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Shite in Miniature II


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So, as I mentioned earlier, I was on a tat mission today. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the highlights of that as there's rather a lot and it's been a long day. Here are the eBay winnings that were waiting for me when I got home though

First up, some oddball plastic stuff. I spotted a job lot on a BIN late one night that contained something I was after, it came with two others that are also rather appealing in their own way.

First up, big BMW M1

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Really big

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Turning it over reveals it does stuff

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A rummage through that drawer in the kitchen netted me a single C battery, but that and a careful wedged AA got a result

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The light mechanism is quite clever, flipping the lights up and turning them on in one motion. It appears to be motorised too but feels a bit broken in the rear axle department

Second of three plastic delights is this rather clumsy 911

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Sponsored by everyone's favourite tobacco company, "Manlboro"

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This one has an exceptionally noisy friction motor

Here's the one I actually wanted - Lucky toys Beetle with working friction motor

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The other boxes contained some rather tidy 1:64 stuff;

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I have a nice Matchbox R17 but I rather like this casting. It's not a car I remember ever seeing for real, its existence was news to me a few years ago  but I really love the shape and style of them

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This one's a beauty. First Matchbox I've seen with a brown base

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Funny how it works, got that acid damaged Wrangler 911 the other day, today a nice one turns up to replace it

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Same make, different model and brand - Majorette 944

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And rounding off this Porsche heavy post, a Hot Wheels blackwall 930

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Despite internal protestations towards non-1/43 stuff, I do still let my guard down, when something comes up that I like.

 

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This Corgi Opel Senator is one that I'd not known off whilst growing up. That was probably a good thing, as I'd have made it my mission to get one yet, like I say, I didn't know they existed for years, so I'd have been one unfulfilled chap.

 

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It was only a fiver, so I thought that was value for something so appealing. Another favourite large Corgi is the SD1, which has far more opening features, though at the expense of the casting being a smidge less accurate than this one. Barring that rear tow bar, of course! That said, I think this'd look great with a trailer hitched up.

 

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Sadly, that's all academic, as somebody nicked it and sent it to Africa! Ah well, at least it'll see its days out in the sun.

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Unperturbed from the loss of my Opel, I thought I'd treat myself to a quick time travel trip back to the US, to cheer myself up. The imaginary budget was low, so I'd need to source something cheap but hopefully interesting.

 

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Job done! It was the typical scenario of a leftfield thinking college student buying an old British sports car and running it on a shoestring but despite this, the handling was SPOT ON (!!!!). 

 

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This one had the windscreen delete option (don't they all?). Consuming that many flies does nothing for the old plant-based diet, so I stopped in at the nearest Mexican, to redress the balance by throwing some bean-based dish down my throat. But as you can see, I arrived on a Sunday. It really is best to apply some forward planning to your fictional journeys, that's for sure.

 

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Fortunately, before it got dark I lucked out on this GEM of a bistro. As you could well imagine, my eye was immediately drawn to the inviting decor. My hostess was AMBER and I dined on a lovely feast of onion RINGS, CARAT cake and then had a few of DE BEERS.

 

 

 

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Suitably bevvied up to a 1970's driver's acceptable level, I carried on to another bar, where I saw this outside:

 

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As I drew up, the overtly attractive conceptual lady owner of this pointed to my Healey and asked: "what is that thing?" Quick as a flash and with a wry smile, a sultry, overtly English tone, Roger Moore eyebrow posture and an off-the-cuff glance to her steed, I casually replied: "I could say the same to you...". Needless to say, we hit it off unfathomably well and continued our evening together.

 

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The morning after, I ventured forth from her abode with a spritely spring in my step. Must've been all that coffee she'd invited me back for. I think the conclusion we can draw from this endeavour is that if you choose to drive a cad's car, be prepared to act like one (and also that I write like a failed Mills & Boon author).

 

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Fearing that my drunkard lothario stage of life was a bit unbecoming, I wondered whether my mythical time machine (bizarrely modelled on a Hinari boom box) had any other time settings, other than 'genric 1970's USA'. Indeed, through twiddling the fuzzy dials oh-so carefully and looking for the date which came up on the in-built black and white screen, I was able to fine tune my location to California:1995.

 

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But of course, this being Autoshite, I didn't select something entirely conventional - you could say, I chose a bit of a mvsevm piece!!!

 

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Still, despite the inevitable paint loss which this climate attracts, it's a nice solid piece. The high tyre walls were a particular boon, as 'boulevard smooth' roads are a bit of a misnomer in California and seemingly every road is a boulevard! Except for this one, which is a street.

 

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Having had so much coffee-related luck of yore, I decided to chance my luck at this accurately restored establishment but it seems that my make-believe luck was up. Still, I was able to grab a cup (32oz soy cappuccino, hold the sugar) and admire the lamp post that was to influence the game-changing male grooming aid, the Gillette Mach 3.

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Midweek progress on the kits......

1:24 Honda Today and Toyota Celica kits

Fresh paint applied to these two. Honda will probably get some clearcoat. Celica has been clearcoated, will get polished over the weekend.

1:25 AMT 1967 Chevrolet Impala kit

 

1:25 AMT 1967 Chevrolet Impala kit

Impala moved forwards, finally got the body/glass/interior/chassis to fit together after lots of shaving and trimming. Also got rid of those hoses/cables on the inner wing, as they have no use with the LT5 engine I'm dropping in there.

1:24 Humbrol Fiat 131 Abarth kit

Also dug this one out, for restoration about 38 years after I first built it. I had five of that engine/suspension/wheels sprue, as I broke a couple of parts, wrote to Humbrol and a big package containing multiple replacements turned up from Italy (the kit was originally made by Esci, and was only recently reissued by Italeri). My original build was intended as a rallycross car, it'll now be a hi-po road car. Glass might be a challenge, I think I'm going to rescue the front and rear screens, cut them out and replace the sides with clear sheet.

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18 minutes ago, MarvinsMom said:

Won't the glazing bit clean up with some very fine wet 'n dry?

I have had some success with that on a couple of glazing units for diecast cars that were in a manky state like that.

I'd start with T-Cut. Gone off using things like brake fluid after a couple of disasters

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14 hours ago, bunglebus said:

So, as I mentioned earlier, I was on a tat mission today. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the highlights of that as there's rather a lot and it's been a long day. Here are the eBay winnings that were waiting for me when I got home though

First up, some oddball plastic stuff. I spotted a job lot on a BIN late one night that contained something I was after, it came with two others that are also rather appealing in their own way.

First up, big BMW M1

20210303_204028

Really big

20210303_204844

 

20210303_20403720210303_204055

Turning it over reveals it does stuff

20210303_204119

A rummage through that drawer in the kitchen netted me a single C battery, but that and a careful wedged AA got a result

20210303_204525

The light mechanism is quite clever, flipping the lights up and turning them on in one motion. It appears to be motorised too but feels a bit broken in the rear axle department

Second of three plastic delights is this rather clumsy 911

20210303_204708

Sponsored by everyone's favourite tobacco company, "Manlboro"

20210303_204722

This one has an exceptionally noisy friction motor

Here's the one I actually wanted - Lucky toys Beetle with working friction motor

20210303_20480520210303_204810

The other boxes contained some rather tidy 1:64 stuff;

20210303_204900

I have a nice Matchbox R17 but I rather like this casting. It's not a car I remember ever seeing for real, its existence was news to me a few years ago  but I really love the shape and style of them

20210303_205003

This one's a beauty. First Matchbox I've seen with a brown base

20210303_20510220210303_205129

Funny how it works, got that acid damaged Wrangler 911 the other day, today a nice one turns up to replace it

20210303_205151

Same make, different model and brand - Majorette 944

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20210303_205250

And rounding off this Porsche heavy post, a Hot Wheels blackwall 930

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Some cracking items in there, well played!

That M1's a monster; I remember having a couple of big battery-powered toys like that, including a gorgeous metallic burgundy Lamborghini Miura which did a similar trick with the pop-up, light up headlamps. I also had a tinplate Talbot Alpine police car with a similar jockey-wheel mechanism on the front; it had a working siren and flashing roof light rather than headlights, though.

Look forward to seeing the rest of yesterday's discoveries!

I have to confess, I've been spending a while browsing Facebook Marketplace and the like lately, to see if I can scratch my neglected itch for tat-boxes; so far though, it's mostly been over-optimistic eejits looking £60 for a dozen dusty Days Gone, or a carrier bag of mostly Poundland no-names with about three 1980s Matchbox in there - but an asking price of £90.

At least it means there's limited temptation!

14 hours ago, Jon said:

Despite internal protestations towards non-1/43 stuff, I do still let my guard down, when something comes up that I like.

50656419871_df73b92cb2_b.jpg

This Corgi Opel Senator is one that I'd not known off whilst growing up. That was probably a good thing, as I'd have made it my mission to get one yet, like I say, I didn't know they existed for years, so I'd have been one unfulfilled chap.

50656511312_14fe0d745f_b.jpg

It was only a fiver, so I thought that was value for something so appealing. Another favourite large Corgi is the SD1, which has far more opening features, though at the expense of the casting being a smidge less accurate than this one. Barring that rear tow bar, of course! That said, I think this'd look great with a trailer hitched up.

50656510287_2714f95fff_b.jpg

Sadly, that's all academic, as somebody nicked it and sent it to Africa! Ah well, at least it'll see its days out in the sun.

That's fantastic, I do love that Opel. Great choice of backgrounds too!

I didn't know about it until a few years ago either; despite keenly browsing the toy aisles and jumble sales as a kid, it's surprising how many Corgi castings I'd never encountered until recently (like the Renault 11 and Peugeot 505, or the action-packed camper version of the Mazda B1600).

Finding original catalogues has been both a blessing and a curse...

3 hours ago, sierraman said:

Look at this Baaaaddd mutha fucker! 

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That looks tremendous!

Makes much more sense as a post-apocalyptic blockade runner than a sort-of-not-quite NASCAR type racer - good choice.

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1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

I've been spending a while browsing Facebook Marketplace and the like lately, to see if I can scratch my neglected itch for tat-boxes; so far though, it's mostly been over-optimistic eejits looking £60 for a dozen dusty Days Gone, or a carrier bag of mostly Poundland no-names with about three 1980s Matchbox in there - but an asking price of £90

Same here. Added eBay tax and postage costs don't help with scratching my die cast itch either.

Just sorting out some pics of my haul, none of it is going to make anyone faint with excitement but there are some interesting bits none the less. In the meantime, I took a few teaser pics for you to try and ID

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I'm going to try and pick the more interesting cars out of this lot as there's quite a few and some are quite common.

Not seen these Majorette DAF lorries before, and I can't decide if they're old or modern. Quite a lot of plastic in their construction but the design looks more 70's than anything

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I need to line the Unimog up with the Matchbox version

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Pompier has some impressive length when extended

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Eye searing orange is not a colour I normally associate with Land Rovers. Good effort with the rear door though

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Slightly moth-eaten Merc crew cab

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Majorette also cashed in on the custom van scene - must be a straight 6 as it only has one sidepipe

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There's always one of these, and always missing the tailgate. Nice early wheels though

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Crazy car is...well crazy

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I guess this is a Chevy Blazer? Missing its back unfortunately

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There were only a couple of non-brands, mainly these two pickups which I suspect are copied from the Matchbox Mini Pickup

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I swear these things are multiplying. If only the Sun Van wasn't one of the Kidco/Dinkys I don't already have

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There are a handful of early Lesney offerings, mostly very worn in keeping with their age. This is possibly the most interesting, I don't recall any other casting having plastic lettering instead of a sticker or decal

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Another one that always seems to be in multi-buy deals is a hutless Site Hut Truck

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This one I haven't had before though, Ice Cream Canteen

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Lollypops, children?

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Never quite understood the point of these little articulated lorries, I remember having a red and a yellow one with the open trailer, but the army colour fuel tanker is a new one

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Silver Cloud is a nice casting but always looks a bit odd on fat Superfast wheels. Something more appropriate and a bit of detail would transform it

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Zodiac IV often loses the bonnet. Maybe another gasser build to go with my Lone Star III estate?

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Another one that looks a bit ungainly with Superfast wheels is the Refuse truck. Both were in the lot for comparison purposes

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I wonder how many marbles/twigs/earwigs have been transported about and dumped out over the years?

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Not had this caravan before, I was hoping it could be converted to make a camper top for one of my Lone Star Transits but it's too narrow. I've been scouring eBay for something suitable but nothing really works, so it may have to be plastic or lolly sticks instead

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Very tidy LR 90

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Think I've only seen one Fiero in the UK, which was stock unlike this one

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I wonder what the kids made of this Lincoln Continental when it was released? Can't have been a common sight on UK roads

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Not the prettiest Rolls Royce, but the opening doors are a nice touch you don't see on standard Matchbox anymore

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Another common find, but I don't often turn down a Mod Rod - incidentally the only Superfast to have coloured tyres

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Engineless Hot Rockers seem to be accumulating

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Early Field car has lost a few tyres but retained the all-important roof. There's a new version of this out now to look out for

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I thought Sooty and Sweep pootled around in a Bedford Rascal, but apparently they started off with a Studebaker

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These next two are also castings that seem to arrive with me in vast numbers, but I've not seen a Ford Group 6 with this decal before. Did someone peel it off a Volks-Dragon, or is it original?

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Porsche 910 is the other that I always seem to have dozens of

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There don't seem to be very many Husky castings to chose from, more's the pity. The sizing is a bit odd with Husky, often there are are two sizes of the same vehicle, but the difference between them is so little that you wonder why they bothered. This one has a metal undercarriage so is the larger version

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This is the smaller version and is for milk, rather than fuel. Often missing the cap that forms the rear of the tank

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There is almost nothing to chose between them

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Guy Warrior is clearly a Husky but is branded Corgi, so is in the period of change to the Juniors range. occasionally the metal base vehicles turn up with no branding, just a Corgi sticker

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Talking of Juniors, there were two Matras, both with the delicate split tailgates intact

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Nova has had a makeover. Just needs a Peco exhaust and some TSW Stealth wheels now 

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Then Bazza can show off to the birds on Southend seafront. Here's his mate Dazza pumping out the tunes from his Kenwood system

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There were no less than four Buick Regals in the box, but I don't recall seeing this odd blue colour before

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C111 has obviously been parked in the sun for years

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The only larger vehicles are this pair, one of four sets sold like this

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