Shite in Miniature II

Datsuncog · February 27, 2021

49 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Where did you get the Tipper? Not many models of the FG about, I already have the BT models one, a resin item from Hong Kong Model Co and a 1/50 scale example from the same company (sold a while ago now).

Another one from the Jumajo international tat haul...

Lord Sterling · February 27, 2021

Today I rescued some of the model shite that has been living up at Ma's house in the loft.

Firstly the 1.24 section. I actually have more than this but couldn't be bothered to photo the others as memory on my phone is running out. Phone is long overdue a clean out.

I've had all of these cars for absolutley yonks. Probably over 15 years.

The Black 1.24 7-series was nabbed off eBay whilst I was looking for a reasonably-priced James Bond 1.24 scale 7-series and happened upon the Black one. Its a tad damaged in places sadly and the BMW badges have long since disappeared but it is very rare. I've not seen another one like it.

The 1.24 Plymouth/Chrysler Voyager was possibly an eBay purchase (?) I used to have a white one many years ago bought from a Brussels toy shop but I broke the axles by mistake and it got lost with a load of other things of mine over the mists of time so had to buy a replacement. Looking on eBay these days, its rare to impossible to find, there is one right now but for stupid money.

1.18 stuff. Again, I've got a few more cars than this, but these two are pretty special:

Made by Minichamps. These again were bought many years ago. I can't remember which I bought first, but the Black e34 535i was bought quite cheaply due to lack of bids. The 7-series made up for the cheapness of the 5-series costing something like £80 including postage.

They are absolutely excellent models. Highly detailed. I gave the 5-series a polish as the 7-series was already gleaming and clean. They both still have thier original boxes.

I also have 1.43 Vitesse models of the Mitsubishi Carisma, Mk1 Renault Megane saloon, Renault Kangoo and a Mitsubishi Pajero.

flat4alfa · February 27, 2021

3 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

But the show's not over until the Fat Bloke posts

How did I forget this one

Dinky's Range Rover

Hey get out of there!

Had one of these as a child

Same colour, engrained in memory

Long gone, must've smashed it up

What a shame, I think it's a bit special what Dinky did

So bought this at Hitchin market last year to try and make amends.

bunglebus · February 28, 2021

I wasn't sure whether to include them as it's not like you could buy a Range Rover saloon. But the same could be said about the Matra Rancho and Wagoneer, Cherokee, Chevy Blazer etc too

flat4alfa · February 28, 2021

Shown also on this page, but not in emergency service variation

Matchbox's Volvo 245 Ambulance

Looks quite tidy

Despite his demeanour, Unhygienix thinks so too

It has extra opening things, that make up for the inappropriate wheels

flat4alfa · February 28, 2021

Likewise, Dinky's Volvo 265 DL

It's quite different in a number of places when compared to the Matchbox effort

Anticlimax finds it 'agreeable'

Just the one extra opening thing. But the wheels are much more realistic

flat4alfa · February 28, 2021

24 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I wasn't sure whether to include them as it's not like you could buy a Range Rover saloon. But the same could be said about the Matra Rancho and Wagoneer, Cherokee, Chevy Blazer etc too

True, which is why I didn't go with:

Matchbox's Toyota 4Runner

Or Matchbox's Range Rover with added 'Rolamatic' feature

Or even followed-up with Majorette's Jeep Cherokee, Matchbox's 1986 or 1996 Jeep Cherokees

Oh well.

Datsuncog · February 28, 2021

11 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

@DatsuncogI hope I haven't spoilt the surprise for you there. I've just got sucked down a rabbit-hole of part work BMC based vans, including a Sava J4 van and got possibly more excited than I should when I saw the FG tipping...

Heh, no surprise spoiled - I was 99% sure it did have a proper tipping function, going by the hinges and whatnot; only I've had one or two items before though that look like they should function but don't, and so I didn't want to dash my hopes too soon... But it's cool, since it does tip!

Which means it'll be super-useful when we receive the three tons of topsoil MrsDC's just ordered. Alongside the Matchbox King Size tippers, I should have it all moved within two months, three tops.

And she says I'm wasting money on stupid toys, hey?

bunglebus · February 28, 2021

You building a BMX track in your back garden?

When I was in the scouts we had one of those Leylands as our transport to go off to camp, ex-BT. The leaders must have liked them as the first got replaced with a slightly later one, both ex-BT going by the colour. The corner windows were such an unusual feature that always stood out to 10 year old me.

These days I think it's probably frowned upon to stick twenty odd children loose inside a box van and rattle them about at 45 MPH while gently infusing them with diesel fumes, but it didn't do us any lasting harm

Spottedlaurel · February 28, 2021

I'm on track to get my second kit completion done this month:

Body and chassis have since been put togther for the last time, so the only jobs left to do are attach the rear bumper/lights and side trims, and carefully drill 10 holes in the roof for the rack. I did similar on the deck inside:

Turns out a strtched '59 Cadillac is quite a bit bigger than a Honda Today:

After it'd sat in brake fluid for a few weeks to get rid of the original brush paint by a former owner, that one seems to have ended up as a current project:

Got some coats of Citroen Mediterranean Blue on the Celica last night:

It's a funny colour which flips to pale green/turquoise/gold, will be interesting to see once clearcoated and in sunlight.

Also made a bit of unphotographed progress on the '67 Impala.

I seem to be on a run of Japanese and American (and particularly GM) subjects at present. Once the Cadillac's done I think I need to start something European, will have a rummage and see what takes my fancy......

Split_Pin · February 28, 2021

Here's me opening up a parcel from @Datsuncog

bunglebus · February 28, 2021

34 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

I'm afraid the temptation to stuff a blown big block Chevy in the front and some fat Micky Thompsons on Centerlines under the rear would have been too much for me!

flat4alfa · February 28, 2021

9 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Chevy Blazer

..is a Pick Up with an optional loading bed top cover though?

As is Buddy-L's Ford Bronco

Majorette's Chevrolet Blazer

Majorette's Chevrolet Silverado Sidestep Cab

or even Britain's Land Rover SIII and Ninety

It's possible that 'Estate' credentials for this configuration may be disallowed. Only @Datsuncog can confirm, as he put us up to this sorry mess

eddyramrod · February 28, 2021

My take on it is that they can't qualify as none of them were ever made as a saloon.

bunglebus · February 28, 2021

2 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

My take on it is that they can't qualify as none of them were ever made as a saloon.

So what about the Rancho, and the Range Rover? Not made as a saloon either, so what are they? Maybe the Rancho was an early attempt at an MPV, in which case Tomica's Mazda MPV should also count

However, really I agree that a true estate/wagon/shooting brake is the long roof version of something that already exists as a saloon or hatch

Jon · February 28, 2021

Well, there's some more Covid restrictions over here, which is likely to see me off work at least for the next week. Good job I have my trusty time machine which teleports me back to 40-odd years ago America. Let's get out of DODGE.

See what I did there???!

Here's me forgetting the era I'm in, as I dropped by a classic car dealer and mentioned that I too, was a classic car owner. Seems they weren't that impressed, as it didn't strike a CORD (!!!!!!!!)

Onwards I pressed, marvelling at the prompt launch of the latest Oldsmobiles.

I found a lovely rally-themed place for the night, which was a nice surprise.

Then off to waste SLOTS of money at a local gaff, just up the road. At least they gave out free funbooks, though.

Took a trip to drown my sorrows, which helped immeasurably.

The next morning, the after-effects took hold, so I needed some comfort food, to settle my guts. Luckily, the shelves of this place were rammed full of choice scroggin and turmeric teas; I'm sure we've all been there and hankered the same remedies.

But yeah, old margarine-digits here had a bout of the post-drink shakes and I spilt my tea and we all know how much of a nightmare it is to get rid of turmeric stains, right? Luckily, I quick visit to Bud Tuck's shop had me sorted, Fun Fact: his inexplicably paired fore and surnames paved his career; with a made-up name like that, how couldn't it?

Actually, I can't remember what I was doing here, it just looked like the kind of place that US Hirst hang out, rightfully despising those about him whilst he drank terrible coffee.

Then off to a local resort to leer at some young womenfolk, as it was the 1970's, so practically expected of me, especially in this car.

In all fairness though, I'm not very good at that lark but I am inexplicably attracted to leering at terrible old broken cars, so I went and did that instead. That beige Subaru nearing the end of its life was the highlight of the day!

Then another place to stay the night. Sadly, no-one here had mildy amusing names, or anything worthy of a pun or any other such tepid humour but I'd taken the photo nevertheless, so here it is.

Shortly after this photo, I did a massive donut and lost a wheel, resulting in me driving off into the sunset !!!!!

Tsk! What am I like, eh shiterz?!?!? 🤣😂😅😆🤪 1111

flat4alfa · February 28, 2021

On 2/28/2021 at 8:57 AM, Split_Pin said:

Here's me opening up a parcel from @Datsuncog

I saved one of those from oblivion.

An ALFA Novanta (90) that is

Never got it running, but quickly got it to a collector in Yorkshire before its imminent doomsday. Same fella who bought my Alfa Sei (6) :

bunglebus · February 28, 2021

@Jon Think I spotted you parked up somewhere

flat4alfa · February 28, 2021

Compared to Jon's landscapes, it now looks like it's on the surface of the Moon !

That's some road trip 😎

And testament to MoPar reliability. Probably.

bunglebus · February 28, 2021

Yeah unless we get nice weather and I can take pics in the garden I have to use the lunar surface, or whatever T-shirt is handy at the time.

Still, they seem to run well even with no atmosphere

Some get the car show treatment though

But most get a plain background, that coke bottle shape doesn't need any garnish

flat4alfa · February 28, 2021

Don't you find the harsh landscape plays havoc with the suspension though?

Matchbox's Dodge Dragster has bent its axles and its only been out here ten minutes

Monogram's Dodge Charger fared worse and is stuck here until supplies arrive next Tuesday

Pioneer's effort is standing up well, surprisingly

Revell's Studebaker Avanti is advancing forward quite well too

But it's probably best left to the locals in the first place. Dinky's War Chariot from Zygon has proven reliable in service.

bunglebus · February 28, 2021

That Pioneer is an interesting one - copyright avoidance?

Datsuncog · February 28, 2021

3 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Only @Datsuncog can confirm, as he put us up to this sorry mess

Yup, it is indeed a thorny issue of where an estate car stops being an estate car and starts being something else...

I'd have to side with Eddy, as what I had in mind was the seemingly rare situation where a toy manufacturer decides to produce a model of a particular car, but then goes on to model the estate version rather than the saloon/ hatch version.

I appreciate I was a little less than clear, and should have stated that it was contemporaneous toys I had in mind rather than collectors models, though both are equally good!

So Matchbox's Citroen CX would be one of that ilk - I know Majorette and Mira both did the standard sedan in that general scale, as did a few others, but it was still a pleasantly unusual choice. Lesney did well out of the casting, which was later modified to an ambulance and harbour police vehicle.

A few others that I had within my reach, some of which have already popped up:

Corgi's very wide-looking Mercedes W124 in 300 TD form - though they also produced the similar-looking 190E saloon in tuned Cosworth format.

Didn't realise my silver version had been scrubbed of its Corgi identity, though.

More Mercedes fun with Matchbox's E-class:

Nice that Matchbox kept a Mercury station wagon in the range for a long while - Commuter, Villager, Sable.

Also odd that Matchbox did both a sedan and wagon version of the same car - can't think of another toymaker who did this.

Different number plates, too.

We've had the service vehicle Siku Passat upthread - here's the civvy version, with a flat loadbed.

Hongwell Cararama - toys or models?

Tesco sold 'em, so I'll say toys.

More into adult model territory though is Real-X's HO scale Legacy Turbo estate:

While Oxford Diecast's other estates are also aimed at modellers, but still very nice:

flat4alfa · February 28, 2021

On 2/28/2021 at 11:57 AM, bunglebus said:

That Pioneer is an interesting one - copyright avoidance?

No it's a based on a real car. Apparently, General Grant’s horn plays Hymn of the Republic and not Yankee Doodle as you may expect

Pioneer added it to their range of Chargers

Black, Gold, White and dirty/weathered variations were released too, so copyright must be a bit grey for the UK, or cheap to obtain

bunglebus · February 28, 2021

I'm avoiding the real world for a few hours, as that's going to involve trying to sort out the FIL's A-class, so scanned up the 1978 Matchbox catalogue including the ever-elusive white Gus's Gulper. Catalogue is clearly an American edition if that makes any difference.

Anyone got the K-14 Heavy Breakdown Truck?