Shite in Miniature II

Datsuncog · June 2

After leaving the market, backpack bulging but wallet waning, I wandered over to The Entertainer.

That's right - I hadn't forgotten that they were now punting out their Matchbox Hitch & Haul range at a slightly more sensible price of £4.

Annoyingly all they had left was the Rodeo Set and multiple packs of the generic Construction Set - I might also have been interested in the Jeep and Trailer set with the luckless hiker being set on by wolves and bears, but no dice.

They had loads of Hot Wheels too - unusually both long card and short card packs.

I checked to see if there was a Gazella R in the Orange 'n' Blue Anniversary series - as I believe @flat4alfa was still seeking one - but sadly not.

There were these 'British Street Scenes' vehicles though - which I think might be based on the old Chad Valley castings from the early 2000s?

These are packaged as being made by Richmond Toys - but it seems to be the same LDV ambulance, Vauxhall Omega police car, RM bus and Austin FX4 cab as I recall from a long time ago now.

Basically a heritage range, now?

But looking at the Land Rover Discoveries...

I was surprised to see this one was absolutely thick with dust on the model itself.

Not on the packaging - on the model inside it. The box was perfectly clean.

I wonder if these had been left sitting unboxed in a storeroom in some Chinese factory for quite some time?

Hmmm. Interesting, but pricey enough at £12.

I like the Siku stuff The Entertainer carries - but crumbs, it's pricey.

Still, this coach was pretty cool.

Beats the holiday liveries, anyway.

And then - because I may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb - I headed over to the Smithfield model shop.

Basically I was after a few loose Majorettes for @Spottedlaurel - though the best I could do was this single Dodge pickup:

I'll keep looking for more, never fear!

I also procured this...

What a colour. Not a BMC original shade, I wouldn't have thought.

Available for £1, if anyone fancies it!

Then this blackwalls Hot Wheels oddity - a Cannonade.

With opening bits - not something many of them seem to have.

Hong Kong era, too.

~~Also looking a new home at £1!~~

[EDIT: now taken!!]

Ok, so I was starting to lose the run of myself now.

Oddity from an archaeologically themed playset (?) Isuzu Amigo/ Vauxhall Frontera SWB.

Raaaar! Again, £1 if anyone fancies taking it on.

And lastly...

A no-name (possibly MC Toy?) Mercedes 307D van.

I didn't realise until after I'd bought it that the headlamps were missing.

Damn.

Also available, at £1.

And that I believe is that, for this week kids...

Happy Friday, folks.

Now, I'd better go before I'm locked in for the weekend...

danthecapriman · June 2

Nice haul this week.

May I request the full valet on my rig please sir!😆

Datsuncog · June 2

Aaaaagh Ultra Hots.

I just had to bloody stop off at B&M, didn't I?

I've already a request in for the ~~SP3~~ from @w00dy - but is anyone else interested in the other five of these here, at £1.99 a throw?

[EDIT: it's a VW SP2, not SP3 - hey, it's been an intense kinda day...]

Is @bunglebus still seeking the Mercury Cougar and the Firebird?

[EDIT: yup]

I've already got a Brazilian Charger and an El Camino going spare, so I'm not buying any more of them - but there's two each of those remaining in this store, plus another Civic and another Shelby Mustang left on the strips.

No Gazella Rs, annoyingly.

Still a few of the more desirable Matchbox remaining, at £1.69.

I couldn't just take myself straight home, could I?

🤡

bunglebus · June 2

19 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

@bunglebus still seeking the Mercury Cougar and the Firebird

Yes - and the Cannonade too please! I need all the Ultra Hots other than the Charger and El Camino...

I'd really like an SP2 as well if anyone finds one

Datsuncog · June 2

It probably doesn't necessarily look like it, but this is my happy place.

The Audi and Chevrolet are looking heaps better.

The Rovers are gonna need a dab of T-Cut, I think...

Richard_FM · June 2

12 hours ago, cms206 said:

The Camaro is Kidco, has a hole in the back... car launcher maybe? The Dome only has Dome underneath.

I think the Camaro is a Key car, which used a plastic key inserted into the hole at the rear to depress a spring inside, when the key was squeezed the spring was released & the car would be propelled forwards.

Richard_FM · June 2

12 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Okay then... Friday beckons!

After a three-week hiatus while Market Blokey was away sunning himself, I wasn't sure what to expect upon striding purposefully through the market doors this morning...

But as it turned out, all was well in Tatland.

Tat was tatting, giffers were giffering.

Before we all get too overly excited and lose the run of ourselves, it's maybe worth mentioning that today's stall was mostly the same stuff as we had nearly a month ago, back on 5th May.

Though that's not to say there was nothing worth having...

Lots of smallish tat, although not much genuinely old stuff.

1/18 and 1/43, plus 00 gauge commercials.

TK Maxx dustcatcher-grade tinplate T1 Samba to slice your finger on, if you like.

Trainshite was in evidence.

Also some big Corgi Classics Chipperfields stuff, at £20 a go.

Boxed Maisto Beetle also at £20.

Massive Matchbox Chevrolet Suburban is one I've only seen in books before - quite nicely detailed. £10 on it.

Boxed models were some Chinese make which my tired old eyes couldn't decipher at this hour of the morning - began with S, but not Sunstar or anything like that. Blue Chevrolet van towards the front seemed to be by ERTL.

More americana by makers unknown.

Corgi Lotus was dusty but tidy. Seemed to be a fiver each on these.

We've seen these Hongwell soft-roaders before... pity the X5 and RX300 are both missing a roof rail.

Slightly messy Lesney Scammell heavy wrecker was pretty much the oldest diecast item to be found on the stall today.

Assorted trucks, but mostly modern-ish stuff.

Some more of those 1990s release posh Matchbox Convoys, though - Kenworth and Peterbilt conventionals, in Corona and Pabst Blue Ribbon liveries respectively.

Solido Land Rover SIII wagon still here, though tragically missing its rear door.

Scammell Handyman Shell Tanker now missing its tractor unit!

Dear oh dear.

Escort Cosworth and Focus rallymobiles were fairly detailed, but I couldn't see a maker's mark anywhere on them.

New Ray MGF and B; plus various racers from various eras.

Some bigger F1 stuff at the back, too.

Unimog was quite nice, though seemed an odd scale - bit less than 1/43, it appeared.

But plenty of dust.

More racer stuff. Focus is by Bburago; Vectra by Onyx. Not sure about the others, mind.

Minichamps Scorpio estate just chillin' there with the fast bois.

Plus there was some Ladybird bookshite to be found elsewhere on the stall...

Some nice pics and illustrations in here.

If you can bear the annoying cartoon child, that is.

And other publications, indicating that weirdo collectors are nothing new...

Now I'm not quite sure how my day's gonna pan out yet, BUT I'm in Belfast all day today and if I can, I'll try to get back over at lunchtime. So, if there's anything you're mad keen on, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

But there were other stalls too...

I used to have a copy of Road Sense, which might still be at my Mum's. I also found Jimmy annoying!

flat4alfa · June 2

11 hours ago, captain_70s said:

Snap!

Believe it or not, I bought one today too, in antique shop on IoW

Shocker.

Jon · June 2

12 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

I saw a lamp post in a junk shop in Brighton the other day, didn't ask how much it was though. If it's there next time do you want me to pick it up for you?

If it was a Corgi one (not sure how you'd tell?!) and a couple of quid, then yes please! But no rush/journeying out your way, as my yearning for a 60 year old piece of plastic should not be on anyone's priority list!

That said, I've just remembered that I've got a bunch of Majo-kit street furniture, which I'm sure should have a lamp post in - and likely an acceptable size, as 1/64 accessories are often over scaled. Must find it and assess.

Jon · June 2

11 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

I also managed to pick up that 1/24 Majorette Peugeot 405 T16 that you'd mentioned back in May - also at £5...

Just a word of warning to @andy18s - I had the Camel liveried version of this back in the day and was careful in looking after my cars, especially these display model sized ones. But I still managed to knock the passenger door off the fragile arm.

Still, I blu-tacked it back on and it displayed well in its box, with the driver's side facing outwards. I somehow forgot* this when I sold it for a small profit at a toy fair in the great emigration purge of 2010!

Anyone else done this diecast equivalent of hoiking a car with bananas in the gearbox/eggs in the radiator through an auction?

*(it was 13 years ago, so memory is hazy - I may have declared)

bunglebus · June 3

7 hours ago, Richard_FM said:

I think the Camaro is a Key car, which used a plastic key inserted into the hole at the rear to depress a spring inside, when the key was squeezed the spring was released & the car would be propelled forwards.

I knew it looked familiar

Spottedlaurel · June 3

Matchbox Commuters, large and small, compare and contrast:

Had the opportunity to get these together, before the older one heads off to pastures new.

At least they didn't have to butcher the arches when they fitted the bigger wheels.

A fair bit of change here, losing the steering on the later one and adding 'chassis rails'.

It's difficult to tell if the light holes are still there on the later one, I suspect they are as attachment for the roofrack. Slightly odd that they have the notch for the little siren upstand, but it's been removed from the casting.

No dogs.

Which brings us onto:

Later Superfast versions got the arch-hacking treatment. The unboxed red #73 wagon was picked up as a tat box gap filler until I can find a MIB example. My Schiffer book lists it as a distinct successor to the green #73, irrespective of whether the latter has narrow or wide wheels.

As a child I enjoyed the similarity of the front end styling to the Mk3 Cortina.

w00dy · June 3

15 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Aaaaagh Ultra Hots.

I just had to bloody stop off at B&M, didn't I?

I've already a request in for the ~~SP3~~ from @w00dy - but is anyone else interested in the other five of these here, at £1.99 a throw?

[EDIT: it's a VW SP2, not SP3 - hey, it's been an intense kinda day...]

Is @bunglebus still seeking the Mercury Cougar and the Firebird?

[EDIT: yup]

I've already got a Brazilian Charger and an El Camino going spare, so I'm not buying any more of them - but there's two each of those remaining in this store, plus another Civic and another Shelby Mustang left on the strips.

No Gazella Rs, annoyingly.

Still a few of the more desirable Matchbox remaining, at £1.69.

I couldn't just take myself straight home, could I?

🤡

Awesome. You're a legend. My local stores get none of the cool stuff. It's very much appreciated.

bunglebus · June 3

On 01/06/2023 at 14:58, Mine's a Leganza! said:

Is the VW sign very large...How much is it?

This one at the boot sale was £20

MiniMinorMk3 · June 3

17 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Plus an Oxford Diecast Bentley S1 Continental, which I'd hemmed and hawed about for weeks when it was out for £10 while rattling round inside its cracked display box.

I've always thought the Oxford 1:43 were good value compared with some other manufacturers. Also their range concentrated on the posher end of the '50s and '60s.

Blue Bentley

Their Daimler SP250 Dart is a nice one

The Friary Cresta is also a good gap filler in a Vauxhall collection

They also did the Royal version

And the Daimler DS 420 limos are great.

But one of the best for me is the Interceptor

Richard_FM · June 3

4 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I knew it looked familiar

I might have one of the keys around somewhere!

My brother had a blue one of these.

sheffcortinacentre · June 3

Firebird not camaro

Mine's a Leganza! · June 3

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

This one at the boot sale was £20

Thank you. I will do some research.

Split_Pin · June 3

1 hour ago, Richard_FM said:

I might have one of the keys around somewhere!

My brother had a blue one of these.

Yes it is a Kidco Key car, I absolutely loved these as a kid. I started off with a yellow Datsun 260Z, when that fell to bits I got the chrome Firebird and when that fell to bits I got a Corvette whichbI still have in good condition with the key. I must dig it out to see if it still works.

bunglebus · June 3

Today's bootsale bobs

danthecapriman · June 3

Got myself a MotorMax 1/64 AMC Gremlin this morning.

Really nice little model. There’s a few others in the range I fancy too, but you don’t see them very often.

155V6 · June 3

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

Today's bootsale bobs

Corgi Reliant Ant is a nice find.I saw a real one outside a van hire place somewhere in Dorset earlier in the week

Spottedlaurel · June 3

Photographic record to come later, but just had a bit of a result at our local Poundland. They're closing down, so 50% off everything. HW/MBX were only £1.50 each anyway, so I got a nice little selection for 75p a go including one I was very pleased to find.

quicksilver · June 3

3 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Their Daimler SP250 Dart is a nice one

I saw that very car on the road a couple of weekends ago.

Looks like an excellent replica and one of Oxford's few 1/43 cars they haven't also done in 1/76.

bunglebus · June 3

CMC Marcos finally arrived

bunglebus · June 3

Starting with Matchbox, turned up a handful of nice finds today. Boxed Jag for £2.00

And another of the light blue ones

Tidy Dakota Street again

Decent Lambo out of a box of junk

Got this mainly for the driver. This and loads of other early Matchbox were with it but all had been repainted and had the bases filled with gunk, lots were buses cut down into open tops or single deckers

These are missing the doors of course

bunglebus · June 3

Onto Corgi. Not really into commercial stuff but this was too nice to resist. Just needs some tyres

Jeep is quite a late one - into Hot Wheels era I believe

Ant is a unicycle at the moment but has the very easy lost plastic front bumper - apparently this is fitted to allow it to be used on track sets

Saw several SD1s today, one had an orange interior but had lost its tailgate

Jon · June 3

It's a long weekend here, so I've stayed up much later than I usually do, since it doesn't feel such a waste having a late lie in on a 3 day weekend.

During the evening's merriment, I've had a bit of angst from my previous post earlier, revealing my Arthur Daley-esque actions in selling a damaged Majorette 405, 13 years ago! Trying to work out the context of the sale to absolve me of my sins. I know I had a fire sale at the end and sold all remaining stock to a trader at a very knock-down price, so I'm latching on to the notion that it was given away to him in a bargain bundle, so as to get some sleep tonight.

Therefore, to somewhat redress the diecast balance, I rendered my services to needless photography of a single subject, thus:

Bagged a Mercury Villager in green, since the one I won in @danthecapriman's sale was donated to my brother. This one is far scruffier but a nice stand-in until the blue one arrives (also ex-Dan), which looks much tidier.

Side profile initially looks a little contrived in the scaling but I think the doors/wings length ratio is likely pretty accurate!

Overhead, the emulated sharp lines hold up well and the shade of green really is a tasty one, although the plastic shade of the tailgate makes a somewhat odd bedfellow.

The plastic does allow for some nice detailing, though. I still feel like the bluff yellow tab looks like Matcbox intended it to have a tow bar but saw that it would foul the tailgate. Or maybe they felt the downsized scaling of this casting would look unusual with their range of trailers?

Despite the no-bar detaling that's made me question its existence for the best part of 40 years, it's still a nice find for 50p.