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8 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I wonder if the postman will be calling today?

Another!  This time a Hermes man with long trousers.

It was a sturdy box.  Inside was bubble-wrap, and plenty of it.  Took a few goes to unwrap it all, as the parcel tape was in abundance.

Yet, when I finally got to the centre, it had all been wrapped around....  this:

IMG_0155.JPG.5890e21c3da11204f9517137a45dd71f.JPG

Why bother with all the bubble wrap if they are going to be lose in a bag??  So I looked at the sender.  It said 'Item location: Shrewsbury'.  Hmmm....

Anyhow, what I was after for the tenner offered/accepted was this scarce Nissan Skyline R32 GTR by HPI Racing slot cars:

IMG_0156.thumb.JPG.e10ecd5e890b0b40f321f2a24160e565.JPG

These typically run for £50+ boxed, if you can find one.  Even better, it's in a nice colour.  Some scuffs to tidy, but the other two in the 'bag' should pay for it twice-over.   So, there is now no need* to build the imported-from-Japan ARII kit of the R32, making that another thing to get sold and help thin the heaving shelves of untouched kits

IMG_0157.thumb.JPG.d1b0097f5fcbaf7de580a7f52e8c390d.JPG

So, triple-bonus Tat Wednesday.

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17 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Yeah, it seems that Matchbox released about 8-10 models a year in their Dinky range between 1989 and 1995, plus some recoloured versions, before a whole clatter of confusing reissues arrived between 1996 and 2000 which may or may not have ever reached these fair isles. I'm trying not to get all completionist about the range - but there are still a few others I'd like to track down.

It was an interesting and quite eclectic little range of vehicles, including commercials and US passenger cars. Matchbox's then-owners, Universal Toys, bought the Dinky brand from Kenner Toys in 1988 - who had gained the rights to it when they bought out Palitoy in 1985, and who in turn had acquired the defunct Dinky name when they bought up Airfix and all their sub-brands after the 1981 bankruptcy.

Such a tangled web.

Originally Matchbox planned to use the Dinky name for a new line of Commando military action toys - and apparently some pre-production models exist with Dinky branding - before changing their mind to instead launch a range of 1/43 postwar classics that would capitalise on the name's heritage to older customers, rather than trying to relaunch a failed brand of children's toys.

Universal agreed that the Yesteryears range of mostly pre-war vehicles would continue as before, but these new, larger-scale models would compete with the likes of Corgi Classics and Solido in the collector's market.

The original 1989 Dinky releases included a 1967 Jaguar E-Type convertible with the hood up, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Sports Coupe, a 1965 MGB-GT, a 1949 Ford V-8 Pilot, a 1951 VW Beetle, a 1959 Cadillac Coupe De Ville and a 1949 Land Rover S1.

Commercial vehicles were represented with a 1950 Ford E83W in Heinz livery, a 1948 Commer 8CWT with Sharp's Toffee advertising, and - most spectacularly - a 1950 Mercedes 0-3500 holiday tour coach. The latter was pretty big, and came in a large cardboard presentation box, nestled in a flocked, moulded insert.

The majority of the 1989 range were made in Macau, with production then switching to China for 1990 on.

The next year brought a 1948 Tucker Torpedo, a 1955 Mercedes 300SL 'Gullwing', a 1958 Bentley Continental R, a 1946 Chapron-bodied Delahaye 145, the 1967 Ford Mustang 2+2 Fastback, and a 1952 Austin A40 van in Brooke Bond Tea colours. It also included a lightly reworked E-Type roadster with the hood now down, and a 1973 MGB-GT V8 which was the same basic casting as the '65 MG but with a different grille and other badging.

The show-stopper for 1990 was the oldest model to appear in the range - a 1939 Triumph Dolomite Roadster, again in a luxury presentation box.

The idea behind this was that the '39 Dolomite had been legendary for years among Dinky collectors, as one of six new models scheduled for launch in time for Christmas 1939 - but which never appeared due to the outbreak of WW2.  When diecast toy production finally restarted after the war, five of the six models belatedly appeared in shops - but there was no sign of the sixth, the Triumph Dolomite.

For decades rumours circulated of the existence of a handful of pre-production test models, and a Dinky Dolomite remained the diecast collector's Holy Grail - although it's now generally accepted that, if they ever even existed, the test models were either lost forever or disintegrated due to zinc pest. 

So the DY-17 Matchbox Dinky Triumph Dolomite was a nod to 'the Dinky that never was' and, uniquely for the range, came with an opening part - the dicky seat behind the cockpit could be flipped up and down.

1991 brought another flurry of new castings covering a wide range of sports and passenger cars, though no new commercials. A 1965 Triumph TR4, 1964 Mini Cooper S, 1952 Citroen 15CV, 1958 Porsche 356A and 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 made up the European contingent, while a 1956 Chevrolet Corvette and 1958 Studebaker Golden Hawk provided new US interest. The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air was retooled as a convertible.

Many of the previous releases remained in the range, now wearing different colours - the Ford V-8 Pilot, for example, started off in black before moving to silver, and ending up wearing tan paint. Each of these variants was helpfully labelled A, B,C etc on the box, though most of the earlier models omitted the A, with only the later versions gaining a suffix.

1992 marked a slowing-down in new tooling, with only a 1968 Triumph Stag, a 1953 Buick Skylark, a 1958 Austin Healey 3500, a 1955 Ford Thunderbird and a 1957 Citroen 2CV appearing in the range.

For reasons unknown, Matchbox's new owners Tyco started to run the Dinky brand down from 1993, even going as far as to pinch a planned new Dinky release for the Yesteryears range. The 1947 Citroen Type H van was released in 1993 in six different liveries as YTF-01 to 06, as part of their 'Taste of France' collection, but it was originally slated for release as DY-33 - and this number was never used. Tyco also commandeered and modified the Dinky Land Rover and Ford E83W castings for inclusion in their Yesteryear Fire Engines range.

Although sales of Dinky branded models in new colour combinations continued, there were no new castings released in 1993 or 1994 and apparently Tyco chose not to advertise or otherwise attempt to market them to collectors. The mind boggles as to what their reasoning was.

1995 finally brought a handful of new castings, believed to have been held over from 1993, with a 1962 Mercedes 300SL convertible (based on the earlier coupe, mind), a 1960 Jaguar XK150, and the 1968 VW Karmann Ghia all finally appearing - but the end was in sight, for UK collectors at least.

From 1996, some of the earlier Dinky range was rebooted with different catalogue codes and in different colours, but again with no new castings.

In 1997, the Dinky range was subsumed under the Matchbox Collectables umbrella - which as far as I'm aware were only available as direct mail-order collections rather than through retail stockists. I had a whole load of these Collectables catalogues through the door in the early/mid-90s, trying to get me to subscribe to the Beers Of The World collection, the Horse-Drawn Collection, or the Fire Engines collection.

I didn't.

This revamped Dinky range also included a number of brand new castings of 1950s and 60s US sedans, some detailed large-scale articulated trucks previously sold under the Convoy and Superkings names, some historic military tanks, plus some former Vitesse castings of British and European sports cars and saloons. I'd be interested to know if these were ever marketed outside North America, as I've never seen any of these in real life. 

In 2000, both the Dinky and Yesteryear brands were retired by Matchbox's new owners Mattel, and their range of premium old-time models became briefly known as the Platinum range, including some aircraft, before this name was also killed off.

Apparently some former Dinky castings did survive for a while longer, now packaged as Matchbox and at lower price points, with less detail and cheaper plastic bases- but again, I don't think these were ever sold in the UK. Presumably Mattel were prioritising their Hot Wheels premiums, and didn't want second-fiddle Matchbox stealing their thunder.

The original models from the Matchbox Dinky range do still crop up fairly often for not that much (with a few exceptions for promotional Code 2 versions) - they can still be found boxed and as-new for around the £5 - £15 mark.

I find them rather more appealing than the Models of Yesteryear range, and these days, they definitely have the nostalgia factor for me...

Fascinating stuff from our resident mini-tat historian. I only ever had two of those Dinkys, a Tucker and a green Mustang. They randomly came from the local corner shop that didn't normally sell toys or models but on two different occasions just had a single Dinky tucked away with other oddments on a shelf in the corner for some weird reason. I have to wonder how they got there.

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2 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

Taunus/Cortina, and a CF!  If they were cheap, can you get more?

More are available -  but sadly they weren't all that cheap...

Ford_Taunus_Cortina_80.png.6465fcd4653d5db944e745bb31f4ca4d.png

(1) Edicola Ford England Taunus 1980 Con Vetrina With Showcase Red - 1:43 (diecaststore.co.uk)

Bedford_CF_Italian.png.4fd18ebae71abaa747ab2c9593482100.png

(1) Edicola Bedford GM CF250 Van Grissino Del Nonno 1979 Red Yellow - 1:43 (diecaststore.co.uk)

If they hadn't been procured as birthday gifts, I wouldn't have 'em either...

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On 15/06/2021 at 13:54, bunglebus said:

I left the Gulper's window unit in a product called Cara White, essentially it's a hydrogen peroxide solution. Several hours in the sun and a small miracle has happened 

Do you have a link for this miracle product please sir?

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Late Tat Wednesday entry! These arrived earlier but life is extremely hectic at the moment so I've only just had a chance to perve inside the boxes.

First up: @155V6 very kindly sent me two donor Mustangs so I can finish my fake red one. One has cracked glass but the other may live again as a custom. Actually you can buy the glazing units so both may survive eventually.

20210616_18061520210616_180542

Second box contained two Lone Star trucks, one with a jaunty repaint

20210616_18064120210616_18071120210616_180715

Also in the box from the same seller were these two Tootsietoys, I thought they were interesting and no-one else bid

20210616_18073320210616_18080520210616_180811

 

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On 6/16/2021 at 4:06 PM, flat4alfa said:

IMG_0156.thumb.JPG.e10ecd5e890b0b40f321f2a24160e565.JPG

These typically run for £50+ boxed, if you can find one. 

Hell's teeth, I sold a mint, never-out-of-the-box one of those for £8 three years ago.

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I'm sure I offered it on here, but there must have been no takers.

I ended up looking £20 for it at a car boot sale during the final phase of my diecast clear-out, only this creepy man and his weirdo son basically ground me down over the space of four hours.

They kept reappearing at my elbow all morning, muttering "come on, five pounds... that's all it's worth, five pounds... come on, you'll do it for a fiver, won't you? You will, you'll do it for a fiver."

The fact that they kept coming back round again and again and again made me aware that it must be worth their while piling on the psychological torture.

I was desperately hoping that someone else would swoop in and buy it, just to give them a sickener for being such tightarses and trying to chisel it for much, much less than it was worth. But nobody did.

In the end I offered to let them have it for £10 and they reluctantly agreed, but then it was "hold out your hand: five, six, seven, seven fifty, eight, oh dearie me, we're all out of change, ach sure you'll do it for eight, won't you? Ah you will, you'll take eight for it, sure..."

Clearly, these were professional-grade bullshitters.

I think I only paid £6 for the Skyline in TK Maxx around 2007, so it wasn't like I was significantly financially disadvantaged on the deal. But it was one of those transactions that really rankled. I was very glad to see the back of them.

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1 hour ago, egg said:

Do you have a link for this miracle product please sir?

There are many, it's intended for whitening yellowed plastic like caravan parts, old computer housings etc. I would think even hairdressing hydrogen peroxide stuff would work. I just searched for plastic whitener - lots of vids on YouTube about using hydrogen peroxide like this

Mine's called Cara  White but it's in a bottle with a home printed label, probably dispensed from a larger container. I would think this is similar stuff

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324592645383?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=324592645383&targetid=1279902197899&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1006748&poi=&campaignid=12128858326&mkgroupid=125212049720&rlsatarget=aud-381667280803:pla-1279902197899&abcId=9300480&merchantid=6995734&gclid=CjwKCAjwwqaGBhBKEiwAMk-FtGGZgEkML2wq56eKoLxQs84m8SEWQRgyye75IpFiAZ6-rdZ2womeXhoC5TQQAvD_BwE

Here we go, Cara White

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265132519003?hash=item3dbb212e5b:g:ICEAAOSwjwlXA81d

Yep, hair salon stuff works too. My sister works at Sally's so might be hitting her up for a bit of discount

 

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1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Hell's teeth, I sold a mint, never-out-of-the-box one of those for £8 three years ago.

20180610_213734.jpg

20180610_213741.jpg

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20180610_213754.jpg

I'm sure I offered it on here, but there must have been no takers.

I ended up looking £20 for it at a car boot sale during the final phase of my diecast clear-out, only this creepy man and his weirdo son basically ground me down over the space of four hours.

They kept reappearing at my elbow all morning, muttering "come on, five pounds... that's all it's worth, five pounds... come on, you'll do it for a fiver, won't you? You will, you'll do it for a fiver."

The fact that they kept coming back round again and again made me well aware that they knew it must be worth piling on the psychological torture; in the end they agreed on £10 but, hold out your hand, six, seven, seven fifty, eight, dearie me, we're out of change, ah sure you'll do it for eight, you will...

Clearly, these were professional-grade bullshitters.

I think I only paid £6 for it in TK Maxx around 2007, so I was simply glad to see the back of them.

And... that’s why I won’t do a car boot sale again. It just goes either on Freecycle, the charity shop or the bin. Getting up at 4:30am to spend the following 6 hours being insulted and bring home £25 is a poor use of my time. 

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So, just catching the last knockings of Tat Wednesday,

Firstly, I had to stop of at Morrisons on my way home from work, and spotted this,

IMG_20210614_201206.thumb.jpg.6279734bc3d2069e5e807f79de5dd146.jpg

I do believe this is my new favourite Hot Wheels release! Early '90s German autobahn stormers are very much my thing, (with apologies to most of the forum membership), so along with the new W124 Merc 500E, I was looking forward to this coming out. Nice to see an actual B2 shape RS2 Avant, unlike the disappointment from Matchbox a couple of years ago, who released an RS6 Avant, with a picture of a B2 on the card artwork and described as a '94 RS2.

Saying that, I still don't think Mattel are truly there with the shape here either; the bottom seems too heavy and the rear overhang too long.

IMG_20210614_201334.thumb.jpg.c102c33c16dc758aae2d83378386cdb3.jpg

The colour is so evocative of the real thing though. The tampo printing is great front and rear, especially the Audi Sport badging. Not sure whether the headlight printing slipped a bit though, or if it's supposed to be wearing headlight eyebrows...

IMG_20210614_201403.thumb.jpg.17499debcb662c3e816b5c1884a08895.jpg

I also had a purchase delivered today. BRB...

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I had mentioned previously that I hadn't bought anything British (BL/ARG) lately, and fancied something new for the display cabinet. I had a few of the latest Vanguards releases on my eBay watchlist and got an offer sent through by one of the sellers. I don't buy as many Vanguards as I used to, sadly, because you're often  looking at well over thirty quid with postage, and that's without the eBay chisellers asking even more.

IMG_20210616_201445.thumb.jpg.402aa3b54cddc4fe9eb24561d2e645cd.jpg

I've always liked the Vanguards SD1, but have thus far only ever got the Boy Racer version. The majority modelled have been Vitesses, Van den plaaahs and police versions, so often attract scene tax. I was offered this with a fiver off and free postage, so went for it.

IMG_20210616_201459.thumb.jpg.a271198419b1b04e4dfdcd44447e0735.jpg

Fancy new Toyota MR2 inspired 'T-bar' packaging for 2021...

IMG_20210616_201614.thumb.jpg.98c36c38ef41c8e6d5c35798442716c9.jpg

For an older casting (introduced in  2004), it still shows up well. It shows just how long and sleek the SD1 is. Vanguards might be expensive nowadays, but at least with this one there's quite a bit of model for the money!

IMG_20210616_201705.thumb.jpg.5798a33f3e37a66ed9892b9feee004d3.jpg

Front end looks pretty good, the Vitesse front bumper apron is present, the headlight washer jets can be made out on the overriders, and the Viking badge is nicely done.

IMG_20210616_202021.thumb.jpg.a5513820905f1903d45435c58d6ae05e.jpg

Rear lights are good, no locating pegs on show! Badging again is good, along with the whacking great Vitesse-issue wing. Shame there's only a single tailpipe, should be a twin on a Vitesse. Corgi are normally good with details like that.

IMG_20210616_202104.thumb.jpg.2a4f9c1391f05d6802741103b408068f.jpg

Wheels are good, but could be better. A bit of blackwash would have been nice,  to bring out the spokes. Nice red Rover logo'd centre caps though.

IMG_20210616_202728.thumb.jpg.3eee48914e92c20c318077313e5fe05a.jpg

IMG_20210616_202732.thumb.jpg.5c77b632cd7f6a99705a137ab7342c26.jpg

At least though, Vanguards have finally started to add some realism to the interiors of their models, instead of the old sea of single coloured plastic. Here we have the typical two-tone ARG grey velour represented.

IMG_20210616_203008.thumb.jpg.8040fb3c656e77ea5d078f46b7186c41.jpg

With different shades of grey for the seats and rear shelf.

IMG_20210616_202313.thumb.jpg.55b3a0137e19a1cd5bb24c98689b9a9d.jpg

My potato phone cam doesnt really show it well, but we also have a grey dash, with black binnacle and a dark grey steering wheel with lighter grey rim.

IMG_20210616_202534.thumb.jpg.f6f8d5c8910a60057562b22f18c1ec6f.jpg

Nice detail too on the centre console. And a correctly shaped gear lever, though it looks a tad on the long side...

IMG_20210616_201832.thumb.jpg.b25a466934a2aa2f2ac9e8dc9ebf102e.jpg

Would have liked the Vitesse graphics, but apparently they were not fitted to the twin-plenum car modelled.

Very pleased with it all in all though!

IMG_20210616_203219.jpg

IMG_20210616_203323.jpg

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12 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

I had mentioned previously that I hadn't bought anything British (BL/ARG) lately, and fancied something new for the display cabinet. I had a few of the latest Vanguards releases on my eBay watchlist and got an offer sent through by one of the sellers. I don't buy as many Vanguards as I used to, sadly, because you're often  looking at well over thirty quid with postage, and that's without the eBay chisellers asking even more.

IMG_20210616_201445.thumb.jpg.402aa3b54cddc4fe9eb24561d2e645cd.jpg

I've always liked the Vanguards SD1, but have thus far only ever got the Boy Racer version. The majority modelled have been Vitesses, Van den plaaahs and police versions, so often attract scene tax. I was offered this with a fiver off and free postage, so went for it.

IMG_20210616_201459.thumb.jpg.a271198419b1b04e4dfdcd44447e0735.jpg

Fancy new Toyota MR2 inspired 'T-bar' packaging for 2021...

IMG_20210616_201614.thumb.jpg.98c36c38ef41c8e6d5c35798442716c9.jpg

For an older casting (introduced in  2004), it still shows up well. It shows just how long and sleek the SD1 is. Vanguards might be expensive nowadays, but at least with this one there's quite a bit of model for the money!

IMG_20210616_201705.thumb.jpg.5798a33f3e37a66ed9892b9feee004d3.jpg

Front end looks pretty good, the Vitesse front bumper apron is present, the headlight washer jets can be made out on the overriders, and the Viking badge is nicely done.

IMG_20210616_202021.thumb.jpg.a5513820905f1903d45435c58d6ae05e.jpg

Rear lights are good, no locating pegs on show! Badging again is good, along with the whacking great Vitesse-issue wing. Shame there's only a single tailpipe, should be a twin on a Vitesse. Corgi are normally good with details like that.

IMG_20210616_202104.thumb.jpg.2a4f9c1391f05d6802741103b408068f.jpg

Wheels are good, but could be better. A bit of blackwash would have been nice,  to bring out the spokes. Nice red Rover logo'd centre caps though.

IMG_20210616_202728.thumb.jpg.3eee48914e92c20c318077313e5fe05a.jpg

IMG_20210616_202732.thumb.jpg.5c77b632cd7f6a99705a137ab7342c26.jpg

At least though, Vanguards have finally started to add some realism to the interiors of their models, instead of the old sea of single coloured plastic. Here we have the typical two-tone ARG grey velour represented.

IMG_20210616_203008.thumb.jpg.8040fb3c656e77ea5d078f46b7186c41.jpg

With different shades of grey for the seats and rear shelf.

IMG_20210616_202313.thumb.jpg.55b3a0137e19a1cd5bb24c98689b9a9d.jpg

My potato phone cam doesnt really show it well, but we also have a grey dash, with black binnacle and a dark grey steering wheel with lighter grey rim.

IMG_20210616_202534.thumb.jpg.f6f8d5c8910a60057562b22f18c1ec6f.jpg

Nice detail too on the centre console. And a correctly shaped gear lever, though it looks a tad on the long side...

IMG_20210616_201832.thumb.jpg.b25a466934a2aa2f2ac9e8dc9ebf102e.jpg

Would have liked the Vitesse graphics, but apparently they were not fitted to the twin-plenum car modelled.

Very pleased with it all in all though!

IMG_20210616_203219.jpg

IMG_20210616_203323.jpg

That does look a bit unusual in white . More like a VdP efi. As you say later Vitesse didn’t have any graphics , my black D reg didn’t, neither did it have twin tailpipes. I don’t think any Vitesse left the factory with twin pipes, it’s just so many have had noisier systems fitted since, that most you see these days have got them.

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12 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

I had mentioned previously that I hadn't bought anything British (BL/ARG) lately, and fancied something new for the display cabinet. I had a few of the latest Vanguards releases on my eBay watchlist and got an offer sent through by one of the sellers. I don't buy as many Vanguards as I used to, sadly, because you're often  looking at well over thirty quid with postage, and that's without the eBay chisellers asking even more.

IMG_20210616_201445.thumb.jpg.402aa3b54cddc4fe9eb24561d2e645cd.jpg

I've always liked the Vanguards SD1, but have thus far only ever got the Boy Racer version. The majority modelled have been Vitesses, Van den plaaahs and police versions, so often attract scene tax. I was offered this with a fiver off and free postage, so went for it.

IMG_20210616_201459.thumb.jpg.a271198419b1b04e4dfdcd44447e0735.jpg

Fancy new Toyota MR2 inspired 'T-bar' packaging for 2021...

IMG_20210616_201614.thumb.jpg.98c36c38ef41c8e6d5c35798442716c9.jpg

For an older casting (introduced in  2004), it still shows up well. It shows just how long and sleek the SD1 is. Vanguards might be expensive nowadays, but at least with this one there's quite a bit of model for the money!

IMG_20210616_201705.thumb.jpg.5798a33f3e37a66ed9892b9feee004d3.jpg

Front end looks pretty good, the Vitesse front bumper apron is present, the headlight washer jets can be made out on the overriders, and the Viking badge is nicely done.

IMG_20210616_202021.thumb.jpg.a5513820905f1903d45435c58d6ae05e.jpg

Rear lights are good, no locating pegs on show! Badging again is good, along with the whacking great Vitesse-issue wing. Shame there's only a single tailpipe, should be a twin on a Vitesse. Corgi are normally good with details like that.

IMG_20210616_202104.thumb.jpg.2a4f9c1391f05d6802741103b408068f.jpg

Wheels are good, but could be better. A bit of blackwash would have been nice,  to bring out the spokes. Nice red Rover logo'd centre caps though.

IMG_20210616_202728.thumb.jpg.3eee48914e92c20c318077313e5fe05a.jpg

IMG_20210616_202732.thumb.jpg.5c77b632cd7f6a99705a137ab7342c26.jpg

At least though, Vanguards have finally started to add some realism to the interiors of their models, instead of the old sea of single coloured plastic. Here we have the typical two-tone ARG grey velour represented.

IMG_20210616_203008.thumb.jpg.8040fb3c656e77ea5d078f46b7186c41.jpg

With different shades of grey for the seats and rear shelf.

IMG_20210616_202313.thumb.jpg.55b3a0137e19a1cd5bb24c98689b9a9d.jpg

My potato phone cam doesnt really show it well, but we also have a grey dash, with black binnacle and a dark grey steering wheel with lighter grey rim.

IMG_20210616_202534.thumb.jpg.f6f8d5c8910a60057562b22f18c1ec6f.jpg

Nice detail too on the centre console. And a correctly shaped gear lever, though it looks a tad on the long side...

IMG_20210616_201832.thumb.jpg.b25a466934a2aa2f2ac9e8dc9ebf102e.jpg

Would have liked the Vitesse graphics, but apparently they were not fitted to the twin-plenum car modelled.

Very pleased with it all in all though!

IMG_20210616_203219.jpg

IMG_20210616_203323.jpg

That's really lovely - and great to see all the details! Cheers for taking the time to snap it from all angles.

I really must get myself a civvie version of the SD1, though ideally I'd like it to be an early one, in pea-green and with the black and silver sports wheels.

Agree with you on the multispoke wheels here; a bit of blackwash would make them look rather more realistic.

I'm finding dissatisfaction with the wheels to be more and more of a thing with many of my 1/43 models - the recent Cortina 80/Taunus being a case in point:

1875293495_IMG_20210613_1229252.thumb.jpg.74e9a55aff0292306befcdd87302d375.jpg

Just a slightly darker shade in the crevices would improve the look of it a lot, I think.

Considering how badly I destroyed many of my childhood models with my cack-handed pre-teen Humbrol fumblings, I admit I'm kinda wary of breaking out the paints; but I've been thinking about this more and more lately.

It's basically just a small amount of black paint diluted with thinners and brushed on, isn't it? The rest is down to technique...

 

1 hour ago, andy18s said:

£500ish for 150 of Days gone by's finest

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It's nuts, but these seem to have finally started nosing upwards in value recently - I've seen a few job lots go for a surprising amount of coin.

My hot take on it is that younger folk remember their grandparents collecting them, and the events of the past year have caused people to do stuff they wouldn't normally do...

I reckon those are still crazily overpriced, but the seller may yet have the last laugh...

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1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

It's basically just a small amount of black paint diluted with thinners and brushed on, isn't it?

Use water based acrylic and thin it down. Much easier to remove if you don't like the results, I've used that to detail grilles and engines to good effect

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The Model-T in Creme Egg livery did appeal to clueless family members stuck in the Cadbury shop wanting to get something quickly for dearly misunderstood Uncle Gary.  Promotional models were their main income (above the mail-order subscribers) and there were over 170 liveries of the Model-T.  Probably not unlike like the current Corgi models stocked https://www.cadburygiftsdirect.co.uk/our-product-range/shop-by-product/gifts-with-toys.html

The valuable interesting Lledo models seem to be the Kellogg's promotion Land Speed Legends.  Nine tokens plus 80p got hold of those, four models and a package of information on land speed record breaking cars, including a foldout timeline poster.  I have the 1931 Bluebird somewhere, might dig it out.  The full set complete, boxed as new, has been seen to achieve £40.

It seems not many people know that Vanguards were a sub-brand of Lledo, incorporated into Corgi Classics after getting hold of it all from the receiver

For the past 13 years the lot have been owned by Hornby, as well as Airfix, Scalextric, Humbrol, Lima and Jouef amongt others.  The good news is it remains a British firm and profits have jumped recently

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On a dull-as-ditchwater online course, so fished Lledo's Campbell-Railton 'Blue Bird' out

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Blue Bird acheived the land speed records through 1931-35, driven by Sir Malcolm Campbell.  Just over 300mph.

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Lledo modelled the 1935 re-body in approx 1:80 scale

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I think it's a pretty good model  and nicely finished

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Appeals to patriots like Tiny Tom too

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1 hour ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

That does look a bit unusual in white . More like a VdP efi. As you say later Vitesse didn’t have any graphics , my black D reg didn’t, neither did it have twin tailpipes. I don’t think any Vitesse left the factory with twin pipes, it’s just so many have had noisier systems fitted since, that most you see these days have got them.

Cheers, didn't know that about the Vitesse having a single tailpipe. As you say, there seems to be a lot about with aftermarket twin outlet jobs.

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Just been in my local TK Max and spotted these Bburago amongst the dross. Was really tempted to buy the 1:43 Orange recovery truck but resisted and likewise with the 1:24 Porsche. 

I might pop by tomorrow so if anyone wants one, just message me and I'll happily grab any. 

They did have some Majorette Audi A1's in Blue for £2.49, if that floats anyone boat too. 

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I was a bit slow on the draw compared to @flat4alfa searching eBay for other SS- numbered die casts after my recent Sunnyside boot sale find. There are quite a few but out of my price comfort range.

It did lead me to find a seller punting these Superior buggies in various colours so of course I watchlisted them and was sent an offer price. The blue appealed to me most so here it is. Pretty nicely detailed it is too

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While I still can't say that I view myself as in any way a diecast wheeler-dealer, it appears that other people seem to think I am...

I'm lately aware of a chap who's looking to move on some TV and film-related 1/18 stuff.  All mint/boxed, apparently (I haven't seen them in real life yet), and while not exactly cheap, a quick squizz online indicates that these can go for quite big bucks.

The job lot includes:

- Hot Wheels 'Ghostbusters' ECTO-1 Cadillac Miller Meteor Ambulance

- Greenlight 'Smokey and the Bandit' Pontiac Trans Am

- Greenlight 'The A-Team' GMC Vandura

- Joy Ride 'Knight Rider' K.I.T.T. Pontiac Trans Am

- Greenlight 'Bullitt' Ford Mustang Fastback

- Sunstar 'Back To The Future 2' DeLorean DMC-12

- ERTL 'Christine' Plymouth Fury

- Maisto 2010 Chevrolet Camaro (not actually film-branded, but it's yellow and black like Bumblebee from Transformers)

When I say 'not exactly cheap', I'm told he's looking £50 each for them, or thereabouts (£150 was mentioned for the Bullitt Mustang, though an online check reveals that it's actually one of the cheaper Greenlights out there).

The ECTO-1 and Knight Rider Trans Am seem to be especially sought after, going by the online prices.

So I dunno. I don't collect 1/18 stuff these days, but I know prices can be stratospheric so is there any interest from the AS massive?

I'm happy to make further enquiries, with a view to selling them on at cost price +post (and I know, they're a pain to post but I have a lot of bubble wrap and sturdy boxes in the attic).

I know this is well out of tat box pricing and very much high-end minishite, but I wouldn't like to let the opportunity pass without alerting the group!

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