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Shite in Miniature II


Split_Pin

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A couple of recent acquisitions…

I was in Caernarfon, Wales, on holiday last week and checked all the charity shops to no avail. I did stumble upon an *Antiques and collectibles (sic) shop but such as the below was £3 each:

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I did purchase this Superkings for £4 which is nice and available if anyone wants it?

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This Majorette Mondeo is nice. Similar to the Matchbox livery but has a sunroof and steering!

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I bought this Matchbox fire engine purely because I was intrigued about what was on the bottom? For sale £1 

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I found this Matchbox Nissan Prairie which I wasn’t familiar with.

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This Corgi Capri is for sale at £1.

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So is this…

 

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Today's arrival, part one. 

Another baby-Baby Benz, the previous generation C Class this time.

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I already have a Minichamps C180 in fairly-base Esprit trim, that I got fairly cheap as it was unboxed. I've always fancied the AMG C36 variant though as a contrast and managed to get this one in decent boxed condition (though missing the cardboard outer sleeve) for a tenner, not too bad a result when you see what people are asking for these... Bonus points for being one of my favourite colours, the rarely seen (and imaginatively named) Light Yellow, only really seen on early launch Esprit versions. I've never seen it on an AMG version but the lairy colour suits the 'Big rimz and kit' styling of the C36.

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For a model from the early '90s (it's nearly 30 years since the C Class first launched, scary!), it holds up well. The ribbed effect on the headlight lenses is fairly convincing, grille detail is good, and I love the delicate photo etched bonnet star on these.

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I know '90s German saloons aren't everyone's cuppa on here, but I do think the 202's styling has aged very well, and the Minichamps model captured it nicely.

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Amusingly though, judging by every one I've seen, they never seemed to get the front wheel arch quite right. It seems a bit wavy, as if it's been plugged full of wob. Quite prototypical then...

Nice job on the big AMG Monoblock alloys though and the tiny Sport front wing badges. Never seen those badges on a real AMG though, I suppose it makes sense that they would have started with a factory Sport model with its uprated suspension and brakes then drop the 3.6 24V motor in.

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The interiors are what really make these Minichamps models for me though. Again the seat pattern is exactly right for an early '93 Sport model, though it's a shame they didn't plump for the wacky check plaid trim from the following year. All the AMGs I've ever seen in the metal have had leather anyway...

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Even the door trims are done the same!

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Colour coded steering wheel trim and gear shifter as well.

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Arrival, part two, and just to show that I'm not all about rusty German barges,

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Another Vanguards variant that I've been chasing for years and inexplicably never got round to buying one of! This is from one of the golden eras of Vanguards IMO. It was amazing at the time that I could finally get models of "real life" classics that other manufacturers had ignored. Stuff like Marinas, MK1 Granadas, Allegros, Hillman Imps and, as shown here, the Landcrab. At this time, Lledo had really upped the game with detail and features like sprung suspension. 

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This one was another eBay purchase and it really is as new, right down to the box.

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Unopened bag with the mirror still on the sprue and collectors card un-removed from the box.

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There were a couple of reasons I have been after this particular version. One being the colour, of course. "Antelope" really shows this one as being a later BL-era example. (Complete with correct  plughole badges on the front wings)

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However this one has a wider than usual side stripe and a slightly racy red interior, which gives away the fact that this might not be the usual family plodder.

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That little boot badge says it all. This is the twin-carb 1800 S. I've always liked the idea of the Landcrab's slightly staid styling coupled with the grunt of an MGB motor. Generally I just like sporty versions of cars you would think unlikely to have a sporty version of, I suppose.

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A great model of the Landcrab IMO, I think the S would have looked a lot better with some Wolseley 2200 style Rostyles as standard though.

(Runs and hides...)

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@bicycle repairman Is that two Dinky Landcrabs or TWO SPOT-ONS ?

@Tenmil Socket I don't have, or - ahem - ever have had, any of those King Size Dodge Wagons. I have interest please (but might have wait a bit and even then hide from wife as she tore me one earlier as 'the spare room toy car museum' is now as bad as 'the back room extension toy car museum' now)*

@bunglebus Might be a pity to kill a Cosmic Blues that could be saved by a paint pen around its extremities...  if you want motors and bodies of a Banger and Piper, I have a fair few in my boxes of painted-but-never-got-around-to-finishing ideas

 

* she's not been in the loft...

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On 7/10/2020 at 6:15 PM, flat4alfa said:

 I had this a few years back and do want to have another one day - I don't say that about many cars!

1967 Wolseley 18-85 Mk1 | Willem S Knol | Flickr

The interior space is superb and shames many a modern car.  And the Wolseley interior I wouldn't call spartan, what with the leather seats and that big slice of veneered tree for a dashboard.  Besides, a Landcrab will run rings around a A60, as they have barely any body roll and the over-engineered weight of them means the ride doesn't hop about like an ADO16.  I would like one of the very few left Morris 2200.  If I still lived in Australia I'd probably be keeping a Kimberley instead of that Leyland Princess currently in the garage

When we went to pick up our first big Plasma TV (over ten years ago), as we pulled up to the collection point, the shop worker looked at me like we were having a laugh.  Then I just opened the rear door (they open out near 90 degrees) and we slid the big box in, behind the front seats.  WIDTH WAYS.  Flat floor, you see.  

This is the Vanguards Wolseley Six from up on a shelf.  Had it a while so needed to dust this one down!  Being in a 'similar' blue with the blue seats, I keep it to remind me of my good old reliable Landcrab:

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@AndyW201 ^^^ Their Wolseley Six is a bit special too, and with none of that oooh uncouth and garish ROstyling!  😙

As you say, from the 'golden era' of Vanguards.  Under-appreciated at the time I think, but not now looking at the prices!

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14 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

@AndyW201 ^^^ Their Wolseley Six is a bit special too, and with none of that oooh uncouth and garish ROstyling!  😙

As you say, from the 'golden era' of Vanguards.  Under-appreciated at the time I think, but not now looking at the prices!

Ooft! I need a Vanguards Cosmic blue Wolseley now...

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Why am I in the pub on a Thursday night?  Because the (educated) wife saw the woefull Ofsted stats of the two local secondary schools and has been in a mess about it all day.  And into the evening.  The weekend isn't looking promising.

So here is a photo of a recent effort.  1/32 battery-powered 4WD and not that bad really, Hong Kong made, Toyota Hilux with decent condition for its age (faded) stickers too

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Got the motor working, and all the worm-drive gearing is working very well, so not had much use in its 40? years.  GREAT.

It did just go forwards and backwards though, so not quite as entertaining* as you'd expect.  The pair of AA cells didn't help climb the skirting, for a start

So what to do?

Oh yes, Bright spark here thought he could add a slot pickup and transform it for track fun.  But the 4WD worm drive can't quite handle the additional revs and makes it scream around in low gear while sounding like it's rounding-off the worms, as no differentials...   The Motor might have been rated to 12V, but with that drivetrain and BIG tyres: not for corners.  Fail.  Knobber.

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1 hour ago, AndyW201 said:

Another baby-Baby Benz, the previous generation C Class this time.

Early Minichamps were fantastic, there was absolutely nothing else at the time that would come close. I saw a C Class Merc the other day, dark blue and quite an early one on an L plate. I was thinking that they have aged well indeed.

My pals mum had a brand new one M215SLS back in 1995. It was an auto, turquoise, not sure on the trim level, I think it was the middle one. His dad also moved down from his w124 300TD to a C250 with the 5 pot just to see what it was like.

1 hour ago, AndyW201 said:

This is from one of the golden eras of Vanguards IMO.

Agreed, the Halcyon days of the early 2000s. I had a MK1 Granada, Allegros, a Marina, Dolomites and I remember jumping at the Wolseley 6 when it was first released in 2003. I walked across Glasgow at lunchtime from my office to the model shop on a hot June day just to get the dark metallic blue first issue.

Bizarrely about 3 or 4 years later, now working in Edinburgh, I walked out of the side entrance to my work and parked right at the door was a silver Mercedes ML Class with the registration 9JPD as carried by the 6!

The Landcrab and the Marina are two of my favourite Vanguards models, followed very closely by the MK3 Cortina L but that wasn't released until about 2006/7.

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16 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Early Minichamps were fantastic, there was absolutely nothing else at the time that would come close. I saw a C Class Merc the other day, dark blue and quite an early one on an L plate. I was thinking that they have aged well indeed.

My pals mum had a brand new one M215SLS back in 1995. It was an auto, turquoise, not sure on the trim level, I think it was the middle one. His dad also moved down from his w124 300TD to a C250 with the 5 pot just to see what it was like.

Agreed, the Halcyon days of the early 2000s. I had a MK1 Granada, Allegros, a Marina, Dolomites and I remember jumping at the Wolseley 6 when it was first released in 2003. I walked across Glasgow at lunchtime from my office to the model shop on a hot June day just to get the dark metallic blue first issue.

Bizarrely about 3 or 4 years later, now working in Edinburgh, I walked out of the side entrance to my work and parked right at the door was a silver Mercedes ML Class with the registration 9JPD as carried by the 6!

The Landcrab and the Marina are two of my favourite Vanguards models, followed very closely by the MK3 Cortina L but that wasn't released until about 2006/7.

It looks like the W202 C Class is finally having its day. Prices are slowly but surely on the rise after years of just being rusty £500 bangers. Rough rusty ones are still out there of course but nice clean ones are coming onto the market and prices are heading well  north of £2k for 230 kompressors and 280 six-pots. It could have easily have been a deserving successor to the 190, but the well known ill-advised water based paint fiasco (along with the bio-degradable wiring issue on the W124) and the general cheapening by Chrysler as time went by cost MB dearly. When recently deciding to go back to an oldish Merc (now the wife has had to commandeer the Corsa for school-run duties), I very nearly went for another W202, but having never tried a W203, I've ended up with one of those instead.

I'd forgotten about the Vanguards Dolomite, there were so many that were on my want list around 2001-2003! I got the original white 1850 release when it came out. I liked the fact it was a relatively base version (even badged and described on the box as an  "automatic"), even though I equally love the Magenta Sprint I also have. Because Magenta, basically. Just a shame they did such a cock job with the Sprint wheels...

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7 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

@bicycle repairman Is that two Dinky Landcrabs or TWO SPOT-ONS ?

@Tenmil Socket I don't have, or - ahem - ever have had, any of those King Size Dodge Wagons. I have interest please (but might have wait a bit and even then hide from wife as she tore me one earlier as 'the spare room toy car museum' is now as bad as 'the back room extension toy car museum' now)*

@bunglebus Might be a pity to kill a Cosmic Blues that could be saved by a paint pen around its extremities...  if you want motors and bodies of a Banger and Piper, I have a fair few in my boxes of painted-but-never-got-around-to-finishing ideas

 

* she's not been in the loft...

thier spot on i have dinky to put them next to each other,had 2 spot on models for a while,you couldent get front grills so i left them,blue one had front grill new windows and back bumper wasent worth expense but i  got soft spot had do them,

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10 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Might be a pity to kill a Cosmic Blues that could be saved by a paint pen around its extremities...  if you want motors and bodies of a Banger and Piper, I have a fair few in my boxes of painted-but-never-got-around-to-finishing ideas

I wonder if Black Square Decals could be persuaded to make Cambuster and Bazooka decals in the correct scale? 

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11 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

@bicycle repairman Is that two Dinky Landcrabs or TWO SPOT-ONS ?

@Tenmil Socket I don't have, or - ahem - ever have had, any of those King Size Dodge Wagons. I have interest please (but might have wait a bit and even then hide from wife as she tore me one earlier as 'the spare room toy car museum' is now as bad as 'the back room extension toy car museum' now)*

@bunglebus Might be a pity to kill a Cosmic Blues that could be saved by a paint pen around its extremities...  if you want motors and bodies of a Banger and Piper, I have a fair few in my boxes of painted-but-never-got-around-to-finishing ideas

 

* she's not been in the loft...

No problem, I’ll set aside for you. There may be more if I get my ass in gear!

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There were clear distribution issues even this time last year, so it's not new thing.  I used to be astonished to see some of you in Essex had plenty of stock, but MB bins in the Tesco aisles in Bedfordshire were empty for weeks and weeks.  HW less so, but still patchy.  Not just Tesco either, as B&M seemed to get patchier stock of HW into the autumn

Not been to a big Tesco since April, as gave up visiting, to be fair.  Had too many unopened blister packs of cars in the house anyhow!

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I don't go to many Tescos,but the one I normally visit on a Monday had hardly anything.The HWs tub had a sticker saying a delivery was due on Sunday 12th,but I won't be going there for a few weeks due to my broken ankle.

Sainsbury's still seem to have stock,my local one has put out a new case in the last couple of days(yellow Volvo mix)

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16 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I bought this Matchbox fire engine purely because I was intrigued about what was on the bottom? For sale £1 

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Part of the Intercom City range 

When they were rolled over a section of the playset track, they would trigger speech / sound effects

The flo-orange dayglo paint scheme I think was specific for the range

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