Shite in Miniature II

[AndyW201]

29 minutes ago, inconsistant said:

I hope this is the right thread for showing off my loft find. I found these Matchbox cars hidden in a box, all of which which I bought when I was probably about 10-12, so early 1980s?

I remember playing with some of these but quite a few must have been bought and squirrelled away judging by the condition, I tended to play with stuff to destruction!

You're certainly in the right thread with those! Great collection.

[Split_Pin]

Aye great collection @inconsistant, I love the boxes these came in too.

[inconsistant]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Nice collection. Some of those may surprise as per values.

No intention of parting with them just yet but tell me more..?!

[Nibbler]

Found this at my parents house. Mom had a 9000i -86 in slightly darker red and it was she who bought this model. No idea who produced it for Brio, but I do like the “give the kids the base model” approach (please ignore Turbo spoiler). Scale is around 1/36.

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, inconsistant said:

No intention of parting with them just yet but tell me more..?!

 

[outlaw118]

Still unpacking boxes, found these two Renno models, 1/43ish size, sealed in the boxes, but no manufacturers name on there. Any clues?

 

[155V6]

Looks like they're from a partwork series,IXO maybe?

[outlaw118]

4 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

Looks like they're from a partwork series,IXO maybe?

I have absolutely no idea where they came from, there's some unreadable writing/pressing to plastic base, but the general jist is something along the lines of "this is not a toy, it'll kill you" type stuff.

Will continue digging, cheers.

[outlaw118]

We may have a winner https://archiwum.allegro.pl/oferta/renault-12-dacia-1-43-ixo-i7294064173.html

[Spottedlaurel]

4 hours ago, inconsistant said:

I hope this is the right thread for showing off my loft find. I found these Matchbox cars hidden in a box, all of which which I bought when I was probably about 10-12, so early 1980s?

I remember playing with some of these but quite a few must have been bought and squirrelled away judging by the condition, I tended to play with stuff to destruction!

Wonderful! I had (and still have) a fair few of them from my younger days, and they overlap with the latter years of the MIB(ish) Superfast collection I'm slowly amassing.

[Spottedlaurel]

For the first time in months I spent a decent amount of time today mucking about with 1:24/25 scale plastic:

Mrs SL needed the computer all day, which sits on the desk where I normally fiddle around with the kits, so I decamped to the kitchen table. Also found a box for the miscellaneous diecasts that have been accumulated over the summer (yes, @bunglebus and @Split_Pin I still have those I got with you in mind in France).

Did a bit of detail work on the Toyota Celsior, including playing with the Gundam chrome marker pen which seems to do the job nicely. Not a replacement for foil, but certainly easier to apply in some areas.

Made good progress on the AMT/Matchbox Hilux:

Had a bit of a setback the other day with the paintwork on it, as the rubber strap from a facemask I had chucked in the same box had reacted with the paint in a couple of places and I had to give it a partial respray. More tidying and detail work to do, but the biggest job will be cutting down another bumper to replace the original (which I didn't like due to the winch and bullbar). Wheel are from an Italeri Land Cruiser and tyres from a later Aoshima Hilux.

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Also found a box for the miscellaneous diecasts that have been accumulated over the summer (yes, @bunglebus and @Split_Pin I still have those I got with you in mind in France).

I've slept since then, you'll have to remind me!

[Spottedlaurel]

6 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I've slept since then, you'll have to remind me!

The Beetle, if you're still interested?

[Split_Pin]

@Spottedlaurel I'm still interested in the Master as well

[sierraman]

12 hours ago, outlaw118 said:

We may have a winner https://archiwum.allegro.pl/oferta/renault-12-dacia-1-43-ixo-i7294064173.html

I have one of those sat under the bush in my garden. 

[Split_Pin]

What's it doing there😅

[AnnoyingPentium]

Lovely jubbly. My parcel from @Split_Pin arrived today.

I really wanted the Merc mostly. I used to have one as a bairn and I remember getting a row off my Mum because I kept using the salt shaker to fill the wee opening boot.

The Clio is rather nice too, nicely detailed wee casting.

[Split_Pin]

That was quick! Glad you are happy with them. The Clio is by Universal Hobbies so quite a good make.

[Datsuncog]

14 hours ago, outlaw118 said:

I have absolutely no idea where they came from, there's some unreadable writing/pressing to plastic base, but the general jist is something along the lines of "this is not a toy, it'll kill you" type stuff.

Will continue digging, cheers.

TK Maxx were knocking these out for £4 a throw in the mid-2000s, apparently surplus stock from a French magazine partwork - could this be where you picked them up?

I think they'd bought a job lot of them very cheaply from China as toys, but then realised too late they couldn't actually sell them as toys because they weren't child safety approved - hence the dire warnings. (The same thing happened with Poundland and their partwork Soviet public service vehicle models.)

My local branch had a shelf full of them in their trinketry section, alongside the magnifying glasses and spinning globes and soapstone chess sets.

I picked up a fair few at the time, and later on they started showing up in charity shops - sometimes mint, sometimes bashed-up by kiddywinks.

The R12's great, top chod.

[Split_Pin]

I have ended up with a fair few of those partworks in my collection, they're brilliant for the money.  In fact the Renault 6 was the first ever purchase I made from ebay in December 2004.

[andy18s]

1 hour ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Lovely jubbly. My parcel from @Split_Pin arrived today.

I really wanted the Merc mostly. I used to have one as a bairn and I remember getting a row off my Mum because I kept using the salt shaker to fill the wee opening boot.

The Clio is rather nice too, nicely detailed wee casting.

I have a 1/18 Clio v6 stripped shell I acquired from somewhere...

No idea why the pics are sideways again

[sierraman]

3 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

What's it doing there😅

Not sure tbh, it was a bit broken and I couldn’t bring myself to chuck it in the bin so under the Bush it went...

[WillCarter]

21 hours ago, inconsistant said:

I hope this is the right thread for showing off my loft find. I found these Matchbox cars hidden in a box, all of which which I bought when I was probably about 10-12, so early 1980s?

I remember playing with some of these but quite a few must have been bought and squirrelled away judging by the condition, I tended to play with stuff to destruction!

'If' you should ever wish to part with these there's a couple there that I'd like to replace some of mine thar unfortunately didn't fare well living in the loft. I don't think there's ever been a more appealing packaging for any toy car than the Superfast boxes.

[MiniMinorMk3]

19 hours ago, outlaw118 said:

Still unpacking boxes, found these two Renno models, 1/43ish size, sealed in the boxes, but no manufacturers name on there. Any clues?

 

 

There made by/for Altaya, and as mentioned above, are usually part of a Magazine Series. They can be found without magazines through everyone favourite online auction.

[MiniMinorMk3]

As a bit of a change, I thought I'd post up some motorbikes from Polistil. These were made in the 1970 and 80s and are the smaller 1/24th versions. Polistil also did 1/15th scale bikes.

Ducati 750

Honda CB 750 Four

Kawasaki 750

Moto Guzzi V7 Sport

MV Augusta 750

Norton Commando 750

Suzuki GT 750 Kettle

 

[eddyramrod]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

Not sure tbh, it was a bit broken and I couldn’t bring myself to chuck it in the bin so under the Bush it went...

Says a man who knows perfectly well that he's part of a community of recyclists who would take that wreckage and make something of it!  (If only a source of spares, lol)

[bunglebus]

Back in August I  bought this Lone Star Fiat 2300 S thinking I could probably make it nice again. It was once a minty green colour

I've not had a lot of time to work on it, and had a few setbacks with paint reacting etc. I had to order a can of paint off eBay in the end as I couldn't find anything near the original colour. It's actually a graffiti spray but it went on really well with a very controllable spray pattern. I couldn't resist over-restoring it a bit as originally it just had the bumpers and grille sprayed silver

I even somehow saved and re-used the original jewel headlights. I wasn't brave enough to try painting the side trim in though.

Shame it gets dark early now, would look better in the sunlight

Here's an original, as always Lone Star did lots of different colour plastic bits

I think these Lone Stars are amazing, opening everything and beautiful detail. This one even has working steering

 

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, eddyramrod said:

Says a man who knows perfectly well that he's part of a community of recyclists who would take that wreckage and make something of it!  (If only a source of spares, lol)

 

[Datsuncog]

Lunchtime Laptop tat today (well, late lunch) - the October release from the Corgi Model Club range: the #480 Chevrolet Impala Taxi Cab (Version 2).

It's nice and glossy.

And shiny.

With a driver!

And a whippy aerial.

It's maybe a little stumpy around the front end - and there's quite a rake to the windscreen, but it is really nice.

As ever, having the replica box with artwork is one of the main draws of the collection for me.

Annoyingly, this one arrived  slightly torn along one fold.

Ah well.

Plus it comes with the usual mostly-accurate Collector's Card.

So yes - Corgi first modelled the '59 Impala when it was pretty new, releasing it in State Patrol police livery in December 1959, with a civilian version following in January 1960, a taxi version six months later, and a fire chief version in January 1963. The body shell was mask-sprayed to add silver paint to detail the front grille, lights and bumper.

Unusually, Corgi modelled the 4-dr Hardtop variant of the Impala, marketed as the Sport Sedan, rather than the standard 4-dr sedan. The main visual difference was that large wraparound rear windscreen - which would have been an unlikely choice for the majority of taxi or police fleet buyers, who would have surely baulked at authorising the extra cost of a Sport Sedan over a standard sedan.

4-dr Sedan:

4-dr Sport Sedan:

A steady seller - 760k civvie versions, 523k cabs, 425k fire chief cars and a whopping 1 million police versions were sold over 5 years - for 1965 Corgi decided to remake their '59 Impala with a horizontally split bodyshell, allowing a chromed plastic insert to be added that carried the front grille and lights, a broad chrome side strip and rear bumper and lights.

As stated on the card, this made the production process rather easier, as the upper and lower parts could now be painted different colours with less need for masking.

It also meant that different upper shells could be fitted to the same base casting - such as the #486 Chevrolet Kennel Service Wagon, in 1967.

Even though it was by now a fairly dated-looking model, the taxi remained in the catalogue for a further two years, selling 167k units in its revamped form.

Although the police version went on to sell around 600k units until it was withdrawn in 1969, it's maybe incorrect to say the taxi's "something of a rarity" - maybe a bit less common by comparison, but still a fairly big seller - especially in the US export market.

I picked up a totally trashed example of the taxi way back in the early 1990s, with a view to restoring it - obviously that never happened...

So it's a very attractive-looking toy - but with future club models due to be billed at 20% more due to 'rising costs', I'm not sure how much longer I can reasonably continue with the collection...

[bunglebus]

8 hours ago, sierraman said:

I have one of those sat under the bush in my garden. 

 

8 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

What's it doing there😅

I have a Bburago Porsche 356 sat on top of my outhouse so I can watch it slowly deteriorate. It was missing parts when it got it anyway