Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Crumbs - is that a Dinky VW Fastback between the Superkings Bandolero and Shovel Nose?

Indeed it is. Guy had a sheet on the floor with loads of cars but I could hear him quoting £2-3 each to other punters. 

Still, nothing ventured nothing gained, so I gathered up the 24ish cars I thought were worth getting and was quoted £20 the lot. Hell yes, I paid that just for the Fastback recently. 

This was about the third stall visited after arrival and I didn't buy much anywhere else, here or at the later boot sale. 

Let's have a look...

Starting with some elderly stuff I'll probably punt on, Dinky Aveling Barford Road roller

And Motocart

Plus another road sweeper in better nick than the last one found

Corgi Dodge in decent shape 

This one poses a dilemma - my restored silver Dinky Zodiac is still short one door card - do I pinch it from this?

Another Dinky, Lambo Marzal with bonkers opening bits. Missing the engine piece sadly

Here's the Fastback, it's pretty good but has the exact same faults as the first one I bought - O/S door top and one seat back missing

There were more I chose to leave behind due to missing parts - early Dinky Transit -1 rear door and worst of all a blue Dinky Opel Commodore because one door was broken (outer part, inner hinge was there)

BRB with some more...

[bunglebus]

Early King Size Merc ambulance with steering

And its smaller counterpart

Guy had these four, all near mint so had to be bought

Haven't bought one of these in ages, both with plastic tops but the car/bike from the back were AWOL

Really tidy Miura

Chuffed with this one, the outboard motor is always missing!

This Dinky Clubman came from elsewhere, think it's salvageable 

But this Corgi was in the £20 bundle 

As was this Lone Star Samba. So many opening parts, amazing for its size

And Matchbox equivalent 

Marx Mustang was the smallest car of the bunch

Pair of Miras were found elsewhere 

But this early Corgi fuel tanker was in the job lot

Along with an original 16 Hot Wheels Beatnik Bandit

Didn't notice this Dodge had a broken screen 

Merc builders truck is OK though

As is this early Lincoln Continental 

Lastly, I found this boxed Cadillac Allante elsewhere. Model looked good despite the state of the box

However the box was actually OK under the dirt and kid labels 

*edit* forgot the interesting stuff I didn't buy 

[bunglebus]

Some pics from the Matchbox Gathering just dropped on Facebook - some exciting prototypes here, check 'em out!

[AnnoyingPentium]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

Some pics from the Matchbox Gathering just dropped on Facebook - some exciting prototypes here, check 'em out!

I like the Mk3 Golf that's there.

[bunglebus]

I can see a Morris Minor Saloon and Volvo 240, 55 Ford wagon, Buick Riviera, GT40, Karmann Ghia and a Jap I really should know but just can't name! 1st pic, 2nd row up, furthest right

[Datsuncog]

Looks like a Mitsubishi Galant Coupe?

First one my eye was drawn to!!

[AndyW201]

^^^ Colt Celeste I remember them as. Much want for that one.

Looks like what I thought was a Mondeo saloon is actually a Mitsi Evo IV/V/VI- whatever. Oh well...

[sierraman]

Mitsubishi Celeste... mmm

[hennabm]

On 7/21/2022 at 1:45 PM, bunglebus said:

The hot weather has put me off doing my project cars for some reason, so thought something simple might get my mojo back a bit.

Had these two Hot Rockers for a while, one pretty clean but with a missing engine and one tatty but all complete. Found a spare engine but the tab that holds it under the interior was broken off

 

 

 

 

 

Oops forgot the wheels. Might go back later and give the base a polish too

 

That one could easily have been one of mine. I did buy one new, deliberately remove the engine and make a cardboard bonnet for it and paint the rear plate and lights!

I sold off all my matchbox and corgi rockets in 2000 to a dealer at an Ingliston model fair.

[MorrisItalSLX]

22 hours ago, bunglebus said:

A 756 wall phone!

[bunglebus]

A couple of minor arrivals, in the form of these Corgis

Getting them boxed was a pleasant surprise as the listing just showed the cars.

I picked this up locally last night, a version I'd been hunting for. I remember getting outbid on one at a charity auction at a car show years back

[sierraman]

Did anyone catch that program about Hot Wheels the other night? Basically it was all about how wank Matchbox was and how the Americans were the best at everything. 

[bunglebus]

Nope - any idea what channel it was on? Maybe they weren't aware Mattel bought Matchbox in 1997.

I sourced this Porsche via eBay, as much as anything because I was curious as to what make it was

It's quite well detailed, with "PORSCHE" "911" "Targa" and "2.7" markings plus a decent interior

The symbol on the base means it's a New Bright

Only mystery is what should have been on the roof, as all the others I can find on Google have open roofs or no holes where the mystery item(s) were fitted

[Remspoor]

40 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Did anyone catch that program about Hot Wheels the other night? Basically it was all about how wank Matchbox was and how the Americans were the best at everything. 

Yer I watched that months ago. The programme was sort of correct Matchbox could only respond to the challenge and in the end lost. I never liked those sort of wheels on toy cars be it Matchbox, Corgi, Dinky etc. I also do not like hotrod made up vehicles. I am just weird like that. So Matchbox, pre crap* wheels for me.

[sheffcortinacentre]

The Celeste will probably be a Chrysler/Plymouth/dodge I think it was sold as the charger in America.

[Split_Pin]

11 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Nope - any idea what channel it was on? Maybe they weren't aware Mattel bought Matchbox in 1997.

I sourced this Porsche via eBay, as much as anything because I was curious as to what make it was

It's quite well detailed, with "PORSCHE" "911" "Targa" and "2.7" markings plus a decent interior

The symbol on the base means it's a New Bright

Only mystery is what should have been on the roof, as all the others I can find on Google have open roofs or no holes where the mystery item(s) were fitted

I've got that, or the remains of it from my childhood. It should have a roof rack with fuel cans and a spare tyre. I loved that toy!

[Cookiesouwest]

On holibobs and while being dragged round shops in Taunton yesterday, I wandered into the Entertainer and picked up these.

Always wanted to know what the fuss was all about.

3 for £3.80.

So I can see what the fuss is about from a financial perspective. Much less ruinous than my bus model addiction.

For the price the quality looks good too.

But, its a series of 250 models. Plus variations etc.

Given I can't help myself and always need to collect full sets, I think I'm going to have to really resist getting hooked.

[bunglebus]

14 minutes ago, Cookiesouwest said:

Given I can't help myself and always need to collect full sets, I think I'm going to have to really resist getting hooked.

It's a slippery slope but just buy what you like. There are many ways to get a "complete" set, and I can be equally fun and frustrating trying to do so.

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, Cookiesouwest said:

On holibobs and while being dragged round shops in Taunton yesterday, I wandered into the Entertainer and picked up these.

Always wanted to know what the fuss was all about.

3 for £3.80.

So I can see what the fuss is about from a financial perspective. Much less ruinous than my bus model addiction.

For the price the quality looks good too.

But, its a series of 250 models. Plus variations etc.

Given I can't help myself and always need to collect full sets, I think I'm going to have to really resist getting hooked.

I just go for the interesting  castings, unfortunately they are always the ones that everyone else wants too!

I'm more about the thrill of the chase. Once I've found it, I don't usually open it and instead add it to my big box in the loft and forget all about it. I'll make an exception if it's a really nice casting such as the Opel Kadett C or Honda Civic Jordan.

[Cookiesouwest]

I think I will have to follow @bunglebus and @Split_Pin advice.

Only buy what you like.

And on that note, I bought these from a junk shop / antique place in Minehead.

Seen them before. Think they were 8 quid each. Mentioned them on this thread.

Reduced to 4 quid, so pulled the trigger. Russian and I just like them. 

 

[bunglebus]

Don't think I can get a set of decals of the Nitty Gritty Kitty, so for now I've splashed out 50p on a sticker sheet from Poundland 

And cut out some strips

[Split_Pin]

The paint is lovely but the sticker strips don't appear to have stuck down on the roof properly.

I find that address labels cut up with a sharp knife are really good, if you don't mind a matt  finish.

[Datsuncog]

Triple header today - cos I went into Poundstretcher this morning...

Yep, I'm finding myself rebuying some of the same models I got shot of during the rather distressing fire-sale that preceded the housemove earlier this year.

You'll have seen all these before as they're now fairly hoary old 2019 releases, but they're still nice wee things.

The last time I got something with a Matchbox logo in a plastic bag like this, it was a soap.

The little '76 Honda Civic is just glorious, in its proportions and detailing. A true joy of a toy. I shouldn't have let it go, but luckily I can buy it all over again...

The big '59 Dodge police cruiser is also a belter, nicely chunky and with a good effort at detailing.

The lower tampo print doesn't quite fill in below the swage line - something the Kadett C coupe also suffered from - but overall it's still ace.

This one had a similar paint flaw to the Kadett I sent to @warch - but thankfully it just rubbed off with some light thumbnail pressure.

There's also something on the rear parcel shelf that might be a pair of binoculars - it's kinda hard to tell.

The '95 Nissan Hardbody (love how Nissan singularly fails to inform us whether the chassis enjoys a similar status) is a nicely rendered big thing too, with chains and spare wheels in the load bed plus a slightly-lifted sunroof (I think the old 1990s Ford Bronco had this too).

This one was literally stuck to its inner bag for some reason - indeed, all three showed some sign of adhesion, whether intentional or not - and some plastic remained on the bonnet after unwrapping.

A bit of rubbing has taken the worst off; I'll try some WD40 later to see if I can unstick the last of it.

The one I bought last year was a sort of metallic greeny-blue, and I think it looked a bit better than the red, but that's okay.

I massively prefer boxes to blister packs, which is kinda why these particular versions appealed to me. Quite what their provenance is prior to Poundstretcher getting hold of them is anyone's guess...

So they're made in Thailand (whereas Hot Wheels are still made in Malaysia), and while the front of the box prominently displays the name of the Canadian importer, there's also a wraparound sticker in Chinese symbols giving a Shanghai importer's name as well.

Then there's also an EU importer address in Amsterdam.

Of course, it could just be that all boxes have all possible importer details just to cover all bases, but I'm not sure how this squares with Tesco's supposed exclusivity to Matchbox Toys in the UK.

Maybe that's all over, since The Entertainer were stocking the Opening Features line over a year ago? Maybe it's just current mainstreams Tesco gets first dibs on?

Well, anyway - I'm quietly pleased. Until something goes wrong and I get shot of them all for buttons again, anyway... 

[bunglebus]

I bought a Darda

It's effectively new as it was made for a trade show but didn't get given away

It wasn't the only one...

[Split_Pin]

Sorry for the sideways picture, I finally found the Toyota Van in Tescos tonight.

They've hiked the price up 50p to £2 though. Bastards.

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

Sorry for the sideways picture, I finally found the Toyota Van in Tescos tonight.

They've hiked the price up 50p to £2 though. Bastards.

Cost of living, the Russia Ukraine conflict and Brexit. I don’t know if that is the reason but it’s applied to everything else to justify price rises. 🤣

[bunglebus]

Matchbox are £1.50 now as I mentioned a while back. New stock is rolling in though, saw more Opels earlier when I was out and about

[Cookiesouwest]

So after dipping my toe in Hotwheels, I thought I should find some matchbox, as that's what I always bought as a kid.

Bought these two. As others have said, £1.50 in Tesco. 

Quite like them.

From a very small sample of shops, Matchbox seem harder to find than Hot Wheels.

 

[bunglebus]

Tescos only for mainline Matchbox although Entertainer have some 5 packs, Moving Parts and oddments like Jurassic Park themed stuff. For some reason boxed ones are turning up in Poundstretcher too ATM

[sierraman]

I was always a Matchbox fan boi. Had loads of them as a kid, it sort of is a throw back to the Saturdays as a kid going shopping with my mum and getting one from the newsagents. The larger stuff like the Superkings were birthday money or as a treat, recall being in hospital as a kid and as a reward for being brave getting the big ERF fire engine. Hot wheels I can’t ever recall actually choosing but had bought for me perhaps by a relative. I quite like the late 70’s early 80’s ones, the Cadillac Seville was a highlight. 

Back then obviously Majorette was easily available, if I’m correct they were stocked by Morrisons in those hangers on the aisles presumably attempted to placate bored kids. Liked these as they were regular cars you saw in the street, Sierras, Alfa 75’s, 405s etc. As a kid I was fixated by scrapyards, this was in the days when they’d let you in with your dad, complete no no now of course. I had a box of broken stuff that had been my cousins which I’d assemble into stacks like the breakers near where we lived. Can also remember the fads you went through as a kid, for about three weeks I was mesmerised with Porsche 959s. But even then my favourite was a brown Rover SD1 which I still have.