Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, junkyarddog said:

The humble Alvis Stalwart has a variation!!

One is smooth the other is,well  I'll let Smoll Eddy tell you in his own inimitable fashion.

Never spotted this before.

Have you?

No - I used to use a very good website that got seriously anal about Matchbox variations that almost no sane human would spot so I didn't accidentally get rid of a double, but the site kept falling over and I gave up on it. Think I have two wheel colours and one of you supplied me a cover

 

[bunglebus]

I've been idly looking for this release for a little while - for some reason the platform version of the Husky F350 is fairly uncommon, unlike the camper and recovery truck types

Only one I'd like to find now is the Studebaker TV car which is always bid sky high on eBay

[quicksilver]

45 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Not much in the way of bricks-and-mortar model retailers round these parts any more either, annoyingly.

As with everywhere else, it's just Mattel stuff in supermarkets and Smyths, or possibly a bit of Siku if you go over to a branch of The Entertainer. Sometimes some Majorette in TK Maxx, but it's pretty hit-and-miss. And nothing to get seriously excited about (though I do try).

The only actual model shop locally seems to be the place over at Smithfield in Belfast; it's got a good selection of old and new stuff, including some nice 1/18 models, but the proprietor has an amazing ability to rub customers up the wrong way... there's also some very odd pricing policies in place, plus what appears to be a faintly dubious line in using reproduction boxes on older stuff, but then pricing it for £££ as 'mint and boxed'.

It's a shame, as it could be a good shop otherwise.

But with no swapmeets or toy fairs happening since pre-Covid times, and car boot sales confined to the summer months, it seems that realistically St George's is my only outlet for diecast funsies these days...

Not many model shops around my way nowadays either where there used to be several. Even the shoppers' paradise* of Milton Keynes no longer has anywhere that sells models since Modelzone closed down about a decade ago. The nearest is in Brackley and somehow survives but does most of its business by mail order. Last time I visited, the door was locked during opening hours but I knocked and the proprietor let me in. He seemed very glad to have an actual in-person customer to talk to as he spent most of his time there alone processing orders.

[Split_Pin]

I'm sure I've been in a ModelZone in Glasgow and picked up a very cheap Sunstar MK3 Escort 1.1 police car and an Oxford Bedford TK Horsebox. That would have been late 2011. ( a few years later I bought parts off an RS1600 from a dubious individual on Facebook and made it into an 'RS1100'). I seem to remember they were once Beatties in St Enoch Square.

[quicksilver]

Modelzone went bust in 2013 and all their shops closed then. The brand was bought by WH Smith and 10 Smiths stores have a Modelzone section. None are anywhere near me and the range available online is extremely limited and not cheap so they're not worth bothering with. An illustration of the problem is that Modelzone's closing down sale prices were still more expensive than Hattons' regular prices.

[MiniMinorMk3]

17 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Oh, that's interesting - I wasn't aware that Herpa had produced metal 1/43 models, I'd thought they were exclusively HO gauge plastic. Quite nicely done, but agree they're not quite up to Minichamps standards.

Herpa did pretty much all the mid-90s Mercedes range in 1/43rd metal.

[MiniMinorMk3]

What's in the box?

In the black Schuco box is something that will get the Vauxhall lickers all frothy.

2001 Vectra in Metropolitan Police livery

This is a limited edition of 1,000 made by Schuco for John Ayrey Diecasts Limited.

[danthecapriman]

25 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

Modelzone went bust in 2013 and all their shops closed then. The brand was bought by WH Smith and 10 Smiths stores have a Modelzone section. None are anywhere near me and the range available online is extremely limited and not cheap so they're not worth bothering with. An illustration of the problem is that Modelzone's closing down sale prices were still more expensive than Hattons' regular prices.

I’m sure Modelzone used to do a line of their own commissioned limited editions for model railway stuff. I’m 99% sure it was them and I’ve got some of the OO gauge engineers yellow coaches for breakdown crane tool vans and crew mess vans etc. 

I always wondered what happened to them as they just seemed to disappear. I used to get quite a bit of stuff from a model shop called ‘the signal box’ which I think was eventually taken over as a Modelzone store but that’s long closed too.

 

As a kid I always went to TAG models in Doncaster, I loved it in there! No idea if they’re still going? 
There were a couple more model shops in Doncaster town centre which I can’t remember the names of too. Both long gone now. 
Rails of Sheffield are still going, I went there a few times. They’re probably now the default choice for model railway stuff and huge range with the demise of Hattons.

Down here,      
We had Paul’s models in Waterlooville. He closed but did move into Portsmouth somewhere and I think is still trading.  
There was Tony’s Trains in North End which was a proper old fashioned model shop. Loads of stuff crammed in everywhere. Lots of second hand too. That closed down years ago. 
Fratton models, not far from Fratton train station was a similar shop but bigger. Very good but seemed to go down hill in its last few years before closing down.    
Theres (apparently) Wicor models in Portchester too but I’ve never been there. 
Theres Gaugemaster in Arundel too which is a bit of a trek really from here, but is a big well stocked shop. Although I do find they can be a bit more expensive than most.

It’s a pretty sad state really. Definitely a declining hobby I think, but the online retailers and EBay haven’t helped. The high street in general is in a right state, probably for similar reasons. In Waterlooville I’d say a good 90% of the shops are empty and boarded up. Most of those still open are charity shops.

[flat4alfa]

4 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

The humble Alvis Stalwart has a variation!!

One is smooth the other is,well  I'll let Smoll Eddy tell you in his own inmitable fashion.

Smooth is first release casting, 1966 only.  During same year, the ribs appeared.  You might be sitting on £££

The next rarest would be the 1979-only re-release in Olive Green as part of Twin Pack.  There are two greens to complicate things.

Two types of stickers to collect for the 1966-71 colours.  But as either clear decal, or white paper sticker.  Oh, and some with BP logo, but without the word EXPLORATION.  So best make that three types of sticker..

Oh, and there are the different glazing tints...

Apart from that, there are a further 5 minor casting variations to worry about:

 

[flat4alfa]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

No - I used to use a very good website that got seriously anal about Matchbox variations that almost no sane human would spot

but the site kept falling over and I gave up on it.

Someone helped Christian Falkensteiner with his hosting problem and it is now back up and running, but still might fall foul of SSL certificate block policy on some corporate networks.  Try at home or personal VPN

http://www.cfalkensteiner.com/Matchbox/ChFMatchboxIndex.htm

TEN Alvis Stalwart canopies to collect!

[flat4alfa]

3 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

Never spotted this before.

Have you?

Answering your question, no.

I just fell down a few websites INSTEAD of putting up those curtains she wanted.

[FakeConcern]

I think it’s time for a quick Fake Corgi update focussing on my recent Stingray fixation.

I’ve been working on two, another Lazy Bones stock car, but this time a Whizzwheels version and one I chopped the top off partly because I had one missing the rear window and several missing the roof panels.

I tried the Colour Shift spray paint Cosmic Blue on the restoration I did a few weeks ago and now used the Purple Eclipse and Galaxy Green. They are hard to photograph, but look great IRL.

Unfortunately the purple Lazy Bones was not a success as the lightning flash and Go Go Go decals totally disappeared, I had thought the purple would not be so dark and also that the green would be darker judging by the lids.

My childhood yellow Lazy Bones ha s just had the missing half of the grill and bumper replaced and I wanted to put the missing decals on as well.

I decided to try removing the decals from the purple one and I’ll do another one in a different colour. Luckily I managed to save the decals I needed for the yellow one and have dismantled the purple one to re use the parts.

I’d like to try and detail the green soft top, but I think I’ll go the optician and see what they can do for my close up vision as I’ve never had prescription glasses.

I did scribe the line for the hood on the rear deck, but not enough as the paint pretty much obscured it. I think the vents came out ok though.

 

[flat4alfa]

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Only one I'd like to find now is the Studebaker TV car which is always bid sky high on eBay

Do they, hadn't noticed that.  Must keep this safe then!  

So Snoopy got two Ambulances standing by in case of injury and the BBC are covering from another camera, just in case.  

Then the Alvis Posse showed their ribs as a side show

Had the primered one since a boy.  The wheels are somewhere....   had ideas of painting it something different, like this

Bangkok International Airport:  Mk2. STAL 11/706.

[sheffcortinacentre]

Big problem with the TV and film stuff is the greedy owners of the names ( witness the recent professionals capris) who'd rather get nothing than something.

[sheffcortinacentre]

6 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Here’s the Sierra I’ve been doing.

I did chip a tiny bit of the front bumper though, so I’ll let the red cure then fill the chip before painting the bumpers grey. 
The red I had turned out to be Ford radiant red, not cardinal red, but whatever… reds red right!?

Ive had to stop for now though. The cold out in the shed is a bit much! 
I had to go get a new strip light and install that in there too which I’d rather not of had to do given the intention to move. It was way too dark to do anything though.

I started taking these (Argentina series!) apart too. 
Blue one is a Ford F100, green is an F150. Both early 80’s trucks.

The blue one is pretty easy to get here, so I’ve got a few. This one’s going to be a simple repaint. 
Green ambulance will lose the (imho oversized!) box body and get a US style scratch built utility truck rear body. 
I’ve got another of the ambulance which I fancy doing as a tilt bed recovery truck.

Could I buy the unwanted back of that ford F-150?

[Spottedlaurel]

7 hours ago, RoadworkUK said:

Visits to Norwich would include lengthy stays at Langleys, which is now a poor shadow of its former self (although I daresay the proprietor is doing the very best they can). That's where I bought several of my AutoArt models for student-friendly levels of cash.............

 

Yes, it's a shame Langleys moved out of their old shop. There was also another one in Norwich called Keller's - a quick search suggests they then went on to sell diecasts online, but I don't know if they still do.

If you fancy a trip along the A14 then there is DJ Collectables in Stowmarket - quite random as to what he'll have, but worth a look. I like visiting Model Junction in Bury, I get quite a lot of my materials there even if they rarely have any kits that catch my eye. Have got some good ones in the past there, however. There are always other people in the shop when I go, and they have longstanding staff who seem to know their stuff. Don't know what they have in the way of diecast however.

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

Could I buy the unwanted back of that ford F-150?

The ambulance box body? Yours if you want it.

Do you want any measurements for it? I’m guessing you’ve got something for it to fit onto…

[eddyramrod]

I got my hands on a Dinky El Camino before Christmas.  The roof was damaged, two of the pillars were gone one side, and most of the paint was gone too.  So I gave it a bath in the ole Cosmic Soda, primed and sprayed it, and set about reassembly...

The roof isn't really supposed to be off the car... so I had to put it back, obviously.

Staples are a good substitute for pillars.  But these Dark Desert Highways are dangerous, the cops might come after you...

I've been painting up some small stuff too, for the Screen collection.  Have fun identifying the three films featured here!

[sheffcortinacentre]

2 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

The ambulance box body? Yours if you want it.

Do you want any measurements for it? I’m guessing you’ve got something for it to fit onto…

Mate has a 1:1 scale Chevy (90's shape, squarer front panels) van type one of these ex marines.

If I can find a model/toy one I can do him a replica.

[sheffcortinacentre]

1 hour ago, eddyramrod said:

I got my hands on a Dinky El Camino before Christmas.  The roof was damaged, two of the pillars were gone one side, and most of the paint was gone too.  So I gave it a bath in the ole Cosmic Soda, primed and sprayed it, and set about reassembly...

The roof isn't really supposed to be off the car... so I had to put it back, obviously.

Staples are a good substitute for pillars.  But these Dark Desert Highways are dangerous, the cops might come after you...

I've been painting up some small stuff too, for the Screen collection.  Have fun identifying the three films featured here!

Never say never again turbo 2,

Transit the one recently mentioned with Michael Caine,

Bronco 2 can't think.

[eddyramrod]

2/3 very good.

[AndyW201]

Fourth Protocol for Transit

Quantum of Solace for the Bronco?

[sierraman]

10 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

I got my hands on a Dinky El Camino before Christmas.  The roof was damaged, two of the pillars were gone one side, and most of the paint was gone too.  So I gave it a bath in the ole Cosmic Soda, primed and sprayed it, and set about reassembly...

The roof isn't really supposed to be off the car... so I had to put it back, obviously.

Staples are a good substitute for pillars.  But these Dark Desert Highways are dangerous, the cops might come after you...

I've been painting up some small stuff too, for the Screen collection.  Have fun identifying the three films featured here!

Never Say Never? 

[Spottedlaurel]

Popped into a local Tesco this morning, was like going back in time - they had a fairly fresh HWs case, but it was the one with blue Nissan Patrol and orange Mazda Cosmo.

They also had Matchbox 5-packs at £5.50. The one that has tempted me several times is the wagon set, including a baby poo brown Mercedes, white Jeep Cherokee and Mini van. Will be going back that way later today if anyone 'needs' one. Had three of them on the shelf, I'd have got one if there was something Japanese in there.

[eddyramrod]

2 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

Fourth Protocol for Transit

Quantum of Solace for the Bronco?

2/3 again, so we're covered now.  

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

Never Say Never? 

@sheffcortinacentre got that one earlier.  Good thing I wasn't offering prizes!  Oh and it's "...Again" (/pedant)

[sierraman]

Picked this up the other day, never seen another. A Matchbox Superkings Specials Lumina? 

[MiniMinorMk3]

It's interesting to read everyone's stories of the decline of model shops and the availability of 1/43rd models. I think I have mentioned before that my interest in 1/43rd started when I stumbled across St Martins Accessories, of St Martins Lane, whilst on my way to job on morning. I was already collecting old VW stuff at toy fairs, but these 1/43rds were something different. The first one I purchased was Brumm R120 Porsche 356...

and so started my collecting of these little cars that were not toys. Those old Brumms had stickers on the boxes.

 from all the 

From St. Martins I also started buying Model Auto Review (MAR) magazine. It was great to read on the train looking at all the latest models. From that I started getting Diecast Collector magazine mainly for the listings of toy fairs and teh shop adverts. As my job started to take me around the country I would try and visit the nearest model shop. There was a good on in Uxbridge that sold stuff from Brumm and Bang/Best/Box. Also the Matchbox Dinky Collection was popping up and soon my collection started to include more than just VWs and Porsches.

I must have visited around 50 different shops over the years, some great and some not so great. I went to visit the shop in Leeds were MAR was written, but the place was closed when I visited. I did go back a couple of days later to make some purchases. 

When I moved up north there were a few independent model shops locally. There was a good one in Newcastle, one in Whitley Bay and a diecast shop in Gosforth. Along with a Modelzone in the Metro Centre. All sadly gone now. Even the Gladston the hardware and model shop in North Shields closed after 150 years trading. 

One of the last shops I regularly visited was Motor Models in Boston Spa, which was just off the A1. I had regular work down near Liverpool so on a Friday I would leave around lunch time and pop in on the way home. It was a great shop that was busting at the seems with diecast cars of all scales and prices. The shop had everything from the little £3 HO scale stuff up to those superb CMC models and other large scale things. I would always come away with at least 5 of the latest Minchamps of Kyosho 1/43rds, and the owner would always give me a discount. I don't know when this place closed but it has now gone.

The internet changed everything, especially eBay. I was sitting in a site hut one morning at work in 2002 and discovered eBay whilst searching for 1/43rd Ferrari 250 GTO models. Wow, here was a place that I could find those old models that I had not been able to buy back in the 1990's.  I guess a lot of others also discovered it as it grew and grew. Then new stuff started appearing on there and I guess that was it for the shops. Why visit a shop were they might have the latest, but might not, when you can just click a bit and wait for the postman to arrive.

All those model shops have gone and even their online versions have gone. St. Martins went online but closed for good back in 2016. Their website is still live but not selling.

This link is not secure Homepage (stmartinsmodelcars.co.uk)

MAR is still going, but not in print. It has been online since 2013.

Model Auto Review Online (maronline.org.uk)

There is on small glimmer of hope up here in the North East, near Durham. We have the North East Model Centre...

Home - North East Model Centre

and teh people who organise the local toy fairs have a shop in the indoor market

Our Shop – Northern Toy Fair (northerntoyfairs.com).

 

By the way, when looking for teh picture of the first 1/43rd I purchased I discovered this online store

We sell diecast and resin model cars, trucks, planes buses, motorbikes – Little Wheels (little-wheels.net)

The sell pre-owned diecast and appear to have some nice items.

 

[sierraman]

Did anyone used to subscribe to Model Collector? Used to be some great articles in there about model variations. 

[bunglebus]

Entertainer apparently have new Hot Wheels premiums with the Escort RS1800 and Rotsun...

[andrew e]

24 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Did anyone used to subscribe to Model Collector? Used to be some great articles in there about model variations. 

Adding to this does anyone collect them? My ceiling joists would appreciate mine finding a new home 😆