Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

Told boss man we needed to go on a side mission to BuM at Dagenham. 

Plenty of Matchbox on clip strips

But the Ranchero has the other wheels 

No Flying Customs either but there were some new mainline cars.

Asda next door have F+F premiums 

[mat777]

On 3/4/2023 at 11:58 AM, AndyW201 said:

IClose but no cigar, I've got Dave Leslie's '99 Onyx Primera.....

Ooh, so close yet so far..... I've looked into having one converted, but it's quite tricky as it isn't just the numbers and rear windows - the big transfer across the windscreen is also the wrong colour (Aiello is red, Leslie is blue). Plus it seems pricewise the Leslie car is actually the more desirable version (I guess due to his untimely death). 

 

Moving onto the next shelf, we have "Fast and Loud (land edition)". Ever since 5 year old me found a VHS copy of the 1996 NHRA season review in the Woolworths bargain bin, I've been into top fuel drag racing. Watching the immaculate Castrol-liveried cars clean up time and time again in the Funnycar class made me a lifelong John Force fan, and the chap is the stuff of legend - now 73, he's been racing continuously since 1978 and has 16 titles to his name (and 22 in total as a team owner). It's also often said the only thing faster than his car is his mouth (for the uninitiated, look on youtube  🤣)
Thus, I have a mini-shrine comprised of my favourite cars and liveries throughout the ages, all imported from America where they are made by Action Diecast in 1.24 scale.

In order (L-R) we have:
1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass
2006 Ford Mustang (body)
2006 Mustang (chassis)
1999 Ford Mustang (8x Champion special livery)
1995 Pontiac Firebird 

The 90s cars have a pretty rubbish, almost toy level of detail on the chassis section, but by 2006 Action had got their act together and produced some lovely detailing showing off the ignition harness, supercharger and safety equipment. 
It's also interesting to chart the progress of the bodyshell design, from something that could still almost pass for the road car shape, to a completely amorphous blob identifiable only by stickers as aero work progressed and rules were relaxed on the width of the cockpit. 

For those who have never experienced drag racing  (and in this country, when I mention it at first, a lot of people seem to think I'm on about a TV show featuring cross-dressing!), a modern Top Fuel dragster really is a feat of engineering. Capable of accelerating from a standing start to 330mph in 4.5 seconds over a 1000ft strip, the regulation 500 cu.in engines produce north of 10,000hp (that's not a typo) as the beerkeg-sized superchargers force in so much nitromethane that the engine runs on the verge of a hydraulic lock. Yes, there are often some quite impressive explosions.....
A class apart from the traditional long "rail" dragsters,  Funnycars  use the same sort of componentry but packaged into a front-engined chassis with a bodyshell.  The name originates from the "funny-looking car" appearance of the first modified production cars in the 60s as builders began to drastically alter the axle locations in the bodyshell for better weight distribution. 

 

 

On the shelf underneath, we have "Fast and Loud (air edition)". All of these models are 1/72 scale, so it just goes to show the phenomenal size difference between some of the subjects!
We have:
- Lockheed SR71 Blackbird "Nasa 832" - Century Wings.
This was one of two airframes operated by NASA at the Dryden Flight Research Centre for data gathering on hypersonic flight. It's not actually the livery I wanted - I was after one of the famed and highly prized "Skunkworks" liveried aircraft - but they were from an earlier production run, had sold out and were going for north of £500 secondhand (on an RRP of £120) so fuck that. 
As you can see, this model is a seriously hefty bit of tin! Century Wings is one of the top end producers and it really does have some exquisite detailing too.

- DeHavilland Vampire T.11 WZ507 - Corgi Aviation Archive
This aircraft has a special place in my heart as I was lucky enough to have a flight experience in this very aircraft as a mega 30th birthday present (the T.11 being a 2-seat advanced training variant). It was everything you could possibly imagine - the mad memory of being upside down over Coventry at 400mph in a jet-propelled wooden toboggan will forever live with me!

- McDonnell Douglas Phantom "3783 - The Black Bunny" - Corgi Aviation Archive
Another aircraft that is near and dear to me, F4-J Phantom 153783 had an extremely eventful life. After a short stint as a regular Navy airframe, it was transferred to the VX-4 Test and Evaluation Squadron based at Point Mugu, CA. This was an elite experimental squadron that developed new tactics, weapons... and colour schemes. 3783 ended up in all over gloss black, which looked so damn good that the CO chose it as his personal mount and flew many of the period airshows in it. Being allowed to decorate their own mounts to some extent, the gloss black finish led to a Playboy Bunny appearing on the tailfin - hence the nickname. Originally a "dont sue us" facsimilie as modelled here, it was later changed to the correct logo after HH himself was approached and gave his blessing.
After being retired to the boneyard, it was one of 8 "J" aircraft purchased by the RAF to backfill their fleet, and joining the other J-bird in my earlier post on 74 Squadron as ZE352 (sadly the modellers of the RAF J-bird missed the opportunity to produce this specific airframe). After RAF retirement and scrapping, the cockpit section ended up preserved and in the hands of a good friend of mine and is stored in the workshop I share with him. I long for the day when it is fully restored and out on show!

- BAC TSR-2 "XR219 - the only one to fly"-  Corgi Aviation Archive
No backstory to this one, other than I think the TSR2 is cool as fuck and was a colossal wasted opportunity when cancelled. We never did regain our standalone footing in the world aircraft industry after that.

 

 

So why was I so keen to find a Skunkworks Blackbird? (Other than the fact that its the coolest paintjob). Well, the bunny and the skunk once flew together, and I've always wanted to recreate it in my cabinet!

 

...and now the tea break is over, so I shall ad the final two shelves another time!

[MiniMinorMk3]

52 minutes ago, mat777 said:

For those who have never experienced drag racing  (and in this country, when I mention it at first, a lot of people seem to think I'm on about a TV show featuring cross-dressing!), a modern Top Fuel dragster really is a feat of engineering. Capable of accelerating from a standing start to 330mph in 4.5 seconds over a 1000ft strip...

 

I remember the first time I saw Daryl Gwyn at Santa Pod in 1989. The sound just travelled through me, causing my chest to vibrate. Seeing the car on the line flexing as he left the line was also mind blowing.

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, mat777 said:

  For those who have never experienced drag racing  

 

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

I remember the first time I saw Daryl Gwyn at Santa Pod in 1989. The sound just travelled through me, causing my chest to vibrate. Seeing the car on the line flexing as he left the line was also mind blowing

Thing is, you can quote horsepower, engine size, quarter mile times and speeds etc etc - they just won't ever make as much of an impression as being somewhere near one when it launches, as above it literally vibrates you, the ground and everything else. They are truly, awesome in the truest sense of the word.

[bunglebus]

It's been a busy day. Found these in BuM

That Honda is a cool little thing!

Also found the wheel variation Ranchero

This isn't the first time Matchbox have pulled this trick

[bunglebus]

As I was done early I thought I'd brave going into Basildon. Naff all in any of the usual suspects but did pick up some charity shop refugees.

This just tickled me because I am a child. Looks like a Majorette but has no make on it

Lovely. Milky milky.

Anyway - this is definitely Majorette and had a serious flat windscreen when I pulled it out of the tub

Lastly, the third Darda F40 I've located for pennies 

[bunglebus]

Deliveries!

Two Maisto "Champer" VW Caravettes - copies of Matchbox in case you didn't know

They are different, not just the packaging - one is the tow bar version

I can't see the bases to see if they are the Champer/Camper spelling variations.

This was included with them

[bunglebus]

Lastly, my Corgi Club Zephyr police car arrived

So I dug out its grandfather

I think mine is a very early one, so there are some differences such as the aerial, roof light, wheels and base colour

[bunglebus]

I was having a very interesting conversation today with a guy who works for a company we deal with. He does 3D printing but this is serious pro stuff not DIY filament level work.

He was showing me a few bits he'd done and the detail was amazing, he can literally print hairs if needed. 

He can also produce items in a multitude of materials so for example rubber tyres as well as clear and translucent plastics. This can also be made from a scan so it sounds like reproducing almost anything for little cars is viable. 

I need to find some parts for him to replicate to test the waters, but it's got me quite fired up. 

Oh and he said he could make a new interior handle for my Passat to replace the broken one...

[eddyramrod]

I was in town this morning with a little time to myself, so I thought I'd check out my big BuM... oh.  That might sound slightly more risque than it actually was!

Imagine my delight at finding clipstrips full of Matchbox cars at £1.79 each.  That's reassuring.

[junkyarddog]

33 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

Imagine my delight at finding clipstrips full of Matchbox cars

How many did you manage to sneak past the Missus eddy?😉

[eddyramrod]

Aha, I used a frighteningly simple trick: I didn't buy any!

[Datsuncog]

5 hours ago, bunglebus said:

He can also produce items in a multitude of materials so for example rubber tyres as well as clear and translucent plastics. This can also be made from a scan so it sounds like reproducing almost anything for little cars is viable. 

Sounds like you've just found a new best friend...

[bunglebus]

9 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Sounds like you've just found a new best friend...

I was pondering last night what I could get made to test the waters. I'd quite like to try the grille/interior for the Matchbox Dodge Dragster as they're always broken, but that means taking a good one apart. 

I might try getting the roof for the Majorette buggy made, as they're often lost and can be removed without taking the car apart.

Any other suggestions? Maybe the spare tyres for a Ruff Trek?

[bunglebus]

Another day, another BuM. Lots of Matchbox including wheel variation Ranchero...

...Oh hello

[bunglebus]

Metros back in Smyths 

Still no F+F Escort though

[sierraman]

I live near one of the big B&M megastore things but they don’t stock them. Full to the brim of vile tat for the garden like signs saying ‘You don’t have to be Mad to live here... but it helps’

[Jon]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

I was pondering last night what I could get made to test the waters. I'd quite like to try the grille/interior for the Matchbox Dodge Dragster as they're always broken, but that means taking a good one apart. 

I might try getting the roof for the Majorette buggy made, as they're often lost and can be removed without taking the car apart.

Any other suggestions? Maybe the spare tyres for a Ruff Trek?

There's a test!

[sierraman]

I did ring B&M Customer Contact on the off chance, they said they do not sell them. Which I found odd given people up and down the country seem to find them. 

[bunglebus]

Twin pack Majos in Adsa

[bunglebus]

Matchbox in Onepoundfiftyland

[sierraman]

Which ones? I don’t know why I’m asking to be fair, it’s like living in the Russian Federation in about the 1950’s round here lately. We’ll be queuing up for bread at this rate. 🤣

[sutty2006]

There’s a toy shop in butlins Skegness, which had a wall of hotwheels. Lots of new releases but not much I liked. So I got this one for Arthur. There was another, might go back for it. Might not. 🤔

[FakeConcern]

Hastings junk shop finds.

Matchbox caravan £1

Corgi Renna 16 £2, still has the spare wheel with tyre...

and working seat backs and parcel shelf

I was also tempted by a quite nice Dinky Ford Thames Atlas Copco in yellow as far as I could see complete for £4 and a Dinky Austin Landcrab in metalic blue, but missing tyres and bonnet for £2. I managed to resist.

[Zie]

Asda and Morrisons was scraps but B&M saves the day again. 

[bunglebus]

Still not found that white 911, but I did find the DMC-12 at Asbo

And a Kurtis out of big BuM 

[Zie]

The 80s and Retro racers are my favourites. Still on the lookout for a Red Rs2000. 

Wasn't going to start On Matchbox but here we are. 😆

[bunglebus]

Whoop whoop, it's the sound of the...Buddy L Patrol apparently. 

Miss Bunglebus found this for 50p in a charity shop

[Datsuncog]

Just so happened to call past the big B&M out by Connswater at lunchtime there.

Not a great selection, exactly - despite being one of their bigger stores, there were no single Hot Wheels in evidence at all, and only a couple of clipstrips of Matchbox hung at random points along the toy aisle.

Nothing I hadn't already seen on Sunday over at the Newtownabbey branch, anyway.

Unless there were loads hidden behind the cages...

Plus more Monster Truck action - quite a decent rendering of Bob Chandler's original Bigfoot.

(Or one of them, anyway)

A box of Bburago 1/43s on one of the lower shelves reminded me I haven't seen them locally for a few years - the castings themselves and details aren't bad, but the wheels are still heinous and cheap-looking. Even if the models themselves aren't all that cheap - doesn't seem that long ago since they were 99p.

But it's reassuring that there seem to be a few more options opening up across the country (even if supply is still a bit on the patchy side).

Also stopped by Tesco for a bit of actual shopping, and there were even less Matchbox on their shelves - just a few unloved motorcycle trailers amidst some torn open packets.

I would have taken some poignant pics of the lack of diecast loveliness, but I was put off by some sad-act busy pawing through the Star Wars tat alongside.

A grown man spending his lunchtime looking at kids' toys.

The very idea.

[bunglebus]

Who knew, if you chop the front off the base of a 55 Nomad...

...and splice it into a 55 Gasser...

You get a pretty good Street Machine 

Workbench is a sea of 1955 Chevrolet parts while working out what fits what. Should be enough bits left to build a two more frankenstein creations. Maisto is sulking at the back because it didn't get a look in