Shite in Miniature II

[Jon]

That Novoexport Moskvitch has a Saab 900-esque bonnet, which lifts up slightly at the front first, then lifts up at the rear to clear the grille whilst opening.

I'm with you on the cumbersome build quality but there's a heady mix of heft a delicacy - peak 80's 1/43 for me, right there.

A RAF minibus and a hatchback version of that Moskvitch are on my long term wish list.

 

 

 

[RoadworkUK]

It's Sunday and I'm home alone, and that can only mean one thing.

Yes, it's twatting about taking pictures of model cars time. Is this a questionable pastime for a 42 year-old? Probably.

Don't care.

This week it's a 1/18 Opel Manta Coupe by Revell, as captured by my 2004 Olympus Mju Mini.

I seem to remember buying this in a branch of Toymaster, possibly Chelmsford circa 2000 or so.

In those days, when my internet access was infrequent, 1:18 models weren't all that easy for me to come by. Living in a rural corner of Essex, occasional trips to Colchester or Chelmsford were good for visits to Beatties or Williams and Griffin, but it was rare to find anything that wasn't by Bburago or Maisto. The opening of Bluewater shopping centre was an eye-opener; there was a branch of ModelZone there, and that brought my first exposure to AUTOart models. But they were WAY out of my price range, and I very seldom found myself the other side of the Dartford Bridge to see them.

At that point, the only models I had that weren't Bburago or Maisto were ones bought for me by relatives in more exotic locations. Such as High Wycombe. It was uncle Victor and auntie Gillian that bought me the first Revell in my collection — an R129 Mercedes 500SL. I rather liked that model, although — dating from circa 1991 — it wasn't the highest in fidelity. Still, some details, such as the wheels and headlights, really impressed me.

So, when I first encountered this, my interest was all kinds of piqued.

Firstly, it was an Opel Manta. Models of relatively humdrum, everyday cars were sorely lacking in my collection, so my want valve pretty much exploded. In particular, I loved the idea of it being basically a Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier Coupe. And I don't remember it being priced beyond the  Bburago / Maisto level I felt comfortable with.

So, what have we got?

Well, quite a nice model, as it goes. I think the shape is absolutely bang on. Part of me wishes they'd modelled the hatchback rather than the coupe, because I used to see the hatchback out and about rather more often. I also kinda wish they'd modelled the standard alloy wheels, rather than the (delightful in their own right) ATS Cups modelled here.

And although I LOVE how well the headlights are modelled, I wish it had the standard trapezoidal units that all Mantas had up to 1987 or so.

The way they captured that MANTA GT/E graphic is just fantastic, though. Growing up in the 80s, it was always a toss-up as to whether CAPRI INJECTION or MANTA GT/E was the coolest mainstream coupe car name of the day. Also, I would have thought that Revell would have gone with GS/E, being Yooropean and that.

The inside isn't detailed to AUTOart standards, but what's there is overwhelmingly "right". Even the dash texture doesn't seem a million miles off.

Similarly, the engine doesn't carry quite the kind of forensic detail of an AUTOart, but everything seems relatively accurate, with the radiator pipes, fan shroud and sundry other bits picked out. I reckon it's good enough that it would please somebody who actually owned a Manta.

What I want now is for Revell to also make the Cavalier Coupe so I can park them side by side and play spot-the-difference, like I used to do whenever one was parked anywhere near a Manta when I was a kid.

Which I, very sadly and emphatically, no longer am.

[quicksilver]

46 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Those are freaking awesome!

What do you think of the colour on the Allegro? It's BL Astral Blue (which I thought was the closest match but is much lighter as seen on the Metro) overcoated with a thin layer of Humbrol Baltic Blue. I still haven't a clue what colour the real one is so I'm thinking it must have been resprayed in some random non-BL shade.

[Andyrew]

2 hours ago, quicksilver said:

What do you think of the colour on the Allegro? It's BL Astral Blue (which I thought was the closest match but is much lighter as seen on the Metro) overcoated with a thin layer of Humbrol Baltic Blue. I still haven't a clue what colour the real one is so I'm thinking it must have been resprayed in some random non-BL shade.

Id say if looks spot on.  Given the cars many shades of blue im certain it will match perfectly somewhere on the car!

[AndyW201]

20 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Here are some of today's finds.

 

And yes a Chav - think I have several now if @AndyW201is in need

 

 

Cheers Rich, aye if you've got a half decent spare with not too much paint loss and cheaper than the £78974 that the eBay dreamers seem to value them at, I wouldn't mind one, as that's one of the castings from that period of Matchbox that I love but missed out on first time around.  If you've still got that spare red HW Escort, I'd have that as well please. Might have to wait a week or two though as there has been quite a bit of diecast come through the door lately...

Speaking of which, they're finally filtering through up to these parts. In the "little" Asda earlier, there was one solitary clipstrip of Hot Wheels, but it had quite a few of the newer ones I've been after, Still only £1.30 each too!

The '95 Cherokee in muddy boots guise,

Yet another GT3, they're getting their money's worth out of this casting...

Seems a while since the RS6 made an appearance, nice colour on this one and I always love the front and rear detail,

The weird little Civic drag racer at least looks better with the body and bumpers the same colour,

Fave find of the day was this though. One of the top releases of the year IMO,

Shame about the paint loss on the rear bumper but it's not as if these are falling out of the sky at the moment...

Feeling the louvre love, and those wheels! 

Odd they've cast it with one pop-up raised and one down though, apparently it's the fashion with '80s Japanese cars. I can overlook it I suppose...

That's all 10 of The '80s castings got now. Just need to start hunting down the alternatively coloured ones now. Got the Wagoneer and Mustang in both colours but not the De Lorean or RX-7. And no doubt there'll be more...

Bastards.

[bunglebus]

Mrs is in Maldon for the next hour or so if these are of interest to anyone?

[Datsuncog]

On 6/9/2023 at 3:48 PM, Tenmil Socket said:

I can’t remember who it was who had them but this reminds me of those weird cars on here that had a load of diamantés glued to them and figures inside and possibly sun strips on the windscreen.

As promised, finally got round to hoking out some pics of the 'custom' horrors from past market events, which certainly appear to have been created by the same demented hand as the Mk3 Cortina - rewinding to 2019 and 2020 for these!

On 7/18/2020 at 1:34 PM, Datsuncog said:

And now… well, I’ll let the pics speak for themselves.

Ok, so you may recall ‘Old Gluey’, the Oxford Anglia van that showed up on the Tat Stall last year with a few, ahem, unusual enhancements (and is now set aside for a certain E. Ramrod of this parish, having found its way into the 50p box in January)...

...and also a Mini with similar, erm, additions…

…well, I’d be suspicious that this is the handiwork of the same, um, restorer.

The use of chunky diamante earrings and lashings and lashing of UHU to add massive spotlights seems a bit of a clue.

I’m just trying to work out what’s going on here… is it the work of a child? A disturbed adult? An art project of some description?

On one hand, it’s bizarrely cackhanded – the wheels are all wrong, the addition of paint and glitter-glue looks like it was done in the dark, while drunk – yet there’s certainly some sort of peculiar artistry at work.

The driver is an unexpected touch. It’s as if John Waters decided to forego filmmaking and launch a diecast collectables line.

It’s bizarre and faintly troubling.

It’s yours for free, if you can stand to look at it for more than a few minutes without feeling queasy. There's quite a decent 1/43 Chevrolet Caprice under all that goop.

***NOW SPOKEN FOR!!!***

 

And then, some more free-form customisation… I’d guess by the same genius.

Lost a wheel? Never mind, plenty more in the back.

This is also peculiar as it seemingly started out as quite a nice Altaya partwork model from their Michelin collection – but somehow, this horror has been visited on it.

I mean, at first you’d think it’d been painted with an icing bag – yet there’s some big ol’ hairy brush bristles right there on the bonnet.

What is even going on with the wheels? I can see why you might want to make a toy more realistic – but why make a decent model less realistic?

As the kids probably said about ten years ago, I can’t even.

HALP.

Take it away, for the love of God. Free.

***AWAITING RESCUE!!!***

[MiniMinorMk3]

My contribution to the Russian theme is this 

It's an old Politoys casting

A worn out Politoys casting

[quicksilver]

11 hours ago, Andyrew said:

Id say if looks spot on.  Given the cars many shades of blue im certain it will match perfectly somewhere on the car!

If you're happy that's good enough for me. I still find it odd that it doesn't have a colour code anywhere (maybe because the Belgians did things differently) but if it did it would probably be wrong anyway. That car really is more blue than the Stone of Galveston.

[quicksilver]

18 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

As promised, finally got round to hoking out some pics of the 'custom' horrors from past market events, which certainly appear to have been created by the same demented hand as the Mk3 Cortina - rewinding to 2019 and 2020 for these!

I remember the 2CV but my brain must have blocked out the traumatic memory of that glitter-bombed Caprice. The Mini doesn't seem too bad by comparison. Where did they end up? I'd love to see them transformed into something decent (or preserved as morbidly fascinating curiosities for that matter).

Also, how come all these decent toys and models are turning up in other people's charity shops? The ones round here rarely have any cars at all, and when they do it's just a handful of crappy Chinese generics.

[Datsuncog]

4 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

Where did they end up?

The Caprice and the 2CV went to @Fennec, and I think were modified a little more before being passed on?

The Anglebox van went to @eddyramrod for some restoration and custom work, I believe!

I didn't buy the Mini - it was probably the least messed-with, but it apparently sold soon after I snapped it on the stall.

I don't know who makes these, or why, or how they keep cropping up years apart!

One of those mysteries, I guess...

[Datsuncog]

I've hardly ever encountered any decent diecast in charity shops or car boot sales either - it's either some knackered Teamsterz generics at the bottom of a box of plastic kiddy tat, or some overpriced Days Gone in a display cabinet for all the ££££s.

I think my best find was a pretty clean Dinky Bedford TK tipper from a BHF charity shop in Shoreham On Sea - but that was twenty years ago, maybe more...

Still, I'm impressed by what turns up in other parts of the country on quite a regular basis!

[Datsuncog]

Speaking of what turns up, these Bond partworks were in the window of Cash Converters on Saturday - not bad value at £6.

They also had some still-sealed models with the paper bumf, but quite a bit dearer at £12.

They were also appallingly badly displayed, with a wretched mini-moto thing blocking the view of most of them and the reflection through the window making it hard to see the rest.

No sign of a Ford Econoline minibus, sadly, as that's the only one I've got a real horn for.

The 'little' Poundland down the town still has a fair few Matchbox and Hot Wheels - I guess they don't sell so well to parents looking a cheap toy for their offspring, as they're 50% dearer than the Zuru Metal Machines.

Or indeed, three emergency generics for the same price - or even a whopping six pull-back stunt racers.

Mattel certainly offer a superior product in my view -but does a six-year-old think so, or indeed their cash-strapped parents?

There also seemed to be some long-card 2022 Hot Wheels still hanging around in the same branch.

Tesco, Home Bargains and Poundstretcher have nothing really changed from recent weeks 

Sainsbury's don't even have any single Hot Wheels on their toy bay shelving now - or indeed a shelf edge label for them.

Now a discontinued line?

Has Mattel glutted the market this year, just as household disposable incomes shrink?

Interesting times.

[bunglebus]

Someone asked me for the yellow Corgi Juniors Fox Mustang but I can't remember who - found it this morning 

[Tenmil Socket]

3 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

As promised, finally got round to hoking out some pics of the 'custom' horrors from past market events, which certainly appear to have been created by the same demented hand as the Mk3 Cortina - rewinding to 2019 and 2020 for these!

It’s the figure in the Caprice that gets me 😆

[eddyramrod]

3 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

The Anglebox van went to @eddyramrod for some restoration and custom work, I believe!

It's still here too, in my front bedroom a few feet above my head, in pieces.  It's spent a good chunk of the interval in caustic-soda baths, the paint being remarkably stubborn.  However it did recently get rattled and when I've detailed and reassembled it, I'll show a snap.  You won't recognise it.

[sutty2006]

18 hours ago, RoadworkUK said:

It's Sunday and I'm home alone, and that can only mean one thing.

Yes, it's twatting about taking pictures of model cars time. Is this a questionable pastime for a 42 year-old? Probably.

Don't care.

This week it's a 1/18 Opel Manta Coupe by Revell, as captured by my 2004 Olympus Mju Mini.

I seem to remember buying this in a branch of Toymaster, possibly Chelmsford circa 2000 or so.

In those days, when my internet access was infrequent, 1:18 models weren't all that easy for me to come by. Living in a rural corner of Essex, occasional trips to Colchester or Chelmsford were good for visits to Beatties or Williams and Griffin, but it was rare to find anything that wasn't by Bburago or Maisto. The opening of Bluewater shopping centre was an eye-opener; there was a branch of ModelZone there, and that brought my first exposure to AUTOart models. But they were WAY out of my price range, and I very seldom found myself the other side of the Dartford Bridge to see them.

At that point, the only models I had that weren't Bburago or Maisto were ones bought for me by relatives in more exotic locations. Such as High Wycombe. It was uncle Victor and auntie Gillian that bought me the first Revell in my collection — an R129 Mercedes 500SL. I rather liked that model, although — dating from circa 1991 — it wasn't the highest in fidelity. Still, some details, such as the wheels and headlights, really impressed me.

So, when I first encountered this, my interest was all kinds of piqued.

Firstly, it was an Opel Manta. Models of relatively humdrum, everyday cars were sorely lacking in my collection, so my want valve pretty much exploded. In particular, I loved the idea of it being basically a Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier Coupe. And I don't remember it being priced beyond the  Bburago / Maisto level I felt comfortable with.

So, what have we got?

Well, quite a nice model, as it goes. I think the shape is absolutely bang on. Part of me wishes they'd modelled the hatchback rather than the coupe, because I used to see the hatchback out and about rather more often. I also kinda wish they'd modelled the standard alloy wheels, rather than the (delightful in their own right) ATS Cups modelled here.

And although I LOVE how well the headlights are modelled, I wish it had the standard trapezoidal units that all Mantas had up to 1987 or so.

The way they captured that MANTA GT/E graphic is just fantastic, though. Growing up in the 80s, it was always a toss-up as to whether CAPRI INJECTION or MANTA GT/E was the coolest mainstream coupe car name of the day. Also, I would have thought that Revell would have gone with GS/E, being Yooropean and that.

The inside isn't detailed to AUTOart standards, but what's there is overwhelmingly "right". Even the dash texture doesn't seem a million miles off.

Similarly, the engine doesn't carry quite the kind of forensic detail of an AUTOart, but everything seems relatively accurate, with the radiator pipes, fan shroud and sundry other bits picked out. I reckon it's good enough that it would please somebody who actually owned a Manta.

What I want now is for Revell to also make the Cavalier Coupe so I can park them side by side and play spot-the-difference, like I used to do whenever one was parked anywhere near a Manta when I was a kid.

Which I, very sadly and emphatically, no longer am.

The revell version is nice. Like you, I wish they had used the original Ronal 5 spokes and square headlips. 

I have these, I also have a 400 somewhere in the loft, boxed waiting for the man cave to be finished. 
 

 

the Mattig manta is a resin model, by MCG. Very nice indeed. 

[sutty2006]

Found in the tool tray of the worlds dirtiest 4 axle scrap metal hook loader. 
 

On the right is a corgi. On the left is a Tonka! 

[Datsuncog]

Brilliant, what a find!

Is there still a trucker figure behind the wheel of the Berliet?

[eddyramrod]

9 minutes ago, sutty2006 said:

The revell version is nice. Like you, I wish they had used the original Ronal 5 spokes and square headlips. 

I have these, I also have a 400 somewhere in the loft, boxed waiting for the man cave to be finished. 
 

 

the Mattig manta is a resin model, by MCG. Very nice indeed. 

Some familiar Landies there!  

[sutty2006]

16 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Brilliant, what a find!

Is there still a trucker figure behind the wheel of the Berliet?

I didn’t see one. Think he retired a long time ago. 
 

12 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

Some familiar Landies there!  

all proudly on display but not for much longer. The wife wants to get rid of the display cabinet, so all will be boxed up until the house has been done. 
 

anyone want a display cabinet? 

[eddyramrod]

YES!

 

Photos?

[sutty2006]

12 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

YES!

 

Photos?

It’s a big’un

 

Bottom section of lights don’t work. They used to? Haven’t investigated. 
 

 

[eddyramrod]

Thank you!  Unfortunately the size and style are not going to fit with my others in the dining room.  Dammit.  GLWTS.

[sutty2006]

28 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

Thank you!  Unfortunately the size and style are not going to fit with my others in the dining room.  Dammit.  GLWTS.

No worries. This replaced my giant side board with display cabinet and mini bar. As you can see. The mini bar is in the bottom left lol. I’ll put it in the for sale section as and when. 

[Split_Pin]

I finally found a Seville,  £1.50 at Pundland too. The 1980 date stamp underneath confirms its the original casting.

[TheOtherStu]

So following on from this fred, on Friday I was mega busy. The tat Friday fortunately didn't really deliver.

Except it did. All bloody weekend it was in my head. It'll no doubt be gone by Friday, because this happens to me but I've decided I have far too much love for this. I explained it to the wife and she said yes too!

[500tops]

Swung by a local charity shop on the way home earlier and did quite well

[Datsuncog]

11 minutes ago, TheOtherStu said:

So following on from this fred, on Friday I was mega busy. The tat Friday fortunately didn't really deliver.

Except it did. All bloody weekend it was in my head. It'll no doubt be gone by Friday, because this happens to me but I've decided I have far too much love for this. I explained it to the wife and she said yes too!

Heh, I'll keep an eye out for it this Friday - you never know, it may well still be there!

I've been having a bit of a tidy-up over the weekend and I reckon I don't really need that Matchbox VW Type 34 from the 50p Tray:

So if you still fancy it, I'll pop it in with your Aston sure.

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

I finally found a Seville,  £1.50 at Pundland too. The 1980 date stamp underneath confirms its the original casting.

I didn't know you were after one, I've two spare Sevilles here!

Would like to find an original as well, just to compare them. I think I had a silver one, but who knows where that went...