Shite in Miniature II

[Datsuncog]

Yes, arms were not entirely at the same length upon leaving...

As genuinely as I would like to give the Gay Devil Impala a home, it's still a little rich at £10 - so I came away with these instead.

I managed to sell on all the Hot Wheels Mk1 Civics I'd picked up without realising that I'd left none for myself - so this is a replacement, for opening, so I can do a quick side-by-side with its Matchbox equivalent.

It's got a bit of chipping to the front arch, annoyingly, but is otherwise okay.

The Mazda RX-3 is just quite a nice model - one I haven't seen much of on the pegs elsewhere, even if it's a little bit dearer than most Hot Wheels retailers.

Sometimes it's worth supporting local businesses, I guess!

Happy to keep this one, though if anyone's mad keen to have it themselves - then let me know. Available for the £2.50 paid.

The Atlas Jensen Interceptor seems to be based on the Oxford Diecast version - the base is held on with teeny-tiny hex screws so I haven't yet removed it to see if there's any tell-tale marks.

Slight gap betwixt rear glazing and casting, but it's a nice enough model. Looks good in the powder blue with vinyl roof.

Really weird choice of number plate, though:

Dunno what that's about. Black and silver plate, on a T-suffix, but with an I in the regional office code like those issued in Ireland?

Most peculiar.

Dunno if @TheOtherStu's still looking for one of these? If so, £10 takes it! Box is good, if a little on the sun-faded side. But I'm equally happy to hang onto it, as it is a nice little thing.

So - I guess that's about the size of it today, kids. I ended up just coming on home afterwards, as there didn't seem much value in hanging around for a lunchtime rematch.

At least I can try to convince myself I didn't miss out on a whole heap of Lone Star Firenzas and Spot-Ons last week!

Happy Friday, kids.

[TheOtherStu]

9 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Yes, arms were not entirely at the same length upon leaving...

As genuinely as I would like to give the Gay Devil Impala a home, it's still a little rich at £10 - so I came away with these instead.

I managed to sell on all the Hot Wheels Mk1 Civics I'd picked up without realising that I'd left none for myself - so this is a replacement, for opening, so I can do a quick side-by-side with its Matchbox equivalent.

It's got a bit of chipping to the front arch, annoyingly, but is otherwise okay.

The Mazda RX-3 is just quite a nice model - one I haven't seen much of on the pegs elsewhere, even if it's a little bit dearer than most Hot Wheels retailers.

Sometimes it's worth supporting local businesses, I guess!

Happy to keep this one, though if anyone's mad keen to have it themselves - then let me know. Available for the £2.50 paid.

The Atlas Jensen Interceptor seems to be based on the Oxford Diecast version - the base is held on with teeny-tiny hex screws so I haven't yet removed it to see if there's any tell-tale marks.

Slight gap betwixt rear glazing and casting, but it's a nice enough model. Looks good in the powder blue with vinyl roof.

Really weird choice of number plate, though:

Dunno what that's about. Black and silver plate, on a T-suffix, but with an I in the regional office code like those issued in Ireland?

Most peculiar.

Dunno if @TheOtherStu's still looking for one of these? If so, £10 takes it! Box is good, if a little on the sun-faded side. But I'm equally happy to hang onto it, as it is a nice little thing.

So - I guess that's about the size of it today, kids. I ended up just coming on home afterwards, as there didn't seem much value in hanging around for a lunchtime rematch.

At least I can try to convince myself I didn't miss out on a whole heap of Lone Star Firenzas and Spot-Ons last week!

Happy Friday, kids.

YES YES YES PLEASE!

I'm also interested in one of those T1s (not the congratulations one) if there are any left.

[Datsuncog]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

I had one of those 1/50 single deck buses in the late 1990s in Dundee Corporation livery, plus a few Atlanteans and a Guy Arab double decker.  They were very sterile, chunky things which is why I settled on 1/76 for buses as they actually had more detail and took up less space. The poseable front wheels were a nice touch on later models though

Yeah, sterile's a good term for them - I had a Guy Arab in Northern livery too, along with a North-Western Tiger Cub.

I was madly excited to get them c.1994/95 - the Arab was a birthday gift - but weirdly, when I came back to retrieve them from the attic all those years later, they just felt oddly soulless and I couldn't work out why I'd got myself into such a tizz about them.

So I sold them on last year.

Best focusing on what you really like!

[danthecapriman]

21 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Corgi Mini supplies arrived this morning, so I dug out my blue Mini (conveniently right in the top of the first box I looked in!). New tyres all round and replace the missing headlight.

Mini’s just had a trip around the sink first as it was actually quite grubby. Must have been one of the ones I bought and didn’t wash.

Mini was left to dry overnight, looks pretty good now I think.

New tyres always seem to make a big difference imho, new headlight just took a bit of superglue to hold in. It’s not quite the same colour as the original one on the other side but who cares! I did try pulling that one out and replacing both with new jewels so they’d match but it’s really well stuck in so it can stay. 
Not quite a full restoration but nice to do ‘something’ for now until after I’ve moved and I can get my modelling stuff out again.

I do like these old Corgi Mini’s though. Good looking little cars.

[flat4alfa]

4 hours ago, sierraman said:

They were hideously rusty even 20 odd years ago. 

EFA 🙂   To be fair, these were treated with Tuff-Kote Dinol from new and weren't anything like their predecessors

I remember a time when they went through auctions for £600 because of group 6 insurance and little interest.  I saw more of them being broken for spares than on the road and at shows.

Today though:

Quote

You can browse values using the Hagerty Price Guide, but if you want a GTV6 that’s in excellent fettle, reckon on spending around £24,000, while the very best concours cars will require £36,000. Don’t rule out a left-hand drive version if you can’t find your perfect car in right-hand drive, as the market for GTV6s is stronger in Europe than the UK, so you should always be able to sell it on.

The boat sailed!

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

Barking.  Coles is missing its hook too.

Scammell price in nonsense.

This is the same stall that was trying (and failing) to get £40 for a so-so Corgi Ford transporter back in 2021, and looking £20 for Tonka drag racers... so highly optimistic pricing seems to be baked in.

I dunno what the story is. He never seems to sell anything, but maybe he makes enough from slightly confused tourists with a shaky grasp of exchange rates to get by.

[sierraman]

21 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

EFA 🙂

I remember a time when they went through auctions for £600 because of group 6 insurance and little interest.  I saw more of them being broken for spares than on the road and at shows

Today though:

The boat sailed!

It’s mad. I can remember it piqued my interest as a kid as in the Parkers Older Car Price Guide, it virtually told you to avoid one at all costs. Then you read about it having six carburettors, those crazy Italians. I would imagine if you wanted one now you’d have to head to Italy?

[Datsuncog]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

He's clearly out of touch. At a swapmeet, where there is much competition,  these would all be around the £5 mark, max.

I guess the weird thing is that there aren't really any swapmeets around here.

I used to get Collector's Gazette, and I was always bowled over at the amount of events taking place in GB - because there was just nothing like that happening over here.

The model fair in the Leisure Centre happened once a year, around Easter - and even then, most of the traders had come over from England - while the Stormont Hotel hosted a summer antiques and collectables fair, but I went once and it was all just china and silverware and chairs.

The few local diecast pages I follow on Facebook haven't been updated in months, sometimes years, and the last swapmeet I attempted - advertised as taking place in a community centre in South Belfast on the last Wednesday of every month - no-one showed up at all!

Most peculiar.

I'm guessing no collector in their right mind would buy at his prices, but maybe that's not his target market.

I don't really know who his target demographic *is*, though - other than maybe tourists? Hipsters? People who have recently received a moderate head injury?

It's a bit niche - and yet, he's there each week...

[MiniMinorMk3]

38 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

The Atlas Jensen Interceptor seems to be based on the Oxford Diecast version - the base is held on with teeny-tiny hex screws so I haven't yet removed it to see if there's any tell-tale marks.

Slight gap betwixt rear glazing and casting, but it's a nice enough model. Looks good in the powder blue with vinyl roof.

Really weird choice of number plate, though:

 

I don't think the Atlas is an Oxford.

They've done a few versions, but the details are not the same.

The vent on the c-pillar is just a tampo print on the Oxford

Also the version with the louvres on the bonnet, there are less and the amount in th erows is not the same

Also the fuel cap is quite faint on the ones that have one

 

[Datsuncog]

39 minutes ago, TheOtherStu said:

YES YES YES PLEASE!

I'm also interested in one of those T1s (not the congratulations one) if there are any left.

No bother, will set the Interceptor aside for you!

I'm already home without any Corgi T1s, I'm afraid - but can have a look next week, as there were a lot of them and plenty of doubles, so fingers crossed!

[TheOtherStu]

8 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

No bother, will set the Interceptor aside for you!

I'm already home without any Corgi T1s, I'm afraid - but can have a look next week, as there were a lot of them and plenty of doubles, so fingers crossed!

Thank you.
If you want the $$$s now, happy to send, or can wait to see what gives next Friday.

[flat4alfa]

20 minutes ago, sierraman said:

It’s mad. I can remember it piqued my interest as a kid as in the Parkers Older Car Price Guide, it virtually told you to avoid one at all costs. Then you read about it having six carburettors, those crazy Italians. I would imagine if you wanted one now you’d have to head to Italy?

Not on GTV6, the Coupe body, that was injection only.

The six Dellortos were on the Alfa 6 series 1 saloon, identified by four round headlamps

The Alfa 6 pictured up the page is a series 2 (oblong headlamps) with the Bosch injection.  Essentially a stretched Alfetta saloon with shared mechanicals with GTV6.

They only imported 130 of the saloons to the UK.  My old 6 is the sole survivor of those on the road.  Lives with a collector now, alongside the Alfa 90 I also 'saved' from oblivion.  Another Alfa 6 has been imported from I think Holland in recent years

[Snake Charmer]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

I don't think the Atlas is an Oxford.

They've done a few versions, but the details are not the same.

The vent on the c-pillar is just a tampo print on the Oxford

Also the version with the louvres on the bonnet, there are less and the amount in th erows is not the same

Also the fuel cap is quite faint on the ones that have one

 

Some of the models were based on members cars from the Jensen Owners Club. They represent MkI, II and III models and are not dead correct but very good, I have a few of the early ones. The rear pillar vent changed through production. The bonnet vent length is a model difference, MkIII cars had the shorter rows and the SP vents were longer. The SP had the 440 Six Pack Dodge engine fitted.

[RoadworkUK]

An immaculate Alfa 90 lives about 300yds from me:

Still has the built-in dashboard suitcase, too.

[flat4alfa]

https://www.historics.co.uk/buying/auctions/2012-05-26/car/1986-alfa-romeo-90/

C582NEW
MOT Status Expired: 29 Apr 2023
Vehicle has a SORN
 

[RoadworkUK]

Yup. It's on the bloke's drive, now. In the company of a 164, 156, a Delta, a Gilbern Invader and sundry other lovelies.

[flat4alfa]

3 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

The Atlas Jensen Interceptor seems to be based on the Oxford Diecast version

 

It was Norev

Pale blue colour was exclusive to Editions Atlas.  Norev's own releases were dark green and dark blue:

https://www.norev.com/en/7068-jensen-interceptor-1976-blue-1-43.html 

https://www.norev.com/en/6333-jensen-interceptor-1976-dark-green-1-43.html

https://jensencars.be/sp scale.html

 

Pale blue with black gloss roof wasn't in the Jensen catalogue.  However, HPP 4G chassis 115/3285 was in that colour scheme in the 1990s.  Unusual choice, must be an old photo somewhere that found its way to Norev/Atlas

Originally Silver Grey 2522, it was used in filming of The Protectors

and UFO

HPP 4G has also been white since.  Currently stripped for restoration

[MiniMinorMk3]

6 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

It was Norev

 

That makes sense because the Atlas Mini Cooper S Mk3 was also issued by Norev.

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

PS I'd forgotten about the Norev Jensen, I've had the green and dark blue versions pass through here, along with the Atlas one.

Norevs had a retail of around £25-£30, Atlas were about £10. What do you get for an extra £20 apart from a nice box that the car can be displayed in?

A bit of silver paint around the front wing grilles, along with an orange side repeater dab. Front badge is also the correct red colour, the wipers look a bit finer and the door mirrors are body colour.

At the rear you get tricoloured rear lamp lenses, and you can see the overiders have black ends. Also note the coachline and chrome wheels

Also on the front grille the Norev has an Inceptor III badge

[flat4alfa]

As far as I understand, Atlas sourced from PCT (Macau) and Norev (China since 2009)

Both PCT and Norev were founded in France. 

Editions Atlas is in fact Swiss.  I thought for years it was a French firm too.

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

Staying on the Jensen theme, here's the resin cast NEO version. This retailed for about £50, so you would expect it to be good.

The detail is superb with loads of photoetch, non of your tampo printing here for trim and badging. Unfortunately the body is wrong. The grille is too deep and the sides are too deep as well.

 

And this one has a cracked window and is starting to suffer from the chrome trim falling off around the rear window. But look at the detail of the c-pillar vent, it is a hole with a photoetch badge in the centre. The wheels look great too with the daker painted spoke edges.

The convertible is the same, with the deep grille.

Fantastic paint though.

And superb interior detail.

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

Finally on the Jensen theme here's the Dinky version in all it's crude toy splendour.

Correct white and yellow plates, unlike Atlas.

Also nice sallow grille, unlike NEO

Opening parts, unlike any of the newer stuff.

Metal base, unlike any of the new stuff. It's also screw on, so it's easy to carry out a restoration and paint in your own colour preference.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Here's one for all you fans of big Alfa Saloons from NEO.

The Alfa Romeo 2300 RIO, made between 1974 and 1986.

This looks very much like an Alfetta, but is no more than an old Alfa 1900 dressed in a 1970s body.

Even though the car was developed in Italy around the same time as the Alfetta, it did not have a transaxle. Instead it used the gearbox from a 105 series Giulia. And due to the oil crisis, any thoughts of 6 cylinder engines were put  to bed, the 2310cc engine was just an enlarged 1900 four-pot.

 

 

[Snake Charmer]

@flat4alfa Do you have a Politoys FF?

[sierraman]

I think I recall that a Jensen FF was made in yellow specifically for one of the directors of JCB? 

[flat4alfa]

22 minutes ago, Snake Charmer said:

@flat4alfa Do you have a Politoys FF?

I think you were asking that to @MiniMinorMk3 ?

My answer is no.  Do you have one for sale though?

[Tenmil Socket]

Currently sat in a Wetherspoon’s in Grimsby. Took a bus here from Cleethorpes. Found 3 charity shops and nothing 😩

I did find a nice original watercolour painting though for £3.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Just spotted this for sale. How does it work? 

[bunglebus]

I have a car that's been used on one of those sets;

And so has these attached underneath

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

1 minute ago, bunglebus said:

I have a car that's been used on one of those sets;

And so has these attached underneath

 

New one on me! Were they sold like that as part of the set?