Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

They are certainly of their time...

 

[sierraman]

The Corvette is one I distinctly remember, it came in a set I had once for Xmas, long gone now unfortunately. At the time I was sourcing everything from the car boots, new 1-75 seemed thin on the ground, I think my mums line was that you could get 5 of them at a jumble sale for the cost of one new one. I don’t know if a lot of you were the same as a kid but I always looked for the usual cars in the street so these were an unusual departure for me! 
 

I remember I’d always have a favourite’ one that I’d have, Rover SD1, Cortina 1.6, Porsche 959 spring to mind. I’d always play the same game if you like, I’d line up all the broken ones as a scrapyard (I was fixated with dereliction and scrapyards) as a kid. My mum was confused as to why I always wanted to keep the broken ones instead of binning them.
 

Thinking back that was a really content time, a Saturday afternoon playing at scrapyards on the rug in front of the gas fire watching ‘Hollywoods Greatest Stunts’ or the A Team. Just a Lion bar for company but it was escapism that as an adult for some reason you cannot fully achieve. There’s always some other shit floating around in your head like work or jobs that need doing, so you aren’t ever fully free. I think that’s why I like collecting diecast, it’s as close as you’ll get to those hassle free days as a kid. 

[Tenmil Socket]

3 hours ago, sierraman said:

I don’t know why but I’ve got the real horn for the late 90’s Matchbox, with the naff spiral wheels, they remind me of when we didn’t have internet but there was no catalogue so finding new stuff was a genuine surprise. I might be on my own with this but I quite like the odd day glo colour schemes. 

I don’t know… I’m quite the opposite. That seemed to be a low point for Matchbox IMO.

[sierraman]

15 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I don’t know… I’m quite the opposite. That seemed to be low point for Matchbox IMO.

From a reality point of view definitely but they’re very much as you say ‘of the time’. They don’t seem too common these days either. 

[Tenmil Socket]

[quicksilver]

8 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Some 5-packs too, though steep enough at £11.50.

Quite a few familiar looking castings in that one.

 

Wow, the Blazer and the GMC wrecker are still going! I remember having them in a police set when I was a kid. That Blazer casting is coming up for 40 years old so Matchbox have certainly had their money's worth out of it; it's strange how some seem to stick around forever but others come and go within a few years.

[bunglebus]

Couldn't agree more with the memory of total immersion as a kid while playing with cars - I think that's why I enjoy customising them, I get utterly engrossed in what I'm doing for a while.

Talking of which, instead of getting one of my other unfinished projects done I took the Superfast Pontiac apart, think I have a colour close enough to the original 

Which revealed itself after a dunk in the stripper

Base looks good

As does the shell, a minor scratch on the roof is about all the damage it's taken in half a century

it was only looking underneath it that it dawned on me what was different compared to the reg. wheels one I did before

No opening doors

Sometimes I notice the tiniest little differences, other times glaringly obvious ones pass me completely!

[ETCHY]

1 minute ago, bunglebus said:

Couldn't agree more with the memory of total immersion as a kid while playing with cars - I think that's why I enjoy customising them, I get utterly engrossed in what I'm doing for a while.

Talking of which, instead of getting one of my other unfinished projects done I took the Superfast Pontiac apart, think I have a colour close enough to the original 

Which revealed itself after a dunk in the stripper

Base looks good

As does the shell, a minor scratch on the roof is about all the damage it's taken in half a century

it was only looking underneath it that it dawned on me what was different compared to the reg. wheels one I did before

No opening doors

Sometimes I notice the tiniest little differences, other times glaringly obvious ones pass me completely!

I think (i'm fairly sure) that there was red version of that car & it's the first toy car my mum ever bought me as whining kid to shut me up..
She started something..

[eddyramrod]

Yes there was, the red one lasted for many years.

[ETCHY]

5 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

Yes there was, the red one lasted for many years.

Would've been about 1973 I think.
God where does time go to, that's a world ago.

[bunglebus]

Yes my blue custom was originally red. They're not mega rare but they are snapped up pretty quickly when they come up for sale

Only variation I know of is with/without the tow guide at the front

And with/without patent info at the back  - probably both changed at the same time 

[bunglebus]

Offer in Sainsbury's 

Don't mind if I do

[sierraman]

12 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Yes my blue custom was originally red. They're not mega rare but they are snapped up pretty quickly when they come up for sale

Only variation I know of is with/without the tow guide at the front

What paint stripper do you use? Everything I seem to try lately is useless! 

[bunglebus]

Cheap B&Q stuff and leave it stewing in a takeaway tub for a few days. I have some Nitromors too which is really quick, I used that brushed on the base as I didn't want to expose the plastic suspension piece to it for long

[MiniMinorMk3]

22 hours ago, andrew e said:

Is this good news or bad news?

https://www.theretailbulletin.com/general-merchandise/hornby-acquires-the-corgi-model-club-11-03-2024/

 

22 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Hard to tell tbh! 
I suppose on one hand it means a bigger parent company can take them on and potentially provide more backup and funding for their products. 
But, on the other hand it could also mean some stripping back of the range and cost cutting might end up happening?

I thought Hornby themselves were in the financial shit though?

 This could have been the plan all along. Try out the Corgi Model Club, see if it works, if it does bring it totally in house.

I just wonder whether it is another nail in the Vanguards coffin.

 

[danthecapriman]

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Couldn't agree more with the memory of total immersion as a kid while playing with cars - I think that's why I enjoy customising them, I get utterly engrossed in what I'm doing for a while.

Talking of which, instead of getting one of my other unfinished projects done I took the Superfast Pontiac apart, think I have a colour close enough to the original 

Which revealed itself after a dunk in the stripper

Base looks good

As does the shell, a minor scratch on the roof is about all the damage it's taken in half a century

it was only looking underneath it that it dawned on me what was different compared to the reg. wheels one I did before

No opening doors

Sometimes I notice the tiniest little differences, other times glaringly obvious ones pass me completely!

That’s exactly why I’ve been enjoying myself so much doing the customs and other projects I’ve been up to lately. Getting stuck into making or just repainting stuff is about the closest you can get as an adult to escaping the shit involved with adult life these days. You can almost completely focus on the models and not the other crap! Even if it’s just for an hour or so. 
I like to think it’s a good way to keep your mind going too. A bit of problem solving and constructive stuff to do is good for you.

 

Have you seen the premium those purple Pontiac’s are on eBay!? I know they’re rarer than the red ones but Jesus!!

Ive got one here somewhere, not bad but certainly not perfect. Found in a job lot! I love the colour of the purple ish pinkish paint!

[MiniMinorMk3]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

What paint stripper do you use? Everything I seem to try lately is useless! 

I use Nitromors

Paint on the stripper

Wrap in foil to stop the stripper drying out

After a few hours open package and see what has happened.

[sierraman]

2 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

 

 This could have been the plan all along. Try out the Corgi Model Club, see if it works, if it does bring it totally in house.

I just wonder whether it is another nail in the Vanguards coffin.

 

I’d really like it if they did the later stuff. I’d take that as a positive as it avoids a lot of potential messy licensing issues meaning later 70’s 80’s issues can be released. 

[MiniMinorMk3]

Those purple Pontiacs are nothing compared to a red transitional Superfast one with opening doors.

[sierraman]

The wheels are usually squiffy on the superfast ones. 

[eddyramrod]

37 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

 Getting stuck into making or just repainting stuff is about the closest you can get as an adult to escaping the shit involved with adult life these days. You can almost completely focus on the models and not the other crap! Even if it’s just for an hour or so. 
I like to think it’s a good way to keep your mind going too. A bit of problem solving and constructive stuff to do is good for you.

100% agree!  I've just been up and had half an hour or so fiddling with stuff, including some projects I've been quietly ignoring for many months.  My mind is always calmer after a burst of that.

[bunglebus]

Most are £6.99 

 

[danthecapriman]

Just been going through a few things I’ve got squirrelled away under the bed!

Did Brown really have one of these!?

Remember back in the days when 3 door estate cars were a thing! I always liked these and the 3 door Escort estates.  
Not seen either in years.

 

And a lovely Renault 21. I’m not much of a French car fan but some of these models of them really capture the look of them well. Another car from the 80’s that seemed reasonably common but you don’t see much now. 
They do a 21 Savannah estate in the same series too but it’s proving difficult to find.

[sierraman]

A neighbour of mine at my mums had a 3 door 1.6 diesel Astra estate, it was proper grim. It’s ticket to China came when prior to MOTing it he wanted it looking over and it had a 5 inch hole appear on the chassis leg.  The rest wasn’t too clever either. Some berk had done the bumpers in that ‘colourcote’ shit to make the textured grey bumpers the same as the body but it was all just peeling off. 

[eddyramrod]

My first Chevette was a 3 door estate, as was my mk1 Escort.

[danthecapriman]

I used to occasionally work on an Astra 3 door estate, mk2, in that nice pale metallic green they did. I can’t even remember what reg it was. 
One of the guys I used to work with at the time used to love them too because he’d use them as a van. Which I suppose they are really! The Astramax van with windows instead of panels. But most of them hadn’t had as hard a life as the vans had!

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Those purple Pontiacs are nothing compared to a red transitional Superfast one with opening doors.

If I found another one I'd be tempted to create a fake. Not going to fool anyone but it's a bit of fun

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

The wheels are usually squiffy on the superfast ones. 

This one really is quite a nice survivor under the blue Humbrol. 

Tow hook is still attached, glass is uncracked, pillars are straight as are the spindly little axles

[sierraman]

How do you get worn wheels looking new, if they’ve done a few laps of the tarmac they always look irretrievably fucked. 

[bunglebus]

Normally a bit of a sand with fine wet and dry and a coat of black acrylic. Might do these ones now actually before the Mrs gets home 

[junkyarddog]

A recent buy that I just rediscovered as I was feverishly cramming stuff into boxes and questioning my own sanity. 

The Matchbox Mr Bean mini.

Even has has his teddy cast into the seat,I mean what grown man would still have one?

"You've still got yours M8"

Shhhhh Smoll Eddy 🤐🤐