Shite in Miniature II

[Rust Collector]

Seeing all these sets has brought back a memory of one of my favourite toys I had as a kid:

Not my picture, but I reckon my Nan probably has this up in the loft still as despite being in my thirties she still keeps all my old toys 'just in case I want them'... Seeing this thread makes me think this wasn't as daft an idea as it seemed at the time 😅

If I remember correctly I got this as a Christmas or Birthday present from her, as growing up in Newhaven I was obsessed with the ferries we had over the years. It's probably a bit worn and broken from all the play it would have endured, but I remember this being a go-to when I would stay at her house over the weekend.

[Datsuncog]

20 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Skoda buggy..? 😐

Not that I've seen, since its sole appearance once and once only in December... could have been sold there and then; could still be languishing in the bottom of a tub elsewhere.

 

It's on the searchlist!

[bunglebus]

I'm sure it's long gone, I'm just messing with you. Tesco have restocked though!

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Also - as well as the past, I've been exploring THE FUTURE.

All this talk of phone apps to maximise diecast uptake has led me to spend this week developing TatPredictr™ - a multimodal, algorithmic, chewproof and virtually non-radioactive native application harnessing cutting edge AI technology to sift billions of data points to not only forecast, but accurately image, whatever knackered old toys are most likely to show up on any given freezing Friday morning in a fish-scented shed in central Belfast.

After crunching the numbers for tomorrow, TatPredictr™ reckons there'll be an influx of Lesney and Husky to be found, plus some random Minix, Cararama and Lone Star locos mixed in. And some inevitable MoYs with their seats missing.

But also that they won't be especially cheap.

Obviously such white-hot tech is still at a beta stage of testing, so 100% accuracy can't yet be guaranteed - but if there's anything in particular that you think you'd be keen to have, do sing up and I'll do my best when tomorrow comes...

 

Don't forget to add a Hong Kong bus node before testing in a production environment.  We can't have any more nice buses shedding their boxes.

[Datsuncog]

9 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Don't forget to add a Hong Kong bus node before testing in a production environment.  We can't have any more nice buses shedding their boxes.

Yeah, still working on developing that particular add-on... early testing has proved interesting...

More development needed, methinks.

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, Rust Collector said:

Seeing all these sets has brought back a memory of one of my favourite toys I had as a kid:

Not my picture, but I reckon my Nan probably has this up in the loft still as despite being in my thirties she still keeps all my old toys 'just in case I want them'... Seeing this thread makes me think this wasn't as daft an idea as it seemed at the time 😅

If I remember correctly I got this as a Christmas or Birthday present from her, as growing up in Newhaven I was obsessed with the ferries we had over the years. It's probably a bit worn and broken from all the play it would have endured, but I remember this being a go-to when I would stay at her house over the weekend.

I have that one it’s great, I could never get the steam bit working from the smoke stacks?

[Rust Collector]

1 minute ago, sierraman said:

I have that one it’s great, I could never get the steam bit working from the smoke stacks?

Mine worked, I think it came with a little bottle of mineral oil that you topped up a tank with then you held down a button for a bit. I think it burnt the oil which smelt great and was definitely suitable for a children's toy 😅

[bunglebus]

I must have timed this just right - Mrs was working at Tesco this morning, went back at about 1 to do the shopping and the Hot Wheels had been refilled 

Woo-hoo, Jimmy Seville located at last. Only one but I do have a spare Autoshite sightseeing tour bus spare if anyone wants it

[MiniMinorMk3]

Some Vitesse VW vans and busses from the 1990's

The World

1995 DTM Edition Diebels Beer

More News

Portuguese VW Show

Portuguese Model Show

You're in the Army Now

Do You Know The Way To San Jose?

Fire

I'm washing my hair tonight

[Split_Pin]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I must have timed this just right - Mrs was working at Tesco this morning, went back at about 1 to do the shopping and the Hot Wheels had been refilled 

Woo-hoo, Jimmy Seville located at last. Only one but I do have a spare Autoshite sightseeing tour bus spare if anyone wants it

Good Lord I want one of those Sevilles. Gonna have to mooch about as weirdly, my usual branch of Tescos have just opened a 2022 case of HW and MB.

[flat4alfa]

Matchbox Chevy Van art installation

[flat4alfa]

Corgi Chevy Van art installation

[flat4alfa]

Rare art special editions shocker 

Quote

$19.99 USD*·  Out of stock

Quote

MQ drops a limited edition diecast van with TYOTOYS.  

Originally cast in 1979 by Matchbox/Mattel, these blank vans sat for years forgotten in the stock room of a warehouse in New Jersey. TYO discovered them in 2011 the VanDal series was born.

https://www.mindzai.com/products/mq-matchbox-graffiti-van

 

 

[155V6]

9 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I was obviously bored recently, came home to half a dozen eBay packages yesterday, as well as one from@Cookiesouwest

Majorette ovloV seems to have been in the news on this thread a lot recently. Very nice it is too.

@155V6gave me the heads up on a larger scale Welly Lupo on FB

Mrs BB very pleased about that one

Entirely stupid but endearing, this VW T3 is another Welly sold as an official VW product 

On the subject of yellow VW vans, this was something I'd never got my mitts on before - Gama. Appears to represent a late 60s vehicle with larger rear lights and tailgate window. Tyres are o-rings as it had none

Anyone know why the front axle has a little rubber disc poking through the base?

Next up, a Zylmex Ford Pinto van - slightly more broken in the bumper dept. than I would have preferred but it was a chance purchase buried in a job lot

This Hot Wheels Chevy Stocker is fitted with the Screamers wheels than make a god-awful racket when you run them down a track. Only sold as part of sets apparently 

I snap up this series of HW just so I can steal the lovely co-mold wheels off them

Matchbox 300 ZX with subtle paint

Last, but by no mean least, is THIS

This has been a total nightmare to source. Ordered one off Aliexpress. Seller cancelled. Ordered another from a different seller (in November). Sat at the shipping centre for two months and took endless messages to get them to refund me. Saw two at the toy fair and decided to have a look round and come back as I didn't want to risk not having enough money on me. Came back - both sold.

This one then came back into stock at Rhyno's Die Cast for less than any of the others!

Glad you got the Lupo,did you have to buy everything?

[bunglebus]

25 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

Glad you got the Lupo, did you have to buy everything?

Yes the rest were a load of rubbish really. All good though, Lupo stuff goes for daft money

[sierraman]

Has anyone actually seen any Matchbox stocked at a Morrisons yet? When will they be stocked at B&M/Sainsburys?

[Spottedlaurel]

7 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Has anyone actually seen any Matchbox stocked at a Morrisons yet? When will they be stocked at B&M/Sainsburys?

Yup, I got a couple of bits there on Monday.

Planning a bit of a trek around several  big stores down in Ipswich on Saturday AM.

[sierraman]

Just now, Spottedlaurel said:

Yup, I got a couple of bits there on Monday.

Planning a bit of a trek around several  big stores down in Ipswich on Saturday AM.

No such luck at our local. Are they £2.50 now?

[Spottedlaurel]

5 minutes ago, sierraman said:

No such luck at our local. Are they £2.50 now?

£1.80 from memory.

[flat4alfa]

Anyone have a spare rough Matchbox Thames Estate Car

Seem to missing an example smol model of the Ford 400E

Or a nice one even

[bunglebus]

Only ever found one. Would make a lovely resto/mod candidate 

[flat4alfa]

45 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Only ever found one

Well that proves the relative scarceness when compared to others in the range

Yet it was listed in the catalogues for 6 years! 

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

Just noticed that is a different colour scheme

One that I'd not seen until now....  Might be scarcerer than scarce

The Fandom page doesn't list it

MBX Forum doesn't either, despite going into difference details

Would like to see if Falkensteiner knows, if the block on the website/host IP addr ever comes off...

[155V6]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

Anyone have a spare rough Matchbox Thames Estate Car

Seem to missing an example smol model of the Ford 400E

Or a nice one even

I've got one

It looks ok on this side

But is stained with something on the other side

[RoadworkUK]

*wills Herpa Setra to be at St George tomorrow*

 

Yeah.... it's been a fortnight and I'm still thinking about it. I'm not right.

[bunglebus]

29 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Just noticed that is a different colour scheme

It is odd - it does show signs of having been got at previously but the colours look right - just in the wrong places!

 

[bunglebus]

23 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

I've got one

It looks ok on this side

But is stained with something on the other side

Yours looks like one of the very early releases without windows - I take it there are no rivets inside the roof for the clear plastic?

[155V6]

10 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Yours looks like one of the very early releases without windows - I take it there are no rivets inside the roof for the clear plastic?

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p34/nick-jones-lesney-matchbox/1751/70ar.jpg

You're right

[bunglebus]

On 26/03/2020 at 20:54, bunglebus said:

My pre-lockdown eBay wins all arrived at once;

20200326_182754 by RS, on Flickr

One week into the very first Covid lockdown!

[Datsuncog]

Flying visit to Tesco this evening indicated nothing new in the diecast department...

Matchbox dump bin still rocking the same selection as last week - loads of Ford Customs remaining, for some reason.

Some worthwhile Hot Wheels too, like the Volvo gasser and several Mustang SVOs, but nothing I'm mad keen on owning. 

Five packs of both stripes definitely edging into HFM? territory these days.

A quick skip over to Sainsbury's (as Tesco had no mushrooms, peppers or tomatoes whatsoever) revealed they had individual Hot Wheels back on the shelf, but nothing much of interest either - mostly just fantasy vehicles.

Also - £2.30 each. Yow.

Some novelty range stuff too - the Monster Trucks aren't really my bag, but some of them look pretty well done, I'll give them that.

£7 for a Color Shifter seems pricey, mind. I wonder how many distracted parents get a shock at the till whenever that hits the scanner.

Then I headed over to Lidl (as Sainsbury's fresh produce section wasn't any better than Tesco), but all they had were rubber chickens.

Well, okay.

I guess they're kinda fun?

Lidl had an extremely lacklustre fruit and veg selection too, so I returned home with no diecast and no cherry tomatoes either.

Ah well.

There's always tomorrow, yeah?