Shite in Miniature II

[Datsuncog]

It was still too early for McCullough's to open, and I did have quite a lengthy list of shopping to obtain, so further diecast tomfoolery seemed unlikely... but, while ambling through B&M over at the retail park - do I spy some new-case Matchbox?

Yes, I believe I do.

Though I'm also wondering why Mattel have chosen to release yet another version of this shelf warmer baggage truck, that nobody at all seems to want.

Meh.

But I did come away with two new-colour releases of earlier castings:

I think the plain orange Kadett with detail to the front and rear looks better than the earlier GT/E version - which had graphics on the sides, but seemed overly plain at either end.

I wasn't sure whether to grab a red Ford Custom when I already have more black ones than I know what to do with, but I was kinda in the zone...

And then, shopping done and on arrival home, a Tat Box from @155V6 had landed!

Trying to skilfully evade MrsDC's searching gaze about what the fuck I was bringing into the house now, I did take some pics of the box contents, but my phone camera's continuing to be weird and so they didn't save correctly.

But they involved this 100% Corgi selection:

The Dennis Simon Snorkel is one that gazed out to me for many years from my well-thumbed 1983 Corgi catalogue...

Now I did manage to find a tarted-up Corgi Classics revamp a few years ago, which was less toylike and more collector oriented, and for some reason I just couldn't bond with it.

So I sold that on early last year, and I'm kinda pleased to finally have the version I always coveted instead.

Also on the 'to find' list for a long time...

I seem to have gone a bit nuts for trailers lately, and this Corgitronics pneumatic compressor isn't one I've ever seen before for real - just catalogue pics.

The gimmick here was that 2x AA batteries could be fitted behind the panels, and upon pressing down on the drill, a speaker fitted to the top of the trailer would produce a drilling noise.

I have it on good authority that this one isn't working - and, given the incredible thin-ness of the contact wire, I can't say I'm all that surprised - but it's in a nice enough condition anyway.

Now I need to find the matching Land Rover...

I'm a sucker for these Whizzwheels Beetles.

Although both have been monkeyed around with, they're still kinda nice - the white car with the blue glazing I think was formerly a police version, while the metallic green 'flower power' car has had an additional roof rack added:

I'd thought this may have been taken from an earlier Husky version, but I think the luggage is actually from a Matchbox toy - Land Rover, perhaps, or Fiat 1500?

Ah well. I like 'em.

I've never had a decent small Metro, so I figured it was about time I changed that. This one's pretty clean - while the Mercedes 280 SL is a lovely early thin-wheel version.

For some reason, this feels less like a Corgi and more like a Siku model to me. Dunno why.

But I really like it.

So then... what else did I come home with?

[danthecapriman]

@Datsuncog

What is this one? I can’t quite see what it is? Corgi Jr??

[sierraman]

22 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

@Datsuncog

What is this one? I can’t quite see what it is? Corgi Jr??

It’s a Buick Roadmaster by, I think, Yatming

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Any ideas of the maker

Copy of Polistil by Golden Wheel

These all have the same type of base 

Although oddly you can just about make out KEES on the base of the Escort

[bunglebus]

31 minutes ago, sierraman said:

It’s a Buick Roadmaster by, I think, Yatming

Yes, one of these

Think it's closely related to the Maisto one, but that has quarterlights

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Hot Wheels Crack-Up

"How much are the wee cars in the box?" I tried to sound offhand and generally nonchalant.

"20p

Crack-up is the Stocker Smasher

On the subject of pricing, I do get frustrated with the greed of some sellers. I walked away from a well-worn Majorette Merc on Sunday because he wanted £2 for it. Whereas when they're 20-50p I grab loads, so I probably end up spending more and they get rid of more shite.

[eddyramrod]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

@Datsuncog

What is this one? I can’t quite see what it is? Corgi Jr??

 

40 minutes ago, sierraman said:

It’s a Buick Roadmaster by, I think, Yatming

 

11 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Yes, one of these

Think it's closely related to the Maisto one, but that has quarterlights

Actually no, it isn't the Buick, it's a 1953 Cadillac convertible from the same series.  I know, I had several of both until I started my Clearance a while back.  The Cadillac came in top-down or top-up mode, in different colours; as, it would seem, did the Buick.

[Tenmil Socket]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

Copy of Polistil by Golden Wheel

These all have the same type of base 

Although oddly you can just about make out KEES on the base of the Escort

If that Escort’s ever going spare...

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, eddyramrod said:

 

 

Actually no, it isn't the Buick, it's a 1953 Cadillac convertible from the same series.  I know, I had several of both until I started my Clearance a while back.  The Cadillac came in top-down or top-up mode, in different colours; as, it would seem, did the Buick.

Ah - this one then 

[danthecapriman]

Cheers fella’s! I’ve never seen that Yatming jobbie before. The wheels looked like Corgi Jr ones, but a bit off.

[155V6]

Mixed fortunes model-wise this weekend.

Yesterday's car boot was packed,but I didn't find a single thing to buy.

Yesterday evening I found an ad on FB Marketplace which had only just been it up.It didn't say a lot,just that there was a large box of models for free,& that there were aircraft,cars,& vans with just a picture of the aircraft.The seller was only 15 minutes away,so I went over there straight way to find these

Not quite what I was expecting as they're all built plastic kits,but some interesting bits in there.

Today's car boot was a bit quieter,& I still didn't find anything.I was just leaving,when I got a message from another FB Marketplace seller I'd contacted earlier.He had a small lot of Corgis for sale,& I'd asked if he'd sell one of them seperately.He said that was ok,he was only a couple of miles from the car boot,so I went & picked this up

£5.00 might seem expensive,but I've seen what they go for on eBay so was quite happy with that.

Then it was onto a small fete which has  few stalls selling various things.First find was this Polistil 1/40ish Golf for 50p

Another seller had this which I felt sorry for

It's a 1/18 Peugeot 406 Coupe by Gate.I had one a while ago which I sold,& wished I hadn't.It's got one mirror missing,& three wheels are broken off,but is in good condition apart from that.Seller wanted £5.00 originally,but let me have it for £3.00,so not too bad.I t came with a brochure for the real car too 😀

[MiniMinorMk3]

4 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

 

Origin stamp looks to have been added in to the moulding at a later date, while there's a standard LOL to be had at the propshaft/ exhaust detail for a mid-engined car...

Any ideas of the maker?

 

 

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Copy of Polistil by Golden Wheel

 

Polistil/Polytoys did that Ferrari in 1/40, 1/25 and 1/18th scales

The actual car raced at Daytona in 1981

Ferrari 308 GTB Turbo - Photo Gallery - Racing Sports Cars

[Datsuncog]

Okay, so you'll have seen some of these in earlier posts, but I've tried to group Saturday's finds together this time by manufacturer or theme, à la @bunglebus.

Matchbox Ford Flareside, VW T3 ambulance and Sierra XR4i; plus the HW Crack-Up and a Corgi Junior Mercedes taxi - no roof sign, but the remains of some side stickers are still in evidence.

Flareside and Crack-Up are available for the 50p paid; the Corgi Merc can be yours for only 20p.

(The other two are for keeping!)

What we now know to be a Golden Wheels take on the Polistil Ferrari 308GTB, and RealToy Galaxy - also up for grabs for 50p each...

While behind, we have quite a nice Playart Peterbilt, and a somewhat crude, but quite unusual, Mack R-Series made by an unknown manufacturer - it has no commonality with the Corgi version.

I'll take better pics of them soon.

Also, possibly a Bernard tractor unit along with a Maersk trailer which I thought belonged with it - but now I'm not so sure, as neither the hitches nor the wheels seem to match. No idea of the maker, though I may have a similar thing in my childhood toybox (bought in Blackpool in 1987)

All trucks available, for the 20p paid!

More uncharted waters with these no-name commercials...

Two Chevrolet stepsides, one with 'Thunder' decals and the other reading 'Flash', in fairly tidy nick. They seem very similar to the ill-fated Dinky range of pocket money toys from 1979, but aren't branded as such. 

20p each takes 'em.

Chevrolet (?) panel van of unknown origin has some custom-style side windows and twin sunroof, plus a very neatly operating sliding side door. 

I think I've seen a cruder ambulance version of this in circulation without any opening bits, so this was a nice find. The paint's pretty good here, too.

20p as well.

Hongwell Cararama BMW E49 and Mercedes A-Class could also be yours for a mere 20p each.

More vehicles of uncertain parentage here - probably Yatming? The retro vehicles along the back row I feel we've seen before - there's something I'm not sure of (Delahaye?), then a Buick Roadmaster 2-dr sedan, '53 Cadillac Eldorado convertible and Chevrolet Nomad.

Tiny all-plastic half-assed stab at a Mercedes G-Wagen, and slightly better Smart ForTwo, are unfamiliar.

Acid yellow Volvo 740 is pretty crude and also quite small - much more tiddly than the Matchbox version - but I know some of you like these, in all their ragged glory.

More modern, but equally mysterious, Mazda RX7 FD could use a clean but isn't too bad otherwise. Casting and base detail is pretty decent, though wheels are a bit rubbish.

All available for 20p a go!

A Pontiac Firebird and Chevrolet Camaro in evidence here, but no obvious manufacturer. At a guess, probably Zylmex as they have a similar numbering and base texture to the Nomad.

Buick Le Sabre stock car is marked as MC Toy, but bears more than a passing resemblance to the Matchbox equivalent...

Zakspeed Capri is quite tiny, and a bit different from Corgi's take on this. BMW E30 Bauer convertible is seemingly 'inspired by' Matchbox - I'll have to do a comparison at some point...

I might hold on to the green Camaro for now - but the others could be yours for 20p a throw.

Other oddments now - a fairly tragic-looking Britains Land Rover Discovery (missing its rear door, of course), the Corgi Buick cop car, that Tonka Maverick, and a New Ray Caterham less its windscreen.

The big Corgi's available for the £1 paid, the others for 20p.

1/43 Bburago then...

Not one, not two, but three Peugeot 405 Raids.

They're not brilliant, to be fair - wheels and glazing issues, mainly - but there's maybe enough to build one good one?

Also - quite a good Tipo, in blue.

Again, all at 20p each!

Rather ratty Ford Focus, with some lighting issues also... Lancia Delta S4 not too bad, though. Some scuffs to the screen might polish out? 20p to find out.

Plain-wrapper Clio and Cinquecento, plus vaguely Abarth-themed rally-spec Cinq - all available at a frankly unbelievable 20p a go.

Can you even buy a Freddo Frog chocolate bar for 20p these days?

Boom! 

Hit me up if there's anything here you fancy - to add to an existing tat box, or start a new one.

All in all, it was quite a day.

[FakeConcern]

Clio 1/43 plz

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

 Chevrolet Nomad

 Zylmex Chevy Nomad - normally have a dark base

I'll take the Golden Wheels if available please, plus that red US van and Nomad thanks

Volvo is I think a High Speed or Summer - need to see the base really

I think the Crapi is also a Zylmex 

Regal is a Maisto casting

Think the 3 series Baur is a Welly

[egg]

Plain Fiat Cinquecento please!

[danthecapriman]

@Datsuncog could I nab the Yatming Cadillac Eldorado please? I took a bit of a shine to it in the first pic!

[Jon]

Could you add the PlayArt truck (of course) and red van to my (eventual) parcel, please?

[RoadworkUK]

Just returned from the music festival I attend as an annual pilgrimage ( Beautiful Days, curated by The Levellers).

As ever, one of the (generic hippy accessories) stalls had a Tub O' Tat; diecasts of various breeds for a quid each. I've had reasonable luck with them in the past.

Alas, no end of fevered rummaging unearthed anything even vaguely interesting this time. Maybe next year.

 

[andy18s]

3 hours ago, 155V6 said:

Mixed fortunes model-wise this weekend.

Yesterday's car boot was packed,but I didn't find a single thing to buy.

Yesterday evening I found an ad on FB Marketplace which had only just been it up.It didn't say a lot,just that there was a large box of models for free,& that there were aircraft,cars,& vans with just a picture of the aircraft.The seller was only 15 minutes away,so I went over there straight way to find these

Not quite what I was expecting as they're all built plastic kits,but some interesting bits in there.

Today's car boot was a bit quieter,& I still didn't find anything.I was just leaving,when I got a message from another FB Marketplace seller I'd contacted earlier.He had a small lot of Corgis for sale,& I'd asked if he'd sell one of them seperately.He said that was ok,he was only a couple of miles from the car boot,so I went & picked this up

£5.00 might seem expensive,but I've seen what they go for on eBay so was quite happy with that.

Then it was onto a small fete which has  few stalls selling various things.First find was this Polistil 1/40ish Golf for 50p

Another seller had this which I felt sorry for

It's a 1/18 Peugeot 406 Coupe by Gate.I had one a while ago which I sold,& wished I hadn't.It's got one mirror missing,& three wheels are broken off,but is in good condition apart from that.Seller wanted £5.00 originally,but let me have it for £3.00,so not too bad.I t came with a brochure for the real car too 😀

Ooo Manta....

[Datsuncog]

On 8/27/2023 at 2:15 PM, bunglebus said:

Saviem tractor which I wasn't familiar with

Think I managed to find one of those with a transporter trailer a few years ago.

Nice big thing.

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, Jon said:

Could you add the PlayArt truck (of course) and red van to my (eventual) parcel, please?

Think Mr. Bunglebus may have nipped in before you for the red van, but the Playart Peterbilt is absolutely yours (and yes, when I unearthed it I did think you might be interested!)

[Spottedlaurel]

On 8/27/2023 at 2:15 PM, bunglebus said:

And this larger Saviem tractor which I wasn't familiar with

I have a similar green one, I think it goes with a curtainside trailer.

[quicksilver]

4 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Okay, so you'll have seen some of these in earlier posts, but I've tried to group Saturday's finds together this time by manufacturer or theme, à la @bunglebus.

Matchbox Ford Flareside, VW T3 ambulance and Sierra XR4i; plus the HW Crack-Up and a Corgi Junior Mercedes taxi - no roof sign, but the remains of some side stickers are still in evidence.

Flareside and Crack-Up are available for the 50p paid; the Corgi Merc can be yours for only 20p.

(The other two are for keeping!)

What we now know to be a Golden Wheels take on the Polistil Ferrari 308GTB, and RealToy Galaxy - also up for grabs for 50p each...

While behind, we have quite a nice Playart Peterbilt, and a somewhat crude, but quite unusual, Mack R-Series made by an unknown manufacturer - it has no commonality with the Corgi version.

I'll take better pics of them soon.

Also, possibly a Bernard tractor unit along with a Maersk trailer which I thought belonged with it - but now I'm not so sure, as neither the hitches nor the wheels seem to match. No idea of the maker, though I may have a similar thing in my childhood toybox (bought in Blackpool in 1987)

All trucks available, for the 20p paid!

More uncharted waters with these no-name commercials...

Two Chevrolet stepsides, one with 'Thunder' decals and the other reading 'Flash', in fairly tidy nick. They seem very similar to the ill-fated Dinky range of pocket money toys from 1979, but aren't branded as such. 

20p each takes 'em.

Chevrolet (?) panel van of unknown origin has some custom-style side windows and twin sunroof, plus a very neatly operating sliding side door. 

I think I've seen a cruder ambulance version of this in circulation without any opening bits, so this was a nice find. The paint's pretty good here, too.

20p as well.

Hongwell Cararama BMW E49 and Mercedes A-Class could also be yours for a mere 20p each.

More vehicles of uncertain parentage here - probably Yatming? The retro vehicles along the back row I feel we've seen before - there's something I'm not sure of (Delahaye?), then a Buick Skylark coupé, '53 Cadillac Eldorado convertible and Chevrolet Nomad.

Tiny all-plastic half-assed stab at a Mercedes G-Wagen, and slightly better Smart ForTwo, are unfamiliar.

Acid yellow Volvo 740 is pretty crude and also quite small - much more tiddly than the Matchbox version - but I know some of you like these, in all their ragged glory.

More modern, but equally mysterious, Mazda RX8 could use a clean but isn't too bad otherwise. Casting is decent, though wheels are a bit rubbish.

All available for 20p a go!

Two eras of Chevrolet Camaro in evidence here, but no obvious manufacturer. Buick Le Sabre stock car is marked as MC Toy, but bears more than a passing resemblance to the Matchbox equivalent...

Zakspeed Capri is quite tiny, and a bit different from Corgi's take on this. BMW E30 Bauer convertible is seemingly 'inspired by' Matchbox - I'll have to do a comparison at some point...

I might hold on to the green Camaro for now - but the others could be yours for 20p a throw.

Other oddments now - a fairly tragic-looking Britains Land Rover Discovery (missing its rear door, of course), the Corgi Buick cop car, that Tonka Maverick, and a New Ray Caterham less its windscreen.

The big Corgi's available for the £1 paid, the others for 20p.

1/43 Bburago then...

Not one, not two, but three Peugeot 405 Raids.

They're not brilliant, to be fair - wheels and glazing issues, mainly - but there's maybe enough to build one good one?

Also - quite a good Tipo, in blue.

Again, all at 20p each!

Rather ratty Ford Focus, with some lighting issues also... Lancia Delta S4 not too bad, though. Some scuffs to the screen might polish out? 20p to find out.

Plain-wrapper Clio and Cinquecento, plus vaguely Abarth-themed rally-spec Cinq - all available at a frankly unbelievable 20p a go.

Can you even buy a Freddo Frog chocolate bar for 20p these days?

Boom! 

Hit me up if there's anything here you fancy - to add to an existing tat box, or start a new one.

All in all, it was quite a day.

Cararama BMW and Merc and the little Smart car please. The Smart came out of a Kinder Surprise egg believe it or not - no idea who made them but they were official licensed products and that one isn't the same as the ones i have.

[Split_Pin]

6 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

Cararama BMW and Merc and the little Smart car please. The Smart came out of a Kinder Surprise egg believe it or not - no idea who made them but they were official licensed products and that one isn't the same as the ones i have.

I've got that one and a FourFour as well, plus a New Beetle.

[quicksilver]

5 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I've got that one and a FourFour as well, plus a New Beetle.

I've got a couple of Roadsters and the pre-facelift ForTwo in red and blue but didn't know they did a facelifted version too. Not yet found the ForFour or Crossblade going cheap though.

[bunglebus]

16 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

I've got a couple of Roadsters and the pre-facelift ForTwo in red and blue but didn't know they did a facelifted version too. Not yet found the ForFour or Crossblade going cheap though.

One of the sellers I see regularly at the boot sale had a load of little Smarts including a Roadster and a Crossblade! Unfortunately I won't be at any boot sales next weekend but I'll try and remember next time I see him

[bunglebus]

Things to look forward too

[eddyramrod]

A nice round dozen pics for you here.  We'll start with some primering...

You'll see those again sooner or later.  Meanwhile, I finished not one, not two, but count 'em, three of the Spot-Ons I've been restoring, all owned from new.  Humber sports a lovely new roofrack courtesy of the equally lovely @RayMK of this parish.

And here's the Humber with the owned-from-new caravan I restored a while back...

Now then... Dinky Albion cement mixer.  The yellow one is a later copy by Joal but it's good enough for comparison.  The old Dinky didn't have its bucket, and a sloppy repaint hadn't worn well either, so I did the decent thing and cut away the bucket mountings.  The load bed is a tipper body, from a trailer I think, but since it didn't have any sort of chassis under it I thought it would look the part here...

Pleased with that!  And from there we move on to the Bond partwork Sherpa van, which is the grey one in the next set.  The green one is the same van with the dents filled in and a set of Vanguards Vauxhall Velox wheels.

Again, I think it's turned out quite well.  Now... Corgi Beach Buggy.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm a bit averse to metal models of fibreglass cars.  They offend me at a basic level I can't quite describe.  Nevertheless, I seem to have a handful of these little things, including two for restoration.  Look at these pics, I'll be back...

So, above you see a complete Buggy.  The black thing is the plastic piece that sits within the chassis and forms the suspension.  As you can see, one of the suspension arms is broken and I've had to do some surgery on it, but it's better than the one for the other project Buggy, which is missing altogether!  Steve Flowers doesn't do parts for this model.  Oh dear.  But all is not lost!  Now look at the Cortina estate.  It has a similar suspension arrangement, but including the bumpers, which take a bit of a beating.  I'm restoring one and decided to replace that part, which fortunately Mr Flowers does offer (£7.00).  You can see the new part.  This left me with the old, damaged Cortina suspension piece.  Putting the Buggy part against it showed that they were close enough for width, although I did have to chop some length out of the middle, and remove the end pieces.  Windscreens are flat, so they're easy enough (just as well, as they're often broken) and both projects are missing a steering wheel.  I can cobble some up from my spares box, which is an expanding series of ice cream tubs.  I haven't tried to reassemble the Buggies yet; I'll let you know how it goes (complete with non-standard colours).

The blue Cortina is one I hand-painted decades ago to match one I encountered in Leeds one night in 1979 or possibly 1980.  I had gone over in my Anglia to a student party, and late that night we thought it was  a fun idea to see what was happening where these guys lived as they were having a party too.  The next hour or so consisted of a good-natured and painfully slow-motion chase around the city.  Those were the days!

[danthecapriman]

8 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

A nice round dozen pics for you here.  We'll start with some primering...

You'll see those again sooner or later.  Meanwhile, I finished not one, not two, but count 'em, three of the Spot-Ons I've been restoring, all owned from new.  Humber sports a lovely new roofrack courtesy of the equally lovely @RayMK of this parish.

And here's the Humber with the owned-from-new caravan I restored a while back...

Now then... Dinky Albion cement mixer.  The yellow one is a later copy by Joal but it's good enough for comparison.  The old Dinky didn't have its bucket, and a sloppy repaint hadn't worn well either, so I did the decent thing and cut away the bucket mountings.  The load bed is a tipper body, from a trailer I think, but since it didn't have any sort of chassis under it I thought it would look the part here...

Pleased with that!  And from there we move on to the Bond partwork Sherpa van, which is the grey one in the next set.  The green one is the same van with the dents filled in and a set of Vanguards Vauxhall Velox wheels.

Again, I think it's turned out quite well.  Now... Corgi Beach Buggy.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm a bit averse to metal models of fibreglass cars.  They offend me at a basic level I can't quite describe.  Nevertheless, I seem to have a handful of these little things, including two for restoration.  Look at these pics, I'll be back...

So, above you see a complete Buggy.  The black thing is the plastic piece that sits within the chassis and forms the suspension.  As you can see, one of the suspension arms is broken and I've had to do some surgery on it, but it's better than the one for the other project Buggy, which is missing altogether!  Steve Flowers doesn't do parts for this model.  Oh dear.  But all is not lost!  Now look at the Cortina estate.  It has a similar suspension arrangement, but including the bumpers, which take a bit of a beating.  I'm restoring one and decided to replace that part, which fortunately Mr Flowers does offer (£7.00).  You can see the new part.  This left me with the old, damaged Cortina suspension piece.  Putting the Buggy part against it showed that they were close enough for width, although I did have to chop some length out of the middle, and remove the end pieces.  Windscreens are flat, so they're easy enough (just as well, as they're often broken) and both projects are missing a steering wheel.  I can cobble some up from my spares box, which is an expanding series of ice cream tubs.  I haven't tried to reassemble the Buggies yet; I'll let you know how it goes (complete with non-standard colours).

The blue Cortina is one I hand-painted decades ago to match one I encountered in Leeds one night in 1979 or possibly 1980.  I had gone over in my Anglia to a student party, and late that night we thought it was  a fun idea to see what was happening where these guys lived as they were having a party too.  The next hour or so consisted of a good-natured and painfully slow-motion chase around the city.  Those were the days!

They look fantastic Eddy! 
The Albion certainly looks the part with a good paint job and the drop side style rear looks like it was made for it. Love that Sherpa van too.