Shite in Miniature II

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

I wonder how many distracted parents get a shock at the till whenever that hits the scanner.

The other day, in big Sainsbury I saw the two unsold Real Riders Bugattis had lost their former place in the holding box priced at £8, and had been moved to be under the £2.30 singles.  I thought to raise it but decided it wasn’t worth the stress/effort to inform/negotiate with the gormless staff 

[flat4alfa]

34 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Matchbox dump bin

A what!?  Do they really still exist?  I’m thinking fake news to try and get me out there burning petrol again, you tricksters

[flat4alfa]

3 hours ago, 155V6 said:

But is stained with something on the other side

In a word:  dogging.

[flat4alfa]

[eddyramrod]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

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.

Ford Customs, you say?  I've never even seen one in the flesh!  Could you pick one up for me next time you're over that way?  Pretty please?

[Datsuncog]

Sure thing!

I'll be stopping off on my way home tomorrow night to see if they've any tomatoes and peppers back on the shelves, so a quick diversion along the toy aisle shouldn't be out of the question...

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

Yes, with any luck!

 

But - what's this in my news feed?

Oh, Friday, eh? In Belfast, you say?

What, he's already here?

And staying at the Hilton, is he?

Mmm, and what's conveniently close to the Hilton?

Oh, what a coincidence.

"Will speak to party leaders on Friday morning"

'Party leaders' my blue backside. Protocol, schmotocol.

I think we all know the real reason why the PM's suddenly in such a big ol' hurry to get his arse over to Belfast very very late on a wet and windy Thursday night.

He's plainly got wind that there's to be a load of tidy Lesney on the Tat Stall tomorrow morning, and he has his beady eye on that minty Binz ambulance and the Jeep Gladiator. Not to mention the Husky Transit camper.

Well, we'll see about that.

Clearly, my TatPredictr™ has been already been compromised by the Deep State.

My own fault for going with that suspiciously cheap development company, no doubt. What were they called? GCQH?

No matter. 

Sunak can try all he likes. He doesn't know what he's up against.

The Nemesis might have yoinked that Austin Ruby from me the other week, but no more.

The Prime Minister will not be muscling in to fill his well-tailored pockets with lightly chipped and slightly shonky toy cars on my watch.

No.

I am vengeance.

I am the night.

I am the Tatman.

[Split_Pin]

"Five quid EFE BUSES you say"? 

"Listen, these fucking Addidas Sambas will get me to Allan's Emporium before it's even open".

"I really hope that wheel-less Franklin Mint Corvette is still there. I've got 2 axles from a Bburago Fiat Ritmo that would fit it".

"GIVE ME LESNEYS FOR THREE QUID!!!".

"...and you can all beat it if you think you're getting that Herpa Setra. I've got it set aside for me!"

"You all might as well not turn up to be honest.  All I'll leave are some  £10 Days Gone M8s".

CYA.

LOLZ.

[sierraman]

He looks like a Hot Wheels man to me. 

[Split_Pin]

"I've got 6 Sevilles to trade"

 

[flat4alfa]

7 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Sure thing!

I'll be stopping off on my way home tomorrow night to see if they've any tomatoes and peppers back on the shelves, so a quick diversion along the toy aisle shouldn't be out of the question...

Great, that’s the 2022 cases there so any chance you see any of these that I have never seen pretty please

Bit cheeky I know, but there seems no other way to obtain without succumbing to scalpage 😐

Yes, things are that bad down here 

But please don't go out of your way, I can learn* to live without

[Datsuncog]

Well, mornings are now light enough to allow me to see my vintage wheelie bin and next-door's lawn upon skipping out after 7...

But nothing can brighten the black stain of injustice.

Or, at least, the potential injustice of senior political figures using the ongoing crisis in this fair land as a despicable fig-leaf to snaffle some cheap(ish) '60s diecast.

Despite a traffic light meltdown on East Bridge Street causing tailbacks and delays - no doubt orchestrated by Sunak's henchmen - the Corolla Tatmobile was stowed in the works car park Tatcave not long after 7.30...

...and soon a lone diecast justice warrior was on the mean streets of Belfast Gotham.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

[eddyramrod]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

Great, that’s the 2022 cases there so any chance you see any of these that I have never seen pretty please

Bit cheeky I know, but there seems no other way to obtain without succumbing to scalpage 😐

Yes, things are that bad down here 

But please don't go out of your way, I can learn* to live without

OOh, pink 1960 El Camino?  I didn't even know MB were doing that!  Yes please @Datsuncog, if you should see one.

[AndyW201]

"Lol! By the time we've finished, Zuru Metal Machines will be all you peasants can afford and all those £2.40 Hot Wheels RS2000s will be mine to flip on that bay of e thing that the commoners are so keen on!"

"Bwaaahhhhaaahhaaaa!!!!!"

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, eddyramrod said:

OOh, pink 1960 El Camino?  I didn't even know MB were doing that!

Didn't know either, thought it was just me...

Was a new casting

[Split_Pin]

10 minutes ago, AndyW201 said:

"Lol! By the time we've finished, Zuru Metal Machines will be all you peasants can afford and all those £2.40 Hot Wheels RS2000s will be mine to flip on that bay of e thing that the commoners are so keen on!"

"Bwaaahhhhaaahhaaaa!!!!!"

*speaking quietly*

"Y0, Sunak, wait till you get to Munich this weekend. You've seen Bunglebus's posts about the stuff on Hotwheels pegs across Europe. Well Lidl have just got 4 2023 A CASES - tell those AS lads to get that lot around them!".

[Datsuncog]

I burst through the doors in suitably dramatic fashion just after 7.45.

The market didn't open for another 15 minutes, technically, but I was unstoppable.

Or, at least, the security guards couldn't be arsed to say anything, which is kinda the same thing.

It was still quiet.

Long coat cloak fanning out behind me in a suitably dramatic fashion, I powered on over to the Tat Stall.

Oh, FFS.

How is it nearly two-deep in giffers already?

Sunak must have sent more stooges. It's the only explanation.

Luckily, they didn't take much dispatching.

With the stall finally visible, there were... uh... zero Lesneys.

Other than MoYs, of course.

Plenty of Saico Minors in various forms, but that wasn't why I'd battled my way over.

Cararama and Oxford diecast, still boxed - very nice and all but no thank you, not today.

A mahoosive Tonka car transporter - and an even MOAR mahoosive handmade wooden lorry - impressive, but still not the reason for being here.

Had Sneaky Sunak and his goons tippy-toed out of the Hilton last night, and cut a hole in the roof of the market so they could lower themselves down and snaffle ALL the Lesney loveliness?

Were the Corgi Cameos on the stall deliberately left as a two-fingered salute to yours truly?

I should have headed over at 1am to stand watch when news first broke of these despicable deeds unfolding.

Only I might have had some hasty explaining to do to MrsDC Tatgirl about where I was going in the middle of the night.

Why don't significant others care about justice?

*Sigh*

[flat4alfa]

"We told you to BUY THAT TONKA but did you listen, Prime Minister?"

[flat4alfa]

On 2/16/2023 at 9:20 AM, bunglebus said:

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.

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

The cam is to rotate the shaft for the roof light on the emergency service variations

Usually missing when not required

 

So you got the one Helga built on a Friday after a heavy lunch 

[Datsuncog]

Fortunately, things took a turn for the better.

Market Blokey appeared, and must have noticed my steely determination, as he waved me behind the stall and produced some plain cardboard boxes which must have been stashed away in a secret vault, or something.

Victory!

Phoar, some beauties in here.

Mostly '60s Lesney, as foretold with eerie accuracy by TatPredictr™, with some others of a similar era.

Some of the '50s stuff was really clean, though.

Some of it, less so...

Ow.

Oosh.

Yuk.

Aw.

Vexing.

But nonetheless, it's been a fair few weeks since a cornucopia such as this has been seen.

And NO NEMESIS, strangely.

Was he in league with Sneaky Sunak? 

Had he failed to secure the Lesney heist, and was now being dangled by his toes above snapping crocodiles in the River Lagan?

(Okay, so I haven't actually seen crocodiles in the Lagan, but it wouldn't surprise me all that much.)

But there was lots to tempt.

Mercedes ambulance was very clean, though not quite mint. Also, although the skinny Superfast wheels mean the body casting's not as butchered as the later fat-wheel version, I'd still prefer a regular-wheel example.

Lomax ambulance was pretty good, though missing the back doors (inevitably).

More bloodboxes, in slightly more worn condition - Husky DS and Lesney Cadillac.

Steering-fun Mustang and E-Type with spoked wheels intact - appealing, but if I'm splitting hairs these look more like £2 models than £3 models...

Anglebox also with a bit of a roof lean, and no better paint-wise than the one I picked up for £2 a few weeks back.

Husky Type 2s were nice, though.

Refreshment bar lacking a towhitch, but otherwise largely intact.

Lone Star locos apparently straddling both sides of the Atlantic.

These two were genuinely mint.

Cararararama Minis with a choice of rear treatments.

So there was plenty to enchant, and believe me, I had a few set to one side.

And then I became aware of The Nemesis sidling up. Green Adidas today.

Seems that the OMG TRAFFIC LIGHT KAOS on East Bridge St had nobbled him.

I felt a bit sorry for him - but then I remembered the Austin Ruby.

He asked politely if he could see one that I'd set aside.

It was a Corgi Rockets Capri.

(More on that later)

We both agreed it was very nice, and he then passed it back, and I passed him over the boxes I'd already rummaged through, for his perusal.

Sloppy seconds pour Monsieur?

Well, that's my customary fare of a Friday morning, and having now compared them, I can't say it's quite as yummy as getting first dibs.

Of course, this was something of a high-risk strategy. Cos I bet he'll be over at the market all the earlier next Friday.

So I'm going to have to start setting my alarm a few minutes earlier too, so I can beat him in (and, apparently, the Giffer Posse and all).

Predictably, this will probably escalate incrementally until one or both of us is camping outside the doors from Wednesday lunchtime on.

But. That's a problem for another day...

[flat4alfa]

@Datsuncog

Lomax please

Binz skinny wheels

Any Bedford CA even that rolled one

Thames Trader recovery

Austin J2 Pick-up

 

[flat4alfa]

@Datsuncog

Cararama Mini with rear estate car windows please

Husky VW blue pickup bed one

Tiny orange Lesney cement mixer ERF

Lesley Merryweather fire engine with non bent Ladder

Lesley Zephyr mk2

Lesney Ford Prefect 100E

COMMER MILK FLOAT

 

[Datsuncog]

So with cash handed over, and a carrier bag bulging, I conducted a final sweep of the stall...

Initially I thought this was made of wood - but no, it's just a really, really filthy Solido.

And all the chrome's come off the bumpers, grille and wheels.

Weird.

There were more model railway items...

And I realised that the Cameos were, in fact, loose items from a previously boxed set of spectacularly half-arsed Christmas themed models seen in December, and again last week.

Which, like the loose Hong Kong buses last week, raises the troubling spectre that box sets which don't sell after a few weeks might be getting parted out in the hope that if no-one will stump up for the whole set, some folks might buy one or two.

I understand the business economics of it, but it has my collector self clutching at my pearls a little.

Moseying onwards, now feeling a little cocky but still keeping an eye out for Sunak and his gang, I mooched over to Alan's Emporium, but there was no 50p Tray yet - in fact not much diecast at all.

I'll leave that for Rishi.

The ever-eclectic Mulligan's Irish Gifts had more Matchbox and Hot Wheels, which seemed pricey at £2 last year but are becoming increasingly bargainous...

5-packs are now pretty cheap at £7.50 -  same packs as Tesco are currently stocking for a tenner.

More nice Working Rigs models to be seen this morning, plus Convoys:

Blimey, that car transporter trailer looks jolly familiar... Not sure if Mattel are using 40yr-old castings here, or have retooled from the original Convoy CY-1.

One of my favourites as a kid, that one.

These Greenlight Escort Cosworths were also unexpectedly on the stall - I daresay they'll be gone quickly, at a tenner.

The Charity Stall had bog-all, again...

Unless you want a Beautiful South CD or some Disney bubble bath.

There was a plastic tank, but it seemed to be a modern rather than VINTAGE RETRO STEAMPUNK.

So I left it.

And that was me done, pretty much.

Except for picking up a victory sausage soda on the way out - the breakfast of champions.

Sunak clearly knew he was beat, and had continued to lie low.

Well, he can have a wet fish for his trouble.

Hopefully he'll have more luck finding some Sikus in Munich this afternoon...

And it seems that he's packed the Foreign Secretary off to scour the street markets of The Hague to bring back as many '70s Majorette and EFSI Commer walkthru vans as he can find.

The scoundrel.

That's taxpayer money, that is.

[bunglebus]

There's a late issue Matchbox Zodiac MK2 with windows in there - I've got one but they're unusual 

Wouldn't say no to any steering Mustang if the glass is good - the donor i found is cracked. 

£10 says the red Husky/Corgi Juniors Transit had no rear door. 

Don't reCOGnise this 

Unless it's a repaint of the Matchbox taxi

[andrew e]

Congratulations on beating the nemesis @Datsuncog AND a sausage soda bap!   

[flat4alfa]

19 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Don't reCOGnise this 

Unless it's a repaint of the Matchbox taxi

https://matchbox.fandom.com/wiki/Austin_Metropolitan_Taxi

[bunglebus]

While DC is sorting out his goodies, here are some group shots of some of the Corgi Juniors that seem to have endless variations 

Volvo 245 - favourite is the rally support with roofrack

Range Rovers - favourite is the non emergency devices flat roof

Rover 3500 - favourite has to be the ex-flat4alfa pencil sharpener 

Vans - 15¾ of these including the weird narrowed one. I like the black flamed one best

Dazzling monochromatic display of Carreras. Plain white with red interior is top of my list

Plenty of MK2 Transits. I like the Abschleppdienst one best

Not so many of these Merc busses - "burnt" blue one is my preference here

So many Sierras. Yellow, red interior, brown base wins on oddness alone 

The Regals, I wonder how many variants there are as I know of three bases and three body types without anything else. I rather like the Taxi version as the roof sign and passenger dept. divider is clever

I also have several MK3 Escorts. I didn't include the Corgi branded convertible with comedy police lights on the roof. Not actually a big fan of FWD Escorts but I suppose the XR3I should win

*edit* bugger just found a green one hiding elsewhere 

Ones I didn't picture include 8 Ranchos, 8 Mustangs, 6 Dyanes and 6 Fiat X1/9s, 7 Jag XJSs...

[FakeConcern]

@Datsuncog

Matchbox/Lesney turquoise Fiat with missing luggage from roof rack

Cararama Mini Pickup

Red transit if it's some kind of camper van (for summer house)

 

Please

 

Edited February 17, 2023 by FakeConcern
Added another want

[bunglebus]

13 minutes ago, FakeConcern said:

Red transit if it's some kind of camper van

I reckon it's a Husky Martin Walker camper

[flat4alfa]

Just now, bunglebus said:

I reckon it's a Husky Martin Walker camper

You can see the door are missing I think