Shite in Miniature II

[Datsuncog]

7 minutes ago, sierraman said:

The full range is in the ‘87 catalogue

I had a look through my '87 catalogue but didn't see it - and the RoadBlasters range (including sets) is listed as 'New' in my '88 booklet.

Maybe yours is a North American catalogue? As far as I can tell, the arcade video game was launched in June 1987.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I’ve looked at my Alpine and apparently it’s a Talbot 150 and Spanish.

Here it is with my other Simcas including that lovely little Mille.

 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Sorry @Datsuncog I posted this before reading back through the thread and seeing your post. I’ve also just remembered that these were the ones that I mistakenly forwarded to Kuwait and got sent back to me a couple of weeks later.  That little Alpine is very well travelled.

[Split_Pin]

Hey I think I sold you that Simca 1100 and 1000 a few years ago.

[bunglebus]

Roadblasters: Road Raiders is the Mercedes Unimog

Stickup Pickup is the Ford Flareside Pick-Up

Rampager is the Sauber Group C Racer

Parasite is the 4x4 Jeep (or Jeep 4x4)

I do believe Barrel Bomber is a Kenworth, AKA Tyrone Malone! 

@Datsuncog 

[Datsuncog]

7 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

If we're still up for guessing games, then how about a crack at these? What mainline Matchbox castings were these Mad Max-esque toys based on? I've already given you one...

Thunder Gunner = Chevrolet Corvette (Bunglebus)

Carpow = Ruff Trek/ Holden HX Ute (Bunglebus)

Barrel Bomber = Kenworth, AKA Tyrone Malone (Bunglebus)

Speedking = Ferrari Testarossa (Bunglebus)

Street Eater = Transit Supervan 3 (AndyW201)

Turbo Special = Mercury Commuter (Bunglebus)

Road Razor = MB29 Tractor Shovel

Road Raider = Mercedes Unimog (Bunglebus)

Motor Master = Peugeot Quasar (Bunglebus)

Streaker = Dodge Daytona (AndyW201)

Tow Nailer = Peterbilt recovery truck thing (Bunglebus)

Stick Up Pick Up = Ford Flareside Pick-Up (Bunglebus)

Killer Zee= Datsun 280 ZX (AndyW201)

Rampager = Sauber Group C Racer (Bunglebus)

Backstabber = Ford Bronco II (Bunglebus)

Parasite = 4x4 Jeep (or Jeep 4x4) (Bunglebus)

Ding ding ding!! Full house!

Well done chaps, that's some good spotting... Anyone ready for a slightly more advanced identification challenge?

Models from the Skybusters and Super Trucks range were also press-ganged into the RoadBlasters line-up... But what were they called in civvy clothing?

[bunglebus]

The Model A van is the Superchargers So High

The other van is the 4x4 Chevy Van/Rollin' Thunder 

The pickup is ( I think) the 4x4 Open Back Truck which went under several names in the Suoerchargers range. It could also be the 4x4 Mini Pick-Up, hard to tell from the picture

[bunglebus]

Some clearer scans from my 88 catalogue 

[andrew e]

Just a diversion, but Rolling Thunder had a 2 stroke  Detroit diesel in FTW👍

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/0610dp-1972-dodge-van-monster-truck/amp/

Oh and it was the inspiration for Tamiya’s Vanessa’s Lunchbox as a bonus! 

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

The Model A van is the Superchargers So High

The other van is the 4x4 Chevy Van/Rollin' Thunder 

The pickup is ( I think) the 4x4 Open Back Truck which went under several names in the Superchargers range. It could also be the 4x4 Mini Pick-Up, hard to tell from the picture

Yup, good going!

The pickup is the one I was most doubtful about too, but going by the profile of the rear wheelarch I agree it's a reworking of the Super Trucks/ Superchargers USA-1, based on the 4x4 Mini Pick-Up - itself yet another variant of the ultra-long running Ford F-series pickup, first seen back in 1968.

I'm also not sure any of the RoadBlasters Air Support Squadron or Rough Terrain Reconnaissance Patrol ever made it onto the shelves - there's no mention of them in the big Charlie Mack book, and I don't remember ever seeing any of them.

The Super Kings RoadBlasters are interesting also - the T.R.A.P.P.E.R. set seems to use the Peterbilt tractor unit like your A.L.T.R.A.C. transporter, while the M.O.R.G. set seems to use the Scania tractor unit as seen in the mainline Super Kings K-117 and K-130 construction low-loaders.

Meanwhile, the V.A.R.M.I.T. is apparently the K-114 Crane Truck with various bits stuck on.

And then there's the only playset in the range - 'Run The Gauntlet'.

"Can we get an evil child in to do the photos with this one? It's an evil playset, see."

"What about just vaguely creepy?"

"No, has to look proper evil. Otherwise the sets won't sell."

Never seen one of these in the wild either...

[bunglebus]

None of this is helping ease my pain at having sold my previous ones!

Some blurb I found from a page that sadly won't display pictures but has some tantalising text:

Year of production: 1988
Number of small vehicles: 16
Number of large vehicles (Superkings): 4
Playset: 1
Known prototype: 6

Thunder Gunner (Corvette '84)
Carpow (Ruff Trek)
Barrel Bomber (Kenworth Super Boss)
Speedking (Ferrari Testarossa)
Street Eater (Ford Supervan II)
Turbo Special (Mercury Police Car)
Road Razor (Tractor Shovel )
Road Raider (Unimog)

Motor Master (Peugeot Quasar)
Streaker (Dodge Daytona)
Tow Nailer (Peterbilt Wrecker)
Stick-Up Pick-Up (Ford Flareside Pick-Up)
Killer Zee (Datsun 280Z)
Rampager (Sauber Group C)
Backstabber (Chevrolet Blazer)
Parasite (Jeep CJ)

Large vehicles (Superkings):

Turbo Force:

ALTRAC: Air/Land Repair Center (Peterbilt + Kaman Seasprite) - RB-2521
TRAPPER: Turbo Force reconnaissance & power reserve (Peterbilt) - RB-2531

Motor Lords

VARMIT: Vehicle Armor Redesign & Modular Intelligence Transport (Crane) - RB-2522
MORG: Mobile Operations Resupply Gantry (Scania) - RB-2532


Playset:

Run the Gauntlet - RB-2560

Prototype:

Road Blasters Air Support Squadron (RB-2570):

Learjet, Cessna 420 & Cessna 210

Road Blasters Rough Terrain Reconnaissance Patrol (RB-3000):

Ford A, GMC Van & Pickup

So It looks like I won't be adding any of those monster trucks to my small collection. When I win the Euromillions later I'll be buying all existing ones off eBay

[sierraman]

The Superkings helicopter definitely was produced as I have one plus the Pete tractor unit. 

[bunglebus]

10 minutes ago, sierraman said:

The Superkings helicopter definitely was produced as I have one plus the Pete tractor unit. 

The yellow one? That would have come as part of my ALTRAC set.

[sierraman]

That’s correct. I’m just missing the trailer. From memory I have the Datsun, Plymouth, Corvette, Jeep, Tyrone and the digger. In varying states of completion needless to say. 

[bunglebus]

Pix needed!

These are all that I have - I've since found the rear attachment for the Corvette

Yes those are two different Mercury Police cars

[Datsuncog]

Not the very best of mornings...

But since I've had to drag my arse out of bed and slog up the M2 amidst biblical amounts of road spray, I thought I may as well put my head around the door of the market...

[Datsuncog]

Oooweee.

Buses galore, peeps.

Yup, looks like Market Blokey has been the ultimate beneficiary of someone's 1/76 bus collection.

Mostly older style stuff, though two Wrightbus Geminis and an Optare Delta were in evidence.

Plus Days Gone, Corgi Classics commercials and whatnot:

I had a quick guddle in the box, but there wasn't very much of interest.

[Split_Pin]

Did you check the 'C'SM' boxed model? That may be interesting.

[Datsuncog]

9 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Did you check the 'C'SM' boxed model? That may be interesting.

Yup - it seemed to be a 1950s Mercedes tour bus, like this one:

Dunno if anyone's especially interested?

[RoadworkUK]

If that Grey Green Plaxton Paramount happened to fall into your shopping bag, it wouldn't be such a bad eventuality....

And / or the Wallace Arnold Plaxton Excalibur / Premier, for that matter.

CURSES to the market and its ability to tempt me.

[Datsuncog]

But there was more up top in the 'usually overpriced' section - probably the same BP Corgi promos that were on offer last month...

No 50p tat box today, I'm afraid - I know in the past Market Blokey had complained that the 50p box tended to attract kids who then started getting a bit handsy and careless with the rest of his stock, so maybe that's been a deliberate decision on his part.

There were a couple of moderately bashed older models up top - 

Lesney Foden tanker, and Dinky Beetle and double deck bus, plus a big military vehicle that looked roughly Action Man sized.

There were also a few Britains/ Dinky military vehicles for which I have a curious blind spot, so I completely overlooked them...

But stay! What's that further over...?

Oh, okay.

Some fairly scratched-up Corgi Classics US buses, but also some uncommon items too:

All-plastic Minialux Berliet was very, very nice.

I was sorely tempted by this one.

Magirus Deutz by NZG Modelle was smaller scale, but decent. I thought I'd taken a separate pic of this, but I was also busy juggling my drippy umbrella and laptop bag, so I must have been mistaken.

But here it is on the right, if I zoom in on the bigger pic:

Big Joal Volvo in 1/50 scale was quite appealing too.

A few small paint marks to the corners, but broadly okay.

And I thought this one was some modern cheapo Chinese pull-back toy at first...

But it's actually a Japanese-made Diapet Mitsubishi Fuso bus.

Can't be all that common at Belfast markets...

I'd hoped these loose models were also a fiver, since that was the price on the boxed stuff, but sadly not - £10 each.

Not saying they're not worth that, just that it tips my speculative mingebag threshold somewhat.

[Datsuncog]

There were also a few mildly interesting items still in the box behind the stall, too:

Plastic Mercedes one-and-a-half decker was unusual; red and cream Dinky (?) Atlantean was also quite nice.

Two Dinky AECs were less wonderful - one on the left hand been hand painted in places and had nylon speedwheels; the one on the right was on cracked rubber tyres but a little shabby.

Plenty of Dinky Atlanteans, but they'd been sanded in places, which was odd.

Other, older 1950s Dinky buses had been repainted.

The rest of the box was made up of 1980s/90s Corgi Plaxtons, Routemasters and Metrobuses - probably nothing you haven't seen before!

[Datsuncog]

13 minutes ago, RoadworkUK said:

If that Grey Green Plaxton Paramount happened to fall into your shopping bag, it wouldn't be such a bad eventuality....

And / or the Wallace Arnold Plaxton Excalibur / Premier, for that matter.

CURSES to the market and its ability to tempt me.

Heh, I'll take a wander back over at lunchtime, weather permitting, and see if they're still there... at £5 a throw, they seem a good price!

 

But... I didn't come away empty handed, either.

[Split_Pin]

Cheers for checking that Tim, too old a subject for me though. I think you may remember picking up a lot of HK 1970s and 1980s based ones from the market for me in the past though!

[Datsuncog]

So, y'know the way we've had discussions here in the past about 'charm', and how certain models just seem to have it?

This one has it.

In spades.

Ooft.

So, it's a Kirk model of a Mercedes-Benz O302 bus - not a name I've heard of before.

Some exceeding light Google-fu links it to Tekno, but I dunno if they acquired Kirk or if it was the brand they used for buses. More research required!

But it's glorious.

Quite a detailed working steering mechanism, with not only angle but also camber. I'll try to get a better pic of this - it's sprung, and I don't have enough hands to hold it, turn the wheels and take a photo too.

Gem-cut glass headlights look like they're actually glowing.

Engine detailing is ridiculously good for the era.

And, of course the engine flap opens.

Everything opens.

Everything.

The detail is simply tremendous on this.

Dash, steering column - the works. And get a load of the wheeltrims.

The seats are individually moulded and fitted, not just part of a general interior moulding.

Floors and steps are textured, too, and the casting is so crisp, with vents and badging really neatly modelled.

While I'm not that much of a bus fanboy, it's hard to express just how delighted I am with this. It's far from perfect, but I reckon it should still display well.

And there's even a vague local link - a trial Ulsterbus O203 used to do the airport express between the Europa bus centre and Belfast International Airport at the tail end of the 1960s, and this isn't all that far off its livery.

So - I think this was worth arriving in work with wet feet!

Happy Friday, cats and kittens.

[bunglebus]

46 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Dinky Beetle

If that was sub £5 I'd be interested for a resto project.

I'm also not really into busses/commercials but that ^ is a lovely bit of kit. Still just about "toy" rather than "model", but a glorious one

[Datsuncog]

Just now, bunglebus said:

If that was sub £5 I'd be interested for a resto project

Tenner quoted on it, I'm afraid!

[bunglebus]

1 minute ago, Datsuncog said:

Tenner quoted on it, I'm afraid!

Sod that. I've been trying to score one from eBay for not too much money as I fancy doing one up. To be fair I have just won one but it may be Too nice to mess with. We'll see.

[sierraman]

2 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Sod that. I've been trying to score one from eBay for not too much money as I fancy doing one up. To be fair I have just won one but it may be Too nice to mess with. We'll see.

This is what happens with me, I buy a wreck then decide it’s too good to restore... it has to be a completely hopeless case like the SM I restored earlier in the year. 

[bunglebus]

Yeah. That:

Looks like a resto candidate. This:

Not so much. My current one could really do with it but it's the unusual ADAC colours so I'm leaving it alone

I do have the Atlas repro

And not forgetting this excellent creation