quite a good parcel arrived this morning...

[bunglebus]

I picked up a green RS2000 in Sainsbury's if anyone's still searching. There was a Proton too but at £2.30 each I decided against it.

Also, we missed page 1600

 

[flat4alfa]

4 hours ago, sierraman said:

I’m assuming they were in production in tandem? 

Must have been some sort of cock up as Model A was very much current as we know

This was Matchbox International era, so 1-75 wasn't quite followed as before

Correct model numbers are

MI 198 Ford Courier / Courrier

MI 199 Ford Courier / Courrier Combi

[flat4alfa]

2 hours ago, barrett said:

Quite a good parcel arrived this morning...

Politoys Export Ferrari P4 up at the back?

[flat4alfa]

18 hours ago, RoadworkUK said:

I've really liked this since @junkyarddog picked one up aaaages ago

My word...  8 years ago, the search found it on page 93!  I wish I had a memory like that 🙂

On 26/03/2016 at 16:05, junkyarddog said:

More recent finds

So long ago, the photo host ...killed the photos!  [Remember Photobucket?   From a world Internet favourite, to near dust.  They had to lay-off over 90% of staff within months.  Non-watermarked original here]

 

There was one Jeep FC back here.  It was March 2021.  Seemed to have similar glazing damage and the platform had lost its barrier piece.  Had no love for it at the time and as Elvis was missing, got moved it on in a purge.  It went to @bunglebus I think, not sure. 

How it should have looked .  Anyone got the Elvis figure spare?

[bunglebus]

Had several of those, mostly from one of you lot 

 

[flat4alfa]

4 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

    

Ahh good there she is.

[Datsuncog]

No figure, but I found quite a decent Jeep FC cherry picker at the market for @Jon last year:

Paintwork's surprisingly fresh, but again the windscreen proves a weak spot.

I had minimal interest in these beforehand, but on closer inspection decided that I actually kinda liked them - and so grabbed this plain pickup back in November.

It's one of those odd ones that looks quite unappealing in pictures, but is quite different in the hand. I like it a lot.

[RoadworkUK]

10 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

It's one of those odd ones that looks quite unappealing in pictures, but is quite different in the hand. I like it a lot.

Yeah!

Also it rolls along very sweetly indeed. There's a very deliberate heft to it, both in the hand and along the tabletop.

I had no idea it originally came with a silly Elvis figure, though. I'm actually a bit disappointed. Gives it a slight "novelty item" aspect. 

[junkyarddog]

45 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

My word...  8 years ago, the search found it on page 93!  I wish I had a memory like that 🙂

So do I,I'd  forgotten all about it😂

[flat4alfa]

Good page on Model Auto Review on these  https://www.maronline.org.uk/corgi-toys-jeep-fc-150-models

So Corgi never named it the 'Cherry Picker', but 'Tower Wagon'.  First in 1961 catalogue as a gift set only, with street lamp from Corgi Kits range.

Re-released 1965 as standalone model in recolour, with no street lamp but it did gain suspension.  Production ended 1969.

Copied in plastic and in larger scale by Clifford / Telsalda, Hong Kong

Figure size difference compared.  Anyone got one of these?

"Theng kew vurry mush"

[MiniMinorMk3]

14 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Also, we missed page 1600

  

 

Anorak Time

Bullet front turn signals would suggest that is a VW 1500. 

[Datsuncog]

On 23/01/2024 at 17:42, MiniMinorMk3 said:

 

Those were first done by Vitesse.

Here's a saloon in Vitesse box...

And a Renault boxed version

Vitesse did almost the full Renault range at the time

 

I suspected it was a Vitesse, with that mirrored triangular section in the corner of the packaging... just seems a ludicrously over-large case! The Renault totem is quite a nice touch, though.

I had the 'dark metallic green' (but verging on black) Vitesse Laguna 1 hatchback, but ended up passing it on to Cog Sr, as he owned a similar facelift RT Sport from new (albeit in Venetian Red).

My three were all Phase 1 hatches with the less chunky bumpers and more elongated driving lamps, like the 1/43 estate model...

I also had the Mégane Classic and Espace in dealer boxes, but passed them on a while ago.

Still have a Safrane 2 kicking about somewhere...

It's in the 'sell' pile, but now looking at it again I'm not so sure...

[flat4alfa]

22 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Those were first done by Vitesse.

3 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

I suspected it was a Vitesse

I think I was working from old and adled memory there, as Norev don't list in archives  https://www.norev.com/en/38-archives?q=Car+manufacturer-RENAULT/Type-Car/Color-Green

They definitely did do a Laguna II Break and Laguna III Break

So Vitesse it is, post edited with apologies to all concerned

[bunglebus]

6 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Anorak Time

Bullet front turn signals would suggest that is a VW 1500. 

Correct, I mistitled it on Flickr.

Have a Politoys 1600 instead

 

 

[155V6]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

I think I was working from old and adled memory there, as Norev don't list in archives  https://www.norev.com/en/38-archives?q=Car+manufacturer-RENAULT/Type-Car/Color-Green

They definitely did do a Laguna II Break and Laguna III Break

So Vitesse it is, post edited with apologies to all concerned

Universal Hobbies did this Autoshite spec Laguna 2

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296117569239?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=fu5QkhPuTBe&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=UdnbkHTuRz6&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[danthecapriman]

8 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

Universal Hobbies did this Autoshite spec Laguna 2

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296117569239?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=fu5QkhPuTBe&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=UdnbkHTuRz6&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

That’s a weird looking thing! Why is it in different colours like that?

[155V6]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

That’s a weird looking thing! Why is it in different colours like that?

Not sure,but I found a different one in 1/64 scale too

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/364559879582?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ktka5ybcs9q&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=UdnbkHTuRz6&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[flat4alfa]

TODAY I LEARNED.

Lone Star GULLIVER COUNTY series

Produced to accompany the Lone Star 'Treble-O gauge' railways.  000 scale is 1:152, with initially a 8.25mm gauge.  Which is tiny weeny.  So, near but not quite compatible with N-gauge at 1:148, having 9mm gauge.  Apparently Lone Star later moved to 9mm - must dig out my childhood Lima and Graham Farish bits and pieces then.

Quote

The new scale of 000 was invented by Lone Star as a commercial venture... As well as the usual trackside accessories - signal box, station platform, bridges - Lone Star offered a range of scale buildings, the Gulliver County series, from 1963 onwards. There was also a set of tiny vehicles, consisting of a Citroen DS, a Land Rover, a single deck school bus, a fire engine and an Austin articulated flat truck. http://www.dfwbeckett.net/LSGCpg1.html

I do like that Dennis Fire Appliance...  well I think it's meant to be a Dennis

Lone Star had the rubber 'Eaglet Industries' building series from 1960, which was integrated into the 'Gullivers County' brand

Lone Star Locos was electrified and became Treble-O-Trains

Ohh, a Gresley streamliner, so likely that means LNER Class A4 Pacific - the fast ones

Scan from the (US) Montgomery Ward catalogue 1964

Clearly aiming the yellow EMD F7 loco at the US market, which is a bit at odds with the typically British terraced housing!

So.  They produced the Gullivers County diecasts, as well as the Tuf-Tot series, at the same time.  Tuf-Tots were stamped 1:87 for the cars (for OO/HO scale, then) but at 1:116 for the trucks... no wonder Lone Star went bust later on

Comparing Gullivers County with a Matchbox 1-75:

Ideal* for patio games diorama with Airfix SRN4 hovercraft which is scale 1/144 then!

I'll go now.

[Datsuncog]

10 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Clearly aiming the yellow EMD F7 loco at the US market, which is a bit at odds with the typically British terraced housing!

Ah, interesting - I know we've had a few tiny Lone Star trains crop up in the occasional Tat Box, but the road vehicles are a new one on me!

Seems the way around the transatlantic EMD F7 problem was to issue it in BR livery for this side of the pond...

Full marks for creativity, guys.

[sierraman]

Apart from some roof ridge trim it’s sort of done. A bit ‘rustic’ but not bad for a first attempt.

[FakeConcern]

Picked these up for £1 each in a junk shop.

The Maisto Merc SL is actually mint if anyone wants it, I only want to take the wheels!

The two Pugs are lovely, Norev Jet Car 504 and Solido 505

These are also mint, but I'll keep them!

[Jon]

9 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

No figure, but I found quite a decent Jeep FC cherry picker at the market for @Jon last year:

Paintwork's surprisingly fresh, but again the windscreen proves a weak spot.

I had minimal interest in these beforehand, but on closer inspection decided that I actually kinda liked them - and so grabbed this plain pickup back in November.

It's one of those odd ones that looks quite unappealing in pictures, but is quite different in the hand. I like it a lot.

It's in lovely shape for something approaching 60 years old, and as such has taken pride of place on the book shelf in the living room:

Note also the street lamp, which @Tenmil Socket grabbed for me from a junk shop in Brighton, I believe. Now to find the little Elvis man! 

This lustrous green FC actually replaced a red cherry picker with early domed wheels, as space is a bit low on the book shelf. Am on the lookout for a conveyor belt version but they seem quite common still, so thrill of the chase will see me nab one eventually, I'm sure.

Apologies for a bit of radio silence of late - and also the scruffy photo above, as I'm using my old phone, whilst my usual one is (hopefully) drying out after getting wet a couple of days ago.

My folks have now departed back to the UK and I'm trying my best to be productive in the good weather but will look to make time for some diecast updates. There's certainly plenty to mention!

 

[Datsuncog]

Not only did I scuttle around sundry Belfast discount stores yesterday, but I also tried to keep my cool at the model shop in Smithfield... because it also stocks Matchbox and Hot Wheels.

As I've alluded to before, the proprietor is a bit of a weird cat. I know we collectors have a slight reputation for maybe being a little odd, but this lad's even further out than most.

He has some really good stock, but his pricing is... erratic.

Some items are quite a bit underpriced. I've had some surprisingly good finds here over the years.

Other prices are... optimistic. Very optimistic.

Which is why a lot of his stock hasn't shifted in years. And he never reduces anything.

In fact, he just tends to increase his prices on stuff that doesn't sell. Because they're old toys, and now he's had them on a shelf for ten years, they're even older - so obviously worth more.

It bothers me that he mostly writes the prices directly onto packaging with a permanent marker. Fair enough for recent Hot Wheels, and perhaps questionable on new Vanguards priced at £40, but it seems kinda bizarre to take a Sharpie to the box of an otherwise as-new forty year old toy. It's not like he doesn't have price stickers - because some models have them.

It bothers me that he's selling some items in clearly reproduction boxes (and not very good ones either - inkjet printer grade), but at the price point you'd expect for an excellent all-original. Sometimes, there are good originals of the same boxed model on another shelf, but for less than the shonky repros.

His manner is quite abrasive, and he's very abrupt. He also seems to get quite upset at customers browsing, continually asking them what they're looking for. If you happen to say something along the lines of "oh, I was just wondering if you had any Vanguards Mk3 Cortinas", he'll come straight back with, "no, I don't have any of those". Fair enough.

But if you continue browsing, he'll become more irate, repeating "I don't have any Cortinas, so you won't find any where you're looking". Like he expects me to turn and leave immediately, upon learning that he doesn't have the stuff I'm after.

It's not a very chill shop. 

Quite a few collectors are either barred from the shop following altercations with the owner, or else voluntarily boycott it. It's a recurring topic amongst the market regulars.

Which is all to say, I have to be in a certain frame of mind in order to step inside... And yet, I keep coming back. Like a moth to a flame.

Oh, and did I mention he gets very aerated at anyone trying to take photos?

There are, however, display cases outside the shop...

Quite an assortment here. Lone Star Ranchero is missing its tailgate, but isn't too bad for a tenner. But why the hell is he wasting his prime display space on unboxed Days Gone/ MoYs?

Lesney King Size Foden dump truck isn't bad value at a fiver, however.

And yet...

For some reason, £25 is the asking price on a so-so Lesney King Size Allis Chalmers grader, missing its springs. It's not all that rare, nor all that desirable.

Majorette Ford Econoline dayvan at the back looks kinda fun, though. Dunno how much he's looking on it.

I couldn't see a price on either of the Corgi Major Corgi Ford H-Series articulated trucks - but if he's looking £30 on the Corgi LaFrance fire ladder, then that gives me a broad indication...

Dinky Standard Vanguard looks to be a repaint; E-Type is a Matchbox Dinky. The £10 sticker seems to be on some sort of monster lobster claw thing, not the Lesney Battle Kings half-track below it.

Dinky Ford D-Series snowplough was hand-painted, so possibly originally supplied as a kit - and not too outrageously priced at £10. Blue cones glued to the roof don't look original spec, though.

Playworn Corgi Prelude with a cracked screen at the front is no better than 50p box fodder - only he generally won't sell stuff individually at this price point, instead preferring to mix older stuff into a freezer bag along with a load of Days Gone and Chinese no-names, which he then staples shut and attempts to sell for £40.

With limited success, it seems.

The shop window is equally eclectic:

What price are the boxed Matchbox?

Fuck knows.

I've been ogling this Super Kings Volvo 245 for a long time now.

There's no visible price on it. I fear it's case of 'if you have to ask, you can't afford it'.

Corgis in the shop of a similar era, in similar condition, are priced at up to £100...

In a similar vein, this tidy Hot Wheels Rolls Royce Silver Shadow is a pretty desirable object... but how much? No idea.

The HW Steerable Rig below it is priced at £40 though, so... I'm gonna guess the Roller's not very cheap.

So I went in; I gritted my teeth through matey-boy's questioning; I established that there were no 2024 Hot Wheels releases on the pegs; and that there were no other items of any particular interest since I was last in, other than a so-so Corgi Cortina estate in the less common red, but for more than I fancied paying at £10.

I also noticed that there are a few boxed models in the display cases, '70s Dinkys and the like, marked 'Not For Sale'.

I mean, WTF? It's a shop. Or, it's meant to be.

So then I left.

Phew.

This is why I prefer St George's...

[RoadworkUK]

48 minutes ago, Jon said:

Note also the street lamp, which @Tenmil Socket grabbed for me from a junk shop in Brighton, I believe. Now to find the little Elvis man! 

I'm gonna need to get me a street lamp. Not all that bothered by Elvis, though.

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Clearly aiming the yellow EMD F7 loco at the US market, which is a bit at odds with the typically British terraced housing!

I had one

Sold it

Also there's something kinda out of whack about that Beetle...

[Datsuncog]

16 minutes ago, RoadworkUK said:

Not all that bothered by Elvis, though.

[RoadworkUK]

Absolute classic.

[bunglebus]

28 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Cor. Boxed My First Matchbox Quasar, and the Sierra's a rare one too.

Don't think I need a 5th Redline Roller though

Looking closer the BMW 323 appears to be devoid of decals. Is it a Graffic Traffic?

[eddyramrod]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

Apart from some roof ridge trim it’s sort of done. A bit ‘rustic’ but not bad for a first attempt.

Call me odd if you like, but I think that's positively magnificent!  I'm a big fan of the Grandad-made garage; I have two, one I've restored and one I rescued from a charity shop who were about to throw it out.