Shite in Miniature II

[Datsuncog]

Czech repro tinplate, now...

Vee-Dub, nicely shiny:

T2 Bay, for when the fire isn't all that serious...

£4 each, to you kids. £7 the pair.

 

[Datsuncog]

Hongwell Cararama Playsets, now...

Mercedes transporter with six cars (A-Class Merc, Merc Coupe, E-Class Merc Estate, BMW X5, Saab 9-5 and Kermit-green Chevrolet Caprice), plus a bewildering plethora of road signs and cones to create your very own inner circle of motoring hell.

All-Merc rescue action set: Actros fire appliance, Vito peelermobile, ML paramedic car. Plus giants.

 

Mercedes Transporter and trailer, with four cars (Rav4; Mitsi Evo; E39 Beemer, Saab 9-3).

£4 each!

[Datsuncog]

More 1/72 scale Hongwell:

Z8 and Merc 190SL Roadster, boxed up and minty.

£1.50 each!

[Tenmil Socket]

Any Fords mister?

[Datsuncog]

Small commercials:

Ford D-Series box van is OO gauge and I'd be looking £4 for it...

While the pair of Hongwell Internationals in 1/87 scale are £2 a pop.

[Datsuncog]

And the final dregs:

Incomplete Fiat Campagnola kit; Bburago Renault Clio Mk1; pull-back Fiat 500.

Also a Matchbox Load-A-Vator, originally from a mid-late 70s Construction Set. **SOLD!**

50p each!

 

Phew, that's the lot. 

[Datsuncog]

9 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Any Fords mister?

I've the horrible  Corgi Mustang 2+2, the Maisto Mk2 Granada, the Base Toy D-Series box van, the Majorette Cargo skip truck, the Corgi Juniors F150 pickup, and the various unconvincing stabs at Econolines… any of those tickle you?

[Tenmil Socket]

6 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

I've the horrible  Corgi Mustang 2+2, the Maisto Mk2 Granada, the Base Toy D-Series box van, the Majorette Cargo skip truck, the Corgi Juniors F150 pickup, and the various unconvincing stabs at Econolines… any of those tickle you?

I'm afraid not. I was hoping for Escorts...

Thanks anyway ?

The Clio is nice though!

[Datsuncog]

Sadly all my Escorts have been previously rehomed - but I'll keep an eye out on the tat stall in case any 'wants' from your list show up!

[sierraman]

I’ll have the load a vator as well please.

[Jon]

Hmm, I expressed an interest in that Moke before Mr.Cog but I think it might cost a smidge over its value to get to me. That said, if Bramz fancies anything from your sale and if there's space, could you forward it if it hasn't sold? He's got a package to send my way at some point.

 

Anyway, I'm back from my hols now and in full fighting spirit to take on the new style of Flickr and wrestle free some images of my latest* (i.e. a couple of months ago) small buys:

 

Another trip to my favourite Auckland purveyor and more things to take my fancy:

I broke my 'not period diecast' rule again, purely on the basis of affordability, small scale, good detailing and it being something I utterly adore - an early LP400 in a striking colour (green, ornage or yellow) forms part of my hedonistic wishful thinking list.

 

This of course comes from that well known diecast purveyor, Japanese coffee shop chain UCC Good Coffee Smile. Actually, all jesting aside, it does seem that they have a bit of history with launching sets of 5 cars from single manufacturers at a time; the other ones in the shop were all dreary modern Lambos, so like a heathen I broke up someone's formerly complete collection. I'd say the scale is about 1:50 - 1:55 and it seems that the c.£2.50 I spent on this one was actually very fair indeed, particularly as all others available online are in Japan.

 

Then, as is now my custom, I once again raided the $1 box.

 

Must admit I wasn't aware of this Whizzwheels Jag XJ casting but presumably, the existence still of the boot lid is a fortunate thing. It's a very pleasing thing, much more so due to the repaint it's received at some stage in such a fetching brown. Such a period Kiwi car palette - they had a strong arsenal of solid colours back in the day that only Communist countries could compete with.

 

Hey, look at me, I bagged a Hotwheels Redline for 50p!! As you can see though, it's neither an early issue nor in good nick and you have to look very carefully to see the red band remnants on the tyres but it's nice all the same. I'm really growing to like a lot of Husky/Whizzwheels  castings but I must admit that I'm a little neutral towards this Healey Sprite Le Mans - a very odd choice of casting in the first place, I reckon. I think it'd look much better on recessed grey Husky wheels, which would make it somewhat lower, as the sky high ride on these later wheels do it no favours.

 

Likewise this Alfa Carabo. I'm not a great fan of Matchbox concepts but honestly, 50p buys you nowt these days yet it can still buy you a very presentable 40+ year old toy car. I'll admit that I also quite like the colours, though I fear that it's precisely this train of thought that will see me bagging low value garishly hued Models of Yesteryear in the future....

 

Then I hit paydirt!

Check out this Lone Star Volvo 1800S! I always thought these small Lone Stars were branded as Impys but this is a Road-Master Flyer, apparently. The ride height is comically high but that gives you excellent range of suspension travel that a Majorette could only wish for and indeed, those skinny wheels do roll very well along a table top.

 

And just look at all the opening parts! It's such a lovely casting, too and the bonnet and boot lid are both very delicate, so I'm thankful that it's all survived intact. Well, all except the glass. This one's base is screwed together (don't know if that's standard or not) so has probably been taken to bits at some stage but at least all the panels made it back on to the body.

 

I think I can now add Lone Stars to my list of things I'd like to keep an eye out for. I did actually find a RR Silver Cloud III convertible in a shop in Colorado but it was missing  its windscreen and the jewelled headlamps, so I put it back after playing with the double hinged bonnet:

 

(library pic - the one I saw was silver and much tattier)

 

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

me? nah i haven't got a problem, no, not at all!

 

and all the talk about lolvos a few weeks ago didn't* result in this

[Datsuncog]

Crikey, that's some hot Acclaim action there! Red version is most uncommon, fantastic...

 

That Corgi 760 is a real stunner too - well bought! I've encountered a few online, and they can be pricey. Still love mine, and relieved I hung on to it.

[Amishtat]

Still searching for my childhood Acclaims, had them in blue and red. What I should probably do is buy replacements then I'm bound to come across them.. Did find a rally liveried 760 at the boot sale yesterday, clean but unboxed which I'm now mildly regretting not laying out three quid for. 

[Noel Tidybeard]

i had the holy grail acclaim as a lad- the Honda Ballade verion in red, but i don't remember it having the sticker sheet and i don't remember there being "L" plates either

 

*edit* looking at googlefoo looks like honda ballade 273 came ready stickered but no L plates

[Datsuncog]

14 hours ago, Jon said:

Hmm, I expressed an interest in that Moke before Mr.Cog but I think it might cost a smidge over its value to get to me. That said, if Bramz fancies anything from your sale and if there's space, could you forward it if it hasn't sold? He's got a package to send my way at some point.

Sure thing - I can appreciate that logistics may not be in our favour, but nonetheless if the parcel from earlier in the year for you (Guiltoy Espace; Solido 2CV; Lesney caravan; and Zylmex Datsun pickup) is still resting with Bramz7, then there's a chance I can add the Dinky Moke - watch this space!

14 hours ago, Jon said:

...an early LP400 in a striking colour...

That is stunning. While not really much into exotica, I'd also have to make an exception for Lamborghini products, especially the early LP400 Countachs (before they started to resemble aircraft with wings, scoops, spoilers and arch extensions everywhere to spoil the purity of Bertone's Ultimate Wedge)… phew. Well bought. Worth breaking all your self-imposed rules to obtain! It always was a car for the heart, not the head... and that backscene looks great, too.

I picked up one of those Whizzwheels Jag XJs in a charity shop a while back - now living with cms206, I believe (and hence this is the only pic I have, zoomed in hugely).

Not one I'd previously encountered either, and it seems odd that Corgi didn't give it space in its Juniors line-up for very long. It's a nice casting that they ought to have got decent use from! Your sludge-brown repaint looks appropriately BL, of course. Early Corgi Juniors/Whizzwheels are starting to interest me more... they produced some really unusual models, and not always terribly successfully (such as your Sprite Le Mans). I'd especially like to track down a Reliant Scimitar SE5 with the batshit panoramic windscreen that extended over into the roof, like a Citroen C4 SpaceTourer...

Be interesting to compare that Matchbox Superfast Carabo alongside a Corgi Juniors version - it always intrigues me to see how different toymakers interpreted the same real-life car. Seems that Corgi decided to keep the ridges on the car's nose, while Lesney elected to flatten them out.

14 hours ago, Jon said:

Then I hit paydirt! Check out this Lone Star Volvo 1800S! 

Jeepers, that's a helluva find... new one on me too! I know virtually nothing about the Lone Star Impy/Road-Master Flyers range - I'd encountered the Rolls-Royce mentioned in passing by Mac Ragan in his 'Diecast Cars of the 1960s' book, but not much else. Another topic to research...

Cheers for some more top-notch minishite - glad your holiday was productive!

[Noel Tidybeard]

16 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Crikey, that's some hot Acclaim action there! Red version is most uncommon, fantastic...

 

That Corgi 760 is a real stunner too - well bought! I've encountered a few online, and they can be pricey. Still love mine, and relieved I hung on to it.

if i'm honest there's another blue one somewhere which i think is the lighter blue

 

had the lolvo in met grey & racing liver as lad- never knew about light bloo till looking on fleabay

[155V6]

I really like the Corgi Volvo too,these are mine

[bunglebus]

7 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Early Corgi Juniors/Whizzwheels are starting to interest me more...

I have always had a problem with Corgi over Matchbox as they feel "cheap". I think a lot of it is the thin plastic bases and nasty wheels. However the castings are often quite nice, so I've given this Merc a chance, made a base and put HW wheels on it, going for a custom/lowrider look

 

[Split_Pin]

2 hours ago, 155V6 said:

I really like the Corgi Volvo too,these are mine

 

My favorite 740 casting by far.

[RoadworkUK]

I think what angers me about Corgis is that they often have the feature lines / door shutlines expressed proud from the surface of the casting, rather than bevelled into it. Just looks and feels messy.

[Jon]

The following batch came from a street market which happens once a month in a local town - I usually forget which Sunday of the month it's on, so often don't make it. The highlight for me though is that there's usually an old gadgie set up in the same place each time, selling diecasts. He knows how to price things so no utter bargains but then the odd one isn't too painful and he usually has some interesting stock, so I dip into the old skyrocket once in a while. Here's what I got:

 

Nice bit of Autoshite bread and butter 'car of interest' here, a Majorette Chrysler 180. Paid a bit more than I wanted but then you only live once, don't you?! That said, on closer inspection once home, the casting is pretty terrible and there's evidence of a bit of Norev-style warpage and even a casting divot on the bonnet, so the seller saw me coming with this one!

 

Maintaining the green theme, it was the colour that pretty much sold me on this 90's Siku casting of an Opel Astra wagon - well, that and the orange indicators and the bodystyle, plus the fact that my strict 1/43 rule is well and truly out the window, it seems.

 

From memory, the seller either had two of these to choose from, or two Siku Mondeos. In fact, the Siku Mondeo was in Citrine yellow, so I'm guessing that the presence of Mrs_Jon was the reason I didn't pick that one up too.

 

Indeed, it was said wifely presence that made me put this Corgi Escort back and choose something else instead. A couple of stalls down, I remembered what I'd done, had instant 'non-buyer's remorse', so hung back on passing by the stall again, nabbed it from the tabletop and bunged the the seller $5 (£2.50) in a very covert fashion, which I think Mrs_Jon saw but she's a good sort, so no harm done. Like I say, it wasn't cheap but I thought the sum being asked was very fair for a period Ford toy in what is very good condition. I do have a much scruffier example back in my UK toy box (along with an Ogle Scimitar, Mr. Cog!).

 

I also got this little gem:

Tomica Nissan Gloria Van. Again, in lovely condition, though annoyingly a tiny spot of paint came off the bonnet when removing the price sticker - why do sellers do this, especially when they're obviously enthusiasts, too?

 

This one's definitely worthy of two shots. The casting of the tailgate arms means that the bottom of the tailgate barely passes the top of the tail lights, which makes me wonder whether a fair few of these would've lost their tailgates from being forced open further by kids? It does make for a nice neat casting but what's the use of a wagon, if you can't stuff some stones/matchsticks/raisins/bits of fluff in the back?! 

 

11 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Sure thing - I can appreciate that logistics may not be in our favour, but nonetheless if the parcel from earlier in the year for you (Guiltoy Espace; Solido 2CV; Lesney caravan; and Zylmex Datsun pickup) is still resting with Bramz7, then there's a chance I can add the Dinky Moke - watch this space!

Like I say, if someone else nabs the Moke then no bother but the above items are still in Bramz's care, so there may be a way to get them combined. We shall see!

[Split_Pin]

Nice one on the Tomica. I have a very similar Nissan Cedric which came from Snr_Cog. This particular one is a reissue, states 'Made in China' on the baseplate and comes in a clear plastic box. Otherwise, you can't tell and they're still quite valuable so good effort on your own purchase there!

[Jon]

I've just looked up the prices of a Gloria Van on Ebay - Jeepers! I thought it was getting a bit rich at the £3.50 I paid but it seems I got a bit of a bargain! Think I'll look out for any more Tomicas the seller has, at those prices!

 

[Amishtat]

Is it Tatmarket Friday DC? (Because I can't be the only one wondering...) 

[Amishtat]

Just stopped by at my local auction house (Manders) and seen these for tomorrow's sale. I don't expect there to be frenetic bidding.. 

 

[Datsuncog]

3 hours ago, Amishtat said:

Is it Tatmarket Friday DC? (Because I can't be the only one wondering...) 

Argh, yes and no!

Yes, I went in.

No, Market Blokey wasn't there (his usual stall was now filled by a nice lady pushing some CBD miracle oil hair-restoring bollocks) - he's probably off on his holidays to his private island in the Bahamas bought with all the dosh I've been shovelling at him (and, as next Friday's a public holiday in Northern Ireland, there's no market next week either, annoyingly).

Yes, there was some tat on another stall! Pics to follow shortly, you may be interested.

Phew!

8 minutes ago, Amishtat said:

Just stopped by at my local auction house (Manders) and seen these for tomorrow's sale. I don't expect there to be frenetic bidding.. 

It's distressing that I'm finding them increasingly appealing... though I had to laugh at the RARE lettering on the box for the Lledo Promos Transit Sunshine Bus, based on some minor sticker variation - yeah m8, worth 40p rather than 25p...

[sierraman]

The Yesteryear Omnibus is worth a few quid, I got £20 for mine. The later ‘collectible’ era can be worth something but the lurid seventies era yesteryears aren’t. 

[Datsuncog]

So, as I say - no Market Blokey today, and as a result the usual tat stall was devoid of diecast, and I was left feeling bereft...

Not withdrawal symptoms, though, definitely not. I can stop anytime, really.

BUT! There's plenty more tat in the market, as my old granny never said.

Indeed, there are about a dozen or so general tat stalls at St George's on a Friday, mostly displaying house clearance-grade collectables (Royal Wedding mugs, porcelain thimbles, silver-plate spoons, crystal animals). You know the sort of thing.

And they do often have a few diecast in among there too. Usually shit Lledos, and always comically overpriced by the doddery old giffers manning the stall, who must sell them through judicious application of the Greater Fool Theory to other doddery old giffers, who before long are in need of house clearance services themselves, and thus the Great Circle Of Tat remains unbroken...

Long story short: these turned up on another stall:

Yup, it's a Corgi 'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' Oldsmobile Super 88, aka 'Thrushbuster'. Other than a missing tyre, it's complete.

'Gunfire' mechanism still works as it should, causing the little figures of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin to lean out and produce a 'bang' when the periscope thing's pressed.

Bullet-riddled windscreen has been cracked - or 'super-detailed', as I like to think of it.

And then...

Not sure whether this Corgi Whizzwheels Iso Grifo has been attacked with a paintbrush, or it's meant to be some sort of scaled-down barnfind with three decades of bird clabber built up.

Other than the heroic Code 3 paint efforts, some other suspicious dark stains, and slightly wonky doors, it's complete bar one of the jewel lights and might make quite a nice light resto.

And finally...

Slightly tatty but still delightful Majorette Honda Prelude, which includes the rear windscreen wiper as a nice touch.

Surprisingly, these weren't priced at an arm and a leg, and I was bemused/amused because this particular stallholder was also busy pricing up scratched Lledo Days Gone with missing wheels and roofs for the same money...

If there's any interest, £3 each for the Thrushbuster and the Iso, £1 for the Honda?

[Split_Pin]

Ooft, may I take the Honda please, my most desired Majorette!