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Shite in Miniature II


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57 minutes ago, sierraman said:

No new single packs?

Nothing for months other than the UK carded ones which were castings we'd already seen. 

Woman in Entertainer said there are problems getting stuff from the East which is why all their stock of Hot Wheels is slightly older. 

Guess we're going to miss a load of Matchbox castings again too

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I keep getting trailers! @flat4alfakindly included some with some other bits that arrived this week, can anyone ID these and what they should be towed by/carry? I could Google it but where's the fun in that? Let's see how many of these you can inform me about;

This one I genuinely don't know - no markings on it anywhere, looks like early Lesney?

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This is Lesney but beyond that I don't know

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Majorette

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Moving into King Size territory, this says CRANE 200 TON TRANSPORTER on the base

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Superkings K-17

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Superkings but no K- that I can see, just TRANSPORTER

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This one struck me as a little odd as the markings are on the top of the trailer - K91 MOTOR CYCLE TRAILER

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I definitely had one of these as a kid - I think I towed it behind a Unimog. K-35 FARM TRAILER

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A very similar looking Corgi FARM TRAILER

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Then there are a couple I got a few weeks back - again I don't know what they belong with, 

Corgi (Horley) Ltd 10T. GOOSE DUMPER

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Finally (for now) Matchbox King Size NO 11 WHITLOCK TRAILER

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Over to you....

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11 hours ago, egg said:

Faz's diecasts has this set up on pre-order - £43!

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That is lovely but £43 man. 

I can see my priorities have shifted well over to 1/1 cars. 6 or 7 years ago I'd have paid double that for, say a 1/18 Roewe 750 but now I baulk even at £4.30 on a diecast.

As Tom says, I prefer the thrill of finding a Hotwheels I've been after for ages in Tesco or The Entertainer for £1.25 or whatever, opening it and studying it!

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At the weekend, my username became even more out of date, when I brought home my new replacement for the Octavia, a Merc W203 C Class. So I had a hunt on ebay, to see if I could find a miniature version. Surely there might be a nice, reasonably priced 1/43 dealer model or two on there,

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Luckily, good old Cararama came to the rescue. £7 mint and boxed, that's more like it squire!

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Okay, so it's a different shade of blue to my real-life example and it's a pre facelift, but beggars can't be choosers...

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For a model that's ever so slightly toy-like, it's not bad at all. The shape's not quite there though, I keep getting reminded of a Lexus. (Which IS the "Japanese Mercedes" tbf).

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Obviously, as evidenced by the 'for 3 years and over' lettering on the box, one wouldn't expect a miniature three pointed emblem on the bonnet, but they've done a fair stab at a tampo printed grille and bonnet badge, which does look like one of the blanks that people put on when they've had the star pinched... At least the headlamps and bumper mounted foglamps are separately moulded.

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Again, for the price point, the tail lights are pretty good, although the C320 logo seems a bit on the piss. (Sadly my real life version is a lowly 180 kompressor, much as I'd love a 320).

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Surprisingly though, the wipers and door mirrors are done well here.

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The shape of the seats are well caught too. Incidentally it's nice to see the toy like opening doors do actually include the top frames, unlike a lot of toys with their unrealistic pillarless doors.

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Sadly all one colour like it's been moulded out of Caramac, bit the shape of the dash is well done , including the gear selector and steering wheel.

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Wheels are a passable copy of AMG 5 spokes as commonly seen on late W209 CLKs.

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Even the underside is pretty good for the price, with its separate exhaust!

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Theres almost always an alternative to Minichamps or other high end 1/43 models. Those Cararama models are great for the money. I have a trio of Saabs by them and a Ford Puma and they are perfectly well detailed. 

I reckon a dab of detailing on the interior would bring it to life.

AutoTime by Welly also do a good range of nicely detailed cars. Some even have a pull back motors. I have a few Russian cars by them as the original Avtoexport items are getting pricey and often fall to bits.

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7 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Theres almost always an alternative to Minichamps or other high end 1/43 models. Those Cararama models are great for the money. I have a trio of Saabs by them and a Ford Puma and they are perfectly well detailed. 

I reckon a dab of detailing on the interior would bring it to life

You're right, I still have a couple of Cararama MK1 Capris and Corsairs which are great for the little I paid for them. Helped of course by the fact that recent models of the Corsair are few and far between! I've seen them detailed up and with different wheels and they look ace.

I've been chasing a Cararama Puma for a while but always get outbid by pennies at the last minute when they're on. And the ones on BIN are always priced higher than the actual Minichamps version...

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2 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

You're right, I still have a couple of Cararama MK1 Capris and Corsairs which are great for the little I paid for them. Helped of course by the fact that recent models of the Corsair are few and far between! I've seen them detailed up and with different wheels and they look ace.

I've been chasing a Cararama Puma for a while but always get outbid by pennies at the last minute when they're on. And the ones on BIN are always priced higher than the actual Minichamps version...

I'm lucky enough to have a few 1/43 Pumas,the only expensive one was the racing version which was about £30.All the rest were under £20,the blue one was a FB Marketplace bargain  for a tenner!.The 1st Cararama one I got was from @Datsuncog3 years ago when I got my real one,I could probably be persuaded to part with the spare one if you were desperate....20210902_184237.thumb.jpg.f08a36075aa177b25a1c1836f57f230e.jpg

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There was a note included in last weeks's Cog shipment that did state a probable bit of a break from tat.  Fair enough, and understandable, looking at the bleak mornings coming and the stalls haven't been quite what they were in the form of bargains.  The incessant trainer competition can't help - I still can't look at my own green Adidas Gazelles in the same way.  To be fair, I am overloaded back here with boxes all over the place, shelves full, the kitchen screams 'when am I going to get finished' and wife more than a bit fed up with it all.   Excellent.

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In that case...

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Stripped-and-dipped!  The Corvette is now apple green.  The doors and bonnet surrounding it are for the Corgi Lancia Fulvia Zagato, which is now red and awaiting a new grille and headlights.  The ambulance is white; I haven't quite decided on the rest of the livery yet, but anyway I still need to order a rear door for it.

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Here's the little Austin, which I know you've already seen.  It's gone into the Life of Shite collection, which is outgrowing the space available!

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And here's the D-series truck, which I've also shown completed.  This is the green I used on the Corvette.  I suppose that means I need to take more pictures now.

Anyway I just thought that in the absence of potential bargains, a little before-and-after wouldn't go amiss.

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53 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

There was a note included in last weeks's Cog shipment that did state a probable bit of a break from tat.  Fair enough, and understandable, looking at the bleak mornings coming and the stalls haven't been quite what they were in the form of bargains.  The incessant trainer competition can't help - I still can't look at my own green Adidas Gazelles in the same way.  To be fair, I am overloaded back here with boxes all over the place, shelves full, the kitchen screams 'when am I going to get finished' and wife more than a bit fed up with it all.   Excellent.

Absolutely the reason I stopped going to Swapmeets and taking anything to do with buying and selling to and from 'Collectors', other than here of course. The few spoil it for the many.

I need to move on some of my smaller cars but so far I haven't been able to find a source of cheap jiffy envelopes.

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2 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I need to move on some of my smaller cars but so far I haven't been able to find a source of cheap jiffy envelopes.

You mean you haven't saved the bubblewrap that usually comes with incoming models?  Small boxes are easy too, just grab them before they go in the bin from your weekly shopping!  Cappuchino sachets, for example, usually come in a box that will take a couple of 1/43 models, even padded with bubblewrap.  Then wrap the box in leftover offcuts of Christmas paper, white side out, and you have room for the recipient's address and the post office label.  Job done.

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The boss picked this up for me at the boot sale last weekend, a consolation prize of sorts for having to stay at home and help No-Sweat Nigel the carpenter fit the pelmets. Never had one of these as a child, not really sure why though I did have the smaller version. The paint finish is atrocious, were they all this bad?  A shame, as it's not in bad condition really. I especially like the comedy door gaps and unwittingly prototypical bubbles round the leading edge of the front wings. Also the number plate reminds me of my former employer.. Wheels would look better with a black wash or something but we all know I'll never bother getting around to doing that. 

 

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On 7/3/2020 at 1:56 PM, flat4alfa said:

My old Daimler Sovereign XJ40

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The Super Kings XJ40.  Sadly, sold my boxed minty example recently to gather some cash (why did they put a snow scene as the insert?)...

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...but did hold back a play worn example...

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....which has since been stripped and repainted into a similar blue of my old Daimler....  but still not finished, much like everything else in the boxes of projects

This one has improved panel-gapped doors.

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35 minutes ago, Amishtat said:

The boss picked this up for me at the boot sale last weekend, a consolation prize of sorts for having to stay at home and help No-Sweat Nigel the carpenter fit the pelmets. Never had one of these as a child, not really sure why though I did have the smaller version. The paint finish is atrocious, were they all this bad?  A shame, as it's not in bad condition really. I especially like the comedy door gaps and unwittingly prototypical bubbles round the leading edge of the front wings. Also the number plate reminds me of my former employer.. Wheels would look better with a black wash or something but we all know I'll never bother getting around to doing that. 

 

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I had that as a child and remember being really excited that it was an E reg as they were still current at the time. I must have swapped it at some point to, probably to some wee shite.

I acquired a white one a few years later but it wasn't the same, plus it had the older 5 spoke style of Superkings wheels rather than the pepper pot ones which were made for the new later 1980s trucks and cars.

I subsequently bought a MIB burgundy one earlier this year together with the 7 series. I think it was from a shiter. Anyway, I was delighted with it and the finish is good on this one.

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1 hour ago, Amishtat said:

Looking forward to seeing the Impala painted.. 

Yeah, it stalled a bit  ...a year!  Needed rear bumper buying as that has a corner off it, while there might as well swap the grille/bumper piece too as it's properly play-battered.  Anyhow now started and it's a guide coat as it's quite scuffed about, has casing flaws here and there, body needs some filing and filling

Wanted to do it in Ember Red, matching the brochure cover car.  That was a Sport Sedan body though, so will need to cut out the tops of the B-pillars to make it pillarless.

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2 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

Picked up this a few weeks ago at a boot sale, paid a hefty €8.00 for it,but never seen one like it before.

Blimey. That's lovely. Especially the wheels.

2 hours ago, Amishtat said:

"... comedy door gaps"

You know, hitherto I always rather fancied a Superkings XJ40, but now not so much. Also I remember being disappointed when I realised that Matchbox was using those wheels on models other than the XR4i, which (as far as I'm aware) was the first car they appeared on, and suited it so well because pepperpot.

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Yeah, I did take a turn over to the market this morning - though there wasn't very much new or of interest on the stalls, in terms of diecast.

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Most of this is detritus from June and July, with a few holdovers from last week.

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With a little tidying up, a well-used Lesney Ford D-Series was reunited with the correct trailer...

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...as was a glazing-challenged GMC with its train of Fruehauf grain trailers.

Two ropey Corgi Chittys and a so-so Superkings Camping Cruiser may or may not be the same ones that were kicking about a few months back.

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Really old stuff was limited to just these three, still looking for a new home:

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Zylmex and Tri-ang F1 cars had popped up here before, too:

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Lesney carry-case trays held these, which we've also seen lately:

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Again, nothing really that's particularly sought after here, probably.

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This big Tri-ang Skip Truck was a new arrival, mind:

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Though the Corgis (and Brumm) behind were pretty familiar.

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The filthy Days Gone desk set remains, as does the NYPD Model T paddywagon (marked on the base as made by 'National Motor Mint', not ERTL as I previously thought):

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This Tuf-Toys artic tickled the old nostalgia buds, mind - the sort of thing stocked by discount stores back in the '80s, as I recall.

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There was also - for the first time in a while - a genuine 50p tat box, with a variety of old and new stuff within:

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Despite some spirited hoking, I couldn't quite find anything worth extracting, though.

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A Majorette Corvette and Matchbox Nissan Turbo Z-car were in tolerable shape, but not something I'm looking for - and probably not on anyone else's wishlist either.

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Plenty of playworn recent-ish Hot Wheels too, but no better or worse than charity shop/ car boot finds.

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This ABC Hong Kong bus of some description (not even going to hazard a guess) that had been unfortunately filleted of its engine and front suspension had also made it into the 50p box, but not really a display item in this shonky shape.

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Nothing much on any of the other stalls either - Paddy is continuing his lone fight to boost the values of scuffed Chinese no-name diecast (though he has now sold a fair bit of the older Lesney stuff):

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He also has a huge number of b&w photographs of what appear to be merchant marine vessels from around 1920 to 1970, which no doubt would tickle some maritime historian's fancy.

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There must be hundreds of photos in there, but I'll bet he's looking a king's ransom for them.

Charity stall had no models today either, though some of the Haynes manuals were undoubtedly shite-worthy:

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So that was that - and no, I didn't buy anything this week either.

To be honest, these days I do it more just to get out of the house for an hour or so; nod to some of the stallholders, buy some proper bakery pancakes for weekend breakfasts, maybe get some fruit and veg, and then grab a coffee from Phil at Drop Hopper before heading home and firing up the work laptop to discover what fresh hell has occurred overnight.

I guess it's the remains of a sort-of routine I had from 'the before-times', when Friday mornings tended to be the least pressured time of the week and often allowed me a couple of hours of frivolity to dick about with diecast, because that's when the Minister was away doing constituency stuff, and there was rarely anyone else in the office to notice. If I played my cards right during the week in terms of completing upcoming briefings and correspondence cases, then Friday could be spent just taking occasional calls and responding to emails, in between cropping pictures and researching Lesney colour variations. It was nice.

Sadly, a mixture of working from home (12 miles from the market; half an hour each way) while trying to cover the additional workloads of two other staff members who left last year without being replaced (including taking on responsibility for their staff) has made the usual Friday jolly increasingly untenable; or rather, just about tenable but a lot less jolly - and I'm painfully aware that this has come across in the tone of the Friday Tat Market reports.

I have, at least, replaced my smashed phone with a secondhand one, as trying to crop pics and write posts with a third of the screen blank and the rest striated with cracks became pretty tiresome - especially when Chrome would go and erase a nearly-finished post for the third time.

And it has to be said, the pretty cavalier attitude of many at the market about mask wearing and social distancing has made me think twice about hanging around St George's for any length of time - it's a bit galling to hear people prattling on about "nice to be back to normal" when NI's weekly death rate from COVID is back to where it was in February, and five people I know have tested positive this week alone - two of whom are in hospital, and one now in intensive care. So sipping a leisurely indoor coffee while I crop pics and supply trenchant commentary about The Nemesis' sartorial choices seems unwise these days. Annoying, but there it is.

Incidentally, the Trainer King was absent today. Hope he's okay. 

Hey, it's no-one's fault, but I've only recently come to the sticky realisation that this is all quite typical of the way I operate - take something I enjoy, and then turn it into some sort of faux-altruistic obligation to others, rather than just enjoy it myself for whatever it is. And then I end up stressing myself the fuck out over letting people down, which results in me making mistakes, which just results in things spiralling more and more.

It's nothing to do with diecast collecting, intrinsically, lest anyone think it's a result of this thread; it's absolutely not, I've driven myself to the brink before with music, with photography, with writing. It's an unfortunate and destructive trait, stretching back many years, where I seem to feel undeserving of anything that gives me pleasure, so I have to turn it into a chore whereby it's other people who are benefitting, rather than me, and somehow that's okay. Until I perceive myself to be failing and thereby letting people down, which I've been doing a lot lately (wrong orders, lost orders, unable to secure items requested at target price etc), and then I become increasingly silent and avoidant (which you'll probably have also noticed), until eventually... the whole shonky set-up just nosedives into the ground.

It's a depressingly familiar scenario to me now. I'm hoping that the act of identifying what I tend to do, and why I tend to do it, will be a starting point to finding ways to break out of the same old cycle.

But while personal growth and self-help is all great and everything, I also have a wardrobe literally crammed with boxes of diecast that I will need to deal with, and has been causing no small amount of friction with MrsDC, who's had to put up with my hoarding ways for rather longer than reasonable. Indeed, it was the forced realisation that there seemed to be a tiny car, lorry or fire engine on just about every flat surface throughout the house that kinda brought all this to a head a few weeks back.

Some of the wardrobe boxes are 'claimed' items for forum members, others are paid-up but not dispatched (and I really need to wrap and post these - apologies to @egg, will get yours away this weekend). Don't get me wrong, these boxes don't represent that much of an issue and it's not the fault of any of you lot - the vast majority are my own magpie-like acquisitions.

I intended to have another clearance sale over the summer, but that didn't happen, and I also have a heap of unclaimed stuff earmarked for eBay following previous sale events, which need to have decisions made on them. At the moment, the most likely thing to happen is seal them away in the attic for a while, and try to come back to them early next year. The thought of dragging them out to photograph them all now gives me the horrors. 

I think I just need a bit of a break. I'd thought it was maybe the forum itself making me feel low - the whole 'free speech/ Modgate II' (or is it III?) palaver a few weeks back made me feel rather despondent and on-edge for a bit, but I dunno if it's just that. I dunno. As some members were swift to point out, this is a car forum, not a self-help group. Strange that these people tend to spend the vast majority of their time on the forum screaming about political stuff that would perhaps go better on Twitter or Facebook and never mentioning cars, but hey ho...

I used to absolutely love Saturday mornings, where I'd get up earlyish and spend a quiet hour updating my Tat Spreadsheet and putting everyone's models from the previous day's market away in their respective boxes. Lately, the joy just hasn't been there - and again, that's on me. But I've reached a weird point where nothing seems to be giving me much in the way of joy, for so many reasons both internal and external, so it's probably better for me to stop, do some digging around to find out what's making me feel this way, and then move forward again differently rather than keep running myself further into the ground. I'd like to get the mojo back. But... just not keep accelerating past the point of enjoyment, and on to running myself ragged fretting about doing everything wrong.

Anyway... I've completely lost where I was going with all this, so I'd probably better post it - so that I've got time to scuttle back and delete it all later, once I've re-read it...

But that's where we're at tonight.

There will be happier Fridays. I do still believe that.

Take care, kids.

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