Shite in Miniature II

[Partridge]

Felly and I said Hornby were in the shit and everyone said we were talking poo!!

 

Said so.

 

Said so!

 

SAID SO!

 

SAID SO!

[stuboy]

tk maxx

[mercrocker]

Corgi are having a Black Cowley Sale,some bargains to be had too in Vanguards 

 

 

Now that Would have got me interested!

[Essex V6]

Yeah, I'm looking at some of their stuff and thinking it looks pretty irresistible at that price, sub-10 quid for Mk3 Cav, Nova, Astra with those black steelies... I could make a lovely VX garage up!

I bought the red Astra SR a few months ago along with Escort Mex and RS2000. My dad is due out here in a few weeks so I will get them then

[Mr Lobster]

Felly and I said Hornby were in the shit and everyone said we were talking poo!!

 

Yep.

 

Generally a very difficult company to deal with to the point that you'd really rather not.  Some of the Vanguards stuff is actually quite good but they really do need to come up with some new castings that the public will actually want to buy - new catalogue is out next month and will hopefully have something good in it and not yet more versions of the Mk2 Astra, 205 and Cortina that we've seen so many of so far. The trucks range is a disaster from a retail POV and as for the rest.....

 

The one thing they did get right (surprisingly) was the Royal Wedding stuff which sold like very hot cakes when it came out. I'll admit to being surprised by how popular that was.

[Noel Tidybeard]

coming soon vanguards vauxhall carlton cdx for all those closet vauxhall shitters

[Felly Magic]

Hornby lost a further half a million in less than 6 months this year, and now their main rival, Oxford are branching in to model railways in 00 scale. Lyndon who runs Oxford had a dig at Hornby too, basically saying Hornby don't listen to their customers, which is true, and Hornby treat retailers like dirt. I know of a few retailers now who won't stock Vanguards, simply because of how many faulty models they have had over the last 12 months or so, and late deliveries

[quicksilver]

I think it's been pretty clear for a long time that all isn't well at Hornby. What convinced me they have totally lost the plot is the new Borismaster bus toy aimed at tourists. No one can blame them for wanting a piece of that market and surely it was a great opportunity to make more use of a casting they already had, but no, they've wasted a ton of money on a whole new casting that's about 2% bigger than the existing one and the difference isn't even noticeable unless you put them side by side  Oxford on the other hand are turning out some superb affordable stuff and they make up the majority of my diecast purchases these days.

[Split_Pin]

The only good thing to come from Vanguards in the last 10 years was the Rover 75 simply because, apart from being a fine model, was only ever modeled by one other manufacturer, Schuco. Other castings have already been done in 1/43 like the cavalier, Astra and Talbot Sunbeam. Too dear now too. If they ever release a Maxi I'll buy that though.

[RoadworkUK]

tk maxx

 

 

1:24 is my least favourite scale. Had those been 1:18 I'd have started hyperventilating.

 

I'm always bemused by TK Maxx. Our nearest branch (Colchester) invariably has 1:64 (Probably) scale models of very specific plant and industrial equipment, which surely doesn't appeal to the casual browser and is not exactly impulse-buy money, either.

 

I noticed that the Brighton branch has a Hotwheels Elite 1:18 Batman Tumbler, discounted to £99 and displayed among the unknown-brand infra-red helicopters and board games. Who on Earth comes out of TK Maxx with a hundred quid Batmobile?

[Mr Lobster]

I reckon the chances of a Maxi by Vanguards are slightly less than my chances of doing Emma Bunton in the back of a Seat Malaga tbh.  

 

Sadly when they produced a load of British stuff ten years or so back (Allegro, Princess, Viva, Marina etc) they just didn't sell and they ended up sat with them for a very long time before selling them into the trade at buttons.

 

Has to be said, we still do alright with Vanguards though some of the newer stuff has been difficult. I know wholesalers that don't like dealing with them as well as traders who don't bother so much now. We tend to buy for pre sold items and maybe another six for stock. Some of the Vanguards stuff that should have sold well (MK2 Astra in its many variants, I'm looking at you here) just hasn't which is a shame as its actually a nice model. I'm just hoping that the new announcements for Jan - July 2015 might have something new and interesting in them but I doubt it somehow.

 

For some reason theres a load of stuff that was due before Christmas thats been delayed now until next year, stuff thats due this year is as follows -

 

w/c 08/12 - BMW E30 Cabrio (rhd) and Mk2 Escort Eddie Stobart rally livery

w/c 15/12 - Carlton CDX, BMW E30 Cabrio (lhd and a motorsport version), Mini 1275 BSCC

 

As for Oxford, they are brilliant. The product range is fantastic and the quality is top notch. Some of the 1:43s they do are superb (Lotus Elan S2, E Type) and even more so at the price.  Plus, Lyndon is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet in the diecast world.   

[Felly Magic]

I might buy the Carlton, I was going to buy the 2000 E Cortinas, but its got the pre facelift dash and interior. When I get paid, I will be wanting one of those Whitebox Onions off you Mr Lobster. I just wish Lyndon would acquire the Vanguards range from Hornby though, he'd soon have the range licked into shape

[Mr Lobster]

The 2000E Cortinas were mega popular - sold all of them before we even had time to stick them on t'internet!

[Felly Magic]

I've started to enjoy altering diecasts again, so am currently on the hunt for the Hampshire Police Mk3 Cortina from Vanguards, as I'm gonna civvy it up

[Split_Pin]

Hopefully Oxford will do a Maxi then! The Corgi trucks range are indeed terrible. Massively overpriced. At that level, id expect a tilting cab at least. The exception was the international transtar which as a class act. They started well in .1998 with the ERF EC, of which I have 2 and the DAF 85. They kept it simple and undercut Tekno in price by about half. The Seddon atki strato was a nice release but I haven't seen many about.

[quicksilver]

I reckon the chances of a Maxi from Oxford are good but it may be 1/76. Somebody there likes 70s BL tat as they've done a Marina, Princess, Allegro and 1275GT Mini with an ADO16 to come so a Maxi would fit right in. I feel much the same as Iain about Corgi's 1/76 trucks, they're nice enough models but not worth nearly double the price of the Oxford equivalents and they seem to have quietly disappeared from the range. Oxford can keep their prices low as they actually own their factory in China and don't have to compete for factory time with others.

[Split_Pin]

Blimey I didn't even know Corgi did 1/76 trucks, I was talking about the 1/50 scale. My wife had an Oxford Bedford TK horsebox and its every bit as good as an EFE.

[Felly Magic]

They also have Adrienne Fuller as head of product design, formerly of Corgi there as well. She knows her stuff. Their 00 scale bus range seems to be growing too, and they retail for just over £15 for most releases, roughly HALF the price of a Corgi OOC & EFE. Its a shame Hongwell/Cararama haven't developed their range much, as their Mk1 Escort and capri aren't bad castings, just a shame the Capri is a left hooker

[Junkman]

The one thing they did get right (surprisingly) was the Royal Wedding stuff which sold like very hot cakes when it came out. I'll admit to being surprised by how popular that was.

 

Export, man. You'd be surprised how well that stuff sells abroad.

[Junkman]

For me, OD cocked it up big time, when they announced a Messerschmitt as their first 1/18 release.

I mean, it was about time they ventured into that scale, but why with an offering that already has been made by two other manufacturers?

If it must be a bubble car at all, then why not a Heinkel/Trojan?

[plasticvandan]

Im still waiting for a model in a car,so far not made by anyone in the history of models.prime subject for Oxford I would have thought,something on every street corner in the 60s and 70s

[Mr Lobster]

^ Whats that then?

 

@Junkman - The Royal Wedding stuff was virtually all export. Very popular in the US of A unsurprisingly.

 

If Oxford were to do a Maxi then there would need to be several different versions to make it worthwhile - couple of different colours and a Police version maybe? But I just don't see it somehow. 

 

We did suggest that a Maestro could be viable though...

[plasticvandan]

Damn my hudl!!! INVACAR.

And while I'm at it,do they not realise reliant made other cars than the regal van? Would love a mk1 robin saloon,in fact if Oxford are moving into model rail,they really should make one,being the trainspotters choice of wheels in the 70s haha

[Lord Sterling]

Thought I'd try something new, but keeping it to this thread.

 

oMg Swede mOdulz Kollekshun thread post:

 

So, I made my way to "Tin Worm" Tolkein to be moaned at yet again because cars aren't selling. It's not my fault, I simply take pics and stick 'em up on Car and Classic.

 

Whilst at his garage, I noticed in the absolute mess there I noticed this rather forlorn looking model of a Swede:

 

 

It had been sitting on a something that looked like it was once a sideboard or table. It was now covered in shite that has been there for years. I wanted to at least try and breath some new life into it if I could. At least I could do it cheaply (as in free)

 

A deal was struck (or rather, I asked if I could have it) and it was loaded to be taken home:

 

 

I couldn't find any jump cords to hold it down, so I took it out and chucked in the footwell.

 

Sorry, no petrol station SHOTz as it's a model car, it doesn't need petrol, plus I'd look a bit weird taking a picture of a model car next to a full size petrol pump. 

 

Once home, it was carefully unloaded from its tranport into my house where I tried to make a makeshift garage, but this wasn't going to happen because; I ran out of card board, my hands wouldn't fit into the scale model garage and I wouldn't be able to see exactly what I'm doing, so I gave up and just took some small screw drivers to it. Soon it was looking like this:

 

 

I managed to bend C-pillars back into shape and realign the boot lid. I then gave the plastic interior a wash as I did with the plastic windows and body and put it back together. Sorry no pics of that as I don't know where they went.

 

Sadly, I managed to break r/h side door off its hinges so now it won't stay on very well, plus I need to find l/h rear light.

[quicksilver]

Another manky blue Volvo 'barn find'? That looks almost as grim as CMS's 345.

[Noel Tidybeard]

that ^^^ post is fappin useless cos you didnt tell us the make f00!

[cms206]

Another manky blue Volvo 'barn find'? That looks almost as grim as CMS's 345.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, you'll all be buying them soon I know it!

[Felly Magic]

That Ovlov745 diecast is a Tonka Polistil by the looks, they also did a 744

 

I used to have a blue Stahlberg 345 in blue, sold it for megaprofitsyo!

[Lord Sterling]

that ^^^ post is fappin useless cos you didnt tell us the make f00!

 

That Ovlov745 diecast is a Tonka Polistil by the looks, they also did a 744

 

Correct, it's a 1:25 Tonka Polistil. Strange thing about it is, it has Chrome-like coloured wheels on one side and unpainted Grey plastic wheel on the other side!     

[Split_Pin]

Got that one LS! I recall how thrilled I was with my Corgi 1/36 saloon until I got the Tonka Polistil one! It's not a bad model but I prefer Stahlberg.