Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

3 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Food truck complete with server figure is surely the spiritual successor to the old Lesney Commer Canteen van.

A copy of the Hot Wheels Good Humor Truck/Ice Cream Truck/Quick Bite (and many other names)

I have a copy myself somewhere 

[Datsuncog]

2 hours ago, andy18s said:

Did you grab the Frontera and Pajero by any chance?

I didn't, this time round... I've picked up one of those Pajeros speculatively before (think it went to @tom13), but I can take a look next time if you fancy them?

[Tenmil Socket]

@Datsuncog you need to make some rear window louvres for that Capri !

[Datsuncog]

Ooh, now there's an idea...

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Christine said:

Bunglebus Uncle  was shagging Valerie at the BBC ,and she pinched loads  to pass on to his nephew  ,  Master Bungle , that's how he's got so many....

If you'd said my dad I might have believed you.

I did get a few hand-me-downs from my uncle's son (i.e. my cousin), the one that sticks in my mind is the Matchbox Volks-Dragon.

Other than that it was jumble sales and the occasional visit to the Pied Piper toy shop in Shenfield to buy a Matchbox. 

A bit later I was to be found perusing the no-name pull-backs and RC cars (Monster Beetle/Vanessa's Lunchbox always got a good look) in Arnold's in Brentwood, or sifting through Hot Wheels blackwalls at the little toy shop at the other end of the High Street.

Current ones all bought and paid for honestly! 

Anyway that Blue Peter business happened the year my parents got married, my die wasn't cast for another eight years 

[Tenmil Socket]

5 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Ooh, now there's an idea...

Might as well add a sunstrip to the windscreen whilst you're at it...

[Datsuncog]

23 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

If you're going there and dont mind Tim, but don't go out of your way. There are quite a few in that case that I'm after like the Porsche, Civic, Escort and Merc. My local Morrisons will probably get them in in about 6 months...

Heh, I did call in last night... but the Audi had already been nabbed, sadly.

In fact, a fair few were gone in less than 36 hours... clearly there's a bit of pent-up demand!

I do have a spare EF Civic, and a Custom Civic though, if either of them are any good to you?

Both from B&M, so relatively good value at £1.79 each...

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Apparently a 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery - but who made it?

Motor Max

https://www.hobbytalk.com/threads/motormax-model-list.588751/

[Dick Longbridge]

19 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Heh, I did call in last night... but the Audi had already been nabbed, sadly.

In fact, a fair few were gone in less than 36 hours... clearly there's a bit of pent-up demand!

I do have a spare EF Civic, and a Custom Civic though, if either of them are any good to you?

Both from B&M, so relatively good value at £1.79 each...

If OP doesn't want the 73 Civic, I'll take it 👌

[bunglebus]

48 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I have a copy myself somewhere 

Here we go, Realtoy apparently

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 30/03/2023 at 17:00, Isopon said:

Just had this arrive- 99 pence eBay purchase. Typically, the seller also had an Xj-s going for the same amount, but I was sniped by 5 pence. Anyway, I'm happy with it.

Looks good in blue and pairs well with the beige version

you need the darker blue one now!

[Noel Tidybeard]

i'll call dibs on the blue "Oliver" if cog doesn't gel 🙋‍♂️

[andrew e]

Jim Beam decanter anyone? Yours for £98! I reckon it was 1/12 bloody huge.

[155V6]

A trip to Sainsbury's for beers saw three blue boxes on the toy shelf instead of two.The newest one had been slightly picked through,but I found these 😁

One of the Escorts has too much print on the front wheel,so will be a good excuse for a wheel swap

[sierraman]

Matchbox seem to be doing some brilliant US spec Japanese street furniture at the moment 

[Isopon]

1 hour ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

you need the darker blue one now!

And the yellow one!

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, andrew e said:

Jim Beam decanter anyone? Yours for £98! I reckon it was 1/12 bloody huge.

Was there any Jim Beam in it?

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, 155V6 said:

One of the Escorts has too much print on the front wheel,so will be a good excuse for a wheel swap

Error car! I'd keep that one. 

As usual the Escort is in demand, as is that black Merc it seems, every one seems to be gone instantly 

[FakeConcern]

I had a bit of a play about with The Ford H with Carrimore Transporter & Scammell Handyman with Carrimore Tri Deck Transporter.

 

I have been trying to complete my original Gift Set 48 with the correct cars that I had with mine. I’m not sure which Rally Mini I had as I had lots of different versions, none of which I still have so I’ve got one with the signature roof and a Sun Rally one now either of which could have been part of the set. I’ve finally put some new tyres on the Cortina Estate, got a repro horn for the cab (I need to dull it down a bit) and cleaned all of them up properly. After I’d sent off my Steve Flowers order I realised I also need the chevrons for the load ramp so that’s on the list for the next order.

Here it is with my original cataloque.

Next I got the Scammell for a quick comparison, The Scammell plus Tri Deck is noticeably longer and higher overall than the Ford.

The Scammell Tractor unit is a fair bit shorter than the Ford, which is huge and superbly detailed with ladders, mirrors and horns while the Scammell has dual jewel headlights and a spare wheel and the drivetrain all realistically replicated as well as wheels just as detailed as those on the Ford.

The Fords party piece is the flip up cab revealing the engine, as a kid I was fascinated by the detail including the rotating fan on the front of the engine! I’d totally forgotten about this feature until I cleaned it all up.

The exhaust stack on my Ford is broken off where the bracket to the cab is, I chose not to replace it as when the cab is turned, it catches on the transporter which is how it broke in the first place. Maybe with new suspension it would clear ok, but I can’t remember.

So playing with the Scammell, I can get nine Minis on it! Maybe with the load ramp (I don’t have one) the four on the top deck wouldn’t fit, I’ll find out when I get a repro one.

I tried various combinations of Corgi cars and the clearance is very tight, the Renault 16 wont fit on either lower deck as too tall. The Mercedes 350SL just scrapes the roof and the track of the front wheels is slightly too wide to fit in the track. The Cortina Mk3 fits in all positions as do the 911, Mini Marcos, Lamborghini, MGB and C111.

 

I also tried some newer Minis and the track on those is too wide as well.

Overall they are both fabulous models, I loved my Ford one when I was a kid and still do now. I would have preferred the Scammell tractor unit as it was something I saw on the streets of Kent when growing up and was a bit confused when I discovered the Ford was American.

My Ford and Carrimore have worn well despite some heavy play and outlasted most of the cars as I only still have the Rover, Cortina and one (repainted) Mini left. It has some damage, the aforementioned exhaust and the horn, funnily enough until very recently the horn was just bent down. Then I found it had broken off and in the bottom of the box, but cleverly left it on top of the model and when I came to glue it on, it was lost! The tractor unit has been partially “detailed” in matt black Humbrol by a young me and both it and the trailer have chips and scratches in the paint, but still very presentable.

 

I’m very pleased with my purchase of the Scammell Tri Deck, as a kid I’d have loved it even more than the Ford I think. My example is in very good condition, just a few paint chips and the wheel chocks missing. One problem is that the little feet that come down when the tractor is removed won’t stay in the raised position, not sure why not.

TLDR; I have my original Ford H with Transporter and six cars

I've bought a Scammell with Tri DeckTransporter

They're both great!

[AnthonyG]

I do like those Atlas French Dinkys, and have been eyeing up Peugeots and Simcas on EBay. 
OK, they’re repros, but mostly very nicely done, and at £10-15 a fraction of the cost of an original.

[barrett]

aye up lads. Just thinking about this page in 'the book'

and I reckon every one of those Spanish Dinkys turned into Pilens later on. Need to double-check my lists but I think that's right. Now, I know I'm only supposed to be collecting the Pilens that weren't based on other company's castings, but...

Difficult to resist this one, particularly taking into account the psychological scarring 'the book' left me with

Although the period of cars might not be my favourite, I do think toys really came into their own when real cars had big plastic bumpers which could be easily moulded in 1/43'rd scale like this. Interestingly* the bumpers here are separate bits, not part of the base as with the Solido R14

I don't think  I've ever even seen a Spanish Dinky irl so no idea how much of the base was changed, but I can extrapolate there was probably a big 'DINKY TOYS' logo on the bottom there

I think these are my only three ex-Dinkys, but I'll probably pick up a few more as the Pilens seem to be worth a fraction of the originals despite being indistinguishable, and built in the same factory by the same people at (almost) the same time.

[AndyW201]

5 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Heh, I did call in last night... but the Audi had already been nabbed, sadly.

In fact, a fair few were gone in less than 36 hours... clearly there's a bit of pent-up demand!

I do have a spare EF Civic, and a Custom Civic though, if either of them are any good to you?

Both from B&M, so relatively good value at £1.79 each.

Oo yes, can you add the custom Civic to the Tat box please Tim.  Cheers!

[FakeConcern]

5 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

I couldn't help myself.

I was thinking about this one all the while I was tappy-tapping on my phone and swigging coffee. And when I went back over to the stall, well, it was still there.

A sign, surely.

And still sealed.

But not for long.

This is, of course, one of the Atlas reissues of Dinky France products from the 1960s - the #540 Opel Kadett A.

Not an original.

Not for a tenner, anyway.

Oh-so-bright blue, and the shape certainly giving off strong vibes of its contemporaneous half-sibling, the Viva HA.

It's a nice model, with suspension, steering and other luxuries that came late to the Dinky brand, like glazing and a plastic interior.

Towing slot on the base too - though dunno what this might be found towing in real life.

More unusually, this one has windows that raise and lower - a feature a couple of French Dinkys boast, including the Panhard 24.

Is it nice?

Oh yes.

But somehow I don't vibe with it quite as much as the recent Corgi repros.

Guess I'm just a Corgi fanboi at heart...

Still, a nice little something to have at the end of a sometimes tumultuous week.

Happy Friday, kids.

Funnily enough I've been working on restoring a few models including a Dinky Viva HA. I stripped the paint off all the Corgis fairly easily, the Dinky Mk1 Escort was a bit more stubborn, but the Viva has been sat in the tub of paint stripper since last Saturday and the metallic blue still won't scrape off! The Escort was a similar metallic blue btw. Not sure what colour I'll be painting it when I do strip it, but want to use what I have already.

It is a nice model  with opening boot and bonnet, but like you I prefer Corgi and I think they somehow capture the look of the real thing better than Dinky. Dinky usually have more opening parts, but often look wrong.

27 minutes ago, AnthonyG said:

I do like those Atlas French Dinkys, and have been eyeing up Peugeots and Simcas on EBay. 
OK, they’re repros, but mostly very nicely done, and at £10-15 a fraction of the cost of an original.

I have one new Corgi Club Mini and it is exactly right so I think these re manufactured/repros/whatever are a great idea.

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, barrett said:

aye up lads. Just thinking about this page in 'the book'

and I reckon every one of those Spanish Dinkys turned into Pilens later on. Need to double-check my lists but I think that's right. Now, I know I'm only supposed to be collecting the Pilens that weren't based on other company's castings, but...

Difficult to resist this one, particularly taking into account the psychological scarring 'the book' left me with

Although the period of cars might not be my favourite, I do think toys really came into their own when real cars had big plastic bumpers which could be easily moulded in 1/43'rd scale like this. Interestingly* the bumpers here are separate bits, not part of the base as with the Solido R14

I don't think  I've ever even seen a Spanish Dinky irl so no idea how much of the base was changed, but I can extrapolate there was probably a big 'DINKY TOYS' logo on the bottom there

I think these are my only three ex-Dinkys, but I'll probably pick up a few more as the Pilens seem to be worth a fraction of the originals despite being indistinguishable, and built in the same factory by the same people at (almost) the same time.

'That' book has a lot to answer for. I got mine in 1991 and I still haven't owned even a fraction of the models on display. I knew nothing of French or Spanish Dinky toys until I was given my copy. I only managed one real example, the Citroen 3CV in 1998 and the English version of the Citroen Dyane in 1995. Thankfully, Atlas has allowed me to collect a few more at a price I can afford.

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, FakeConcern said:

Funnily enough I've been working on restoring a few models including a Dinky Viva HA. I stripped the paint off all the Corgis fairly easily, the Dinky Mk1 Escort was a bit more stubborn, but the Viva has been sat in the tub of paint stripper since last Saturday and the metallic blue still won't scrape off! The Escort was a similar metallic blue btw. Not sure what colour I'll be painting it when I do strip it, but want to use what I have already.

It is a nice model  with opening boot and bonnet, but like you I prefer Corgi and I think they somehow capture the look of the real thing better than Dinky. Dinky usually have more opening parts, but often look wrong.

I have one new Corgi Club Mini and it is exactly right so I think these re manufactured/repros/whatever are a great idea.

For stripping paint I’ve got some of this stuff.

https://www.phoenix-paints.co.uk/products/paint-products/primers-and-solvents/solvents/125pq18

I use it sometimes on my model railway projects but it’s pretty strong stuff, and I actually stripped a load of engine enamel off part of a car engine with it too! I’m yet to try it on a diecast car but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work well.

Ive considered using brake fluid too, since I’ve got loads!

[andy18s]

15 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

I didn't, this time round... I've picked up one of those Pajeros speculatively before (think it went to @tom13), but I can take a look next time if you fancy them?

If you could that would be great but don't go making any special trips just for them.Same as the hot wheels bikes,if you happen to see them then cool otherwise it's not the most important thing.

Edit. I already have the Ducati Desert bike but anything else is fair game if sensibly priced.

As a distraction I managed to find these 2 to make up a set,10lev or £4.50 for the pair.

Also found a nice Welly Firebird in a different colour scheme,although at 8lev it almost broke the bank..

[danthecapriman]

Two parcels arrived today.

One from eBay, the other from @Datsuncog

Matchbox Capri & Ford coop, and the tiny little LoneStar Loco’s err, loco! For my matching track I found in a job lot. Cheers Tim, love them👍

And a Corgi Major Ford H wrecker off eBay.

 

This one’s a bit rough. Nobody else bid on it so it was a fairly cheap. The crane is completely missing but the cab & chassis is good, so I’ll remove the wrecker section and that leaves behind the pin for a tractor unit version (which you can see in the middle of the bed in the pics). I’ll probably leave it worn red & white to match the later Carrimore trailer I’ve already got. But I might try to get some replacement horns & mirrors. Should make a nice subtle alternative livery version for the Carrimore fleet here!

[andy18s]

[andrew e]

That’s excellent! What’s the price exchanged to pounds? Need any swaps!

[MiniMinorMk3]

15 hours ago, barrett said:

and I reckon every one of those Spanish Dinkys turned into Pilens later on. Need to double-check my lists but I think that's right. Now, I know I'm only supposed to be collecting the Pilens that weren't based on other company's castings, but...

 

 

that French Dinky/Pilen R14 looks far better than the Solido version. The casting is much crisper.