Shite in Miniature II

[Spottedlaurel]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Pre-emptive purchases made...

Will be interested to know of any spare Japanese-themed ones that might be spare, please....

Hoping to drop into a local store or two tomorrow, wil be interesting (or not) to see if anything has changed in the last 3-4 weeks since I went to one in the UK.

[bunglebus]

25 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Will be interested to know of any spare Japanese-themed ones that might be spare, please

I have three spare Autozam AZ-1s and a green TT. Mrs is going into Chelmsford tomorrow so hopefully she'll find more

Two versions of Mister Two

[Spottedlaurel]

6 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I have three spare Autozam AZ-1s and a green TT. Mrs is going into Chelmsford tomorrow so hopefully she'll find more.....

Ooh, Mazda, one or potentially both MR2s and that Honda would be of interest if they're available. Also a grey LS400 if you find one (all assuming I don't see a glut of them tomorrow).

[bunglebus]

Just now, Spottedlaurel said:

Ooh, Mazda, one or potentially both MR2s and that Honda would be of interest if they're available. Also a grey LS400 if you find one (all assuming I don't see a glut of them tomorrow).

Only got the Autozam spare for now but I'll keep hunting (might ask if all the Matchbox are in the pegs in Derby too)

[Spottedlaurel]

5 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Only got the Autozam spare for now but I'll keep hunting (might ask if all the Matchbox are in the pegs in Derby too)

Cool, thanks.

[bunglebus]

On 08/08/2023 at 18:29, junkyarddog said:

Got a 99 today from everyone's favourite matchbox ice cream van.

Very nice it was too😋🍦

Close but no cigar

[FakeConcern]

On 8/8/2023 at 6:29 PM, junkyarddog said:

Got a 99 today from everyone's favourite matchbox ice cream van.

Very nice it was too😋🍦

Matchbox?

11 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Close but no cigar

[AndyW201]

Usual traipsing around all the usual haunts lately has turned up nada. Really starting to lose the enthusiasm for Mattel stuff atm. Same old Hot Wheels cases everywhere, and same old Matchbox stuff from the start of the year.

All was not.lost today though. Got out of work a little earlier today so headed over to Stockton, to the big B&M and Smyth's. B&M was, as expected, a waste of time, full pegs but the Hot Wheels case with the blue Toyota Space Cruiser, which dates from last year I think. Same old Matchbox selection too.

Smyth's did have some M case Hot Wheels though, but it looks like someone had been there before me, so sadly no GTV, Merc SEC or orange Civic. There were still a few there I'd been after though, but to be honest, the Hot Wheels are crammed so tight on the pegs in there, you can't see half of what's on there and the new stuff was mixed in with the old.

Was chuffed to find the Shove-it though, the first of this casting I've found in the wild. It's a nice wee thing.

Another one I really wanted,

I do like the Hot Wheels gassers and the Cyclone isn't a casting we've seen much of.

The Nova wagon is one of my favourite castings, they've used the nice slotmag-style wheels on this release,

At last, I've found the darker blue DeLorean, that's all the '80s cars got so far. Not that it matters to me though, as I'm not a completist...

Another Then & Now release. Yay.... Lovely casting this though, in a great colour scheme

I was annoyed when I got to the car as I thought I'd picked up the Volvo XC40 as that was also there. I'm sure I saw the name Time Shifter on the bottom of one of the cards too, it wasn't until I was looking back at the M case stuff @bunglebus posted on here a few pages back that I noticed its the Treasure Hunt for this case. Looks like I'll be heading back there at the weekend. I was sorely tempted by the Boulevard Holden Torana and Merc AMG C Class too. No Volvo 142 unfortunately, as that would have been coming home with me tonight as well....

[eddyramrod]

I was in BuM today and picked up the sole Flying Colors (I'm doubting myself, is that right?) which is an orange Mustang.  I think I've got three of these now (FCs, not just Mustangs), available at cost plus post.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the workshop, I've resurrected something I started... must be 30 years ago?  Maybe even more.  In a previous job (1984-90) I drove among other vehicles a pair of VW T25 diesel pickups.  At some point I picked up first one Matchbox T25 ambulance, then another, to convert into pickups, because the current crewcab wasn't available then and the trucks we had were single-cab anyway.  So, I cut down the back of these vans, leaving the lower bodywork.  How to make the pickup beds?  I found a scrap small-scale artic trailer, with a plastic low-sided dropside body, and simply sawed across it halfway along.  I then had to trim a little off the length but trial fitting shows up about right now.  For a cab rear screen I've cut a piece from the redundant rear glazing of the ambulance, as it perfectly matches the cab windows; it's all heavily blue-tinted, which the real vehicles weren't, but it works.  I've also converted the interiors to RHD.  I'll show you when they're done.

I'm also working on a Leyland Roadrunner (MB King Size skip lorry) with a cut-down shipping container to represent the curtainsider I drove between 1997 and 2002.  I have a couple of these so when I find another suitable container, which will need to be different, it can become the box van I drove in another previous job.  One of them has  suffered a sliced chassis at my hands, because I need a longer wheelbase to take an open dropside body I have that was once a Corgi (or possibly Dinky) trailer.  Again, I'll show you as and when.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Did some say Ice Cream

[egg]

Almost exactly two years ago, this was found by @Datsuncog in NI.

Once it reached me, I started stripping it, and messed up one of the wheel hubs - it melted in the caustic soda. This frustrated me, so I closed the lid of the toy box....

It's now done. I used pop rivets for the axles. I then thought I'd be clever by using the heads as little glued on axle retainers, as I've never had much luck with peening (that's peening not pegging). This was an error, and now because of the glue the rear axle does not really move and it looks a bit 'inelegant'. However, I think it's OK overall. Spare bits from Steve Flowers.

It is actually painted ivory (a Ford colour) but looks a bit white in the pics.

(the door shut lines not matching up is a TADTS).

[andrew e]

I’d be happy with that! Can’t wait to see the next one 👍

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, egg said:

 

(the door shut lines not matching up is a TADTS).

That'll be the rusty castle sections causing the body to bend. They're all like that sir.

[Datsuncog]

Well, that's certainly looking a lot better since the last time I saw it!

Indeed, plucked from the market on 13 August 2021.

It was not in a good way.

Vast improvement; well done!

Shonky doors seem to be a given on these - and in fairness, this was the first time opening doors had been attempted by one of Britain's mainstream diecast  toy manufacturers.

Corgi kicked off the 'opening things' craze with their #218 Aston Martin DB4 in March 1960, featuring an opening bonnet and detailed engine beneath (and, coincidentally, an early one of those with disc wheels fell into a Tat Box just the other week):

(Turns out that's antique Plasticine in the engine bay, and not anything more repugnant.)

Corgi continued to innovate with an opening boot feature the following year - the #224 Bentley Continental in April 1961, complete with removable spare wheel...

While the #239 Chevrolet Corvair followed a few months later, with a detailed air-cooled flat-six engine beneath the opening rear compartment.

More opening bonnets followed - the #234 Ford Consul Classic...

and the #231 Triumph Herald Coupe.

February 1962 saw Corgi release both the #230 Mercedes 220SE Coupe with an opening boot and spare wheel, and the #420 Thames Airborne Caravan with opening rear doors.

In September the #238 Jaguar Mark X was launched, going one better by boasting an opening bonnet and boot, plus plastic suitcases.

But by that stage Dinky had pulled out their #113 MGB, cunningly released on the same day as the real-life car's launch, and the novel opening doors feature was A Big Thing.

Corgi appeared to be blindsided by this development, and at first could only respond by adding more of the same opening features for 1963: including the opening bonnet and boot on the #239 VW Karmann Ghia Type 4, and the opening tailgate and flip-down rear seats on the #436 Citroen ID19 Safari.

The #310 Chevrolet Stingray of August 1963 was the first to offer innovative flip-up headlights:

But the really big news came in November 1963, just in time for the Christmas rush, when Corgi finished development of the #241 Ghia L.6.4, boasting 'the works' - bonnet, boot and doors, all opening - and tip-forward front seats, too.

This was a first, and at that point the ultimate in diecast realism - so it was no surprise that sales were strong, with over a million were shifted in the first two years of production. This was despite the real life counterpart being rarer than a rare thing, with only six examples ever built.

Unfortunately, in Corgi's rush to catch up and get it released in time for the big festive sales pitch, it turned out that it could be a little fragile compared to others in the range...

Mmm, shonky.

An unscientific study of one places this as the model I'm most likely to find in pieces at the bottom of any given Market Tat Box.

No new opening-door models appeared in the Corgi range for 1964, other than the rear doors of the #448 and #450 Mini van, but in May 1965 the #320 Ford Mustang 2+2 was launched featuring opening doors, with another 'everything opens!' model - the #246 Chrysler Imperial - following in August.

Within a few years, most new releases by both Corgi and Dinky would boast at least one opening feature - sometimes two or more - as the search for added playvalue pushed design innovations even further.

But for all Corgi's endless gimmickry, the #113 MGB was very much Dinky's glorious proof that the old stalwarts Meccano could innovate too - and even steal a march on their Mettoy rivals.

[egg]

22 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Shonky doors seem to be a given on these - and in fairness, this was the first time opening doors had been attempted by one of Britain's mainstream diecast  toy manufacturers.

I didn't know that, thanks. It's hard to see what's not quite right, the 'panel gap' at the front, the strength of the metal 'spring', the weight of the door?  A combination of things. I don't think it would have worried me as a kid in the 60's. 

[Datsuncog]

And while we're on the vague topic of foodstuffs-themed commercials... I unboxed the car-boot find DY15 Austin A40 Brooke Bond Tea van yesterday.

Quite possibly the first time it's been out of the box in thirty-odd years.

It's factory-fresh, without the usual amount of dust and glar adhering to it.

Bearing in mind the market these were designed for, and the price point, it's not too bad a thing. Front numberplate is comically huge though, for no apparent reason.

Rear plate is rather more what you might expect. The tiny lick of silver paint on the handle's a nice touch, to break up the sea of red.

The steering wheel's curiously small and flat, to the point that I thought it was missing as it's so hard to see - not necessarily true to type, but at least it's there. 

The 'Flying A' bonnet mascot is hard to see in my crappy pics, but it's there and is surprisingly well rendered, if slightly on the wonk.

Underside detail is reasonably good too.

I'm a bit miffed that I sold off my Dinky Toys liveried version of this van last year (along with two Commers and a Fordson commercial), as on reflection it was quite a nice thing to have... but on the plus side, it seems they're still highly available - and nowadays at much less than their original 1990 sticker price.

I can appreciate these are really just updated Models Of Yesteryear - but I coveted this range so badly in the late '80s and early '90s that it's a nostalgic itch I quite like to scratch.

For less than the price of a pint in the pub these days, I reckon these are alright. I'll keep looking out for them!

[bunglebus]

8 M cases to go through in my Entertainer 

[w00dy]

Having not found anything that takes my fancy in Hot Wheels or Matchbox for a while, I was pleased to find a few single Majorettes in Sainsbury's with this amongst them.

 

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

For less than the price of a pint in the pub these days, I reckon these are alright. I'll keep looking out for them!

Some of those  can fetch a few quid.

Some of the early Macau production versions are quite rare. After listing some on Ebay and getting asked by various buyers where they were made I always checked the boxes and bases to confirm manufacture. There's a rare variant of the '57 Chevy Convertible that is quite sought after

The Stags and XK140s are quite sought after as well.

My favourite is the Karmann Ghia

[bunglebus]

54 minutes ago, w00dy said:

Having not found anything that takes my fancy in Hot Wheels or Matchbox for a while, I was pleased to find a few single Majorettes in Sainsbury's with this amongst them.

 

 

No Golfs? Still after especially the blue one. 

I looked in all 8 M cases in Entertainer and was very sensible, just bought the regular Treasure Hunt 

A few bits landed on the mat while I was away. This seller had loads of lovely Matchbox, all of which got bid higher than I was willing to go - but this one didn't go as high as I expected. Certainly not one that shows up in the UK often

This was in a little job lot

Along with a Redline 

Couldn't resist this Mira Fiesta - think it's 1:43

A smaller Mira - in fact a Mini-Mira is the military version of the Stretcha Fetcha

Not a Galanite! Laufer rubber bug is smaller, around Matchbox size 

[w00dy]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

No Golfs? Still after especially the blue one. 

 

Nope just a couple of dull moderns, but will keep an eye out. I only ever seem to find a few lost looking Majorettes at best, no idea how many come to a new case, but it's nice to see them in more shops at least. 

[Datsuncog]

58 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

My favourite is the Karmann Ghia

The Karmann really is lovely - I think it's one of my favourites too.

I had both colours of Stag - I've still got the white one, while the green one went off to live with @eddyramrod. They can fetch good coin online, it's true.

I'm also quite fond of the Mini Cooper - it's not a tremendous rendering, but there's just something about it. I was fortunate enough to get all of these from @WillCartera few years back.

Don't think any of mine are Macau-made, but that's maybe something to look out for in future!

The Geordie Military guy down at the Abbey car boot sale did have a blue '57 Bel Air cabrio in his crates, funnily enough - I gave it a bit of thought, but I already have the red and white hardtop version, and figured the Gama Beetle 1302 at the same price was a better buy in terms of rarity.

Pretty sure it was the common version with the cream-and-blue interior rather than the scarcer brown-and-blue variant, though now I'm not sure....

[155V6]

Photos are done for the next part of my diecast sale,hoping to put them up Saturday evening 🤞

[Split_Pin]

4 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

And while we're on the vague topic of foodstuffs-themed commercials... I unboxed the car-boot find DY15 Austin A40 Brooke Bond Tea van yesterday.

Quite possibly the first time it's been out of the box in thirty-odd years.

It's factory-fresh, without the usual amount of dust and glar adhering to it.

Bearing in mind the market these were designed for, and the price point, it's not too bad a thing. Front numberplate is comically huge though, for no apparent reason.

Rear plate is rather more what you might expect. The tiny lick of silver paint on the handle's a nice touch, to break up the sea of red.

The steering wheel's curiously small and flat, to the point that I thought it was missing as it's so hard to see - not necessarily true to type, but at least it's there. 

The 'Flying A' bonnet mascot is hard to see in my crappy pics, but it's there and is surprisingly well rendered, if slightly on the wonk.

Underside detail is reasonably good too.

I'm a bit miffed that I sold off my Dinky Toys liveried version of this van last year (along with two Commers and a Fordson commercial), as on reflection it was quite a nice thing to have... but on the plus side, it seems they're still highly available - and nowadays at much less than their original 1990 sticker price.

I can appreciate these are really just updated Models Of Yesteryear - but I coveted this range so badly in the late '80s and early '90s that it's a nostalgic itch I quite like to scratch.

For less than the price of a pint in the pub these days, I reckon these are alright. I'll keep looking out for them!

I got the same model from someone on here, I think it was either free or about a quid. Anyway, despite these being marketed as 'collectors pieces', they are superbly charming models. They're very solid and have just the right amount of detail. I actually like the front plate because although it's too big, it has a period correct font cast in, rather than a tampo.

The MGB GT is even nicer with intricate separate handbrake and gear lever.

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

The Karmann really is lovely - I think it's one of my favourites too.

I had both colours of Stag - I've still got the white one, while the green one went off to live with @eddyramrod. They can fetch good coin online, it's true.

I'm also quite fond of the Mini Cooper - it's not a tremendous rendering, but there's just something about it. I was fortunate enough to get all of these from @WillCartera few years back.

Don't think any of mine are Macau-made, but that's maybe something to look out for in future!

The Geordie Military guy down at the Abbey car boot sale did have a blue '57 Bel Air cabrio in his crates, funnily enough - I gave it a bit of thought, but I already have the red and white hardtop version, and figured the Gama Beetle 1302 at the same price was a better buy in terms of rarity.

Pretty sure it was the common version with the cream-and-blue interior rather than the scarcer brown-and-blue variant, though now I'm not sure....

I’ve got that Bel Air convertible, had it from new! 
Not a particular favourite of mine really, I’d much prefer the hard top version. Nice enough looking model though.

[FakeConcern]

10 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Did some say Ice Cream

Although Mrs Concern now has a Corgi Thames Anglia ice cream van, I was never a fan of it as a child for the reason that I'd never seen a real one & I still haven't.

7 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Well, that's certainly looking a lot better since the last time I saw it!

Indeed, plucked from the market on 13 August 2021.

It was not in a good way.

Vast improvement; well done!

Shonky doors seem to be a given on these - and in fairness, this was the first time opening doors had been attempted by one of Britain's mainstream diecast  toy manufacturers.

Corgi kicked off the 'opening things' craze with their #218 Aston Martin DB4 in March 1960, featuring an opening bonnet and detailed engine beneath (and, coincidentally, an early one of those with disc wheels fell into a Tat Box just the other week):

(Turns out that's antique Plasticine in the engine bay, and not anything more repugnant.)

Corgi continued to innovate with an opening boot feature the following year - the #224 Bentley Continental in April 1961, complete with removable spare wheel...

While the #239 Chevrolet Corvair followed a few months later, with a detailed air-cooled flat-six engine beneath the opening rear compartment.

More opening bonnets followed - the #234 Ford Consul Classic...

and the #231 Triumph Herald Coupe.

February 1962 saw Corgi release both the #230 Mercedes 220SE Coupe with an opening boot and spare wheel, and the #420 Thames Airborne Caravan with opening rear doors.

In September the #238 Jaguar Mark X was launched, going one better by boasting an opening bonnet and boot, plus plastic suitcases.

But by that stage Dinky had pulled out their #113 MGB, cunningly released on the same day as the real-life car's launch, and the novel opening doors feature was A Big Thing.

Corgi appeared to be blindsided by this development, and at first could only respond by adding more of the same opening features for 1963: including the opening bonnet and boot on the #239 VW Karmann Ghia Type 4, and the opening tailgate and flip-down rear seats on the #436 Citroen ID19 Safari.

The #310 Chevrolet Stingray of August 1963 was the first to offer innovative flip-up headlights:

But the really big news came in November 1963, just in time for the Christmas rush, when Corgi finished development of the #241 Ghia L.6.4, boasting 'the works' - bonnet, boot and doors, all opening - and tip-forward front seats, too.

This was a first, and at that point the ultimate in diecast realism - so it was no surprise that sales were strong, with over a million were shifted in the first two years of production. This was despite the real life counterpart being rarer than a rare thing, with only six examples ever built.

Unfortunately, in Corgi's rush to catch up and get it released in time for the big festive sales pitch, it turned out that it could be a little fragile compared to others in the range...

Mmm, shonky.

An unscientific study of one places this as the model I'm most likely to find in pieces at the bottom of any given Market Tat Box.

No new opening-door models appeared in the Corgi range for 1964, other than the rear doors of the #448 and #450 Mini van, but in May 1965 the #320 Ford Mustang 2+2 was launched featuring opening doors, with another 'everything opens!' model - the #246 Chrysler Imperial - following in August.

Within a few years, most new releases by both Corgi and Dinky would boast at least one opening feature - sometimes two or more - as the search for added playvalue pushed design innovations even further.

But for all Corgi's endless gimmickry, the #113 MGB was very much Dinky's glorious proof that the old stalwarts Meccano could innovate too - and even steal a march on their Mettoy rivals.

I had the Dinky MGB as a child, noit sure where from as I didn't have it new. I remember it looking similar to the pics above until at some point I Humbrolled it green.

Of the Corgis above , I had the Aston only in yellow, loved it but don't have it now. The Bentley I had and loved  and as I related before was stolen at school. I also have the DS Safari and the Classic all loved, but in poor condition now. (actially Eddy has the Classic now!)

My Ghia didn't fall apart, I ruined it myself by cutting the wheelarches down to a different shape! I've since got three or four in various conditions to retsore at some point, but none of them are in pieces funnily enough.

[Reluctant Adult]

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

No Golfs? Still after especially the blue one. 

I looked in all 8 M cases in Entertainer and was very sensible, just bought the regular Treasure Hunt 

A few bits landed on the mat while I was away. This seller had loads of lovely Matchbox, all of which got bid higher than I was willing to go - but this one didn't go as high as I expected. Certainly not one that shows up in the UK often

This was in a little job lot

Along with a Redline 

Couldn't resist this Mira Fiesta - think it's 1:43

A smaller Mira - in fact a Mini-Mira is the military version of the Stretcha Fetcha

Not a Galanite! Laufer rubber bug is smaller, around Matchbox size 

Wow, that takes me back. I remember getting a 4-pack of these erasers (each a different colour) for Xmas c. 1980. They were in an Avon-type catalogue that was dished out to me & my fellow cub scouts 😀

[Datsuncog]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

I actually like the front plate because although it's too big, it has a period correct font cast in, rather than a tampo.

Right enough, that lettering font is quite a nice touch... and I have seen some quite oversize-looking plates on post-war vehicles, so maybe it's not as badly done as I'd thought?

[bunglebus]

 

[bunglebus]

Got these two little beauties coming to the Collectors range at some point too