Shite in Miniature II

[danthecapriman]

2 hours ago, Remspoor said:

I want this so much, but the price is way too much it kills the desire.

https://autopioneer.de/epages/1c437ba6-e2ea-44a9-9f5e-cde2d6f5edab.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/1c437ba6-e2ea-44a9-9f5e-cde2d6f5edab/Products/NEO44458

 1966 Austin A 60 Cambridge Traveller for 80€ plus delivery.

That’s actually quite cheap for a NEO model! Some of them are considerably more than that.

I find NEO a bit hit or miss sometimes too. Some are well finished and look great but others you find all the photo etched trims and separate parts falling off, which isn’t good on such an expensive model. 
I’ve got a NEO Granada mk2 estate and a Dodge Monaco cop car and they’re forever shedding parts. They do an AMC Pacer too which is a great looking model, but I’ve had to glue the etched window trims back on loads of times.

[Datsuncog]

15 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Evening all. You might remember this K-17 Dyson Low Loader I pulled out of a tin full of bits last weekend 

Well I've been thinking about it, and as far as I can make out, it was never made in these colours. All the rivets (bar the one connecting the tractor to the trailer) appear to be original and unmolested 

Even the one inside the cab holding the glass

Taking of which, the roof light is blue, rather than the usual red.

So what is this? There's a known all lime green pre-pro with a number of examples out there, is this a colour trial? Some employee's lunchbreak special? I don't know, but I think I'll hang onto it for now. The colours, especially that darker yellow on the cab, look tantalisingly familiar, I'm sure there's something else in that hue.

Yeah, I thought that one looked a bit different when I saw it in amongst the box of bits...

Colour of the cab looks similar to the earlier version of the K-12 Scammell Mobile Crane, to my eyes anyway?

Doesn't strike me as a repaint - the rivets look undisturbed.

Looks like you found yourself an oddity!

[MiniMinorMk3]

3 hours ago, Remspoor said:

I want this so much, but the price is way too much it kills the desire.

https://autopioneer.de/epages/1c437ba6-e2ea-44a9-9f5e-cde2d6f5edab.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/1c437ba6-e2ea-44a9-9f5e-cde2d6f5edab/Products/NEO44458

 1966 Austin A 60 Cambridge Traveller for 80€ plus delivery.

I've had a pale green version pass through here. 

The have issued some great subjects that neither Vanguard, IXO or Minichamps have done.

Mk1 Escort Estate

MKIII Zodiac Estate

Granada Coupe

 

Humber Sceptre

Jensen Healey

Some of their Rolls-Royce models are superb.

But as Dan has mentioned, the trim does come away on some examples, but I find a quick bit of Humbrol Clear Fix keeps any errant parts where they should be. I got all mine through auctions, paying anything between £20 and £40 per model. The price on the dark red Cambridge looks like full retail. On the second hand (Ebay) market some can be quite sought after, especially old Fords.

[danthecapriman]

30 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

I've had a pale green version pass through here. 

The have issued some great subjects that neither Vanguard, IXO or Minichamps have done.

Mk1 Escort Estate

MKIII Zodiac Estate

Granada Coupe

 

Humber Sceptre

Jensen Healey

Some of their Rolls-Royce models are superb.

But as Dan has mentioned, the trim does come away on some examples, but I find a quick bit of Humbrol Clear Fix keeps any errant parts where they should be. I got all mine through auctions, paying anything between £20 and £40 per model. The price on the dark red Cambridge looks like full retail. On the second hand (Ebay) market some can be quite sought after, especially old Fords.

That Escort estate is lovely.
They are lovely models despite the bits falling off, I’m just not sure I’d fancy customising one!

Most of mine are American cars, although I couldn’t tell you what I’ve got now I’ve not seen them for so long! There’s a couple of Imperial’s and a Cadillac Seville Bustleback. AMC Pacer… can’t remember what else.

Matrix are really good models. And Kess do some nice stuff too, they’re just expensive.

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Mk1 Escort Estate

Ooh yes please

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

Most of mine are American cars, although I couldn’t tell you what I’ve got now I’ve not seen them for so long! There’s a couple of Imperial’s and a Cadillac Seville Bustleback. AMC Pacer… can’t remember what else.

Matrix are really good models. And Kess do some nice stuff too, they’re just expensive.

Here's some of the '70s and '80s Matrix Yanks that have come and gone over the years. Some are big models, but being resin they do not weigh that mush. The paint finish is always excellent and the subjects are not found by other makers.

As for Matrix, most of their stuff is concept and show cars, with some unusual coach built stuff. I've had their Jaguar models 

and I liked their Rover P6 complete with boot mounted spare. 

Kess are good for Italian cars and helped me fill the gap in my Minis that I have owned collection with their Mini Cooper 1300 Export. These are made in fairly small amounts, so finding them on the pre-owned market is not easy, so these were purchased new.

 

Some might think it madness to pay £50, £60, £70 for a model, but these days I prefer to buy just one expensive model of a car that I do not have than multiple cheap models of cars that I have many many different manufacturer and colour variations of.

 

Now Dan, you might want to sit down when I reveal this NEO that I had.

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And here's one for @bunglebus When did you last see a model of a Karmann Ghia with Euro bumpers and surfboard rear lamps?

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[danthecapriman]

27 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Here's some of the '70s and '80s Matrix Yanks that have come and gone over the years. Some are big models, but being resin they do not weigh that mush. The paint finish is always excellent and the subjects are not found by other makers.

As for Matrix, most of their stuff is concept and show cars, with some unusual coach built stuff. I've had their Jaguar models 

and I liked their Rover P6 complete with boot mounted spare. 

Kess are good for Italian cars and helped me fill the gap in my Minis that I have owned collection with their Mini Cooper 1300 Export. These are made in fairly small amounts, so finding them on the pre-owned market is not easy, so these were purchased new.

 

Some might think it madness to pay £50, £60, £70 for a model, but these days I prefer to buy just one expensive model of a car that I do not have than multiple cheap models of cars that I have many many different manufacturer and colour variations of.

 

Now Dan, you might want to sit down when I reveal this NEO that I had.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

And here's one for @bunglebus When did you last see a model of a Karmann Ghia with Euro bumpers and surfboard rear lamps?

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

 

 

 

Crapi X-pack is lovely.

That number plate on the VW is very fitting too. ‘WOB’!😄

[danthecapriman]

Anyone in need of a good steering wheel thingy for the top of a Corgi A60 driving school car?

Obviously I don’t need it anymore since I’ve blocked the hole in the roof on mine!

It’s in good shape. Don’t want anything for it either, just a bit to post it. Seems a shame to throw it out!

[Noel Tidybeard]

59 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Anyone in need of a good steering wheel thingy for the top of a Corgi A60 driving school car?

Obviously I don’t need it anymore since I’ve blocked the hole in the roof on mine!

It’s in good shape. Don’t want anything for it either, just a bit to post it. Seems a shame to throw it out!

i wonder if it would modify to fit an Acclaim? 🤔

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

That number plate on the VW is very fitting too. ‘WOB’!

It is fitting - but because it's a Wolfsburg area registration. VWs never have filler because they don't rust

[danthecapriman]

19 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

i wonder if it would modify to fit an Acclaim? 🤔

I doubt it tbh. The models are completely different sizes aren’t they? The old A60 is quite small.

[morrisoxide]

15 hours ago, Remspoor said:

I want this so much, but the price is way too much it kills the desire.

https://autopioneer.de/epages/1c437ba6-e2ea-44a9-9f5e-cde2d6f5edab.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/1c437ba6-e2ea-44a9-9f5e-cde2d6f5edab/Products/NEO44458

 1966 Austin A 60 Cambridge Traveller for 80€ plus delivery.

I have also lusted after that A60 Countryman, for some reason they have it named as a Traveller but the Traveller was the Morris version.

There is one for sale in Ripon for 55 or 60 quid. I always get chatting to the seller lovely chap, but I can't stomach the price.

Edit this place https://www.hallsofripon.co.uk/

Also you can look inside the shop on google maps!

https://www.google.com/maps/@54.1374762,-1.5239648,3a,46y,272.89h,83.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAF1QipOqlR_V4o7833COekk8M_YQChuJZZbj9lRnCoVv!2e10!7i12278!8i6139?coh=205409&entry=ttu

Spot the A60 Countryman. I can't see it an I know were to look.😄

[Split_Pin]

@danthecapriman the paint on the Capri and Nova looks fantastic. Grand job!

[Datsuncog]

Ever since Saturday's unexpected finds, I'm still lost in the Matchbox Action Drivers wormhole - for reasons I can't entirely fathom.

I really didn't think I'd ever happen across either of these sets, let alone both at once.

From watching YouTube videos I'd been led to believe that the FedEx set is a difficult one to find even in the US - and I've seen none at all offered out on eBay or Amazon, even at scalper prices.

I mean, there's not an awful lot to the set, to be honest. These smaller sets in the range don't take very much assembling.

But - some clicky-clicky and a couple of stickers later, we have a passable parcel depot building with a parking/loading area out the front.

There's a few different working features incorporated here - the customer door slides open and closed manually using the little blue tab poking through the roof.

Revealing a 3D counter and a 2D counter assistant within.

And the front of the little parcel box outside drops down:

But the main draw is the spring-loaded door that operates whenever a vehicle backs over it, flipping up the loading bay shutter and propelling a little figure with a handcart out onto the dock with frankly terrifying velocity.

If only the parcel-slingers round my way were such eager beavers.

The vehicle supplied with this set is the generic 'MBX Express Delivery', a sort of composite slabby walk-thru delivery van of the sort which still seems to be fairly commonplace in the US. It's been in the Matchbox range since 2015.

While it's an appropriate enough accessory for the set (and this particular FedEx version was also available separately as a mainline model last year, so it's possible to assemble a small fleet for your depot, if you so desire) sadly the once-opening rear door was deleted when it was re-tooled in 2021.

An opening roller door on the van and some actual parcels - a bit like the Lesney No.62 Commer TV Service Van and accessories - would have been pretty cool.

Like a number of recent Matchbox commercial vehicles, this one also features a plastic body fixed to a diecast base - perhaps an understandable cost-conscious choice, but to me it feels kinda lightweight and, well, not very Matchbox.

Moving across to the Pizza Hut set, then...

It's a similar setup, with a single building unit and just a tall sign outside in the car park.

There was a US version released in late 2021 which featured a red roof and an older-style Pizza Hut logo which I believe was exclusive to Target stores; it seems to be moderately spendy if you can find one now. This is the 'International release' from 2022, with a grey/black-roofed store and more contemporary signage.

Both sets came with the same vehicle, though - a faintly lairy Mk5 Volkswagen Golf GTi delivery vehicle with red wheel embellishments, and a removable (and quickly losable) clip-on Pizza Hut roof sign;

I'm not sure who 'T-Dawg' is, though. Another Mattel in-joke?

Matchbox sure do like to reference their brand ambassadors and the like with cryptic tampo prints like this.

But the action happens whenever the delivery Golf pulls into the left-hand parking bay, at which point...

Bang! The front door flies open, and the staff member standing at the counter with a pizza box swivels through 90° and they proffer the box in the general vicinity of the driver.

And, uh, that's it. No other movable barriers or features, just the pizza.

But hey, pizza's good.

No doubt there are custom versions of these in existence with kebab shop branding and Mk1 Yaris delivery cars... and if not, there really should be.

The back of the buildings have a little bit of detail to them too, even if it's just a service door and utility connections. Still, it adds a bit of realism.

Pizza Hut also has an additional sticker, cuz BRANDING YO.

Being geared towards car play means that the buildings are pretty low-relief, with most of the footprint given over to vehicle parking, but both of them have skylights in the roof to help show the detail on the inside, which to be fair is a nice touch.

Further details like solar panels and air con units are visible too.

As with all these sets, they come with roadway pieces which clip together to form continuous streets.

Someday I'll get all my sets together and see what they look like - though not today.

So are they worth £15 each?

Eh... from a play value standpoint, probably not. My understanding is that these small Action Drivers sets retail in the US at around the $9 mark, so about half what they are here (even when supposedly reduced from £20).

The sets stocked by Home Bargains last year felt unusually cheap at £5 for the small bus station sets and £7 for the bigger garage sets - but a price point of around £7-8 would seem about the right level for a toy of this nature and complexity. So these were maybe a bit steep, though I have no regrets.

But are these toys, or are they collectables? 

They're probably a bit of both, and Mattel knows it.

I understand the 'kidult' market for toys is starting to creep towards 20% of total sector sales, and on a granular level we know some lines are almost totally geared towards adult collectors (Hot Wheels Car Culture premiums, for example). 

These sets probably appeal to kids, adult Matchbox collectors, and people who work/ worked for Pizza Hut or FedEx alike.

They are nice, though.

[egg]

Thanks to Steve Flowers, ex @Datsuncog Girder truck has *some* girders, maybe I should have got 12, but they are pricey for what they are, so for this old DAF, half load is probably enough.

 

[Datsuncog]

Just thinking more about this, and the way in which these Action Driver sets are now always 'limited release' - they may not be labelled as such, but generally now there seems to be just one production run made, and then that's it. On to the next.

With Action Drivers, there have been anything between three and seven sets released in any given year since they first appeared in 2020 - but no repeats, unless you count the slightly different US/International releases of the Pizza Hut set.

Miss it, miss out. The grey versions of the Pizza Hut set are available from around £33 on eBay; the red version is on Amazon for a frankly incredible £53.13.

Yeah, no. This is why I thought I'd never have one.

These sets only seem to hit UK shores as grey imports, months or years after they've been produced, presumably as dead stock that Mattel doesn't much want. The sets I picked up from Toy Town in Newtownards seem to have arrived via Indonesia, going by the additional stickers applied to the box base.

(The Action Drivers sets are made in China; the models included with them are made in Thailand and then presumably shipped loose for repackaging.)

As well as the sets, individual Matchbox and Hot Wheels vehicles also appear and disappear with much greater frequency than they did in the past - those of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s may remember mainlines and sets which remained largely unchanged for years or even decades (that K-39 ERF Snorkel I found the other week was in the Matchbox Super Kings range for 15 years, with only minor changes to its stickers in all that time).

These days, specific castings or colourways may only be available in the range for a few months before they vanish, possibly forever. The 'mix box' system, with multiple releases dropping across the year while also throwing in chase and treasure hunt models too, is designed to get customers to do exactly the sort of stuff I've been doing - visiting multiple stores frequently for new cases, checking online for upcoming releases, and creating a bit of a buzz through artificial scarcity.

I mean, if you were a completionist Matchbox 1-75 mainline collector back in the early 1980s, you may have only been looking out for ten or fifteen new releases in a year, both new castings and recolourings. There may have been a few other rarities out there, like the small number of Japanese-market releases, the US-only Roman Numerals range, or promotional release Code 2 buses - but by and large it wouldn't have been a full-time job to stay on top of your collection.

Now there are something like 250 Hot Wheels and 125 Matchbox mainlines released onto the market each year, all of which will generally be different from the year before (even if just in terms of paint colour or graphics) - and even then, with Matchbox we've come to expect wheel variations, luggage variations, LHD/RHD variations between the same models in the same case - it just goes on.

Then there's the slightly premium/ larger releases - for Matchbox, the Moving Parts range, the Hitch & Haul twin sets, the Convoy range of articulated commercials, the Real Working Rigs range of non-articulated commercials, Skybusters aircraft, the Collector Series of vaguely Lesney-inspired castings and replica boxes...

And that's before we even think about all the store-exclusive releases like Hot Wheels Ultra Hots, Flying Customs and Anniversary (which don't tend to be geared towards the UK, but we often get the dregs of these Target/ Walmart/ Kroger releases over here sometime later, in discount stores like B&M), or multipacks which contain exclusive colour schemes or older castings no longer seen in the mainline range.

Fatigued? I know I am.

Luckily for me, the Action Driver sets seem to be moving away from townscapes and towards a style which I have no interest in - the big vehicle which folds out into a playset for smaller vehicles.

 

There seems to be four of these sets now, released last year and this year, and they don't do anything for me - though it's kinda nice to see that a retooling of the old MB58 Faun Quarry Dump Truck is still going, nearly fifty years after it was originally launched in 1976.

I guess some things change and some things stay the same...

[bunglebus]

21 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Fatigued? I know I am.

Yeah me too a bit. I usually have opportunities to take a minor detour to look for new stuff when I'm out and about, but I've been doing it a lot less lately. It's not just the overwhelming amount of stuff to try and find that's making me feel a bit worn out, but it doesn't help!

[bunglebus]

And no sooner so I say that, than I find myself in Smyths. VW/Porsche premiums are now £15

I can see them not stocking these sets soon, that Jay Leno one warmed the pegs even at a tenner.

Lotus is a new release, my friend collects this casting

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Just thinking more about this, and the way in which these Action Driver sets are now always 'limited release' - they may not be labelled as such, but generally now there seems to be just one production run made, and then that's it. On to the next.

With Action Drivers, there have been anything between three and seven sets released in any given year since they first appeared in 2020 - but no repeats, unless you count the slightly different US/International releases of the Pizza Hut set.

Miss it, miss out. The grey versions of the Pizza Hut set are available from around £33 on eBay; the red version is on Amazon for a frankly incredible £53.13.

Yeah, no. This is why I thought I'd never have one.

These sets only seem to hit UK shores as grey imports, months or years after they've been produced, presumably as dead stock that Mattel doesn't much want. The sets I picked up from Toy Town in Newtownards seem to have arrived via Indonesia, going by the additional stickers applied to the box base.

(The Action Drivers sets are made in China; the models included with them are made in Thailand and then presumably shipped loose for repackaging.)

As well as the sets, individual Matchbox and Hot Wheels vehicles also appear and disappear with much greater frequency than they did in the past - those of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s may remember mainlines and sets which remained largely unchanged for years or even decades (that K-39 ERF Snorkel I found the other week was in the Matchbox Super Kings range for 15 years, with only minor changes to its stickers in all that time).

These days, specific castings or colourways may only be available in the range for a few months before they vanish, possibly forever. The 'mix box' system, with multiple releases dropping across the year while also throwing in chase and treasure hunt models too, is designed to get customers to do exactly the sort of stuff I've been doing - visiting multiple stores frequently for new cases, checking online for upcoming releases, and creating a bit of a buzz through artificial scarcity.

I mean, if you were a completionist Matchbox 1-75 mainline collector back in the early 1980s, you may have only been looking out for ten or fifteen new releases in a year, both new castings and recolourings. There may have been a few other rarities out there, like the small number of Japanese-market releases, the US-only Roman Numerals range, or promotional release Code 2 buses - but by and large it wouldn't have been a full-time job to stay on top of your collection.

Now there are something like 250 Hot Wheels and 125 Matchbox mainlines released onto the market each year, all of which will generally be different from the year before (even if just in terms of paint colour or graphics) - and even then, with Matchbox we've come to expect wheel variations, luggage variations, LHD/RHD variations between the same models in the same case - it just goes on.

Then there's the slightly premium/ larger releases - for Matchbox, the Moving Parts range, the Hitch & Haul twin sets, the Convoy range of articulated commercials, the Real Working Rigs range of non-articulated commercials, Skybusters aircraft, the Collector Series of vaguely Lesney-inspired castings and replica boxes...

And that's before we even think about all the store-exclusive releases like Hot Wheels Ultra Hots, Flying Customs and Anniversary (which don't tend to be geared towards the UK, but we often get the dregs of these Target/ Walmart/ Kroger releases over here sometime later, in discount stores like B&M), or multipacks which contain exclusive colour schemes or older castings no longer seen in the mainline range.

Fatigued? I know I am.

Luckily for me, the Action Driver sets seem to be moving away from townscapes and towards a style which I have no interest in - the big vehicle which folds out into a playset for smaller vehicles.

 

There seems to be four of these sets now, released last year and this year, and they don't do anything for me - though it's kinda nice to see that a retooling of the old MB58 Faun Quarry Dump Truck is still going, nearly fifty years after it was originally launched in 1976.

I guess some things change and some things stay the same...

I think what this will mean is that collectors will have to focus on particular lines. Some varieties could end up quite valuable as the run was so limited. 

[danthecapriman]

I must admit, sometimes when I look online for the ranges of each years releases it’s a bit overwhelming just doing that! There’s just so much there. Granted, much of it the UK probably never see’s! 
Im sure there’s people out there that do collect every model in every colour of every variant but it’s just so much hard work finding them. 
I tend to just have a quick look now and again and if I like it I’ll get one, or at least pick it up if it happens to turn up somewhere.

I guess that difference between releases in the 70’s and 80’s compared to now just reflects the far more consumer led way of things now. 
People were happy with the same green AMC Javelin or whatever year after year back then. Maybe the cost of the toy V’s incomes meant buying loads of new ones in different colours every year wasn’t palatable to most households!? So the manufacturer didn’t bother doing that? 
Of course now it’s new variations every year, or entire new castings every year replacing older ones in the range to keep sales up. 
I think I’ll just carry on being selective about them. Just get the handful I want each year and be done with it.

I tell you one thing though, the moment I move house I’m ripping the boxes open on the new ones I bought! Screw mint in box!! They’re such a pain in the arse to store. 
With the exception of those old style grabber box types - they’re brilliant and I wish that was the standard packaging.
 

[egg]

I also got a pack of aerials from model supplies, with a vague hope the curved one my help my Norev DS19 feel a bit more complete. It kinda works, I think, the bonnet hole is on a slope so the fit isn't perfect, but I think better than without anything. I could chrome pen it to make it more original looking. I'll think about it.

[sierraman]

27 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

I must admit, sometimes when I look online for the ranges of each years releases it’s a bit overwhelming just doing that! There’s just so much there. Granted, much of it the UK probably never see’s! 
Im sure there’s people out there that do collect every model in every colour of every variant but it’s just so much hard work finding them. 
I tend to just have a quick look now and again and if I like it I’ll get one, or at least pick it up if it happens to turn up somewhere.

I guess that difference between releases in the 70’s and 80’s compared to now just reflects the far more consumer led way of things now. 
People were happy with the same green AMC Javelin or whatever year after year back then. Maybe the cost of the toy V’s incomes meant buying loads of new ones in different colours every year wasn’t palatable to most households!? So the manufacturer didn’t bother doing that? 
Of course now it’s new variations every year, or entire new castings every year replacing older ones in the range to keep sales up. 
I think I’ll just carry on being selective about them. Just get the handful I want each year and be done with it.

I tell you one thing though, the moment I move house I’m ripping the boxes open on the new ones I bought! Screw mint in box!! They’re such a pain in the arse to store. 
With the exception of those old style grabber box types - they’re brilliant and I wish that was the standard packaging.
 

I agree, you’d send yourself mad otherwise. 

[danthecapriman]

Got the Corgi A60 done today!

Theres a few marks on the glazing but it’s not too bad really and saves buying a new unit. The back axle seems very loose though? No idea why. It seems to move forward and backward an awful lot so I might open it again and see why. Probably just the slots it sits in have worn out so maybe a bit of plastic section fitted in will cure it.

I might have a go doing another one the same but in a different colour at some point. Just to see what Corgi were missing out on!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

7 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Got the Corgi A60 done today!

Theres a few marks on the glazing but it’s not too bad really and saves buying a new unit. The back axle seems very loose though? No idea why. It seems to move forward and backward an awful lot so I might open it again and see why. Probably just the slots it sits in have worn out so maybe a bit of plastic section fitted in will cure it.

I might have a go doing another one the same but in a different colour at some point. Just to see what Corgi were missing out on!

We could do with a before and after shot! Nice work, Dan. 

[danthecapriman]

11 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

We could do with a before and after shot! Nice work, Dan. 

Cheers!

The earliest photo I can find of it was just before the paint was stripped off.

Before(ish):

   
During:

     
     
After:

[eddyramrod]

That's seriously impressive work on the grille there Dan!  I've done a couple of these, I know how much the L plates are a part of the casting.

[danthecapriman]

10 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

That's seriously impressive work on the grille there Dan!  I've done a couple of these, I know how much the L plates are a part of the casting.

They are a sod to get off aren’t they!

The front one came out better than the rear. I got rid of the bulk of it with a dremmel (not a dremmel!) and sanding attachments then finished off with small files. 
The back one had a big void inside it. Like an air bubble had set in the casting. Flattening it all out did leave a bit of a low spot still though.

Its a real pity they didn’t re-tool the casting to make them without the L plates.

[barrett]

Hello MEN. Been a while since I've had anything to contribute to this thread as I've specificaly been trying not to waste money on stupid toy cars that I don't even collect, but I have aquired one new thing recently so now you all have to see it, too.

It's Politoys M 508 Innocenti Morris IM3 - the Italian attempt at sexing-up the old ADO16

You might say this is something of a spicy meata-ball. I wouldn't, but you might.

Bit of a dramatic arch gap from that angle, actually, and the (I'm assuming) grandmas and children wmployed to apply the hand-painted bits didn't do a great job on the rear lamps

Transverse A-series confirmed. Quite a decent fist of that I reckon.

MACRO MODE of the lovely rear badging which clearly reads 'Innocenti Morris'. Also a nicely textured parcel shelf, because all the ladies like an accurately-rendered parcel shelf

If we can assume the Spot-On 1800 is accurately scaled 1:42 then I reckon the IM3 is 'about right' at 1:43. Would be interesting to compare it to the Spot-On 1100s some day.

Anyway, that's all. I'll go back in my hole now.

 

[bunglebus]

Got myself a little present, and I think it pleases me more than finding brand new stuff in the shops.

Don't know why we only really got the ex-Kenner Fast 111s Mustang in one colour here, not that there were many more liveries available elsewhere either

[bunglebus]

I found a thing. I was sorting out pictures of my recent finds. Matchbox Fruehauf Tipper

The most recent one I got is labelled as Major Pack M4

It seems later down the line, Lesney made it part of the King Size range under K-4 instead