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Shite in Miniature II


Split_Pin

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Right then - so I managed to drag my lazy arse out of bed not long after 7 this morning, and (despite nominally being off work at present) barged my way into Belfast through the frost-coated rush-hour traffic, glugging a bucket of coffee while the radio crackled and spat with political frenzy... ah now. Winds of change and all that. After THREE YEARS of no government, I've a feeling times are going to become much more 'interesting' soon in NI, to paraphrase the old Chinese curse...

So after checking in with work, and putting things on a standby footing for whatever fresh hell Monday might bring, what better antidote to never-ending tribal tomfoolery than meandering over to the market to hoke through a big old box o' knackered diecast?

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I knew you lot would understand.

Well, it's been a few weeks since the last market update, and while there was indeed some new stuff on the stall there's a little bit of déja vu to all of this - because, after all, there's only a finite number of mainstream castings by Corgi, Matchbox, Majorette et al.

So I increasingly find myself snatching stuff up and thinking "Aha! This mustn't have sold after all back in May!" and then realising that it's more likely to be just another one in pretty much the same fair-to-middling condition. Maybe? I don't even know any more.

Anyway, setting aside that Groundhog Day feeling, in both political and diecast spheres, here's what there was...

Up top, on the main market stall, we had these:

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1970s Corgi Fiat X1/9 was in reasonble nick for a fiver; sadly the same couldn't be said for the stickerless Mini and the very sad looking 'Vega$' Ford Thunderbird.

Corgi Whizzwheels Mercedes C111 was ok, though these crop up fairly regularly (fun fact: the real-life MB concept car was a diesel).

Matchbox Jaguar XJ12 police car was missing its stickers but otherwise fairly presentable; 1/43 Corgi Turbos BMW 635i behind looked pretty fresh.

Corgi James Bond-issue BMW Z5 and DeAgostini GAZ Volga made up the moderns.

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Moving across, there's a few which seem to be regulars on the stall - the windscreen-less Corgi Lotus Elan and tyreless De Tomaso Mangusta, the Matchbox Superkings Bandolero fantasy car, the two Corgi Mercedes 300S tourers, the DelPrado Cadillac drop-top... I get the feeling I've seen them all before. £5 or so on these 'uns.

The Matchbox Superkings AMC Javelin was decent, though lacking stickers. The Corgi 'Starsky & Hutch' Ford Torino was original (not reissue), and good - but also £10.

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Running down the line (and running down on interest) was the Matchbox Superkings Fire Rescue Range Rover (bit shabby, cracked glazing) with a 1/24 Jaguar XJ220 from a Shell promotion and further Welly, Corgi Classics and other more recent Classix stuff...

There was also some dull no-name supercar stuff, and a small box of Days Gone, but I didn't waste my pixels today.

So the tat box then... well, there were some good pickings, as it happens. A new, very deep box now houses these items of interest, so some diving was required to extricate the good stuff.

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Not so much my bag, but there was an absolute mountain of 1970s Corgi (and Dinky) F1 cars tipped in today.

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Not in brilliant nick, to be fair, and even at 50p they didn't much tickle my pickle - but there were so many I'd be surprised if there are none at all next week.

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Plenty of 70s and 80s Matchbox has appeared, though not a lot of it was in superb nick. 'Highway Patrol' car above is a plastic-bodied Kidco model.

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Orange Ford Van is by Efsi; unfortunately wheel-less.

I know @sierraman had asked me to look out for a dark green AMX before; but this one looked a little shabby.

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There were a lot of AMXs there; also at least half a dozen Ford Cargo Skip Trucks, for some reason (but not a skip between them). Capri was fairly rough.

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Another one of those pull-back Corgi Porsche 935s, plus a hilariously poor stab at a Lancia Delta by a mystery manufacturer.

So I merrily filled my hat with an assortment of tat, and then Market Blokey happened to mention that there was more round the back of the stall...

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Oh, well looky here.

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And here.

So, quite a bit of older stuff in here, sadly most of it quite comprehensively cream-crackered:

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Corgi AMC Marlin without a roof; Whizzwheels era Volvo P1800S without a front axle or lights (again, that one seems familiar from way back last year); various Porsche and Ferrari Le Mans-style cars in a bit of a state too. Dinky Marcos Mantis with virtually no paint and very busted Dinky Beetle just about in shot.

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Oldsmobile Toronado with a smashed A-pillar, and a later VW Polo with fewer wheels than it ideally should have...

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Oh, hello.

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Again, this big Corgi crane seems to be the same as one I saw a few months back, with a missing steady. But then, how to differentiate one mass-produced toy with a missing piece from another?

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Matchbox Superkings Mk3 Transit and Ford A-Series Luton van were a little playworn, but complete.

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A triple dose of Matchbox Scammell cement mixers; none of them complete sadly.

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Nissan Concept not too bad; Corgi Turbos SAAB 9000 and Porsche 911 were very clean. And what's that down there?

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Not the cleanest casting (look at the back arch), but unusual 'Talbot Matra Murena' marketed by Mattel/Hot Wheels, presumably from an old Polistil casting.

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Corgi Volvo 760 looked pretty reasonable too.

So, just as I was nosing through these boxes, my twitchy ears overheard a deal going down... yup, some randomer had shown up with a bag of 'old cars', and I heard the sum of £50 being negotiated.

A few minutes later, as I was finalising my purchases, I was invited to peruse the new arrivals, priced at 'about a tenner each':

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Oh, wow.

The Golden Jacks Rover P6 was the first to catch my eye - though a quick inspection revealed it's a drilled repaint with new glazing and bumpers, and has been allowed to get scratched again.

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Although sorely tempted to go and find a cash machine, the amount of glue everywhere (including the wheels, which wouldn't turn) made me pause... daaaah.

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The Corgi Renault R16, with its cheerfully floppy seats, was all-original and certainly quite presentable. Ditto the James Bond Aston next to it.

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Corgi Lincoln Continental was missing its battery cover and the 'working TV' inside, but although the chrome plating had worn off it was otherwise in decent nick.

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Two Corgi Citroen DSs, one of which had been carelessly repainted, still managed to look pretty cool.

A pair of Massey Ferguson tractors, a chrome-effect Corvette Stingray, a repainted Riley Pathfinder and a quite appealing NSU Prinz coupe made up the rest of the haul.

So, in response to a previous question of where all the market tat comes from - it appears that people just know he buys old stuff, and wander in with a bag of stuff to negotiate a price.

I've long suspected that the stall pricing depends on what he's paid - assuming he's looking to double his money, he seems happy to let some stuff go for very little if he's maybe only paid a pittance for it - but if someone's held on for a higher price, that's then reflected in some rather ambitious pricing, which has been commented on.

£10 for each of these seems not a bad price, and were I an actual buyer-and-seller I'd have been all over these... but I had only enough cash on me to pay for my tat bin stuff, and - having carried out a bit of a review of what's currently in the back bedroom, I probably need to cool it a little...

 

I had a look round some of the other stalls, and was vaguely amused to see that many of the EFE/OOC buses which started with Market Blokey at £3, moved across to Charity Stall Matey for £10, are now on yet another stall known for its overpriced 'antiques', price on application...

Said Charity Stall also had a number of interesting items, but by this stage I hadn't a bean on me, so I may have to see what (if any) remains next week:

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Majorette Renault R5 (in 5dr format) had broken lights and windows, plus a big dent in the roof annoyingly. Matchbox Astra police car was quite clean; My First Matchbox Rover 800 showing more signs of wear. Tatty Summer Volvo 164 partially hides a Corgi Juniors Citroen Dyane in metallic blue (missing its hatch), while a no-name but crisply modelled Porsche 924 sits up top. Le Mans type racer at the bottom is by 'Howmet' - not a name I've encountered before.

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Further digging revealed what appears to be a no-name pirate of the ERTL 'Boss Hogg' Cadillac Eldorado from the Dukes of Hazzard - with odd 'Video Hi-Fi' graphics.

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So! Coming up - once I crop/resize the pics - is what I came away with...

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1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

So after checking in with work, and putting things on a standby footing for whatever fresh hell Monday might bring, what better antidote to never-ending tribal tomfoolery than meandering over to the market to hoke through a big old box o' knackered diecast?

A few minutes later, as I was finalising my purchases, I was invited to peruse the new arrivals, priced at 'about a tenner each':

What a way to start the day, fondling the die-casts!

lucky I was not there or I would have been at least £30 lighter now!

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So then... as you've likely twigged, today was not a day for a return jaunt to the market at lunchtime, as I was back home by 10.30.

BUT that means you can at least see what was bagged from the 50p box...

 

First up, any interest from @bunglebus in this Adventure 2000 release of the Planet Scout? Can't remember if you bagged one elsewhere!

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Also, a quite decent Red Rider - first dibs goes to @flat4alfa if there's still a demand for engines there. [EDIT - taken!]

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This 5-pack exclusive version of the Dodge Dakota pickup deffo appeared in the tat bin last autumn; however this may not be the same one.

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It's quite heavily playworn, but was also painted up to look like a bit of a shed when new - think it was part of a 'Junkyard' set?

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[EDIT - bagsied for Sierraman!]

Another VW T3 Ambulance.

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Complete, if a tad scruffy. [EDIT - also added to the Sierraman box!]

A trio of 70s Fords, next:

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Capri, Cortina and Transit aren't maybe aren't anything special, condition-wise - but perhaps some use to someone?

[EDIT - Capri going to Sierraman, Cortina snapped up by @Tenmil Socket].

 

More late-70s Matchbox: VW Golf and Camper:

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I think I owned a MB38 Camper before; this one's a bit tatty with a slightly cockamamie wheel.

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This casting had a relatively short life in this format, listed for 1981 only, before going on to grow huge wheels and have a much longer career as the MB63 4x4 Open Back Truck.

For some reason I always thought this was meant to be a Mazda pickup, but a closer look at the grille reveals otherwise:

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It's a Ford; possibly an F100 apparently. [EDIT: apparently not, it's a Ford Courier, aka Mazda Proceed]

Lesney's detailing really was something else - this lettering is so tiny, but so perfect.

 

Two more from the 1970s - Tanzara and Dodge Challenger, in reasonable nick.

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And moving into the 1980s:

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(Rover 800) Sterling; Volvo 760; Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, all of which could benefit from a little tidying.

'Sterling' was the name given to the Rover 800 by Austin-Rover in their efforts to conquer the US market - and so was all that the Matchbox model used on its baseplate.

The real car was a bit of a flop stateside, sadly, as initial strong sales tailed off after serious concerns about quality control.

 

Moving on to Motorsport...

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A somewhat fantastical pairing of a Ferrari F1 car with a Kenworth transporter [EDIT- allocated to Sierraman] - yet dwarfed by a Peugeot 205.

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And moving past Matchbox into Corgi, now - a super-groovy metallic purple Land Rover recovery truck [secured by SpottedLaurel], and another Citroen Dyane.

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Massively oversize towing hook still in place, and all.

And lastly for today's tiny tat, a modern Hot Wheels Ford Mustang Mach 1 - probably some sort of James Bond tie-in?

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A few light marks from its time in the tat box, but no serious chips or anything [EDIT - another one for the Flat4Alfa box].

All of the above available for 50p each, if anyone's so inclined [unless shown as taken]!

 

Then we have these...

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Now, I know @NorfolkNWeigh was looking one of these - there's some chipping, but at £3, it's yours if you fancy it, good sir! [EDIT - sale agreed!]

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Should respond well to some cleaning.

 

And finally...

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I once had one of these Capri IIs in beige, in a fairly dreadful state - so this silver version appealed quite a bit.

It might respond to a bit of light polishing later on.

If any Ford lickers fancy it for £4, I'll set it aside for you... otherwise it'll go into the cabinet for now. [EDIT: looks like this will be joining its tatty beige sibling chez NoelTidybeard]

Phew! That's it for today.

I'm off for a lie-down...

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16 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Pity I missed the MK3 Superkings Transit, it would go well with the BMW 5 series I bought from (I think) bunglebus a few months ago.

I'll add that to the list... with any luck, it'll still be there next week. I'm pretty sure that one was knocking around the stall a few months ago too...

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1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Matchbox Wiki pages alleges it's a Ford F100; I couldn't quite see the similarity myself...

No the Courier wasn't badged F100.  Never seen that on publicity material either.

Ford Courier (Mazda Proceed) were built in Japan and shipped over complete, or incomplete if to be fitted with Pinto 2.3 engine option 

US-market chassis plates stated MADE BY TOYO KOGYO FOR FORD MOTOR CO.

Image result for 1977 ford courier

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5 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

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Not the cleanest casting (look at the back arch), but unusual 'Talbot Matra Murena' marketed by Mattel/Hot Wheels, presumably from an old Polistil casting.

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We have had this baby before

 

I have Sierraman's one currently.  Have since dipped it and painted it up - it's now all red with tan interior and odd bits of detailing.  Photo to come if interested

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