Shite in Miniature II

[flat4alfa]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Finally, a Matchbox I'm not familiar with - what's the mechanism on this one for?

I looked at the two rivets and the cog and thought straight away it was holding a motor in.  Then the centre catches look as if the body is clipped-home.  But you’ve already discovered that no less...

Inside should be a bay for an AAA cell to run the motor?

Then it must be one of these: SpeedRiders

Looking at that track layout, it looks to be a motorised version of a One Man & His Dog pen.  Brill.

Despite your Corvette one stamped 1985, it was first shown in the 1987 Catalogue, and only the International release at that

[Amishtat]

Just now, Datsuncog said:

 

Best of luck with the imminent move! Hopefully Scotland will also furnish you with some diecast delights - once you've unpacked and bought yourself the compulsory Volvo...

Will also have to get you squared up for those Land Rovers and the Porsche from the Wednesday Tat events, but I'm sure you've enough on your plate right now!

Thank you, although I already have three Volvos.. I haven't forgotten your items but haven't had time to get round to packing them up. My apologies for not being in touch about them but they're all safe and sound here for the next few days. 

[Datsuncog]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

It looks too good for a home made effort to me - filling the side door and cutting the windows are within the realms of possibility, but that rear door says to me prototype as it's the later style body, and as we've seen the twin rear doors do not fit in that aperture.  I suppose you could cut a slot and add the centre pillar at a push. The base also has some anomalies, plinth mounting aside, none of the bases on any style transits have those four holes at the corners, and I can't see why you'd add them. There's also the "1671F" marking on the wing. Maybe a reference to a real fleet number, maybe not.

I could be completely wrong and it's a well done code 3 but bidding is pretty healthy already, I suspect this is the work of someone at Dinky

Looking at it closely, I think the rear door treatment has been done by adding a fillet piece into the glazing aperture of the standard top-opening hatch on that second style of Transit casting, then routing a vertical line up the centre... it looks like a modification to me, rather than a new casting.

I also reckon the side door has been sealed using lead loading, then smoothed flat again before painting. I agree that it's a professional job, but having seen the spun aluminium and cast brass stuff that my grandfather used to make on the works machinery, I'd wager it's a one-off by an engineer rather than a Dinky prototype (though I'm equally stumped about those holes in the base).

There's kinda only one way to find out, but it seems that someone else REALLY wants it, and I'm running outta brave pills...

[Amishtat]

On the subject of Volvos, this briefly reappeared before meeting some bubble wrap. 

[quicksilver]

3 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

That's absolutely fantastic - whoever built that has done a nice job, including filling over the side door and everything.

At a guess, it looks like it's been some sort of home-brew presentation trophy - the pegs on the base suggest a plinth has been involved at some point, and the works number on the wing plus what looks like a real registration (GN was a London series, and the seller is in East London) suggests it's a specific replica of a real bus.

This is the kind of thing my grandfather's engineering works might have knocked up for a driver who was retiring or (in greater jest) someone who wrote off a works minibus... I think it's very much a Code 3, but nicely done .

Since the listing says it's turned up as part of a house clearance, it would seem the exact backstory has been lost forever... but I have to say, I'm tempted by this one...

It is indeed a replica of a real bus, London Transport's service vehicle 1671F (EGN 746J). That was based at Acton Works so it looks like the model was probably created by the engineers there - it's certainly very professionally done and the craftsmen at Acton could strip and rebuild a bus from the ground up so they'd definitely have the skills to make something like that. An interesting piece and I bet it has a fascinating story.

[Amishtat]

And still more comes out of the woodwork.. 

[Tenmil Socket]

Picked up these at the weekend. Finally found a Volvo! The GMC truck is nice. Pitty the Audi front axle is bent. 

 

[Split_Pin]

20 minutes ago, Amishtat said:

And still more comes out of the woodwork.. 

Micro Machines, proper early ones too, look to be later 1980s.

[Amishtat]

That'd be about right, got my first ones in late 1987 from the newly built Debenhams in Colchester. The European collection I think it was called, there was a gold Rolls Royce, black XJS and a red MG TF but I can't remember the other two. I was nuts about them for around the next couple of years and must have had quite a few but God knows where they are now. 

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

I looked at the two rivets and the cog and thought straight away it was holding a motor in.  Then the centre catches look as if the body is clipped-home.  But you’ve already discovered that no less...

Inside should be a bay for an AAA cell to run the motor?

Whee!

 

[flat4alfa]

Weeeeeeee SOLD!

😄

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, Amishtat said:

That'd be about right, got my first ones in late 1987 from the newly built Debenhams in Colchester. The European collection I think it was called, there was a gold Rolls Royce, black XJS and a red MG TF but I can't remember the other two. I was nuts about them for around the next couple of years and must have had quite a few but God knows where they are now. 

Would have been a Lamborghini Countach and a Mercedes SL. There were a few European Collections, the early ones had the black XJS and later ones had a burgundy one, however other cars varied. Some didn't have the MG or Rolls Royce and had a Porsche 911 added instead. I think American and British issues were different.

[sierraman]

Didn’t Micro Machines come in sets of 3? I had those sets that were like a folding box that had the bits inside to make a garage or a shop or whatever. 

[Split_Pin]

Set of 3 for Deluxe(opening doors)  set of 5 for regulars.

[Split_Pin]

Here is my Deluxe II set from 1988. 1988 to 90 (Primary 5 to Primary 6) were my halcyon Micro Machine Collecting days!

I have also photographed the packaging to show the range at the time too.

This is a US issue however from memory the Collections shown here look the same as I recall.

 

 

[bunglebus]

30 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I never got into Micro Machines, but that set of hot rods/dragsters is pretty cool

[flat4alfa]

I was too old by the time these came out..  still don’t quite understand the appeal.  Was there a massive marketing campaign that ‘caught on’ ?  They do look (to my eyes) small and gawky, like a Kinder toy

[sierraman]

I had the super van city, the toolbox city, car wash and some of the folding sets. I must have really been into them but I can hardly remember playing with them. 

[Amishtat]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Here is my Deluxe II set from 1988. 1988 to 90 (Primary 5 to Primary 6) were my halcyon Micro Machine Collecting days!

I have also photographed the packaging to show the range at the time too.

This is a US issue however from memory the Collections shown here look the same as I recall.

 

 

Christ that's stirred up a few memories.. Strange how terrible they look to me now though

[andrew e]

Had a delivery from China - £12 to my door, got lucky with the paint finish (which isn’t always the case with these Atlas Dinky’s). It’s a very crisp model and is proportioned very well - I take it the original  French Dinky was very good too? Boot and bonnet open.

[flat4alfa]

No sting on import duty then?  I avoid after being stung on Matchbox from the US. A box of a few was stamped  with £12 duty 

[Amishtat]

That's lovely 

[Split_Pin]

2 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

I was too old by the time these came out..  still don’t quite understand the appeal.  Was there a massive marketing campaign that ‘caught on’ ?  They do look (to my eyes) small and gawky, like a Kinder toy

Remember these were ostensibly toys not model cars and they were designed as caricatures. 

Regarding the marketing campaign, yes it was catchy, John Moschitto Junior was the 'Fast Talking Man' who said 'If it doesn't say Micro Machines it's not the real thing!'.

Anyway, I'm wasting my time on this thread with Micro Machines.

 

[flat4alfa]

John Mosc.....  who?

There may lie the problem!

By 1988/9 I was on my second car and third ‘proper’ girlfriend

[Datsuncog]

Wow, those Micro Machines bring back some memories, including that Deluxe Collection II... Plus at least five playsets depicted there that I totally forgot I'd owned. They were indeed heavily advertised, even though my first set (the #1 Hot Rod Collection) was a birthday gift before I'd ever heard of them.

I think they were perfectly marketed to appeal to seven year olds, so I can see why they maybe didn't appeal if you happened to be much above that age. Some of the very caricatured ones annoyed me, but largely I adored them... the only problem was that most of my favourites got lost, as they were so small.

Unfortunately MrsDC has a massive antipathy to Micro Machines thanks to a younger brother who tended to leave them lying in the deep pile carpet, so I punted all mine off to Bren of this parish for his little 'un to enjoy.

Hey ho.

Anyway... Just a heads-up that, in the event of tomorrow's market being a bit of a washout again, fear not - as there may be some Shed Sale action happening...

Just sorting through them all now.

[Tenmil Socket]

19 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Wow, those Micro Machines bring back some memories, including that Deluxe Collection II... Plus at least five playsets depicted there that I totally forgot I'd owned. They were indeed heavily advertised, even though my first set (the #1 Hot Rod Collection) was a birthday gift before I'd ever heard of them.

I think they were perfectly marketed to appeal to seven year olds, so I can see why they maybe didn't appeal if you happened to be much above that age. Some of the very caricatured ones annoyed me, but largely I adored them... the only problem was that most of my favourites got lost, as they were so small.

Unfortunately MrsDC has a massive antipathy to Micro Machines thanks to a younger brother who tended to leave them lying in the deep pile carpet, so I punted all mine off to Bren of this parish for his little 'un to enjoy.

Hey ho.

Anyway... Just a heads-up that, in the event of tomorrow's market being a bit of a washout again, fear not - as there may be some Shed Sale action happening...

Just sorting through them all now.

The red car in the middle next to the Mercedes... who was after a windshield recently? Looks like it might fit? 

[bunglebus]

When you think "monster truck", is the first thing that pops into your head "90s Seat Ibiza"? Well according to Guisval it should be 

Somehow up until now the Speed Kings Mercedes C.111 had escaped my attention. Pop-up headlights are on a lever underneath 

I'm making up for the black 944 going missing by collecting other versions

[DoctorRetro]

More work on the bburago Land Rover. 

Door needs a few mods to make it open properly... 

 

[DoctorRetro]

That's a bit better. Still some finishing to do... 

 

[bunglebus]

Good stuff. I've not done much lately as the weather prevents me painting and also makes me want to hibernate.

I did remove the paint from the Lone Star gasser though

Finding suitably skinny front wheels for drag cars is quite hard as everything's phat with rubber band tyres. Early Superfast fit the bill though, with rolling stock from a Pixar Cars vehicle on the back. Both ends required new axles with the holes in the wheels enlarged to suit, and tubes under the chassis. Think I need to make some sort of front inner wings, and I'd really like fenderwell headers too.

Wanted to cut the engine bay out and mount the engine lower, but the post and the mounting for the door spring are under there. Unlike Matchbox etc, if you remove the spring the doors just fall off. Had to settle for grinding the engine casting away until the area was flat, I'll matt black it once the paint is done before gluing the engine in