Shite in Miniature II

[flat4alfa]

4 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

And, over the years I've carried it - through 11+ exams, GCSEs, A-Levels, graduation; through funerals and, most recently, at my wedding - it's actually moulded itself into the shape of my hand.

Legend.

[flat4alfa]

18 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I have just extracted one of my MB Cortinas from the loft too!

You know what I’m doing when I get in too !

got a green metallic one. Somewhere...

[Amishtat]

I was born in 1980 and as such Cortinas were very much a part of the background of my childhood. Why I never had a Matchbox one I'll never know but it's come to represent a gaping hole in my collection.

[vulgalour]

To my knowledge, Crayford never made a four door Cortina floppytop, but if they did.... best way to make use of the green one I had that looked like it had been run over.

[warch]

/imagines the structural integrity of a four door Cortina convertible/ 

Does look damn cool though. Is that a repainted model Vulgalour? It looks superb!

[155V6]

The Cortinas I could find,the black one is a Guiloy Taunus.I would have had quite a few more,but I used to sell them to people who make banger racing models ?.One day I'll repaint the beaten up one at the front to make it look like my old 2.0S ENM 308T.

[vulgalour]

50 minutes ago, warch said:

/imagines the structural integrity of a four door Cortina convertible/ 

Does look damn cool though. Is that a repainted model Vulgalour? It looks superb!

Maybe I should have called it a floppy, rather than a floppytop.  That's a before and after of the same model, one of my earliest repaints.  It's a bit clunky compared to my newer stuff, but I like it anyway.

[bunglebus]

I only have these two, with and without opening doors - lots more variations to find yet

[155V6]

38 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I only have these two, with and without opening doors - lots more variations to find yet

And when you think you have a nice little collection,you find out about the Bulgarian Cortinas ?

[Amishtat]

Dammit! I need a Matchbox Cortina now!, Anybody got a spare? Red ideally.. 

[BL Bloke]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I only have these two, with and without opening doors - lots more variations to find yet

I've got one of the brown ones still in its box. I'll see if I can dig it out tomorrow.

I've still got most of the Matchbox cars I had as a kid, I haven't looked at them for a good few years though.  

[bunglebus]

7 hours ago, 155V6 said:

And when you think you have a nice little collection,you find out about the Bulgarian Cortinas ?

Yeah I've seen the Bulgarian MB, we need a contact in that country! 

[Spottedlaurel]

As it's Matchbox Cortina show and tell day, here's mine:

Survived the years remarkably well, but then I must have been at least eight when I got it and I was being a bit more careful with them by that time. My dad had what I think would have been a Venetian Red 2.0GL Mk4 in 1979, so it's a nice reminder of that car even if the colour's not right.

Cortinas and Civic in the snow, Boxford c.1979 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

Mk4 was the first car I remember with a distinctive, designed-in front spoiler, I remember asking about it as we walked through Sudbury car park one day.

[Datsuncog]

Gosh, I'm staggered at the Cortina love being demonstrated! Great to see it's a special model to more than just a few...

I definitely had the metallic green version too, which I seem to recall my father presenting me with when he came back from a business trip to the Isle of Man... but what became of it, I don't know.

My over-enthusiasm to build a toy scrapyard around 1984 did cut a swathe through much of my junior collection, sadly, so I don't know whether it disappeared in that pogrom...

I also managed to find the 1982 version in gold with black and white stripes, and I had a solid red from the Two Pack range with non-opening doors - I believe they may have ended up with 155V6 a few years back, via a Facebook page? Are they maybe even shown in his pic of the multiple Cortinas?

Cheers all, very much enjoying the pics!

[155V6]

Just now, Datsuncog said:

Gosh, I'm staggered at the Cortina love being demonstrated! Great to see it's a special model to more than just a few...

I definitely had the metallic green version too, which I seem to recall my father presenting me with when he came back from a business trip to the Isle of Man... but what became of it, I don't know.

My over-enthusiasm to build a toy scrapyard around 1984 did cut a swathe through much of my junior collection, sadly, so I don't know whether it disappeared in that pogrom...

I also managed to find the 1982 version in gold with black and white stripes, and I had a solid red from the Two Pack range with non-opening doors - I believe they may have ended up with 155V6 a few years back, via a Facebook page? Are they maybe even shown in his pic of the multiple Cortinas?

Cheers all, very much enjoying the pics!

You're quite correct,I did have them from you,& they are in my pic.I didn't realise for quite a while that I had bought stuff from you before you were selling on here.I think I had an orange VW van,& a boat with trailer(both Majorettes) as well ?

[Split_Pin]

I have a beige Bulgarian version with black base, non opening doors and blister packaging dating from what looks like the mid 1990s.

I have 2 metallic red examples, one was poorly detailed by me in 1994 (I recall that phase well), the other is ok amd I have also had and moved on tm2 of the gold examples. I'll need to look out for the metallic green one!

[Bren]

Not a particularly accurate casting but nice anyway - I have a few of these.

I remember being in high school - a newsagent not far from school had a faded matchbox display in the window full of superfast - long obsolete as they simply had never bothered to change their stock. The green cortina was amongst them.

[warch]

My car transporter (K10 1976-81) bought for me by my mum when I was about 2 so about 1979. I love the ludicrous futuristic design, more like something off Judge Dredd than anything real (unless someone has some concept drawings that this was based on). 

My rubber duck (K1 1977-81) also acquired during this period. Actually looked much nicer on the original double wheels that the earlier version had.

These two have survived goodness knows how many childhood mishaps, moves and toy clearouts and still look ready to soldier on, even with scratched and missing paint. 

[flat4alfa]

SEXY SATURDAY CORTINA ACTION

Matchbox Superfast 1979 No 55 Ford Cortina RSR 88T

Had this for near 40 years

HW Delorean sneaking in shot, what a tease

 

[vulgalour]

Acquired an excellent lot lately, the vast majority of which I didn't have and those few duplicates that are in there I was looking out for anyway.  Let's see what I have.

On the base of this is says "ERF" rather than just ERF.  Something about that is pleasingly pedantic.

This Vauxhall Cresta is one that's been eluding me for ages.  This is a repaint and they choice a fantastic colour, when I redo this one it's definitely going pink.

Another that's eluded me for ages is this little Austin A50.  The front locating tab has broken off, as usual, but it's in otherwise pretty good shape.  I'd like to get another before I do a repaint.

A couple of Karriers that, again, have eluded me for a long while even though they seem one of the easier ones for other folks to get.  The refuse truck looks like it's covered in varnish, or oil, or something of that sort and may actually clean up quite well.

Another Victor estate with no tailgate.  This one has the added bonus of being set on fire at some point and I believe it's the first set-on-fire addition to the collection. Probably move this one on as I've already got a couple of Victors, one in fairly good original shape and another that's just a repro tailgate away from being a nice repaint.

Now have two Victor saloons and the original paint on this one is trashed.  It looks like it was kept somewhere both damp and in strong sunlight going by the corrosion and the sun fade, poor thing.

A second Trojan van for the collection which will sit nicely alongside the repaint I did early on in all this.  Shan't be doing anything to this one for the forseeable.

Yet another seemingly common one that's eluded me is the Albion Chieftain.  It's not a casting I particularly care for, rather one I have for completeness sake.  It's a fairly uninspiring thing really.

Trolleybus that has a really goofy face.  I've got a much nicer one of these so this will be getting a repaint of some sort and a new pick-up thing on the roof.

Also had a fairly tidy Thames minibus in this batch.  I have a repaint and I'd been looking for a playworn example to sit alongside it which I now have.

 

Finally, a bright orange Morestone brand Austin Westminster.  This one is going to be customised a little bit, it's destined for another shiter providing my skills are up to doing to it what I have planned.  The gigantic headlights are slightly offputting.

[sierraman]

I suppose I’d better venture in to the loft tonight and find my Cortinas. 

[egg]

Vulg, I agree the Albion Chieftain is one of the weaker early models.

Anyway, a project I started a year ago has almost finished

Before

And after, some more detailing to do when the paint has fully cured. A bit orange peely, but happy with it.

I drove a real one once...

[warch]

Sorry about the lack of Cortinas. Three more Land-Rovers from my collection. From l-r

1/32 Britains Series II LWB Land Rover (1970-?). Mine is the military version although it came minus all the military accoutrements like machine guns, soldiers and crew. It is reasonable nick though and has loads of working features like working steering, operated by turning the spare wheel on the tailgate, working suspension (which is something you rarely get on smaller scale toy cars even today), opening doors and an opening bonnet, with an authentic 2286 lurking underneath. There is a fair attempt at a realistic cabin too, with an accurate dashboard. This is a fantastic model, and considerably better than nearly all the more modern variants that came afterwards, if only for all the working features.

1/43 (actually more like 1/48) Corgi Series II LWB Land Rover (1960-200?). This incredibly long lived casting has been doing the business for Corgi for bloody ages, they've only recently retired it. It also saw service with Lledo who also produced a SWB version which I also own. The basic shape is right, apart from the cab, which doesn't resemble the Series II truck cab in any way whatsoever, and actually looks like the cab on a Series I which they made prior to this version. I suspect that the model was designed around the time that the real Series II was designed (the patent number ends with 59) so they were working on the assumption that the cab design wouldn't change from the earlier version. Mine has working suspension and the remnants of a tow hitch, the former disappeared at some point in production so modern versions don't have this. A nice model even if the rubber tyres are getting a bit decrepit. 70s versions had horrible looking Whizzwheels tm.

1/76 Oxford Diecast Series II SWB LandRover (2018-date). I have a couple of Oxford Diecast Landies. I have been waiting for ages for a simple bog standard model of a SWB Series II (like wot I drive) with no company marking or paint scheme. This is a conversion of a Rail Rover which came on replica rail wheels for running on 00 scale track. I swapped the wheels for a set of normal Land Rover wheels off a Series 1 which in a bonus got the rail wheels instead and voila, a nice basic Land Rover 88. Naturally Oxford Diecast released an REME version which is practically identical to my concoction within a month of me doing this. It's a really amazing model though. 

 

[sierraman]

Here are my Cortinas. Still looking for the metallic red variant though. Particular favourite is the one with the opaque windows. 

[sierraman]

But what is this? It was like this when I bought it over 20 years ago.  It’s almost like battery acid spillage? Still in art imitating life it looks like most Cortinas I remember ?

[big_al_granvia]

think the owner of the vintage tank doesnt like travellers, also the classic car club have arrived at Rawtenbottom today, not enough chod for a autoshite meet

[BL Bloke]

And the Cortinas keep coming.

DSCF0890 by timothy jones, on Flickr

DSCF0891 by timothy jones, on Flickr

I also found some other Matchbox cars while looking for the Cortina so I'll start with this miniature chod.  Like the Cortina they were bought new and have only been out of the box a few times.

DSCF0893 by timothy jones, on Flickr

DSCF0894 by timothy jones, on Flickr

DSCF0895 by timothy jones, on Flickr

DSCF0896 by timothy jones, on Flickr

While in WH Smiths today I saw this and had to buy it. A quick flick through produced nostalgia overload and lots of 'got one of those' moments.

DSCF0892 by timothy jones, on Flickr

I'll post a few more car pics tomorrow.

 

[RayMK]

I've got a small scale Wolseley police car with that type of corrosion (zinc pest?). Somewhere I've got a prewar or possibly post war re-issue Dinky post van which my dad found in his garden at Peterborough in 19eighty something. I restored it in the 1990s but it kept throwing its paint off.  I can't find it in my storage boxes though there is a lot of grey dust. Perhaps it has dissolved.

The Land Rovers above are nice models. I used to have an RAF Corgi Land Rover which pulled a Thunderbird missile on a four wheeled two axle steered trailer. I have not seen either for decades. I do have an AA Land Rover by one of the lesser known Dinky sized manufacturers - it's not a wonderful representation but I like it. Have also got a Spot-On long wheelbase LR.

The only Fords in my collection are an American Thunderbird by Matchbox, a Prefect, again by Matchbox and two largish Model As by Hubley - saloon and station wagon which I have shown on here a while ago.

[Split_Pin]

That corrosion on the Cortina is nothing to worry about. Its probably been in a sandpit or something, anyway it will just brush off.

Zinc pest comes up underneath the paint and appears as hairlines in the paint before the body warps. Not something to be concerned with as far as superfast are concerned.

[sierraman]

I can move it back out of quarantine now then...