Shite in Miniature II

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Yeah. I'd say he's very much one of us.

And he didn't even ask why you keep taking photos of his trainers?!

[danthecapriman]

3 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Sierra is lovely. Cortina looks in good shape too

They are both very good. Cortina’s stripes are slightly worn at the edges but nothing that detracts. 
That Sierra is really nice, I love the graphics on it. I didn’t actually realise they made that Sierra in UK, I thought they were all foreign made. That one must be quite an early version of it?

[AnnoyingPentium]

As promised, I put stuff up for sale. See below.

 

En français, bonne chance or something like that. Higher French has failed me

[danthecapriman]

4 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

Looks like a good candidate for a replica of the rare green cab/yellow body version.

That is a very good idea actually! Definitely the way to go I think.

[flat4alfa]

8 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

Looks like a good candidate for a replica of the rare green cab/yellow body version.

Had to look that up.  One sold on eBay in 2013 to an anonymous bidder for $8,499

Well that's just silly

This real thing was up for only $1600 at the time

[flat4alfa]

Yellow Mercury Commuter

Quote

Estimated Value: $3,700

[sierraman]

Green Weasel as well that’s not common. 

[danthecapriman]

4 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Green Weasel as well that’s not common. 

Aren’t they all green?

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Yeah. I'd say he's very much one of us.

I used to have much the same feelings, experiences, prejudices when I first went to auctions 20 years ago. It was back in the early interweb days were auction houses might put up a text only lot list, and to bid you had to actually go and sit it the room. After a quick scan of posted lot list, and with potential lot numbers written on a scrap of paper, it would be off to see what was on offer. The excitement when you discover something in a box that you know has potential is (was) an adrenalin rush. Hoping that no one else has noticed was sheer fantasy.

Once at the venue I'd register to bid and get a catalogue. During viewing I would eye up certain people to see who my potential competition was from who was looking at what I wanted. I'd also make little notes of my bid limits on each lot that I wanted, keeping it concealed as much as possible. I didn't want the competition to know. 

After a while I was more relaxed as I'd had conversations with people enjoying a smoke outside. Turned out most were doing what I was doing and riding the first wave of Ebay selling. I got to know the guy behind Rockertron when I dabbled in boxed Superfast. I've also had many a bidding battle with the guys from RM Toys. It is difficult to go up against people with big budgets, but having a bidding strategy can work out. 

I also met a few very well off collectors who'd thing nothing of dropping a couple of grand on some rare Matchbox or corgi because the box was rare of the colour or it was a special promotional model.

These days with internet bidding you have no idea who is that other potential buyer, and with all auction houses posting up decent pictures, you know what on offer. To get the old thrill it's better going to general auctions, adn also they are the best place to pick up some absolute bargains. It's probably were all the stall holders at your market get their stock. 

In the end we are all just kids having fun and not wanting to give up our first passion.

 

PS After going banger racing I took a hammer to a lot of my Corgis to try and replicate the after race look, and once I set fire to a Matchbox Fiat 1500 with the aid of some petrol out of the lawn mower. That when I discovered that mazak cracked when heated. When I got to my teenage years what I had left was passed on to my 9 year younger brother and I started building Monogram, AMT and Revel 1/25th kits.

[sierraman]

15 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Aren’t they all green?

Metallic or Military green, the one you have is the military green one. The hardest to find is the 90’s issue or Olive Drab. 

[sierraman]

12 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

I used to have much the same feelings, experiences, prejudices when I first went to auctions 20 years ago. It was back in the early interweb days were auction houses might put up a text only lot list, and to bid you had to actually go and sit it the room. After a quick scan of posted lot list, and with potential lot numbers written on a scrap of paper, it would be off to see what was on offer. The excitement when you discover something in a box that you know has potential is (was) an adrenalin rush. Hoping that no one else has noticed was sheer fantasy.

Once at the venue I'd register to bid and get a catalogue. During viewing I would eye up certain people to see who my potential competition was from who was looking at what I wanted. I'd also make little notes of my bid limits on each lot that I wanted, keeping it concealed as much as possible. I didn't want the competition to know. 

After a while I was more relaxed as I'd had conversations with people enjoying a smoke outside. Turned out most were doing what I was doing and riding the first wave of Ebay selling. I got to know the guy behind Rockertron when I dabbled in boxed Superfast. I've also had many a bidding battle with the guys from RM Toys. It is difficult to go up against people with big budgets, but having a bidding strategy can work out. 

I also met a few very well off collectors who'd thing nothing of dropping a couple of grand on some rare Matchbox or corgi because the box was rare of the colour or it was a special promotional model.

These days with internet bidding you have no idea who is that other potential buyer, and with all auction houses posting up decent pictures, you know what on offer. To get the old thrill it's better going to general auctions, adn also they are the best place to pick up some absolute bargains. It's probably were all the stall holders at your market get their stock. 

In the end we are all just kids having fun and not wanting to give up our first passion.

 

PS After going banger racing I took a hammer to a lot of my Corgis to try and replicate the after race look, and once I set fire to a Matchbox Fiat 1500 with the aid of some petrol out of the lawn mower. That when I discovered that mazak cracked when heated. When I got to my teenage years what I had left was passed on to my 9 year younger brother and I started building Monogram, AMT and Revel 1/25th kits.

When you go through that phase of discovering fire... me and my mate tried setting fire to a Corgi 1/36 190E. Unsurprisingly our efforts to fire it with a gas hob lighter came to nothing until we could find some lighter fluid. Then when it did catch fire we panicked and kicked it in the stream where I presume it still is. 

Im not going and looking for it now though as that is fucking weird. 

[Datsuncog]

So then, retracing my steps a little...

The way things are, I'm getting in kinda early and things don't tend to be set up.

Which means that, on arrival, the stall looked a bit like this...

Mmm.

More and more stuff then got thrown out onto the stall top, and I did my best to group it and tidy it up a bit for photos - until it looked like this:

MoYs and EFEs on the table, plus a stray Days Gone - brief glance but NO.

1980s Corgi Classics and early 1990s Matchbox Collectibles of slightly more interest; also Oxford stuff and a smattering of plastic HO gauge stuff.

Two 'Great Beers of the World' commercials and a showman's traction engine were the sum total of the Matchbox.

Cheapo-looking remote control truck with multiple trailers kinda looks like fun, though.

Mobil Corgis were good, though I've previously owned these and sold them on before...

Hang on, these might be mine, actually!

Big Joal Wallace Arnold Volvo coach was £20.

Repro Atlas Dinkys were, once again, £10 each.

I already have the Honda; it's just lovely.

Lone Star Routemaster tooling clearly dug out to capitalise on the 1981 Royal Wedding...

And I don't know what's going on here, but it seems to be quite wrong.

Great big no-name plastic Duple was more in focus in real life.

PN? NP?

Maybe someone knows this maker's monogram?

Another big bus of no clear parentage, this time a boxed Greyhound with friction drive.

'Made in Hong Kong' the only clue we're getting.

Unfortunately, my phone started going screwy around this time, and a number of pics were taken but saved themselves as blank, for reasons unclear...

So I'll try and see what I can salvage here...

[MiniMinorMk3]

35 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Had to look that up.  One sold on eBay in 2013 to an anonymous bidder for $8,499

Well that's just silly

This real thing was up for only $1600 at the time

 

Here's the last 3 Vectis have had. It depends on condition and history.

2021 Quite cheap with play wear and retouching and a glued on jib. 

2020

Very light play wear and minor retouching

2021

Originally owned by Ed Fosdick, who was Chief Engineer of Design and Safety at Chrysler.

[sierraman]

Just now, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Here's the last 3 Vectis have had. It depends on condition and history.

2021 Quite cheap with play wear and retouching and a glued on jib. 

2020

Very light play wear and minor retouching

2021

Originally owned by Ed Fosdick, who was Chief Engineer of Design and Safety at Chrysler.

Provenance is everything with something like that. Given it’s worth thousands it’s worth going to some trouble to fake. 

[danthecapriman]

20 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Here's the last 3 Vectis have had. It depends on condition and history.

2021 Quite cheap with play wear and retouching and a glued on jib. 

2020

Very light play wear and minor retouching

2021

Originally owned by Ed Fosdick, who was Chief Engineer of Design and Safety at Chrysler.

Jesus Christ!! All that money! Who can afford to spend money like that on one tiny old toy truck! 
Best of luck to them and all, but I think I’ll remain content painting my own.

[Datsuncog]

Some more stuff started appearing up top, too:

Alongside the Superkings London buses, some tinplate items.

This was nice; no maker shown though.

Two more big 1/18 Corgi F1 cars - another McLaren and the JPS Lotus:

The Nemesis took the JPS - as it had one red McLaren wheel, and he needed one for the minty, yet tri-wheeled, McLaren he picked up a fortnight ago.

Two Dinky repaints also surfaced; fairly strong money at £20 each for this Foden Chain Truck and Leyland Octopus.

Nemesis took the Leyland, even though the rear load bed was loose.

(I'm probably have to stop calling him that now, aren't I?)

Boxed/ blister pack buses were interesting too.

Despite being mint and boxed 70s Matchbox, these don't really grab me - I can't find it in me to get all that excited about variations on the MB17 Londoner bus.

Some of the card artwork is nice, though.

Mandarin and Tins Toys are makers previously unknown to me, so that was kinda interesting.

Also unusual (though not terribly appealing) was this...

I've never heard of Hartoy, or their "Fantastic Set 'O' Wheels" range, but...

The small print on the back seems to indicate that these are repacked Lledo Days Gone, brought over to the US by a Florida distributor.

Even though the packaging uses the UK spelling of the word 'favourite'.

Great, more names to hate on.

Corgis were really nice, but I decided not to go for them today - two Mercedes School Buses and a TR7.

From 1973, apparently.

Fifty years old.

Crumbs.

On to the last lap...

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

Aren’t they all green?

There's green, and there's green

[bunglebus]

Found these on Wiki too

[Datsuncog]

The main event - the old stuff.

(Rubbish panoramic effort)

The knackered Dinky Rolls Royce Phantom V would probably make a good restoration, with some new brightwork.

Corgi Standard Vanguard MkIII was a repaint; Dinky Singer Gazelle seemed to have had a mishap with some red ink.

French Dinky 'Cibie' truck was part of you-know-who's haul.

My detailed pics of this one don't seem to have come out.

Budgie Leyland Octopus coal lorry next to it was clean.

Dinky Herald playworn but original.

Dinky Transit had some resto parts fitted:

Not the best rendering, these.

Also bagged by M' Learnéd Friend.

Dinky Cadillac was good, though.

Closer inspection indicates the roof has been repainted, though.

Corgi Bedford TK giraffe truck was very tidy; even had its mirrors attached, though no livestock within.

Part of Former-Nemesis' box also.

Some of these 1930s/40s Dinkys were quite presentable...

Not quite my thing, but appealing nonetheless.

F-N took a fair few of these too.

Impy MkX was a little chipped, but better than many.

Also making its way back to Chez Nemesis.

Ditto this Dinky Mercedes with the working lights...

(But no battery cover)

And this was definitely the star of the show - the Dinky Supertoys Corgi Major Commer DECCA Radar Unit.

He seemed genuinely thrilled with this. Good luck to him.

Dinky Vanguard I has come home with me, pending onward transmission to Caledonia - while the Minx Series VIII was quite appealing too. Corgi Thunderbird a bit bashed, sadly.

Dinky Range Rover with swapped wheels was a bit rough.

Dinky Humber Hawk in an aftermarket box was perhaps a bit overpriced at £20.

The Lone Star RM behind was also £20.

 

These RMs were all repaints - Glasgow & Kelvin were Seepol items; the London Transport in the middle is Dinky, though considerably adapted with better wheels, transfers and paint detail.

This Lesney Fleetliner was also very nicely detailed, with tiny rubber-shod wheels added - possibly by the same hand:

Sadly, the paint's got chipped.

Mercedes box van is by Wiking.

Phew! Is that it?

I think that's it.

Well, for this stall, anyway...

[flat4alfa]

[Split_Pin]

Ah you got the Dinky Vanguard, fantastic, thanks! I did ponder over the Series Minx but I owned an identical model in the 1990s which I sold on because I think its just a touch too crude on the rendering aide. The Vanguard is much nicer in my opinion.

[Datsuncog]

Actually, that was pretty much it.

There was nothing at all of interest on the Charity Stall, while the Irish Gifts stall promised another Hundred Hot Wheels - but not til later.

Apparently another few Vanguards are due for next week, too.

I'd not noticed this before - interesting, though pricey.

I spent quite a long time waiting for Alan to set up his Emporium, mindful of his promise from last week about new cars...

But there weren't, it was mostly just rubbishy no-name stuff.

Maybe this was them?

Yeah. No.

So, running late, I had to skedaddle at this point... But we're not done just yet!

[flat4alfa]

51 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

I hope you bought that Crescent Toys 1284 Mercedes Benz 2.5 Litre 

[Datsuncog]

So I nabbed this MB38 Ford camper.

I had a so-so one of these before, with a damaged wheel - but this is very clean.

Annoyingly, the blister card has been opened without very much care.

And one side's noticeably darker and more yellowy than the other, possibly from UV light effects - maybe left in a shop window for a prolonged period of time?

But it's very, very clean otherwise.

£5 paid - I kinda like this one, though I don't love it.

If anyone fancies saving me from myself, it's available...

[bunglebus]

5 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

So I nabbed this MB38 Ford camper.

If anyone fancies saving me from myself, it's available...

Yeah me!

[flat4alfa]

24 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

And this was definitely the star of the show - the Dinky Supertoys Commer DECCA Radar Unit.

He seemed genuinely thrilled with this. Good luck to him.

It's a Corgi Major

Decca Mobile Airfield Radar was on the box, just Karrier Gamecock underneath

The sole Corgi Commer/Karrier I have missing here!  Because they go for too much even as wrecks.

[bunglebus]

While you lovingly fondle your camper, I'll admire a redline Deora I snapped up for well below market price

Which doesn't excite me as much as this - I don't think this colour scheme Celica Supra was released in the UK

[flat4alfa]

38 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Dinky Cadillac was good, though.

Closer inspection indicates the roof has been repainted, though.

Yeah me!

@Datsuncog

[Datsuncog]

I also bought this.

I'm a bit of a sucker for these French Dinky repros. And I do like both Simcas and estate cars.

Opening doors!

Opening tailgate!

Sliding rear window in the tailgate!

Fancy.

It's a little shonky, but a nice touch.

Quite a detailed underneath too.

And details of the fancy bits.

Many fancy bits.

Table de camping?

Well I never.

It folds up!

Unbelievably tiny and fragile, it's hard to believe this lasting for more than two minutes in the hands of the average eight year old.

Wow.

A keeper, for now anyway!

[Datsuncog]

Yes - the Dinky Cadillac was bagged also.

Great detail, front and back.

Some paint underneath too - might clean off.

And presumably 'MT' is the initials of a previous owner?