Shite in Miniature II

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

an unusual Majorette

It seems they released Dune Buggy as 200-serie 'mainline' for a long while since 1970 and had loads of variations, I don't remember seeing it at all (but not really into buggies)!

I like the one with psychosis wheels

Those wheels would look shite on a Matchbox Lincoln Continental.

[danthecapriman]

I’m a weak willed person! I said I’d stop for a bit. But you know how it is… you see something and you must have it! 
So I’ve been buying job lots up, and snagging stuff from junk/charity shops too😁

Heres a few of the ‘keepers’ I’ve recently got hold of. Some are from eBay job lots, some from charity shops and one from a neighbour who was clearing out rubbish.

These two are excellent. The gold standard car has had some glue added to hold tyres on, which I’ll likely scrape off and do a tidier job of I think.

 

Assorted Matchbox. 
The Mercedes 220 is an especially nice looking casting. I love the metallic orange colour too, although maybe not the best car to put it on!? 
ISO Grifo is a funny colour? It’s definitely factory paint but I thought they were always dark blue? 
Orange Peel Charger is just cool!!

 

Summers on the way so time for a camper. Or three!

Corgi mk1 Escort. These seem to command a premium on eBay for some reason. I don’t think the shape is particularly good tbh.   
Corgi Capri is pretty nice. Bonnet fit isn’t the best, but it’s still there which is a bonus.  
The other two Matchbox aren’t really anything special but I had them as a kid but they’re long gone now so these two will make up for their loss!

More to come over next few days, then I’ll be updating my sales thread!

 

[flat4alfa]

Yes that is a genuine ISO Grifo later colour, I have one here, always the Wide Superfast wheels on these as 1971 onwards

You were lucky to find the Orange Peel rename of Dodge Dragster as that was US market only (or supposed to have been).  I've never seen one in the flesh

Quote

 I’ve been buying job lots up

I’ll be updating my sales thread

Yikes!

[bunglebus]

I have the lighter blue Grifo

And two different blue Super GTs

Orange Peel was a lucky boot sake find last year

[danthecapriman]

The orange peel was the one I got from a neighbour. I didn’t realise it was meant as a US market release. Maybe he got it from the US on holiday or something? I’ll have to ask next time I see him.

Light blue Grifo is news to me then. I thought they were all dark blue regardless of wheel type. I was looking at it earlier thinking it must have been a very good repaint as it looks totally factory applied. Inside & out.

 

Im not very ‘up’ on Hot Wheels tbh, so can anyone shed any light on these ones?

The big Maserati BiTurbo is a weird size for Hot Wheels. Says made in Italy on the base. I’ve never seen one before? 
Others are all old 70’s early 80’s black walls, all very nice condition too!

[flat4alfa]

Mattel bought Mebetoys and kept the factory running by just rebranding existing range and subsequent releases as Hot Wheels.  Mid-80s.

 

 

 

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

Im not very ‘up’ on Hot Wheels tbh, so can anyone shed any light on these ones?

Others are all old 70’s early 80’s black walls, all very nice condition too!

Red one is BMW M1

Orange Royal Flash is supposed to be the Lotus Esprit, but they got the angles a bit wrong

Dodge Omni is in cracking condition, they were a bit of an also-ran (like the real thing!) and usually pretty battered/unloved in the UK.  My favourite there.

Dixie Challenger looks like it's from an older range, but it is from same era (it was developed from Rodger Dodger early 70s) and for some reason quite common in UK.  I have had at least three or four

[danthecapriman]

9 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Red one is BMW M1

Orange Royal Flash is supposed to be the Lotus Esprit, but they got the angles a bit wrong

Dodge Omni is in cracking condition, they were a bit of an also-ran (like the real thing!) and usually pretty battered/unloved in the UK.  My favourite there.

Dixie Challenger looks like it's from an older range, but it is from same era (it was developed from Rodger Dodger early 70s) and for some reason quite common in UK.  I have had at least three or four

The Omni is my favourite too. I’ve already got one of them though!

I knew I’d seen the Royal Flash before but couldn’t place it, they did it in white with a Union Jack on the roof or bonnet I seem to remember!?  I’m sure it’s the same casting.

The BiTurbo is the weirdo one though. It just doesn’t look like a Hot Wheels at all. It’s got a sort of 80’s Bburago 1/43 sort of look and feel to it.

[bunglebus]

Nice finds - not seen the Mebetoys/Mattel BiTurbo before, sadly as time went on the quality went downhill, things like the wheels are just a bit naff

[danthecapriman]

2 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Nice finds - not seen the Mebetoys/Mattel BiTurbo before, sadly as time went on the quality went downhill, things like the wheels are just a bit naff

Definitely! The awful wheels were the first thing that struck me when I saw it. The casting itself looks reasonably good, but it’s just got a slight hint of ‘cheap and nasty’ about it here and there. A bit like the very last Dinky toys went with those shitty looking speed wheels!

[flat4alfa]

Yes Mebetoys had to budget-down to Bburago pricing

Their sales gimmick in the end was to provide the stickers to finish off ...the other side of the car that is not seen in the box window!

 

[bunglebus]

The wheels are also attached to the base via plastic pegs, so if they snap off you're fairly knackered. I have repaired one using a small panel pin in the past though 

[danthecapriman]

2 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

The wheels are also attached to the base via plastic pegs, so if they snap off you're fairly knackered. I have repaired one using a small panel pin in the past though 

Yeah, you’re right!  I thought it was an axle but it’s not! Just little plastic pegs with a wheel stuck on them!

CHEAP!! But I suppose it’s still cheerful.😁

[bunglebus]

Here are some new versions of an old name - various Budgie cars were remanufactured (might still be), using the original moulds.

I spotted these on eBay and did a naughty last-minute bid

My restored one

Those arrived on the same day as another boxed Volkswagen 

The box is tatty (don't care) and the roof is damaged. I'll find a donor, it's in lovely condition otherwise and didn't seem to attract any bids other than mine

[danthecapriman]

Few more Corgi & Matchbox ‘keepers’.

Not very exciting but nice enough ones I don’t have already. 
The Corgi Juniors roller is one I’ve not seen before.

[AndyW201]

On 19/04/2023 at 20:19, bunglebus said:

 

It's a very subtle recolour

 

I'm pleased you said that! I too got that one today,

And I thought I'd bought a duplicate of the other version. Naughy Mattel!  Now there'll be completists everywhere chasing the two versions to complete the '80s collection...

Thank God I'm not one of those!

Oh!

The Quattro sport is the latest in the '80s collection. My favourite colour scheme on this casting so far. Missus likes this one too as it reminds her of the German flag...

Nice to see that despite the fact it's pretty heavily tampo'd, they haven't skimped on the front end detailing. Only twigged now as well that the bonnet air intakes are seperate, and part of the interior moulding. Neat.

Only one more The '80s variant to get, the upcoming '82 Supra. Heh! Good luck there! The scalpers will already be having wet dreams over that one...

The Plymouth GTX is another of my favourite castings. And, soz, yes I do like muscle cars in lairy colours like this. A lot of the real cars in period were available in loud colours so for me, they're fairly representative (too much Street Machine as a kid, probably...)

Nice to see the slotmag type wheels being used on this one too.

They do like the REPU casting don't they? Luckily I do too!

.

Another nice casting, this CRX.

 But the créme de la créme of today's haul has to be,

At last! Bloody found one!

I know, I'm probably the last person in the world to have found one, and a lot has already been said about it, but this has to be one of the top HW released of the last few years. Okay, I'm biased. I love cars of all eras, genres and price ranges, but '80s and '90s Mercs are the real loves of my automotive life, so I got quite giddy when I saw this on the Lamley videos!

It's just perfectly evocative of the '80s, the dished 5 spoke HW wheels even make convincing replicas of AMG Monoblocks in that colour scheme.

Detailing is superb, they've even cast it with the sunroof on tilt...

I've no doubt we'll see it in a few more colour schemes, there have to be red (with red wheels) and white versions(with white wheels)  in the future.

They'd go well with the HW w124s and this W201 that I already have,

(Please, PLEASE Mattel, give us a few 190Es as a mainline as well. Better still, get a standard bodied one in the Matchbox range as well...)

So pretty good show from Morrisons, with a brand new case, though someone had obviously still got there before me as there were still no IMSA Audis, Carreras or red Escorts. The hunt goes on...

[bunglebus]

Not seen that Audi before so that's a new case. I've been keeping my eye on the shops but there's nothing new , just the eternal case of Matchbox getting restocked over and over 

[flat4alfa]

25 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Yeah, you’re right!  I thought it was an axle but it’s not! Just little plastic pegs with a wheel stuck on them!

It's a good thing when they snap off though because it provides a reason to take them apart, fit a set of decent wheels with a proper pair of axles.

Or just not bother at all keep it as it is and get the James Bond partwork set Biturbo by Universal Hobbies for improved authenticness...

[flat4alfa]

Anyone got a spare surplus Matchbox Super Kings Dodge Monaco, any condition?

Only really need a straight bodyshell, have everything else

Had a bit of a upset with the paint stripping etching the surface away, my bad

[flat4alfa]

40 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Or just not bother at all keep it as it is and get the James Bond partwork set Biturbo by Universal Hobbies for improved authenticness...

All this excitement has made the collection jump out and say "Me! Me!"

[flat4alfa]

First off, Snoopy insisted you saw a first release colour Matchbox 1964 Lincoln Continental, then compare it with a Hot Wheel Lincoln Continental, from decades later

Only the Matchbox has an opening thing - the boot (trunk!) lid.

Only the Hot Wheels has STUPID DAFT WHEELS that need changing to something more sensible for my aching old back.

[bunglebus]

Has good lows though, and still rolls well

[flat4alfa]

Matchbox Iso Grifo.  First and last colours.

On the right, the first release for 1968-only.  The following year the wheels became the new 'Superfast' type, same body colour.

On the left, the 1971 colour change and wider 'Superfast' wheel type.  Continued through 1974.

'Super GT' series later releases not included, mainly because the drivers could not see where they were going.

[MiniMinorMk3]

3 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Mattel bought Mebetoys and kept the factory running by just rebranding existing range and subsequent releases as Hot Wheels.  Mid-80s.

 

 

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

Yeah, you’re right!  I thought it was an axle but it’s not! Just little plastic pegs with a wheel stuck on them!

CHEAP!! But I suppose it’s still cheerful.😁

When Mattel took over Mebetoys they released models under the Sutafuoco range and the Gran Toros range.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Budgie Toys R-R Cloud. This is a 1980's re-issue

[danthecapriman]

9 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Matchbox Iso Grifo.  First and last colours.

On the right, the first release for 1968-only.  The following year the wheels became the new 'Superfast' type, same body colour.

On the left, the 1971 colour change and wider 'Superfast' wheel type.  Continued through 1974.

'Super GT' series later releases not included, mainly because the drivers could not see where they were going.

That’s good to know. It means I have all versions of the Grifo now then! With the exception of the Super GT ones - was never much of a fan of that range tbh.

[flat4alfa]

Hot Wheels Dixie Challenger, produced 1981-86

Notice the roof tampo design change for 1982.  Perhaps the Confederate flag upset sales in stores north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Based on the 1974-79 Rodger Dodger, modelling a stretched Dodge Challenger, which was subsequently retooled twice!  Shown in photo is a 2017 release.

[danthecapriman]

2 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Hot Wheels Dixie Challenger, produced 1981-86

Notice the roof tampo design change for 1982.  Perhaps the Confederate flag upset sales in stores north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Based on the 1974-79 Rodger Dodger, modelling a stretched Dodge Challenger, which was subsequently retooled twice!  Shown in photo is a 2017 release.

That one I just got is the early confederate version then, mines badly worn away but definitely the remains of the confederate flag!

[flat4alfa]

The Universal Hobbies Maserati Biturbo 425 in 1:43, released as part of the 'James Bond Car Collection' partwork spanning 2007-17. 

Not even removed this one from the box!  Because... it is secured home by one of those daft three-pointed screws and I didn't fancy falling into the pit of boxes of diecast called my 'garage', hunting for the right drive bit.

I think this is one of the more successful models in the series

In the film 'Licence to Kill', character Franz Sanchez uses the Biturbo 425i as his personal vehicle. It is most notably seen during the tanker chase. Sanchez and his driver abandon the Maserati and take over one of the Kenworth W-900 trucks.

 If anyone is in the viscinity, please could you check if the abandoned Maserati is still there?  The door might even still be open.  I've always wanted one of those, you see. Thanks.

[Bren]

Picked this up today - for £8.50 I couldn't say no.

Another from my childhood. I remember an identical mercedes tractor unit used to park near my parents house in Widnes in the 70's.

Not sure if I have any period juniors - the volvo 245 / pacer / dyane / X19 would have been transported but due to them being a bit pish ( compared to matchbox) mine have gone - I will see what is lying around.