Shite in Miniature II

[sierraman]

I had this... they also did one with a mould for you to cast an ice screen for the car to blast through which seemed unbelievably cool at the time. 

[flat4alfa]

Matchbox Motorway was a licenced copy of Arnold Minimobil from Germany

[Split_Pin]

4 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Aye. Sunlight is no friend to toys.

I had some Matchbox playtrack I'd been handed down by my older cousin, which lived in a basket in our playshed - this flexible plastic stuff:

There was a window in the shed, and as the sun moved round the garden throughout the day, a shaft of light beamed across the shelves.

One day I went to fetch the playtrack - having not bothered with it for a while - and the flexible pieces just broke up as I touched them. Seems that the UV in the sunlight just degraded it to the point it all turned brittle (the same thing happened to the plastic basket it was in).

It probably all went in the bin, which is annoying as now I think about it the little plastic shops and houses were probably alright!

I had that! It mysteriously disappeared though. I remember all the houses and it also had proper UK road signs. I have actually never seen a picture of a set since I had mine, despite Googling Matchbox Play Track many times and finding only similar items.

[Datsuncog]

Brighter.

Does a grow.

[Split_Pin]

Now that is what I like to see. The daffs are only just starting to flower in Central Scotland, we are always a wee bit further behind. It's worth the wait though.

[Datsuncog]

[Datsuncog]

Right then... a brighter but still kinda cold spring morning. A day for tat?

Errr...

Mmm. I think we've seen this lot before, I'm afraid.

The Dinky Pontiac ambulance held together with Sellotape is familiar, somehow.

Dinky Austin vans pretty playworn, but intact.

Which is more can be said for this pair of Atlantics...

Or this duo; it's hard to make out from the pics, but the tan Studebaker has its body quite badly bent.

Still, these restored Corgi 'Lazy Bones' Corvettes were cheery, if a little scratched up from being transported about the place.

Dinky Foden wagon had some epic axle shonk going on.

While more tinplates were in evidence - this one unrestored, and featuring a comically elongated bonnet.

And what's the asking on these. Cheap, right?

No. Still a tenner each.

😲

[Datsuncog]

Trying to conceal my shock as far as possible, I had a look round the rest of the stall.

Other big tinplates were boxed, and also pricey at the £30 mark.

Corgi Scammell was ok, but the box had taken a bit of a beating. Maybe not too bad for £10, but I've bought quite a lot of trucks lately and they're not the easiest things to store.

Vanguards Cresta PA has appeared before - it's loose in the box, and that's not doing it any favours.

This unusual Royal Disaster Diorama by Corgi failed to tempt me...

Despite being ostensibly a Royal Wedding 1981 edition of the State Landau, it features figurines of Brenda and Phil The Greek rather than Chaz 'n' Di.

Oh well, I suppose there was the purple commemorative Metro in the range, too.

And, as ever, Daze Gorn.

Plus a book to help you track your investments*...

And, with the main Tat Stall exhausted, off I trundled to see what was what elsewhere...

[Datsuncog]

The Charity Stall was mainly specialising in out-of-date crisps this week, so no diecast to be seen.

Over at the Irish Tat stall, apparently there were new Oxfords in the pipeline but they wouldn't arrive in the post until later today.

So I had a look at the older Oxfords - and although the Rover P5B continues to tempt, I fear I'd just be buying through compulsion rather than actual desire...

Bedford RLHZ 'Green Goddess' was still there, though - mint and sealed for a tenner.

How Atlas managed to wring an entire collection out of exactly the same casting but with slightly different lettering on the side is a source of amazement/ admiration.

Kits to assemble of holy figures is a niche I was previously unaware of, too.

So, with nothing to particularly grab me, I wandered off round the rest of the stalls.

Alan was still setting up, with no diecast to be seen yet. 

As I wended my way towards the newly revamped coffee place, I happened to glance at one of the giffer stalls leading up to it.

STOP THE BUS

🚫🛑🚧

[Datsuncog]

Well now... this was unexpected.

Quite an unusual selection of tat.

The Cadillac Seville had Yatming on the base - but it wasn't the same opening door casting I've seen before. Epic levels of axle bend, though.

Matchbox Porsche 911 behind was fairly clean, though the Corgi FX4 taxi had seen better days.

And... Is that...?

Well, if it weren't for the stickers on the side, I'd be hard pressed to guess that this is a Mira Seat Ibiza Mk1. I mean, it looks like it was designed in a bit of a hurry using an Etch-A-Sketch, but that's what it says.

Fuego! And actually not in terrible condition.

Audi Quattro and BMW CSL in tolerable shape. Corgi Metro in Datapost livery actually quite clean, aside from a faintly concerning fibrous brown stain all over the front which I'm telling myself is Weetabix.

Sierra patrol car had the suspension pretty much destroyed, though.

While the Majorette Mustang pace car seemed to have happened upon catastrophe.

Well! Not what I was expecting, but alright.

So I asked the elderly lady running the stall how much the wee cars were.

"All of them are five pounds."

Oh, okay. I mean, I don't really want all of them, but I guess a fiver for 14 cars isn't bad going.

"No, they're five pounds each."

Oh.

Oh, I see.

🤡 

 

I was in such a daze, I'd eaten my caramelita before I even realised it.

[Split_Pin]

I bet they're a tenner each 😂

[Split_Pin]

I'd typed my response before you and was half-joking!!!

I'm starting to think that St Georges has run its course.....

[big_al_granvia]

Duck me, sky diver each?? I bagged a load of mint but unboxed efe buses from my local bert for only 4 quid a piece the other day. Will put some pics up after work

[Hertz]

How much for the pissed off dog top right? Lassie can't even look you in the eye at the news of the cars being Five Pounds a piece.

[bunglebus]

I'd have liked the Seville and Ibiza if you picked them up for cheaps.

[Tenmil Socket]

13 hours ago, bunglebus said:

[bunglebus]

Doing a bit retail therapy on my way out of Newcastle, TK Maxx had a big load of naff all, Smyths had some new premiums

Didn't show the rest of the range on the back of the cards though

BuM had the usual stuff, all the F&F Jettas were gone of course

[bunglebus]

Asda is the usual jumble sale but with a few interesting bits

@danthecapriman

[Split_Pin]

I spy a Hotwheels M5 there.

[bunglebus]

2 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I spy a Hotwheels M5 there.

Worth getting?

[Split_Pin]

37 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Worth getting?

They do look nice. I haven't ad I prefer my more standard looking Matchbox one.

[Tenmil Socket]

44 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I spy a Hotwheels M5 there.

This?

[sierraman]

£5 each 🤣🤣🤣 

I’ve thrown better stuff away. I mean once they’ve paid the stall fees which I can’t imagine being insignificant, drove there and priced their time, packed it away etc etc, they must be at a loss as at those prices nobody is going to buy them? 

[Datsuncog]

14 minutes ago, sierraman said:

£5 each 🤣🤣🤣 

I’ve thrown better stuff away. I mean once they’ve paid the stall fees which I can’t imagine being insignificant, drove there and priced their time, packed it away etc etc, they must be at a loss as at those prices nobody is going to buy them? 

She mostly sells costume jewellery, ceramic ornaments and glassware, so what she was doing with diecast on her stall today is anyone's guess.

My suspicion is that she recognised me from the main Tat Stall - she's also part of that Club 7.30 gaggle of traders and hardcore nutters who rifle through the boxes like rats going through a bin as soon as they appear - and since she's probably seen me stump up a fiver for single diecast over at his stall, she thought she might try it on with me as well.

Yeah, no. 

As I simply raised my eyebrows, nodded and smiled politely before putting the cars back, she launched into some spiel about how Millar (Market Blokey) had already agreed to pay her £5 each for them, so if I wanted them I should buy them now because he'd have them out at £10 next week...

Again, no.

Pity, because if she'd even said a quid each, I probably would have taken five of them (Seville, Fuego, Ibiza, 911 and biohazard Metro) but £5 a pop - not a mission.

That said, Colin on the Irish Tat stall was complaining that the charge for electricity to the stalls has gone up by another fiver this week, so there's very likely a hardening of prices as things get tougher for the traders. Colin also mentioned that it had been very, very quiet lately.

I wonder if the two things could be connected?

🤔

[MiniMinorMk3]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

 

Sierra patrol car had the suspension pretty much destroyed, though.

 

 

The suspension ain't destroyed m8, it's Stanced in'it.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Late to the track posts.

The first track me and my brother had was this. It's what changed toy cars for ever and turned Matchbox sized stuff from needing permanent push assistance to skirting board damaging rollability in one fell swoop. Our regular wheel matchbox were soon relegated to the bottom of the box or smashed with hammers to make them look like they'd been banger racing.

The next track we had was this.

My record was 48 circuits before crashing out.

I think my younger, by nine years, brother had the Matchbox stripey stuff.

[Split_Pin]

22 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

...she launched into some spiel about how Millar (Market Blokey) had already agreed to pay her £5 each for them, so if I wanted them I should buy them now because he'd have them out at £10 next week...

Again, no.

Jesus carumba, what a chanty-wrastler. Does she think your head buttons up the back 😂 How on earth does she think you'll  believe that tripe. It's astonishing that some people don't gain wisdom with age....

[Datsuncog]

16 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

I've got this knock off set if you're interested?

I absolutely love the brazen chutzpah and chinglish writing on that - from memory I think they're genuine components made by a contractor for Universal Toys-era Matchbox, who were then left high and dry holding lots of stock after the brand was sold to Tyco, and all contracts suddenly cancelled. They were told to destroy all the pieces and not to sell them, but they did anyway...

The Motorcity 500 set is the one I really want as it's the only set like that I ever had - I loved the ability to rebuild it in multiple configurations, a bit like clunkier Lego. The problem is that these sets are just so flippin' big, and I really don't have much space for any of this stuff these days.

Which is a multiple shame, as those recent Matchbox Action Drivers sets have been winking coquettishly from my Amazon List for months now, and the earlier sets from 2020 are starting to fall into unavailability. I don't know why I'm so recently obsessed with them; God help me, I've even started watching unboxing videos late at night...

Maybe one day, whenever I get the attic floored... 

[RoadworkUK]

9 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

God help me, I've even started watching unboxing videos late at night...

Goodness me that is SO bookmarked.

I'm determined not to find a Micro Machines Supervan City, lest I should realise that it was actually substantially more shit than I realised when I was 10.

[junkyarddog]

43 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

I absolutely love the brazen chutzpah and chinglish writing on that - from memory I think they're genuine components made by a contractor for Universal Toys-era Matchbox, who were then left high and dry holding lots of stock after the brand was sold to Tyco, and all contracts suddenly cancelled. They were told to destroy all the pieces and not to sell them, but they did anyway...

The Motorcity 500 set is the one I really want as it's the only set like that I ever had - I loved the ability to rebuild it in multiple configurations, a bit like clunkier Lego. The problem is that these sets are just so flippin' big, and I really don't have much space for any of this stuff these days.

Which is a multiple shame, as those recent Matchbox Action Drivers sets have been winking coquettishly from my Amazon List for months now, and the earlier sets from 2020 are starting to fall into unavailability. I don't know why I'm so recently obsessed with them; God help me, I've even started watching unboxing videos late at night...

Maybe one day, whenever I get the attic floored... 

Well,if I'm ever heading up that way I'll chuck one in the boot,you never know.