Shite in Miniature II

[MiniMinorMk3]

A bit more done on the Rothmans Porsche.

Yesterday I stuck the big side decals on.

Those were left over night to full dry off.

Here's a couple of close ups that show what Micro Sol can do for your decal work. As you can see it helps the decals mould into all the shut lines and grilles to give that painted on look.

Also spot another error by the decal maker, no exhaust hole on the left side.

Rear panel and lights.

Those award bits that surround the headlamps. Looks like a bit of dark blue will be needed to cover the white bits between the decals.

Left side front

Right side front

Fuel caps and big Rothmans

Front end

Left side rear

Right side rear

And front with Shells

 

That just leaves the wheel and tyre decals and the wiper and mirrors to go on, plus any touch ins.

[danthecapriman]

36 minutes ago, andrew e said:

@flat4alfa Car recovery conversion with a bed extension ????

@danthecapriman is this the same paint scheme? Are there others?

They do look very close! I’ve got the Bedford in that colour but it’s packed away so I can’t do a side by side. The Bedford is a larger scale to the Ergo though.

Theres a few colours for Bedford tipper/dropside. 
So far I’ve seen the usual white blue orange one, but there a red one and a yellow one too.

I have the yellow too, but there’s variations with them, some have black roof’s some don’t.

[eddyramrod]

Today's been mild, so painting has happened...

Really pleased with the Buick in Ford Roman Bronze.

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, Spottedlaurel said:

I can't think of many/any other manufacturer-specific ones that they've done?

Majority are seemingly thrown-together with the daft fantasy comedy models, along with Ferrari and Batman packs ad nauseum; but they are meant to be 'gift packs' after all.

But yes going right back, there's been a few.  They started with these for 1993

1994.  For some reason the World Cup pack was all-Chevrolet

1995

1996

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012.  Carroll Shelby died 

2014

2016

2020.  At last! After Ferrari sets almost every year, finally a Lamborghini set

2021

2022

2023

[flat4alfa]

Matchbox have been sparse

2011

2016

2018

[bunglebus]

2024!

[bunglebus]

6 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

I need that trailer!

Ten a penny those

 

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

2016

If you're really sad you can track down the other version - the fenderless Beetle has an open roof in one, and a roofrack in the other

 

[flat4alfa]

But I am already quite sad, in general.  Bit late to try and aspire to it!

I have that wingless Beetle somewhere.  Will now have to go down into the dungeon and find the box it is in to find out which one it is

[flat4alfa]

2 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I'm intrigued as to what this thing is?

Meet too.  Went off earlier to find out about it

Wheels shouted Winross, unlikely though as it has windows

[ETCHY]

4 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Agreed. I got four of them back in the '90s for reasonable money (I was lucky to start collecting MIB Superfast when I did), but the fire engine took a while and the pipe truck evaded me until attending the big Brentwood toy fair last year. I say evaded, maybe it was that I found other things that I wanted more with the budget I had available?

I also have all three of the Dodge lorries* and the pair of GMCs.

*Surely it's only right to call British HGVs of that period lorries?

I'm going from memory here, but it's interesting to think how much of the 1-75 range was given over to commercial vehicles. Take 1970, for example (an auspicious year, it's when I was born). Peak Superfast perhaps? Anyway, if all of the Ergomatics were available simultaneously that's 8% of the range. Then there were the three Dodges, two each of Ford D-Series, DAF and GMC and sundry others. Maybe half the range, perhaps more?

Is it because they offered better play value? Lots of different things a lorry can do, whereas a car is 'just' a car.

Some of them must have cost more to produce than a car as well. Tipping mechanisms, extra parts like the scaffolding tower with the silver Mercedes truck, etc etc.

Thoughts?

I'd really never considered how many Lorries they made (yep I call them Lorries, later mid 1980's  onwards I think of them as Trucks).
Yes I think you may be right there's more play value in a Lorry, Matchbox weren't daft so they clearly knew what sold.
I'm 1970 born too & I truly think it was a great time for toys. Not just the die-cast stuff but, ActionMan, Toy guns etc etc.
 

[junkyarddog]

I've got that Chrome '40 Ford somewhere.

[Surface Rust]

4 hours ago, bunglebus said:

 

Which came from across the Irish Sea with some very odd plasticine modifications

Thought it might be hiding damage but nope

Plasticine mods are for increasing the mass for better performance in 'battle' scenarios when in vehicular combat with siblings.

I may have performed similar mods to diecast and scalextric cars in my yoof. Best when hidden from view so your victim is unaware.

 

 

[flat4alfa]

4 hours ago, andrew e said:

Car recovery conversion with a bed extension ????

We could only tell by looking underneath and comparing but I don't have the recovery myself

BUT LOOK!

In the 1965 Dinky Catalogue there is the flat bed TK I thought I had

So they did make three types

[quicksilver]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

Meet too.  Went off earlier to find out about it

Wheels shouted Winross, unlikely though as it has windows

It was giving me Siku vibes and it seems that is indeed the case. Can't find one exactly the same but this rocket transporter appears to be the same casting in different colours.

[flat4alfa]

DINKY TOYS CATALOGUE 1965

[AndyW201]

7 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Popped into both Chelmsford and Raleigh Smyths, as well as Entertainer. All had clearly taken delivery of the Pop Culture set, but of course the Escorts were nowhere to be found.

Usual masters of diecast disappointment, Tesco, actually had sone new stock, so if anyone is still looking for them, I have a blue T2, green RS2000 and two(!) Protons spare

Can I nab the green Escort please if still there? Ta.

[flat4alfa]

5 hours ago, andrew e said:

is this the same paint scheme? Are there others?

As we can see, the 925 Leyland Octopus Tipper Ergomatic is not in the 1965 catalogue above.  It was produced 1965-69 so must been too late for the catalogue

They do still picture the earlier 944 Leyland Octopus as Tanker 

Note that in the price listing, a 935 Leyland Octopus Flat Truck with Chains is listed, but not pictured

But here is one I never knew existed!  936 Leyland Octopus Chassis

WHO HAS ONE OF THOSE THEN?

[Datsuncog]

33 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

In the 1965 Dinky Catalogue there is the flat bed TK I thought I had

So they did make three types

I think the coal wagon flatbed and dropside tipper are the same basic casting - I seem to recall the flatbed has a rivet to secure the casting to the chassis, but was otherwise held on with the same pivot pin. The corner posts were also removed for the coal wagon version - though were always a bit fragile on the tipper.

All three of these TK castings were introduced in 1964 - the coal wagon bowed out in 1968, the tipper in 1970, but the crash truck made it all the way through to 1972...

[flat4alfa]

It's listed as 'Crash Truck' too, which is surprising.  'Breakdown Truck' would be more fitting in 1964 I would have thought?  The previous decade gave us 'Breakdown Lorry'

[ETCHY]

34 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

As we can see, the 925 Leyland Octopus Tipper Ergomatic is not in the 1965 catalogue above.  It was produced 1965-69 so must been too late for the catalogue

They do still picture the earlier 944 Leyland Octopus as Tanker 

Note that in the price listing, a 935 Leyland Octopus Flat Truck with Chains is listed, but not pictured

But here is one I never knew existed!  936 Leyland Octopus Chassis

WHO HAS ONE OF THOSE THEN?

I always wanted the Octopus chassis.
When I was a kid in Leyland I remember prior to them building the big  assembly/ test track, the real thing on the roads with a bloke in a thick jacket & goggles driving them !

[ETCHY]

On the Matchbox MerryWeather is there a colour variation ? Some look metallic red whilst others look normal red, is it just a trick of the light on photo's ?
Cheers

[sierraman]

16 minutes ago, ETCHY said:

On the Matchbox MerryWeather is there a colour variation ? Some look metallic red whilst others look normal red, is it just a trick of the light on photo's ?
Cheers

That’s right some are red some are metallic. 

[flat4alfa]

8 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

To me they look like representations of Emerson Fittipaldi

and Ronnie Peterson...

who drove for Lotus in 1973. Fittipaldi became champion in 1972 so had the number 1, Peterson was number 2 obviously.

Good point about Peterson (RIP) and Fittipaldi

There was a blue helmet Corgi driver too

Wasn't that meant to be Peterson?  Here he is in Lotus 72D, German GP 1973

Lotus 72E, British GP 1974

Lotus 72E, Argentinian GP Jan 1975

I was only a little boy and Peterson was my favourite.  My Dad didn't know how to tell me he had died.

Corgi C154 JPS Lotus was produced 1973-79, so perhaps the one I have with different 'chubby head' driver on the left is a later release after Peterson's death?  That would fit, considering the age I was at the time I received it as a present.

I wish I'd looked after it better.  The Fittipaldi head one on the right was found in this charity shop bag of idiocy,  last year

[Spottedlaurel]

33 minutes ago, ETCHY said:

On the Matchbox MerryWeather is there a colour variation ? Some look metallic red whilst others look normal red, is it just a trick of the light on photo's ?
Cheers

Mine is certainly a metallic red, quite a funky shade for a fire appliance!

[flat4alfa]

2 hours ago, ETCHY said:

On the Matchbox MerryWeather is there a colour variation ? Some look metallic red whilst others look normal red, is it just a trick of the light on photo's ?

Yes two colours.  I think Dinky Merryweather Marquis history follows as:

First release: metallic red, plastic eight bolt hubs, separate cast bells mounted on painted roof piece, jewelled headlights, blue dome light, brass hose nozzle.

Second: metallic red, cast five bolt hubs, bells cast into unpainted roof piece, jewelled headlights, blue dome light, cast hose nozzle.

Third: as above but bright non-metallic red, Project Drive inc headlights part of the casting, excellent donor material

[flat4alfa]

A Release 2 one I sold on a while ago. Even with all the bits on it only raised £4 after being listed for weeks.  Didn't occur to me to cut the cab off and mount it onto a HOT ROD or similar!

Release 1 example, I seem to be keeping for now, as it has a friend

How it first appeared in Dinky Catalogue 1970-71

1973-75 Catalogue

[flat4alfa]

Something just noticed

Lesney Matchbox ERF 'Marshall Horse Box' 1957-63

Matchbox AEC Mercury Ergomatic 'Horse Box' 1969-72

Matchbox Bedford TM 'Horse-Box' 1977-00

 

Have you spotted the difference?

Yes, with the ERF, you have to let your angry horses out into the road.  The benefit of that is to protect pedestrians.

[Datsuncog]

[Datsuncog]

Well then... a wild and windy night breaking (slowly) to a damp but mild morning.

At least there was no frost to scrape from the screen.

The sky was an odd purpley shade, but I don't think there's much danger of snow.

Inside the market looked fairly deserted at twenty past seven:

But we all know, there's only one way to get dem Lone Star Firenzas.

Thing is, our Nemesis knows it, too...