Shite in Miniature II

[Split_Pin]

9 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Another oddity. I noticed the rear of the Dinky police Mini I bought to restore looked very plain, I was worried that the owner had sanded off all the detail of the rear lights, bootlid etc - but the paint was very thick, I couldn't open the bonnet either

Got the paint off - no detail at all but looks unmolested

A bit of googling finds some with twin rear lights and boot

Some with single piece lights

And some with a bum as smooth as a baby's...bum

Very strange. I think the smooth version should have a decal like this

OK I got to the bottom of this. Dinky launched the Mini model in 1967 as a Morris Mini Minor Automatic (!) #183, then in 1968 the police version #250 - but because this was supposed to be an Austin Cooper, smoothed the rear of the casting and replaced it with a decal for the boot, lights and (Austin) lettering. They also removed the winged Morris badge from the bonnet. Then in 1970 they modified the casting again with proper cast in lights and badges for the Cooper, and re-instated the old bonnet but with the wings removed, looks a lot like a Leyland badge actually. Problem was the shells and bonnets got mixed up a lot, so there are police versions that are badged as Morrises and vice versa.

There was also the problem of the registration number, Dinky updated the suffix to match the current registration year, but this was difficult on the early police version, as it meant altering the decal. You either get black MTB 21E, or a later reg but stuck on top of the decal - eventually they made a new decal with MTB 21J in white/yellow.

I love these strange diecast wormholes

I'm sure I had one with an opening boot or have I imagined that?

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

I'm sure I had one with an opening boot or have I imagined that?

No sir, Corgi 334 Mini Magnifique!

This is my one

[Spottedlaurel]

Sadly no more French diecast purchases for me as yet, but I thought these may be of interest here.

I always pick up a copy of Youngtimers magazine each holiday. They have a page on scale models of 1:1 cars in that issue, this is what they have for July/August 2022:

With that 21!

This one looks to be a new publication, not cheap at 10 Euros but lots of interesting stuff in it:

The contents page gives a good idea of what it covers:

It has some excellent photography, along with a few ad's, and it's printed on good quality paper.

If anyone wants me to pick up a copy please let me know ASAP.

[Split_Pin]

#Oooo heaven is a place in earth

#It might be ten euros but it's what it's worth.

[bunglebus]

Popped over to see my sister in 'arlow so popped into Entertainer while I was there

[bunglebus]

Had a little box of goodies arrive today, including one of the harder ERTLs to find

Along for the ride were a few Matchbox and Hot Wheels Crack-Ups

[Datsuncog]

Had an unexpected diecast-adjacent purchase at Tesco last night.

Nope, nothing by Matchbox or Hot Wheels - both dump bins were a wasteland of unloved baggage carts and electric buses, plus a few empty boxes where the contents had been thieved - but after going through the tills with the groceries, MrsDC noticed a small bookshelf of second hand books near the door with a charity donation box; all proceeds to be split between Cancer Research, Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK. Suggested donation: £1 for hardbacks, 50p for paperbacks.

Sitting there amidst the James Patterson paperbacks and celebrity biographies... they only had a bloody copy of Mike & Sue Richardson's 'Great Book of Dinky Toys' 

Yup, the book I bought off eBay for £45 in September 2020, then decided to part with during the pre-move clear out back in January.

I couldn't manage to sell it online even at £30, so ended up donating it to a charity shop - who I believe got £40 for it.

And - as with much of the diecast which went at the same time - there was a tinge of regret about the disposal.

So - what goes around comes around?

I shoved all the change I had in my pocket (about £6) into the collection tin - and I won't be selling this one.

It's even got its dust jacket, which my old copy lacked.

Did not expect to be bringing this home amidst the flatbreads and coleslaw.

[Split_Pin]

Ebay is unfortunately full of items that are not priced in reflection of their market value. However with things like the Dinky book, they are almost impossible to price. Had I been selling it or buying it, I would have thought £45 was fair.

Anyway, effectively you've donated £51 to charity.

I really need to have a clear out but I cannot be bothered to post stuff. I have cupboards full of Transport books and brochures that I haven't looked at in years, not to mention diecast.

What we really need is a conveniently and centrally located ShiteInMiniatureFest where we can bring all our diecast and related books/rammle to swap/sell/whatever...............

[eddyramrod]

We could have one at Cumbernauld on Dec 27th...   Have to be outdoor, in the Premier Inn car park mind!  I can bring some stock.

@Datsuncog : great find!

I've been in our big Tesco this morning and found both MB and HW boxes filled up.  There wasn't anything that shouted "BUY!" at me but if anyone has any requests I can go back and look again.  I did notice there were several Opel Kadetts...

[sutty2006]

It’s weird because every time I’ve been to our “big” Tesco the stock is relatively poor. Today was only marginally better. The kadette was there in the MB box along with the usual crap no one buys. Odd. There were a couple of series landys as well so it had to be done. And the HW box was stocked but again no prime stock. Other than a Toyota van which I wish I’d picked up, but the Toyota Tacoma is a nice pick up truck 👌 I think these were fitted with a Cummins in the USA.

[eddyramrod]

By the way...

I've spotted this on ebay today, ending tomorrow.

1/18 CADILLAC COUPE DEVILLE 1972 | eBay

Please, please, pretty please... NOBODY BID!

[sutty2006]

And I needed cake tin liners and decided Tesco wasn’t good enough so went to mozzers. 3 boxes of half picked tat left me with these bloody expensive cake tin liners 🤣

 

 

[bunglebus]

Been a busy day today. Went to the boot sale and thought I might be leaving empty handed. Last few rows provided a few interesting bits though

Not entirely sure why I picked up this plastic bodied made in China Renault 17, kinda reminded me of the Lido Gun-of-a-Car range

50p Welly Lupo is a nice bonus, sold the last one for about £15!

Majo Toyota is not one I'd seen previously 

Tomica Renault 5 Turbo is somewhat under-wheeled but definitely not a common sight

Matchbox van in one of several thousand variations 

50p Superfast Mustang in better shape than my current one - despite some little scamp painting the bonnet silver

A pound each on these larger Matchbox 

[bunglebus]

Remember the somewhat down at heel regular wheels Miura?

And this crusty Superfast? 

They are now one

There are a couple of areas by the doors that have mysteriously chipped even though I hadn't opened the doors at the time, hopefully I can touch those in. Looks nice on the shelf though.

Did have a monster try and crush it as I was taking the pics. You can see him lurking earlier on

The casting detail is lovely, tempted to find another Superfast and fully detail it after a custom repaint 

[bunglebus]

Only one delivery today, some Tonkas. Really love the Fun Buggies, the OTT one has different tyres to the Datsuncog sourced one I restored a while back

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

plastic bodied made in China Renault 17, kinda reminded me of the Lido Gun-of-a-Car range

It IS that casting!

 

[eddyramrod]

12 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

By the way...

I've spotted this on ebay today, ending tomorrow.

1/18 CADILLAC COUPE DEVILLE 1972 | eBay

Please, please, pretty please... NOBODY BID!

Aw bollocks.  It's the wrong side of £40 now, therefore badly over budget.

[bunglebus]

Spotted this at the boot sale, sadly the tipper bed was snapped or I'd have had it

[AnnoyingPentium]

16 hours ago, bunglebus said:

50p Welly Lupo is a nice bonus, sold the last one for about £15!

What do you plan on doing with this one?

[bunglebus]

22 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

What do you plan on doing with this one?

It'll get sold either as-is or repainted, the mrs knows lots of people on a Lupo group after them

[155V6]

My finds from this morning

I might have to start selling Lupos,I'm sure I've got a couple more somewhere.The Siku forklift was a 20p bargain 😁.

I also got a pair of front floormats for the StreetKa,& a Fiesta workshop manual as they didn't do one for the Puma.I came home with change from a fiver 😀

[Frogchod]

My Buick Electra collection is now complete. 

This is a GLM re release. 

Next is a Mercury Park Lane Breeze way for my reverse rake window collection. 

 

 

[Split_Pin]

What is the appeal of these Lupos? I have one and I don't understand it. It's out of scale with the majority of other cars and it's only an average model. Bonus shite points for it being an SDi though.

[bunglebus]

Very busy morning at the bootsale, plenty of sellers with tat and very reasonable prices for the most part, including free because I'm always buying stuff off the same guy!

I buy the occasional Hot Wheels but mainly as parts donors - Motor Psycho has an excellent beach cruiser inside that looks great in the bed of a pickup

This one is giving up its co-mold wheels and surfboards 

Regular seller had some boxed goodies on his table

Matchbox isn't mint but I have a nice condition hovercraft somewhere. Box has to be worth £1!

Saw some very early Matchbox but at silly prices. D type was cheap though

As was Merc

I don't often buy incomplete cars, but this Rolls was so nice otherwise that I had to have it. Hopefully a donor will emerge

Who's jealous of my Sterling?

Did quite well here, was quoted £4 for these pretty decent English Super GTs - went of to have a think and got them for £2 later - he was asking £4-5 for tatty 60s Lesneys too

[bunglebus]

I think I should have bought that blue Super Kings tipper, and found it a replacement bed - especially as I went on to splurge 50p on this unusual Hurcules crane that needs a donor vehicle

Rover 3500 is missing the dash - think I have a spare tucked away somewhere 

Corgi Marcos Volvo 1800 is a fairly unusual find

"Dinky" Aston - made in China by Mattel 

No-name Alan Mann MK1

OK this is an oddity. Plastic Suzuki van by Shinsei

Think this may be the star buy, Siku Pontiac GTO

Lock-Ups Mustang is locked up annoyingly

Rarer colour Majorette BMW

And exciting* MK3 Golf

This one is completely left-field though - anyone heard of Majorette Turbooms before?

Britains bike is rather less unusual 

And this just because it amused me

This was one of the freebies - Minic Jeep. Don't think repairing pressed steel is within my range of abilities sadly 

Lastly I bought some more Buddy Ls for an extortionate 50p each - two of them steer from the roof which I've not come across before

And some random toot

[andrew e]

Some cracking finds there gents - both those Siku’s were excellent scores! Went hunting toys and headed home with a £5’s worth of ex-electricity board spanner instead  😂

[bunglebus]

24 minutes ago, andrew e said:

Went hunting toys 

Where did you go? I reckon you could cover the Dunton boot sale nicely...

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

What is the appeal of these Lupos? I have one and I don't understand it. It's out of scale with the majority of other cars and it's only an average model. Bonus shite points for it being an SDi though.

Just that people with Lupos want them so they go for good money. Other than that, nothing, just a slightly odd scale toy car

[sierraman]

I had a Majorette Turboom. Basically you got a sort of cap gun thing that you sat in the engine bay, retracted the car and when it hit something a sort of firing pin went into the cap and caused a Big Bang. 

I may actually have a bootlid for the Rolls somewhere. 

[Roverageous]

Very excited for this one! I had no idea such a thing existed.

Opel Astra F Convertible - the closest thing (in the correct colour) to my first car - a Vauxhall Astra F.