Shite in Miniature II

[Datsuncog]

My general antipathy to L405 series Range Rovers was overcome by dint of it simply being smol and having a gimmick.

The grille, lights and side louvres are fairly true-to-life, though.

It's a little slabby-looking from the side, though - and oddly, the door shut lines are only just about visible.

The black paint doesn't really do it many favours - other releases in white, blue and orange look a bit more balanced with the window areas finished in contrasting black paint, improving the overall look.

Maybe a bit narrow, too? Or am I just being ludicrously picky now?

The money shot:

No junk in the trunk, but at least the tailgate does swing more or less upright, which the Nissan X-Terra from the same 2020 release series couldn't quite manage.

It's probably slightly better proportioned than the chonky L322 version, put out by Matchbox back in 2006 or so:

Was it what I wanted?

No.

Was it what I needed?

Also no.

But it's here now, so... Happy Thursday, everyone!?

[warch]

37 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

 

That one.

Not the classic one.

I did see a newish Range Rover (possibly a derivative therein) being driven around with the rear hatch half open. I assumed the electronic mechanism had failed in this position.

[Datsuncog]

Also delighted to become the recipient of another quality BungleBox™ this afternoon:

Very nice.

The Majorette Renault 18 Taxi is a replacement for a childhood version that ended up in a terrible state, as is the Superfast BMW CSL. I also once had a Corgi Juniors XJ6 missing a bootlid and most of its paint, so this one's a good bit better.

The Juniors Rough Terrain Truck is just a bit of an oddity; I had a decent one and let it go, then regretted it. I'm still not sure if this was a total fantasy vehicle from Corgi's design team, or based on a real-life prototype or design - I understand Ogle Design worked with Corgi on a few models in the early 1970s, so there's a possibility it may have been worked up as a toy from one of their styling exercises.

The Ford F150 Custom 'Flareside Pickup' in blue is one of those Matchbox toys that's far older than it feels - this is the first release of the casting from 1982, at the tail end of the Lesney years, and is the only version to wear 'Made in England' lettering on the base. All subsequent releases were made in Macau, Thailand and ultimately China. Because it stayed in the range all through the '90s, I keep thinking these are quite recent but ones like this are now 40+ years old.

The Corgi Cubs pickup is really clean, and I think I now have a minty version of nearly the entire Cubs range, bar the Roadster and Helicopter.

Spare containers for Convoys trailers or any of the other commercials which used them are always good to have, especially when both opening doors are present!

The Hot Wheels F&F Chevrolet Fleetline is just so batshit crazy I had to have one. The rusty primer and missing doors and front end have context in the film, sure, but it looks mighty like an abandoned project and it's great as that alone.

I've yet to see any on the pegs locally, despite plenty of searching, so all thanks to @bunglebus for picking that one up.

I might need to go for a lie-down now...

[Tenmil Socket]

7 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Me and the Mrs have booked a couple of days off work. We’re going ‘Bennerz’ in a couple of weeks so she’s suggested that we go to Warrington so she can shop in Primark and I can wander round the charity shops. Does anyone know if there’s any decent tat holding places that I can visit?

Not a sausage in the few town centre charity shops but stopped at a retail park to find 2 of the biggest charity shops I’ve ever seen!

Oh hello 😀

 

[Tenmil Socket]

Not a car but it is Lone Star!

 

[bunglebus]

28 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Oh hello 

Is that a Glow Racer I see? Dibs if you don't want it...

[Tenmil Socket]

3 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Is that a Glow Racer I see? Dibs if you don't want it...

Happy to swap it?

[Tenmil Socket]

I’m made up with the Kees Escort but it’s got a ‘boot full of bricks’ so I need to rectify that. Anyone want the trailers?

[Tenmil Socket]

Fixed!
 

[bramz7]

More Norev musings.

 

One of my personal favourites is this Twizy. It's so delicate, it feels like opening up a kinder egg toy.

The detail is very good considering how tiny it is. I would fish out my Matchbox one, but it's buried in another box. 

When is a Norev not a Norev?

When it's by Universal Hobbies. 

Oo la la. Fancy tin and plush* inlay. Imagine buying this with your brand new Clio V6? You probably didn't tbh. 

One very infrequently used casting was the Bipper and Nemo. I think these were the only versions ever made, indeed the Nemo was only a promotional and supposedly sold ' internally only '. 

Identity crisis though...

[eddyramrod]

A couple of boxes arrived today...

First one was from ebay and contained a job-lot I hadn't expected to win...

They're actually quite nice.  The Fiat box van has no back doors but I will probably make some.  Not sure about the two American artic units.  They're about 1/50 scale, so will be a quid each if anyone wants them.  Plus postage, obvs.

The second box didn't have a sender address that I could find.  I vaguely remember discussing a selection like this with someone here, referring to my Gerry Anderson project, and that someone did offer me a box of project vehicles.  Well it's here and it's great, thank you; there's plenty for me to fiddle with over the coming winter.  But, er... I don't remember who I was talking to, or even in what thread.  So whoever sent this, please identify yourself in a PM, then I can thank you properly.

[flat4alfa]

I remember painting those

[flat4alfa]

It was lockdown, I was off work, the sun was out and I had this fanciful idea of creating a futuristic fantasy diorama, with each having different loads.

So I bought a few in, stripped them, painted them.

Typically, I was distracted by upteen something elses, so they then just sat about in a box, in store, in unfinished states since then.

Until a person named Eddy resurrected that sort of idea last week.

Sylvia Anderson said Hi.

[eddyramrod]

What it is to be an old man with a faulty brain. 

Thank you kind sir. 

I'm delighted to now have multiples of various fantasy trucks.  I mean, you'd think it quite reasonable to see three or four Scanias or Land Rovers in a motorway service area, and might even have a happy half-hour spotting variations between the examples.  That's what I'm trying to do here.

[bunglebus]

6 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I’m made up with the Kees Escort but it’s got a ‘boot full of bricks’ so I need to rectify that. Anyone want the trailers?

Hmm bare base - somewhere back in the mists of time we discussed how these came to be a Matchbox and the other name they were sold under. 

Corvette is a Speed Riders Street Heat - and the Ferrari is a Race Bait 308!

[egg]

15 hours ago, bramz7 said:

One very infrequently used casting was the Bipper and Nemo. I think these were the only versions ever made, indeed the Nemo was only a promotional and supposedly sold ' internally only '. 

That's the company that bought out my Dad's motor factor CAT Automotive.

[egg]

Before and after Matchbox code 3 - not perfect - again the old eyesight + a little lack of patience, must get the varifocals. Still it's ok, last one of the year probs.

Dark Blue is Rimini blue - Mondeo colour, cos Fords.

[flat4alfa]

[Datsuncog]

Well now, I did swing by St George's this morning, as it happens, but the only thing I spent money on was a coffee.

The main Tat Stall had a few Solido Age d'Or vintage things for a fiver, and some larger Corgi Classics commercials (Scammell tankers, Bedford removal van) for about £20. Nothing very old or very interesting, and nothing very cheap.

Colin at the Irish Tat stall was very sorry that the parcel with the Matchbox Moving Parts in it still hadn't touched down. He agreed to set aside a Range Rover Classic and VW Type 3 for me if they're in the box, but couldn't promise anything (seems to be just a random selection from the distributor). He's pitching up at Ards Market tomorrow morning, but I've a few things on tomorrow so I don't think I'll be able to get over there.

The Charity Stall had nothing of any interest, and Alan's Emporium had gained some highly desirable* Days Gone, but had even less than usual on the 50p Tat Tray.

I didn't take any pics, because there really wasn't anything worth looking at!

[flat4alfa]

8 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

I didn't take any pics

A vision of the scene has been virtualised

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, egg said:

Before and after Matchbox code 3 - not perfect - again the old eyesight + a little lack of patience, must get the varifocals.

D-Series looks great in that colour scheme - nice going. The shiny axles really make it pop.

Off-topic a little, but I was also finding detailed work/ reading things off screens required me to take my glasses off, and felt that the time had come for varifocals - however my optician advised that it might not be necessary just yet, and that it was possible to get lenses that weren't true varifocals but just had a bit of a 'bump' down in the lower half which would correct the close-up issue. And it has!

[flat4alfa]

Who's got a Hairy Hauler?

(stop tittering at the back)

I meant, who's got a Hot Wheels Hairy Hauler from 1971

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/326086940350 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285011012688 crikey that's a lot

[flat4alfa]

20 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

The Corgi Cubs pickup is really clean, and I think I now have a minty version of nearly the entire Cubs range, bar the Roadster and Helicopter.

I saw this in a local antiques shop and thought of you

Is there a MINT IN BOX AND STILL SEALED IN ITS OWN ATMOSPHERE example in the DatsunCubs™ Collection ?

Does it need one?

This could* be the start of a new way of life and the grounds for the CCCC (the Carrickfergus Corgi Cubs Club) who meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 7pm to share experiences, cakes and have a natter.

[MiniMinorMk3]

16 hours ago, bramz7 said:

 

When is a Norev not a Norev?

When it's by Universal Hobbies. 

 

Universal Hobbies used to supply models for sale in Renault Dealerships. Here's a Clio Renault Sport V6 24v.

 

And now for an odd ball Norev.

 

[flat4alfa]

17 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

I vaguely remember discussing a selection like this with someone here, referring to my Gerry Anderson project, and that someone did offer me a box of project vehicles.  Well it's here and it's great, thank you; there's plenty for me to fiddle with over the coming winter.  But, er... I don't remember who I was talking to, or even in what thread.

It was thus:

On 16/08/2024 at 14:08, eddyramrod said:

An ebay job-lot has arrived; I've posted most of it in my Diecast Sale thread.  I kept a couple back though, these are not for sale.  These are for my Gerry Anderson project: using 70s fantasy castings to make vehicles that could have been background traffic in any of the earthbound Anderson series.  I'm not restricting myself to modelling actual vehicles used, which is just as well.  So here's what I kept back:

They'll both get stripped and repainted.  I've done some already...

Including the blue truck!

On 16/08/2024 at 18:19, flat4alfa said:

I have a few of these available, without loads.  Are they of use?

K-13-2 and K-114 share a cab design and did get different number plates:  AKB 546N and KTH 683P

Also a few of K-9 Fire Tender with the 8-head V8 also shared cab design style with K-12 Crane

All repainted / ready for repaint / cutting about

[flat4alfa]

On 16/08/2024 at 21:15, eddyramrod said:

I can't turn those down, can I!  Thank you kind sir.  I seem to be turning into Derek Meddings here, lol!

RIP

[Datsuncog]

But fret not, the day wasn't completely devoid of tat.

After having to wait for a catering wholesaler's truck to bugger off (it'd double-parked for a delivery to Subway, and boxed me into the on-street parking bay outside the market), I took the opportunity to stop off at Cityside Retail Park on my way home.

This place contains the charity shop from which I'd had a bag of decent-looking Superfast Lesneys yoinked in front of my very eyes, a few months back. 

Today, they'd nothing whatsoever with wheels on offer.

It also contains branches of B&M and Home Bargains, and they did come up with some goodies:

I'm a terrible one for Dodge Chargers, and had been dithering over this Hot Wheels Silverline version in The Entertainer for some weeks now. Seeing it in B&M, a whole quid cheaper, was enough to sway me.

I'll compare it with a very similar Majorette version sometime.

The white Honda Civic coupe was in Home Bargains for £1.49, and again the relative cheapness did for me. I already have the gold version from earlier in the year, but if looks nicer in white, I reckon.

A swift hustle through Asda and Poundland gave nothing but older selections of Hot Wheels and Matchbox, so nothing doing there.

But a last-ditch exploration of one of the smaller branches of Tesco in North Belfast did pay off...

 

[Datsuncog]

Seems that Cityside Tesco is also going to let The Entertainer manage their toy aisle, and so are flogging off all their existing stock cheap before the big rebrand.

Only unlike the other branches I've visited, packed with remaindered older stock from 2023, this place has recently stocked up with 2024 series Matchbox 5-Packs...

Ohhh.

Well, that makes me feel a lot better about dithering over these same two sets when they were on offer at '2 for £15' in Sainsburys.

I did hunt through all of them in case there was a Volkswagen pack in there - but no, sadly not. No Autobahn Express V, either.

Oddly, they only had a solitary Matchbox mainline left - and it was quite an old one.

2022 selection, I believe - and still at full price.

Never mind, I already have one of these.

So, overall - not a bad morning.

Happy Friday, kids.

[egg]

48 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Off-topic a little, but I was also finding detailed work/ reading things off screens required me to take my glasses off, and felt that the time had come for varifocals - however my optician advised that it might not be necessary just yet, and that it was possible to get lenses that weren't true varifocals but just had a bit of a 'bump' down in the lower half which would correct the close-up issue. And it has!

Useful advice, any idea what to Google for - I usually find some cheapo Specsavers frames/lens because shiter...? Ta.

[Datsuncog]

1 minute ago, egg said:

Useful advice, any idea what to Google for - I usually find some cheapo Specsavers frames/lens because shiter...? Ta.

Sadly she didn't elaborate any more than 'gives you a bit of a bump for up-close work' - could be something along the lines of 'near-sight correction zone'?

I went to Specsavers for years, but it now seems that my eyes have become banjaxed in so many unusual and creative ways that going 'full custom package' through an independent optician seems to be the only way I can see!