Shite in Miniature II

[junkyarddog]

2 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

I picked up a nice original safari beetle last week at a market for £13.00😊

[bunglebus]

Looks nice. RHD version.

I relented and bought myself a couple of 5 packs

I also got the Nightburnerz set, have to say the JDM stuff in there is done well

[FakeConcern]

4 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

That's maddening - I can recall missing out on specific models as well, and the rage and frustration of never seeing them again still burns bright all those years later...

The East Africa Safari Beetle hit toyshop shelves in December 1965, with the Politzei version following in May 1966.

However, the rally Beetle was deleted in 1968 while the peelermobile variant continued in the Corgi range until 1970 so - depending on the year of your disappointment - it's possible the rally version had been discontinued and that was why the shop never got it back in again?

(Not that it helps, but Corgi Model Club do have replicas to buy - should you wish to right a longstanding wrong! 256 - Volkswagen 1200 in East African Safari trim – Corgi Model Club)

That's fascinating and I bet you are correct, wanted the Safari beetle just as it was being discontinued haha!

I did join the Corgi model club and got a Monte Carlo Mini which is lovely, then I started to think, where would I put all these toys models? I cancelled my subscription after just that one.

I do have a pretty big and growing collection of Volvo C30 models of different scales in a display cabinet just inside the front door though and some people may remember I often buy seaside or holiday related models for Mrs Concern's summerhouse collection.

Here are the latest ones for her birthday...

I bought this Corgi Glastron speed boat pretty cheap on ebay without motors, windscreen or people (or Oldsmobile)

I got repro people for it, but couldn't find the other bits, so bought a couple of motors and a windscreen for the Corgi Dolphin cabin cruiser and with a bit of modification, they fit fine,

I bought the Rancho very cheaply and thought it would go well with the Glastron (above), but when I told Mrs Concern it would have come with a Toronado and that I still had mine from the 60s, she wanted that. So the Rancho had a Matchbox Kingsize speedboat hitched to it...

Now I'm writing this I can't remember what it is, Corgi Bertone concept (maybe) anyway a sort of beach buggy so went in the summer house

I bought this Matchbox carravan with it at a Norfolk Steam Rally

I often see Corgi/Dinky/Spoton/Matchbox that I would love, but have to rein myself in as I would have no where to put them and would be a waste in the loft and why I hate this thread haha!

 

[sierraman]

5 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Oh, nice - one from the My First Matchbox 'Live 'n' Learn' range, dating from around 1990.

They usually had a hard life in the toybox, so decent examples can be hard to find.

I'm sure it has more sentimental value to you, though!

I thought I had them all but turns out I only had about 20% of them!

[155V6]

12 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I thought I had them all but turns out I only had about 20% of them!

Isn't there a Sierra XR4i that's quite hard to find?

[sierraman]

Just now, 155V6 said:

Isn't there a Sierra XR4i that's quite hard to find?

I think the hardest to find seem to be the police car and the F1 car. I might have the Sierra somewhere. 

[155V6]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

I'm pretty sure the D series was a Tekno item as well. An amazing model, I just wish that they had included the top part of the door frame like the Dinky version.

Here's my Tekno D Series with my original Corgi Safari Beetle.The Beetle was £1.00 from a car boot a few years ago,the D Series was quite a lot more 😁

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, FakeConcern said:

Now I'm writing this I can't remember what it is, Corgi Bertone concept (maybe) anyway a sort of beach buggy so went in the summer house

Corgi Bertone Shake Buggy - there's a red version too

 

[bunglebus]

That's a very clean Beetle, ^ I'd treat that to a set of repro stickers if it was mine

[bunglebus]

40 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I thought I had them all but turns out I only had about 20% of them!

I can't say they do a lot for me, but a couple have ended up in the collection

 

[Datsuncog]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

I'm pretty sure the D series was a Tekno item as well. An amazing model, I just wish that they had included the top part of the door frame like the Dinky version.

I'd thought nearly all of the Kirk models had been previously sold under the Tekno brand, but the flyer does seem to indicate new models intended for 1971 - whether they ever hit the shelves or not is another matter, but fascinating all the same!

More digging to do, it would seem...

[junkyarddog]

22 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I can't say they do a lot for me, but a couple have ended up in the collection

 

On 2/12/2022 at 11:51 AM, eddyramrod said:

Another Saturday, another mystery parcel!

It's come from the excellent @junkyarddog of this parish.

Nicely padded, but still no clue, until...

Wow!  A Sterling/SD1 hybrid in order to make an 800 fastback!  He's even painted it!

And what a lovely job he's made of it too!  Sir, you have my endless thanks, I'm so cheered by this!

This blue Rover hatch started life as one of those My first Matchbox cars.

[155V6]

41 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

That's a very clean Beetle, ^ I'd treat that to a set of repro stickers if it was mine

It only needs the one for the front boot/bonnet.I meant to get a set,but never got round to it 🙁

 

[sierraman]

They don’t do a massive amount for me neither but it’s a Matchbox so... the ones I really like from that era are the World Class and the Laser Wheels. 

[RoadworkUK]

That play 'n learn Peugeot Quasar is amazing.

[MorrisItalSLX]

17 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Oh, nice - one from the My First Matchbox 'Live 'n' Learn' range, dating from around 1990.

They usually had a hard life in the toybox, so decent examples can be hard to find.

I'm sure it has more sentimental value to you, though!

I had one too, it was subject to an excellent* black repaint with a Sharpie and was subsequently scrapped.

I think I still have a petrol tanker from that range in my box of old toys under the spare bed.

[Split_Pin]

Another 'check your Majorette diecast' alert.

I have noticed that all the older examples (let's say pre 1975) have the '75' matriculation Mark which is Paris and after that, until they stopped casting them in some time in the early 1990s, they bear the '69' mark which I think is Lyon.

I presume it must be something to do with where they were made.

I'll also just take a moment to mourn the lovely pre 1993 silver on black style which is present (although a fictitious XM vanity plate) on my 1/18 Solido Citroen XM.

[barrett]

Q. Can you buy a near-mint boxed 1960s Politoys model for a tenner?

A.

Yes, when it's relatively undesirable, which in this case means Politoys-M No. 532, the Alfa Romeo GS Quattroruote Zagato.

This curiosity was a 'neo-classic' built between 1965-68. Inspired by an editorial in the Italian magazine Quattroruote, Zagato built a pseudo prewar 6C 1750 body on  Giulietta running gear. Like most neo-classic cars, it didn't look that convincing, but in this case at least it was built by the same people who made the original, and was fully sanctioned by Alfa Romeo. They only sold about 80. It's certainly more convincing than, say, an Excalibur.

This attractive model was launched in 1967. I believe this style of box dates it to 1968-69. It's typically complex (possibly even more so than the Ferrari 250 I posted recently) with loads of separate components and moving parts.

'Prova' number plate and flat-headed screw mark this out as a relatively early version, too.

Lots going on underneath. It comes with a removable hood but my photos of that won't upload for some reason.

Anyway, this wasn't high on my 'must-have' list but it's likely the only boxed Politoys-M I can afford, so I couldn't resist it, and - as always - it's a lovely little thing.

[andy18s]

Taxi anyone? 

[Jon]

45 minutes ago, barrett said:

Q. Can you buy a near-mint boxed 1960s Politoys model for a tenner?

A.

Yes, when it's relatively undesirable, which in this case means Politoys-M No. 532, the Alfa Romeo GS Quattroruote Zagato.

This curiosity was a 'neo-classic' built between 1965-68. Inspired by an editorial in the Italian magazine Quattroruote, Zagato built a pseudo prewar 6C 1750 body on  Giulietta running gear. Like most neo-classic cars, it didn't look that convincing, but in this case at least it was built by the same people who made the original, and was fully sanctioned by Alfa Romeo. They only sold about 80. It's certainly more convincing than, say, an Excalibur.

This attractive model was launched in 1967. I believe this style of box dates it to 1968-69. It's typically complex (possibly even more so than the Ferrari 250 I posted recently) with loads of separate components and moving parts.

'Prova' number plate and flat-headed screw mark this out as a relatively early version, too.

Lots going on underneath. It comes with a removable hood but my photos of that won't upload for some reason.

Anyway, this wasn't high on my 'must-have' list but it's likely the only boxed Politoys-M I can afford, so I couldn't resist it, and - as always - it's a lovely little thing.

I think you're mid way down a very greased, very long die cast slippery slope and rapidly gaining momentum.

I for one am happily witnessing all it brings!

(Don't wish to spoil the surprise but I think it terminates into a ball pool filled with Lledos.)

[500tops]

The only two of any interest in a local charity shop...  I couldn't leave them behind! 😂

[andrew e]

Me and @bunglebus have had a Tat filled spend up at the (frankly) too big toyfair, which I’m sure Rich will agree, small is beautiful. I was there drooling for 2 1/2 hafh hours 🤣

A few snaps to whet your appetite, for once it wasn’t just all diecast:

 

There was some solid gold shite too 😂

[andrew e]

The king mini-autoshite? A brown Tagora 😎 Made by “Cougar” no less 😳 even though i think its a Solido casting.

So what can you get for a fiver these days? You might be suprised… all needed a little scrub and a polish to beautify them, and each has a pefect patina of a well loved toybox - these were never launched out upstairs windows of shot at with air rifles like mine 😉 - all procured at the toy fair earlier, where we found sellers were very reasonable or unpriced sucking teeth overpriced experts!

First up the 80’s 1/36 selection - Rancho, 505, 325, Escort.

Corgi certainly gave you play value with these - everything opened, the BMW got a sliding sunroof and the Rancho even got a fold flat back seat with a lever under the base akin to the Renault 16 probably 16 years earlier.

 

[bunglebus]

It's going to take me a while to sort out all the pics I've taken, so here's a few more of the stalls at the toy fair - seems we were both drawn to similar things!

As @andrew esaid, it's rather a lot to take in, and prices were all over the place. Frustratingly the best stand found was in the last aisle, being run by a guy I know through some FB groups. By the time I got to him I was spent, both mentally and financially, so his many boxes of carded Hot Wheels and large 50p tubs (thoughtfully sorted by brand and even early/late Matchbox) went largely unexplored. I'd just had enough by then - I honestly could have spent thousands if I had that sort of cash available 

[Split_Pin]

That Tagora looks great, I'm fairly sure this appeared on the backs of some Solido boxes when showing others in the range.

[Split_Pin]

7 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

It's going to take me a while to sort out all the pics I've taken, so here's a few more of the stalls at the toy fair - seems we were both drawn to similar things!

As @andrew esaid, it's rather a lot to take in, and prices were all over the place. Frustratingly the best stand found was in the last aisle, being run by a guy I know through some FB groups. By the time I got to him I was spent, both mentally and financially, so his many boxes of carded Hot Wheels and large 50p tubs (thoughtfully sorted by brand and even early/late Matchbox) went largely unexplored. I'd just had enough by then - I honestly could have spent thousands if I had that sort of cash available 

In my experience of Swapmeets, some sellers had the same items of stock for nearly 20 years. 

[MiniMinorMk3]

22 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Corgi Bertone Shake Buggy - there's a red version too

 

The Bertome Shake was designed by Marchello Ghandini using the mechanicals and floor pan a Simca 1200S.

 

[bunglebus]

Ok I'll try and put these in some sort of sensible order. I don't think I bought as much as I have in the past, but I found a few oddities.

I might have been hasty grabbing this Matchbox Tiger coach, purely because I didn't have one - I saw a stall later with some much nicer examples, but didn't ask how much they were

A small mystery - why does this RX500...

...have these pins attached to the base? It looks like it was adapted to fit a slot car track, or maybe to stop it falling off a diorama?

HaHa was in a rummage box - as were most of the smaller scale cars I brought home

One of two Jeeps I hadn't got my mits on before - if I feel brave I may attempt to sort that screen out. This is from a two pack "Gliding Club" set

This was the other - colour and Golden Eagle tampo is more commonly found on Corgis

50p score - never found the Saab 9000 until now

This just amused me - not my favourite casting but that "Mr Fixer" decoration is great

Turbo 2 Transit

Turbo 2 Group C Racer

Roadblasters Group C Racer

Roadblasters Datsun

Still a Matchbox, but a very odd one - plastic Corvette

Pretty sure I already have a boxed one of these, but it was hiding with a load of the Model A vans than come in 6 billion versions so was cheap - about a quarter of what boxed Matchbox seemed to be priced at today

 

[sierraman]

The pins on the base are because at some point it has been on a Matchbox motorway. 

[RoadworkUK]

Mr Fixer Cherokee was also available in colour-changer format with the same graphic. It changed from sludgy green to sludgy white under hot water.