Shite in Miniature II

[Datsuncog]

Was in my local Sainsburys branch this evening and noticed they had a load of new 2024 Matchbox 5-packs and Hot Wheels 8-packs on the shelves, which I don't believe were there at the weekend.

Nothing that really grabbed me - some very nice individual items, but none of the sets contained enough gems vs dross to make me stump up my hard-earned (ok, maybe not dross - but I find I already have quite a few of them already, just in different colours).

Is it the set with the Mk2 Golf Country you're looking for, @bunglebus? If so, there was definitely one of them in there... let me know if you're desperate, and I'll see what I can do!

Sadly a whistle-stop tour of several larger Sainsburys branches on Friday revealed zero Moving Parts on offer, and no individual mainlines either - in terms of Matchbox, there were only the 5-packs. Maybe NI stores will get some later, or maybe not. They'd a lot of tinned Majorettes though.

Tesco/Entertainer has the same 2024 Matchbox sets out, but at a higher price - I think Tesco has them out for £12 reduced to £9, whereas Sainsburys is doing them for £12 each but two packs for £15.

In fact, they've reprofiled the Mattel bay after less than a month, to make space for more mainlnes:

Three rummage bins now, and more Matchbox on pegs as well.

Still the same old Matchbox stuff we've been seeing for nearly a year now, though.

Fresh stickers on the tubs too, for the benefit of the hard-of-mathsing - not just '£2.40 - Buy 1 Get 1 Half Price', but now showing '2 for £3.60'.

 

I did find a Tesco store on Friday with a vast amount of (mostly) 2023 5-packs reduced to £5 a go - presumably it's moving to Entertainer stock soon too, so these were all on clearance.

Some Hot Wheels 5-packs left too, but nowhere near as many.

The shelves were absolutely crammed.

Despite being temptingly cheap, there wasn't anything there I was really after - I think I managed to sate my desires when my local store was flogging them off for a fiver earlier in the year.

Mainlines were still out at full whack, oddly - £2.10 each. But they were all last year's stuff, too.

Mildly disappointing, but good to see some new stuff is coming through.

[bunglebus]

Volkswagen 5 pack:

I'd quite like the Autoshite Express one too

[Datsuncog]

5 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Volkswagen 5 pack:

I'd quite like the Autoshite Express one too

Ah, I didn't see the pack with the orange Karmann Ghia or red Bay in it - turns out it was the MBX Retro set I was thinking of.

Sorry for getting your hopes up!

A few of the Autobahn Express V sets were on the shelves too though - I do like that T3 crewcab and the blue Alfa.

Will keep my eyes peeled when I'm out and about, nonetheless!

[sierraman]

Found a suitably knackered on with glazing to restore. Wonder if the wheels from the 1600TL will fit? 

[sierraman]

Never seen this majorette either? 

[bunglebus]

8 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Found a suitably knackered on with glazing to restore. Wonder if the wheels from the 1600TL will fit? 

Only one way to find out. Sure there's another Austin in your tat box, which went off yesterday 

 

[bunglebus]

This just appeared on T-Hunted, think I'll be having one if it appears!

[egg]

Not sure if reported on here, but Mamod have gone bust.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/model-steam-train-firm-to-close-after-88-years-because-of-anti-terror-red-tape/

[danthecapriman]

While I’m waiting for filler and glue to go off, here’s another project I’m working on at the moment. Another addition to the SEB fleet!

Starting point was a 1:43 model of a Belgian fire brigade Dodge Tradesman van. 
These are quite an old model now, and it looks it given the crude details, crappy windscreen area and appalling paint! It is however the only model I can find of this type van so it pretty much has got to do!

   
It looks a bit better after the paints removed, but it’s absolutely covered in lumps and bumps in the casting. Quality control must have taken a day off when this was made!

It isn’t going to stay as a Tradesman though! I seem to love making things difficult for myself so it’s being converted into a first generation Dodge 50 series truck. There are no models of these as far as I know.

Ive altered the cab by enlarging the windscreen and re profiling the roof to be more domed like the real things are. Then cut off the bumper as it’s in the wrong place, then removed the grill and headlights.

Made a new grill from plastic card and sections to the new shape. Then made the hump in the bonnet to give it the characteristic bull nose look.

  
Then because the one I’m doing is a chassis cab truck I chopped out the centre section of the body. The rear end of the van  can be reused as the cab back with a bit of work.

And a mock up of all the bits that’ll be cobbled together to make the truck Im modelling. 
Chassis needs stretching a bit yet!

 
If I can get this to work I’ll have a go making another one up into a panel van version. That would take even more work though as they had the higher cab roof with bigger windscreen and door windows. And the side bodywork and profile is completely different from waist height upwards to how the chassis cab’s were (and the donor Dodge Tradesman).

[Datsuncog]

Ooh, that's gonna look good!

[sierraman]

53 minutes ago, egg said:

Not sure if reported on here, but Mamod have gone bust.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/model-steam-train-firm-to-close-after-88-years-because-of-anti-terror-red-tape/

I’m amazed they’re still on the go full stop to be honest! 

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, egg said:

Not sure if reported on here, but Mamod have gone bust.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/model-steam-train-firm-to-close-after-88-years-because-of-anti-terror-red-tape/

I had one of these as a Christmas present back in the 1970s.

It ran on meths that I could get at the local chemist. Main problem I had was flames coming out of the fire box and expanding the drive belt/spring thingy. I see they cost over £400 these days, I seem to remember they were about £30 when I got mine. It did not get much use and stayed in the box for most of it's time with me. I've forgotten what happened to it but I think I flogged it at a boot fair in the late 1980s.

Would I have another one? No, to much faff getting it going and it didn't really do a lot to be honest.

[sierraman]

I usually pick these up when in tidy condition. At a quid I couldn’t leave it behind. Proper 70’s Kitch! 

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

While I’m waiting for filler and glue to go off, here’s another project I’m working on at the moment. Another addition to the SEB fleet!

Starting point was a 1:43 model of a Belgian fire brigade Dodge Tradesman van. 
These are quite an old model now, and it looks it given the crude details, crappy windscreen area and appalling paint! It is however the only model I can find of this type van so it pretty much has got to do!

   
It looks a bit better after the paints removed, but it’s absolutely covered in lumps and bumps in the casting. Quality control must have taken a day off when this was made!

It isn’t going to stay as a Tradesman though! I seem to love making things difficult for myself so it’s being converted into a first generation Dodge 50 series truck. There are no models of these as far as I know.

Ive altered the cab by enlarging the windscreen and re profiling the roof to be more domed like the real things are. Then cut off the bumper as it’s in the wrong place, then removed the grill and headlights.

Made a new grill from plastic card and sections to the new shape. Then made the hump in the bonnet to give it the characteristic bull nose look.

  
Then because the one I’m doing is a chassis cab truck I chopped out the centre section of the body. The rear end of the van  can be reused as the cab back with a bit of work.

And a mock up of all the bits that’ll be cobbled together to make the truck Im modelling. 
Chassis needs stretching a bit yet!

 
If I can get this to work I’ll have a go making another one up into a panel van version. That would take even more work though as they had the higher cab roof with bigger windscreen and door windows. And the side bodywork and profile is completely different from waist height upwards to how the chassis cab’s were (and the donor Dodge Tradesman).

Gee whizz that's going to be a belter!!

You should do a Horsebollox one as well!

Incidentally the only model ever made of the Dodge 50 was by EFE in 1:76 scale. It was the post 1989 version with square lights and it was only the front dash as the rest was a Reeve Burgess beaver bus body. A very nice wee thing nonetheless and rather rare too.

[danthecapriman]

21 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Gee whizz that's going to be a belter!!

You should do a Horsebollox one as well!

Incidentally the only model ever made of the Dodge 50 was by EFE in 1:76 scale. It was the post 1989 version with square lights and it was only the front dash as the rest was a Reeve Burgess beaver bus body. A very nice wee thing nonetheless and rather rare too.

I’ve never seen that EFE one. I expect they command a premium on the rare occasion they come up!?

This one’s a bit of a bastard to make tbh! Despite the cab being shared with Tradesman it’s surprising just how many differences there actually are between them. 
A Horsebollox one is a good idea! I’d forgotten about his one.

I can only remember a few being around still when I was at SSE, the A reg mk1 in green & white we had in our depot and Poole depot had a J reg Renault late version in silver. Both were panel vans converted into HV test vans. Both were insanely cool though! They really stood out compared to all the little modern vans!

The type I’m building here is a truck version, all the SEB depots probably had a small fleet of them for general purpose use. Things like part of the excavation teams, taking away waste material & spoil, filling holes from cable repair/replacement, even carting off the waste after the overhead line tree cutters had been out. 
There were similar ones that didn’t have the tipper bed at the back and had a cherry picker instead.

I wouldn’t have thought they’d have particularly long lives tbh, given how they were used!

You see a couple of them in these pics.

[sierraman]

I think the gas board used to use those Dodge for well past their sell by date as they had a compressor built into the load bay floor so they could double as a sort of power unit/workshop. 

[Split_Pin]

The most common one for utility companies was this walk-thru version, often with a cherry picker in the roof.

 

[sierraman]

10 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

The most common one for utility companies was this walk-thru version, often with a cherry picker in the roof.

 

That’s exactly the type, had a sort of recess in the back for the air compressor clobber.

[Split_Pin]

1 minute ago, sierraman said:

That’s exactly the type, had a sort of recess in the back for the air compressor clobber.

The first thing  I think when I see a picture of one of those is "I bet that rides like hell" 😂

[quicksilver]

52 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Gee whizz that's going to be a belter!!

You should do a Horsebollox one as well!

Incidentally the only model ever made of the Dodge 50 was by EFE in 1:76 scale. It was the post 1989 version with square lights and it was only the front dash as the rest was a Reeve Burgess beaver bus body. A very nice wee thing nonetheless and rather rare too.

The EFE Dodge is much less common than the Mercedes version as it was released in only two liveries (Barton and Nottingham) in 1999 and nothing since. Here's a freelance coachbuilt parcels van I made by grafting the EFE bonnet to a no-name plastic US van.

There have been a few kits of early type 50-series buses. Long and short with Alexander bodies by Sunrise.

Rootes body by RTC Models but the bonnet and grille really don't look right.

East Lancs body by Paragon Kits. Yes they really did look like garden sheds on wheels.

Yours looks great so far Dan. Must admit I couldn't see much resemblance at first but now it's starting to look the part.

[Split_Pin]

Here's the EFE in its original form in Barton livery. The same body is also used on the Mercedes 709D version. A pretty nice model and as said, quite rare.

 

[danthecapriman]

This is how most of the electricity board ones were.

99% sure this one’s a cable jointers van, but that stubby van type was used as pretty much the standard van for the ‘trades’ ie; Jointers, fitters and linesmen. Linesmen probably less so other than for cherry pickers etc.

At the time they were in production they were used massively by all government owned utilities and transportation etc, power companies, water and gas all used them. British Rail had loads etc etc. I think what killed off vans like that was the new driving licensing coming into force which basically stopped most people driving stuff over 3.5 tons, which pretty much meant long wheel base Transits max. Trouble is, now you just can’t carry all the kit you need because the van becomes too heavy! My old Sprinters and Transits were always close to the 3.5 ton, but the jointers really struggled because their tools and equipment were generally big and heavy. Now they have to be very picky about what they load into their vans!

[danthecapriman]

26 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

The EFE Dodge is much less common than the Mercedes version as it was released in only two liveries (Barton and Nottingham) in 1999 and nothing since. Here's a freelance coachbuilt parcels van I made by grafting the EFE bonnet to a no-name plastic US van.

There have been a few kits of early type 50-series buses. Long and short with Alexander bodies by Sunrise.

Rootes body by RTC Models but the bonnet and grille really don't look right.

East Lancs body by Paragon Kits. Yes they really did look like garden sheds on wheels.

Yours looks great so far Dan. Must admit I couldn't see much resemblance at first but now it's starting to look the part.

Cheers!

Yours look fantastic! I had no idea those kits existed though.

That Dodge donor van is a weird model. It sort of resembles a Tradesman, but it’s really not that good at all. The windscreen area is especially poor. My 50 conversion will probably always have that as it’s Achilles heel, there’s only so much you can do unless you’re going to scratch build from a set of scale drawings. 
Tbh, I wasn’t totally convinced by it myself when I started it, but it’s looking better now. Good enough for who it’s for anyway!😆

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

I usually pick these up when in tidy condition. At a quid I couldn’t leave it behind. Proper 70’s Kitch! 

I got one today too

This was in a job lot I bought just for the Sand Cat to steal its glazing - but it's far too good for that

The one I bought at the weekend has a crack in the rear window and the whole roof is a bit squished unfortunately.

Other bits included were a clean Rod Roller

And Hi-Tailer 

Plus a BRM

Separately was this Golf, I believe this was sold in Dinky branded blister packs but it has a Matchbox base

I've already attacked it with the black touch up paint which has made a big difference 

[sierraman]

They seem common in good condition though they must have made millions of those Hot Rod type things. 

[Remspoor]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

The most common one for utility companies was this walk-thru version, often with a cherry picker in the roof.

 

 

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

This is how most of the electricity board ones were.

99% sure this one’s a cable jointers van, but that stubby van type was used as pretty much the standard van for the ‘trades’ ie; Jointers, fitters and linesmen. Linesmen probably less so other than for cherry pickers etc.

At the time they were in production they were used massively by all government owned utilities and transportation etc, power companies, water and gas all used them. British Rail had loads etc etc. I think what killed off vans like that was the new driving licensing coming into force which basically stopped most people driving stuff over 3.5 tons, which pretty much meant long wheel base Transits max. Trouble is, now you just can’t carry all the kit you need because the van becomes too heavy! My old Sprinters and Transits were always close to the 3.5 ton, but the jointers really struggled because their tools and equipment were generally big and heavy. Now they have to be very picky about what they load into their vans!

When I worked at Southern Water we had those Dodge vans too.

[Datsuncog]

Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) ran a load of those hi-top Dodges too, well into the late '90s - fleet sales managers in Renault's Commercial Vehicles Division must have received some cracking bonuses, back in the day.

[danthecapriman]

28 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) ran a load of those hi-top Dodges too, well into the late '90s - fleet sales managers in Renault's Commercial Vehicles Division must have received some cracking bonuses, back in the day.

There were quite a few Dodge/Renault Commandos around too in government utility fleets. 

[sheffcortinacentre]

5 hours ago, sierraman said:

I think the gas board used to use those Dodge for well past their sell by date as they had a compressor built into the load bay floor so they could double as a sort of power unit/workshop. 

I always think eager beaver when I see one.

[sierraman]

https://pocketmags.com/fast-and-fifty-magazine?utm_source=website&utm_campaign=warnersgroup_fast-and-fifty&utm_medium=website&utm_term=pocketmagsutmbuilder&utm_content=2721#5243f79396678
 

this looks interesting, is it a legit site do we think?