Shite in Miniature II

[Peter C]

I’ve amassed a few Mercedes Benz models over the years.

 

[danthecapriman]

A few recent arrivals, fresh out of a bath.   
Never seen the Corgi Disney bus before. Dinky D series is pretty good apart from missing the tipper. It’s most probably going to get a new car transporter bed made from plastic card added to the back.

Smaller stuff. 
Matchbox glow racer TR7 is nice. 
Two dumpers & double decker are early made in GB ones.

The Cavelier is from my recent sale thread. Cleaned up ok but lots of paint loss! Still available if anyone fancies one…

[Remspoor]

7 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

A bit late today for the singing ringing tree.

[danthecapriman]

And some more!

Older Matchbox. 
TV service van, blue Pickfords van & ambulance still have their rear doors! 
Beetle is the early wheel type which I didn’t realise they did.   
Weird white ice cream van!

 

More modern Matchbox. I do actually quite like this era of them.

Corgi Jr’s.    
D series skip truck is nice, I’ve got an older Husky version with a metal skip so nice to have both!

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Is it worth the £60 asking?

I agree, it's a bit much of an ask.

It looks to me more like a £20 model, given the condition it's in, and maybe £20 for a clean original box with no tears to the end flaps - so I'd reckon £40 would be a more realistic price, and possibly what it might realise on eBay.

I think there's an element of localism which will always impact on Spot-On prices over here - there are people probably willing to cough up extra because their mum, or their auntie, used to work at the Tri-ang factory on the Castlereagh Rd, so there's a personal connection.

Do Corgi sell for more in the Swansea area? Dinky in Liverpool? Or Lesney in London? I dunno. Maybe not.

But I would kinda like an example with 'Made In Northern Ireland' on the base - there's not much in the way of consumer goods made here, so there's perhaps a little bit of local pride in owning something like that. The only Spot-Ons that have passed through my hands have been stamped 'Made In The United Kingdom', though.

One day maybe - though not today.

 

But.

 

 

 

I couldn't leave... with nothing...

 

[Datsuncog]

Post-market, I took a bit of a run round some potential diecast sources in Central Belfast, but there was little to see.

Poundland, B&M and The Entertainer had nothing new, while Poundstretcher's still taunting me with those half-price GMC attenuation trucks from the Working Rigs range.

But no others.

In desperation I even went into the pricey model shop in Smithfield, but there was nothing there to take my fancy.

So, on the way back to the office I shuffled into the market once again, and just as everything was being tidied away...

Well, it was fairly inexpensive at £5.

I've never actually had one of these late-era Corgi Classics with the acrylic box, so it came as a minor surprise to realise that the plastic base is merely for show and the model's still held in place with a twist-key plus various scraps of cardboard acting as packing pieces.

I've a bit of a soft spot for this casting of the MK2 Zephyr/ Zodiac, as it's sort of my 1/43 Ground Zero - the first model of this scale I ever bought myself was a dark blue version from a model shop in York in 1989.

I still have it, but it's a bit plain - this later iteration has a bit more detailing:

Though it's filthy, and the wingmirrors have gone missing somewhere along the way.

Tiny little boot badge is a nice touch.

The plated plastic's not looking all that fresh, but a tickle with the Molotov paint pen might improve the general appearance.

There seems to be a paint blemish on the nearside door from the silver stripe up the side - but I should be able to clean that up too.

Base is identical to my 1980s original - except that it's now been adapted to state 'Made in China'.

Ah now.

But then... this one's not really that much newer than my all-blue one.

1997... I suppose, at the time, there was a massive gulf between my nine-year-old self buying a model and my seventeen-year-old self buying a model (not least because I already had three real cars by that point) so the two points seem very far removed from each other. 

But now... would I even notice that a model on sale today dated back to 2014?

Especially since we've recently learned that the casting of Corgi Vanguards' still-current Mini 850/ 1000 dates back to Lledo's efforts from the early '90s...

Time. It's a weird trip.

[Datsuncog]

And then also, in an unplanned fit of the head-staggers, I bought this...

Yeah, I know.

I asked again how much all the older Corgi was - I was sure he'd said a tenner earlier on, but just wanted to check. He confirmed that yes, he had £10 each on them.

What about this one? I asked, picking up the Bedford Snorkel. I'd thought he'd said £20 earlier, but I was feeling hopeful.

Errr... yeah, ten on that too. No, tell you what, I'll do it for eight.

I nearly got friction burns from whipping my wallet out so fast.

I've had my eye out for one of these for a long, long time. It's an ingenious mechanism.

And it's complete!

Well, nearly.

Yep, there's a small cog or something missing from the pantograph mechanism - so it only goes up at half-mast.

There ought to be something in that circular piece of casting, to brace against the toothed bit as the hoist goes up.

I'll fix it.

Sometime, maybe.

But just look at the jolly firefighters.

It's a cracking big toy. One of Corgi's best.

And I think Market Blokey was glad of the sale.

So - we've had better weeks, I guess, but to paraphrase the sort of thing you see on mugs in The Card Factory: a bad day at the Tat Market's better than a good day in the office...

And this has not been a good day in the office.

Y'know... I think I'm done here.

Happy Friday, kids! Enjoy the weekend, wherever you are.

[Datsuncog]

On 7/7/2023 at 2:27 PM, flat4alfa said:

That's too much of a jump to be inflation induced...  was the rent kept at same for many years, perhaps passed through covid era untouched, and has only just been reviewed?

The sudden jump was immediately after the May Election

Yeah, I understand that there's been significant rises across council services because this year's Northern Ireland budget, signed off by Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris at the end of April, amounts to a 3.3% reduction over last year, due to overspend being clawed back by Westminster.

So councils, as well as central NI government departments, are facing the steepest inflation in a generation with even less money than they had last year. Domestic and commercial rates (council tax equivalent) have already risen from April, while charges for things like leisure centres and venue hire have also gone up since the local council elections in May - but they're likely gonna have to go up even more to plug the latest shortfall. So that's not great.

Anyway, it's not the politics thread so I'll not bang on at length here but - like most things - there's a domino effect that's never quite anticipated by those at the top... 

The personal is political, and vice-versa... what I want to know is how long before two dozen scratched Lesneys and lightly squashed Corgi Juniors are included on the ONS' household goods inflation list!

[danthecapriman]

29 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

And then also, in an unplanned fit of the head-staggers, I bought this...

Yeah, I know.

I asked again how much all the older Corgi was - I was sure he'd said a tenner earlier on, but just wanted to check. He confirmed that yes, he had £10 each on them.

What about this one? I asked, picking up the Bedford Snorkel. I'd thought he'd said £20 earlier, but I was feeling hopeful.

Errr... yeah, ten on that too. No, tell you what, I'll do it for eight.

I nearly got friction burns from whipping my wallet out so fast.

I've had my eye out for one of these for a long, long time. It's an ingenious mechanism.

And it's complete!

Well, nearly.

Yep, there's a small cog or something missing from the pantograph mechanism - so it only goes up at half-mast.

There ought to be something in that circular piece of casting, to brace against the toothed bit as the hoist goes up.

I'll fix it.

Sometime, maybe.

But just look at the jolly firefighters.

It's a cracking big toy. One of Corgi's best.

And I think Market Blokey was glad of the sale.

So - we've had better weeks, I guess, but to paraphrase the sort of thing you see on mugs in The Card Factory: a bad day at the Tat Market's better than a good day in work...

And this has not been a good day in work.

Y'know... I think I'm done.

Happy Friday, kids! Enjoy the weekend, wherever you are.

They are a lovely model. I’ve got the same one myself, found in one of my job lot boxes/piles. God knows how it’s stayed complete and functional after all that time! 
Im not really a massive fan of emergency vehicles tbh, but there’s definitely something about these.

[egg]

58 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

head-staggers

An NI phrase, not heard that? Well bought.

Does Steve Flowers do the Corgi wing mirrors?

Also re: Mr F - Please note that we will be closed for holidays from 3pm on Friday 14th July 2023 and will re-open at 9am on Monday 24th July 2023.

[flat4alfa]

2 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Dinky D series is pretty good apart from missing the tipper. It’s most probably going to get a new car transporter bed made from plastic card added to the back.

I do have spare Tipper bed, because of snapped chassis.  I am in need of chassis and cab!

[Datsuncog]

10 minutes ago, egg said:

An NI phrase, not heard that?

Yes, I suppose it is a local phrase! Just means to act in a rash or otherwise ill-conceived manner.

I suffer from it a lot, especially in matters of diecast.

😉

[flat4alfa]

I just suffer from a rash.

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

head-staggers

I nearly got friction burns

It's a cracking big toy

Ooof I sold my one recently and only got a fiver for it!  Oh dear, if I'd have known.

Was working order too, it could have a priapism for hours.

[flat4alfa]

19 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Yes, I suppose it is a local phrase! Just means to act in a rash or otherwise ill-conceived manner.

It is official!

https://happydomesticity.wordpress.com/norn-iron-speek-or-northern-irish-dictionary/#:~:text=head staggers – being an eejit,hectic – mad%2Fcrazy

[flat4alfa]

19 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Weird white ice cream van!

No no no, it is not weird.  It is a Commer BF and rather smart 

Usually in blue.  Cream with new decals was 1967 only 

Driven by Alex Ferguson, back when he was moonlighting

[eddyramrod]

There's resto/code3 work happening, but I'll hold back on those pics until I've got some finished.  Meanwhile, remember what I said about spending on ebay?  Well it came today...

...And looks lovely in the cabinet beside Eleanor...

I've been chasing Bullitt Mustangs in 1/18 scale for years but they've always run away pricewise.  This one was at the top of my budget, but amazingly, I won!  Over the moon Jim, over the moon.

Haven't got the black Charger yet but the important one is this.

[danthecapriman]

2 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

No no no, it is not weird.  It is a Commer BF and rather smart 

Usually in blue.  Cream was 1967 only 

Driven by Alex Ferguson, back when he was moonlighting

I’d never seen them in any other colour than blue tbh. When I first found this one I assumed it was a repaint, but it definitely isn’t. Can’t be very many about then if it was a one year only?

[155V6]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

I do have spare Tipper bed, because of snapped chassis.  I am in need of chassis and cab!

I'll be posting some stuff from the box of doom I got from a car boot a while back,there's the remains of a D Series in there which you showed an interest in

[Noel Tidybeard]

is that a marina next to the green mini?

[155V6]

1 minute ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

is that a marina next to the green mini?

Yes, @eddyramrod has dibs on that one

[Noel Tidybeard]

1 minute ago, 155V6 said:

Yes, @eddyramrod has dibs on that one

i was going to say mr rod would prolly come over all funny at the chance of that!🤣

[danthecapriman]

If anyone’s interested I’ll be putting some more micro shite up in a few mins.

 

[FakeConcern]

A while ago I mentioned wanting a Matchbox King Size Charger and @danthecapriman pointed out a job lot on ebay. I put in a bid for not much more than the Chargers had been selling for and amazingly I won it!

The Charger is the only one I really want, but they are all in super condition if a bit dirty and in need of a trip around the sink as someone is fond of saying...

The fire engine is almost mint, but I still have my childhood one just missing a couple of tyres

This weird thing is kind of cute and just a couple of paint chips

Can’t say I want to keep it though...

I got a dragster version of the Charger in a small job lot of three as well. Quite a few differences, the dragster has B pillars and the doors are a much simpler casting without the scoops and hardly any shape at the top that’s evident on the original. I don’t think it has door handles either. Obviously the wheel arch has been cut out too...

The other cars in the job lot were these, a Crapi II and a Golf. I didn’t expect to like them, but I do.

The Golf is more or less mint and the Crapi is very good mainly just some black paint missing from the roof.

I now have a few Matchbox King Size

I’m not sure what scale the Capri is as it seems big compared to the Cougar and Charger

Talking of which, these are my favourites.

The Cougar is one of the few King Size cars I had as a kid, mine disappeared and this was bought recently.

[Remspoor]

Is this a collectors choice?

[danthecapriman]

11 minutes ago, FakeConcern said:

A while ago I mentioned wanting a Matchbox King Size Charger and @danthecapriman pointed out a job lot on ebay. I put in a bid for not much more than the Chargers had been selling for and amazingly I won it!

The Charger is the only one I really want, but they are all in super condition if a bit dirty and in need of a trip around the sink as someone is fond of saying...

The fire engine is almost mint, but I still have my childhood one just missing a couple of tyres

This weird thing is kind of cute and just a couple of paint chips

Can’t say I want to keep it though...

I got a dragster version of the Charger in a small job lot of three as well. Quite a few differences, the dragster has B pillars and the doors are a much simpler casting without the scoops and hardly any shape at the top that’s evident on the original. I don’t think it has door handles either. Obviously the wheel arch has been cut out too...

The other cars in the job lot were these, a Crapi II and a Golf. I didn’t expect to like them, but I do.

The Golf is more or less mint and the Crapi is very good mainly just some black paint missing from the roof.

I now have a few Matchbox King Size

I’m not sure what scale the Capri is as it seems big compared to the Cougar and Charger

Talking of which, these are my favourites.

The Cougar is one of the few King Size cars I had as a kid, mine disappeared and this was bought recently.

Haha! Glad you got it! I did wonder if you’d won it as it was in my watch list. 
Some nice ones there, but you’re right, Charger is the ‘one’. Those old Kingsize versions are lovely. 

[Datsuncog]

6 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

It is official!

https://happydomesticity.wordpress.com/norn-iron-speek-or-northern-irish-dictionary/#:~:text=head staggers – being an eejit,hectic – mad%2Fcrazy

Actually not a bad little glossary of Norn-Iron speak - you'll get an excellent flavour of some of the more colourful expressions of the type my grandparents might have used.

One bone of contention might be that it uses the townie definition of 'scundered' - in Belfast, the word might mean 'embarassed' but everywhere else it means 'fed up'... no idea why it's used differently!

'Banjaxed' does seem to be catching on elsewhere too, and I for one happily encourage it.

[flat4alfa]

15 hours ago, 155V6 said:

I'll be posting some stuff from the box of doom I got from a car boot a while back,there's the remains of a D Series in there which you showed an interest in

My word, a Thompson Mongoose still with its front boot lid too

also of interest is the Corgi Capri, I still don’t have one, even a banjaxed one

Early colours DAF Transporter and Ford H Transporter too arghh scundered

@155V6

[flat4alfa]

11 hours ago, Remspoor said:

Is this a collectors choice?

There is a 3D-printable Titan https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/ocean-gate-titan-hotwheel

[MiniMinorMk3]

18 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

 

But just look at the jolly firefighters.

 

 

Is that Pugh, Pugh, and Barney McGrew or Cuthbert, Dibble and Grubb?

 

16 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

No no no, it is not weird.  It is a Commer BF and rather smart 

 

Usually in blue.  Cream with new decals was 1967 only 

 

16 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

I’d never seen them in any other colour than blue tbh. When I first found this one I assumed it was a repaint, but it definitely isn’t. Can’t be very many about then if it was a one year only?

The variations on the Commer Ice Cream van could keep you occupied for years.

Blue, 1st type decals, little metal wheels

Turquoise, 1st decals, grey plastic wheels

Turquoise, 1st decals, black plastic wheels

Metallic Blue, 1st decals, black wheels

Turquoise, 2nd type decals, black wheels, new box with cream van

Cream, 1st decals, black wheels. This is the most sort after version.

Cream, 2nd decals, black wheels