Shite in Miniature II

[FakeConcern]

9 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Saw this in TK Maxx yesterday - looks a bit like a stylised rendering of a 1971-ish Dodge Charger Gen3:

Being designed for fashion dolls to ride around in, it was bloody big - possibly around 1/12 scale.

Nope, I didn't buy it, but it's interesting to see what inspiration makes it across toy designers' desks...

I still have the huge plastic V70 we had for the kids to play with their trolls as I had a 1/1 V70 at the time

5 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Years ago my sister had a Barbie Jaguar XJS convertible in a big scale like that. Bright purple and massive. Apparently quite valuable now to collectors.

I think it may have been a Barbie car

we bought this at a boot fair, but you can still buy them new....

https://www.u-buy.co.uk/product/7CATMSEG-barbie-happy-family-volvo-v70-station-wagon

£486 + VAT!

[danthecapriman]

23 minutes ago, FakeConcern said:

I still have the huge plastic V70 we had for the kids to play with their trolls as I had a 1/1 V70 at the time

I think it may have been a Barbie car

we bought this at a boot fair, but you can still buy them new....

https://www.u-buy.co.uk/product/7CATMSEG-barbie-happy-family-volvo-v70-station-wagon

£486 + VAT!

£486!! Shit me!😆

This is the Jag my sister had.

You could put batteries in it and the lights would work! Pretty sure the gear stick was the switch.

[bunglebus]

I remember getting my eldest the new Beetle

Those Bratz ones that Datsuncog mentioned are quite stylish in a terrible tacky way, if I still had young daughters I'd be steering them in that direction I think

There are loads

[sierraman]

Youngest has this thing that’s a sort of cross between a TR7 and a Rapport Forte. 

[quicksilver]

12 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

£486!! Shit me!😆

This is the Jag my sister had.

You could put batteries in it and the lights would work! Pretty sure the gear stick was the switch.

I remember seeing that in 1990s Argos catalogues. Jag built a 1/1 scale version that I think is in the Coventry Transport Museum reserve collection.

[danthecapriman]

41 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

I remember seeing that in 1990s Argos catalogues. Jag built a 1/1 scale version that I think is in the Coventry Transport Museum reserve collection.

That’s probably about the right sort of time my sister would have had it. I can’t remember where it came from though.

[Datsuncog]

Did a fair amount of shop-hopping while out and about on Wednesday.

None of the independent stores had much of interest though; Toytown over in Ards had considerably less Matchbox stuff than before (having downsized their display to just two shelves at the end of an aisle).

I'd kinda hoped they might have brought in some new Premiums or Action Drivers sets for the upcoming December consumer frenzy - but nope, there was nothing that I hadn't seen the last time I was in, some months back.

No more Convoys or Collector Series at all, and their mainlines were down to just a few dozen unwanted generic peg warmers, like the Speed Trapper trailer and Dune Dog.

Meh. That's that, then.

Meanwhile, the Stewart Miller branch of Toymaster in Holywood had restocked with quite a lot of Matchbox Skybusters, which were actually quite appealing - mostly passenger aircraft involving jet and prop airliners, some single engine stunt planes, a couple of generic but quite detailed helicopters, a fire dousing plane, and a SpaceX rocket thing.

I'm not usually much interested in aircraft, but these were pretty cool. 

Unfortunately they were also priced at £9 each, which seemed kinda steep. By contrast, Toytown had their Skybusters out at only £2.50 - though they were mostly Top Gun release and other military aircraft, which still don't interest me much.

Weirdly, Stewart Miller had no other Matchbox on offer beyond a bare handful of early 2023 mainlines, a pair of 2020 release Action Drivers fuel stations, and those 1990s Superkings fire engines.

This was the same place that netted me a load of Moving Parts releases for £2.99 each a couple of months back, so it seems to either be feast or famine with them. Currently we're back in the lean times.

Poundland branches seem to have restocked with Mattel products again.

They're also running another Poundland Perks promotion on Hot Wheels in Scotland, NI and the Isle of Wight, with recent-ish cases out on the pegs for only £1 a throw, if you use their app and have the promotion saved.

Naturally, there's loads of Kowloon'd Hypervans in there now... 😆

For that money, I picked up a few for myself, and a few others to trade:

The Transformers 'Bumblebee' Beetle seems to have become quite hard to find - these were the first ones I've encountered in the wild.

They also seem to have found some more of the late 2023 Matchbox packs - not quite super-cheap at £2 a go, but they had a fair few of the more desirable ones like the green Mk1 Golf and the blue Volvo 240, amongst others:

Again, I've already got these - so this trio were picked up with trading in mind.

A whirlwind rattle through several branches of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Home Bargains and B&M didn't yield much of interest - more Hot Wheels, but mostly the same selection as Poundland, only more expensive.

Poundstretcher still had a fair few older release Matchbox out at the double-discount price of 99p, but I couldn't really justify any more of them. There were still plenty of Hot Wheels Silverline Porsche and Hot Wagons available as well - and I thought hard about the Pontiac GTO, even at £6, but ultimately put it back again too - there seemed to be a fair few paint flaws on the sole example there.

So, not quite a frenzy of diecast delights, but hey - the week's not over yet...

[sierraman]

I don’t know about anyone else but I’m sick of the bastard sight of that batch of Matchbox. I wish they’d just scrape the lot up and chuck it in the sea or down a big mine shaft. I can’t understand why it’s such a difficult concept to send a few out 13 times a year - if they sell well bump it up a bit. Instead we got 4,568,768 blue Renault Kangoo vans. 

[bunglebus]

4 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

The Transformers 'Bumblebee' Beetle seems to have become quite hard to find - these were the first ones I've encountered in the wild

Have a check of the bases - at least one has been found with the regular Beetle base without the Transformers head logo at the front OMG error

[bunglebus]

My friend bought me an Oxford MK2 Escort while on holiday

Very nice it is too, considering its scale

[bunglebus]

The latest CMC offering also landed

Of course it has the folding rear seat to complement the split opening tailgate

And skiers

I'm not going to attempt to detach the skis and assemble them, as there's a good chance of breaking something, so one can perch on the wing instead 

A quick rummage in the loft located my original one, although it's the Olympics version which differs slightly - interesting to see the plastic colours were reversed inside and on the roofrack

CMC do a really good job with these, almost entirely free of casting lines etc. I'm sure there are some that might say too good, as these flaws are part of the original casting - but I think they do it just right

One thing I find a bit odd is that the font on the bases are different compared to the original, not sure why they do this

 

[bunglebus]

Attacked the Harry Pothead Anglia, didn't take much filing to improve the shape of the window openings

[danthecapriman]

Omg Omg!! It’s here!😍

@quicksilver @RoadworkUK well recommended fellas!

The usual feelings on opening the box… shit, this thing is big!😄     
It’s mostly plastic though so doesn’t weigh much at all. But it’s a lovely looking thing, interior is a bit basic which is a bit of a shame given it’s so visible through those big windows but what do you want for £25!? I’m happy with it anyway.

[Tenmil Socket]

I spotted this in the distance whilst walking down a street in Benidorm… I was a bit gutted once I actually reached it.

Oh and single Hot Wheels were €9 in Alicante airport 😳

 

[RoadworkUK]

Corporate piss-up last night, and I found myself in a hotel near Regent Street this morning. Would have been rude not to head to Hamleys, to check out the diecast situation.

Not good, I fear.

Mainline Hotwheels at FOUR QUID a throw; 1/18 Maisto at £68.99.

I must be horribly naive for even venturing in without defending myself that the wretched shop is wholly set out to part tourists with their money.

Still. Had to bag a souvenir to mark the event, because I may never revisit.

Quite a nicely observed thing, with its opening rear hatch, and not something my path has crossed before (I know they're probably everywhere, but I seldom find myself anywhere near decent diecast purveyors these days).

Also @danthecapriman glad the Bova is as decent as I hoped it might be. Ta for your guinea pig services; I might just have to pick one of those up myself. I reckon a 1:43 Sierra or two would sit in traffic next to it rather nicely.

[cms206]

18 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Omg Omg!! It’s here!😍

@quicksilver @RoadworkUK well recommended fellas!

The usual feelings on opening the box… shit, this thing is big!😄     
It’s mostly plastic though so doesn’t weigh much at all. But it’s a lovely looking thing, interior is a bit basic which is a bit of a shame given it’s so visible through those big windows but what do you want for £25!? I’m happy with it anyway.

I have one of these, it is ace - the best part is that they've clearly worked off internet photos as it's got one white front corner and one stripey one 😂

They allegedly did a 1/50 China Motor Bus Leyland Victory amongst others but I've never actually seen it - would love to get my hands on one though!

CsM from memory did a line of 1/50 MCW Metrobuses but I've not seen one in ages.

[danthecapriman]

25 minutes ago, cms206 said:

I have one of these, it is ace - the best part is that they've clearly worked off internet photos as it's got one white front corner and one stripey one 😂

They allegedly did a 1/50 China Motor Bus Leyland Victory amongst others but I've never actually seen it - would love to get my hands on one though!

CsM from memory did a line of 1/50 MCW Metrobuses but I've not seen one in ages.

I did notice that, yes! Fancy blindly copying that!

The Leyland Victory is 1:43 I think from the same collection as the AEC Regent/RT. There was a few places on eBay some months back selling them off cheap but they didn’t hang around long! I very nearly did get one, but it’s not really much use as a UK bus with there only being one here in preservation. I can’t see many options for converting it into something else like an Atlantean etc etc either. 
I wish I had of got one now though!

[junkyarddog]

Picked this up today. 

JRD Made in France Peugeot 404.

It's had a repaint and the screen pillars are damaged,but I've never seen one of this make before.

 

[sierraman]

3 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I spotted this in the distance whilst walking down a street in Benidorm… I was a bit gutted once I actually reached it.

Oh and single Hot Wheels were €9 in Alicante airport 😳

 

Did you find Don Dinos? Off to El Rastro tomorrow?

[flat4alfa]

9 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

I've never seen one of this make before.

http://www.genieminiature.com/JRD.htm

Quote

The production of JRD miniatures and scale models around 1/43, made mainly in zamak, spanned from 1935 to 1967.

Some miniatures bearing the JRD logo have molds coming, like the 1935 Citroën traction avant, from the CIJ brand, some of which were marketed at the beginning by the Compagnie des Jouets Citroën. Some of these miniatures are foundry stocks recovered from CIJ, others are molded by JRD, with CIJ dies and tools. From the 1950s, production came from molds specific to the JRD brand

[Tenmil Socket]

35 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Did you find Don Dinos? Off to El Rastro tomorrow?

I’m home now mate. Not really interested too much in the modern stuff 👍🏻

[junkyarddog]

Never seen one of these before.

Carefully peel off the cellophane wrapping. 

Ooh much excite.

Ta-daa,it's only the 69 Dodge Charger!!

I've only just opened this up this minute!!

Was the only one in the shop too.

Chuffed 😁

[bunglebus]

Series one and two have codes so you pick the ones you want - series three seem to be undecipherable 

The Chargers and Golfs are my favourites

[bunglebus]

Hot Wheels 2024 posters - these only seem to work correctly on mobile 

https://hwjamey.com/poster/2024-hot-wheels-poster-1a.pdf?ref=hwheadline.com

https://hwjamey.com/poster/2024-hot-wheels-poster-2a.pdf?ref=hwheadline.com

https://hwjamey.com/poster/2024-hot-wheels-poster-3a.pdf?ref=hwheadline.com

https://hwjamey.com/poster/2024-hot-wheels-poster-4a.pdf?ref=hwheadline.com

Alternatively there are JPGs which should work everywhere 

[bunglebus]

Boot sale #1 - Mustang is a bit special 

[Spottedlaurel]

Update time, after a very enjoyable and successful sunny day out yesterday:

First up was a trip to the monthly local show and autojumble. MC Toys Mk1 MR2 might go the way of Miss SL's BF, and hopefully he can assist in doing whatever might be necessary to get the 300ZX running as he enjoys playing with small R/C stuff. Might just need new batteries, haven't tried. Scale looks to be around 1/20 and it's pretty decent as a display piece. Chevrolet Van (not U.S.) is the paramedic version. Pleasing to find the tidy Matchbox 480ES and also good to get some Majorette stuff (even if the Corvette is from that era when they fitted excessively wide wheels). Little did I know what I'd get later in the day....

Next up was a visit to Poundstretcher. Nothing new there, but at £1.49 each I thought I'd add these to "might do a repaint one day" pile. Except when I got to the till the lad volunteered that they wouldn't scan so he got some random cheapo diecast from a bin near the till and scanned that in x3, then asking for a total of £1.77! Now wish I'd bought one or two more, but.....

I went into the charity shop nextdoor. I've previously found one or two decent things there in the 4 for £1 box so thought it would be worth a look. Walked upstairs to hear the dread sound of a kid rummaging enthusiastically through the box, while his mum picked out a few nice Britains pieces. At 25p each she did very nicely, wish I'd got there earlier. Loitered for a bit without looking too much like a weirdo (maybe unsuccessfully), then it was my turn. And this is what I got, ending up spending £10:

Difficult to describe the joy of going through a box and turning up very decent Majorettes, many of which were new to me. Some other nice things too, let's have a closer look.....

Second Escort Cabriolet in two weeks, this one 5p more expensive! Printed versions of the Siva and RX500 evaded me as a youngster, likewise the non-Streakers Hairy Hustler. The LR Ninety looks best in that plain clothes garb. Sand Cat pretty tidy, as was much of what I found in the box, would be interesting (and hopefully not too sad) to know where it all came from.

Mercedes is one of those castings where there always seems to be a different version to find. Ditto the van (U.S. this time,not Chevrolet).

Randoms. HW Hot Bird, not Firebird. Golf goes nicely with the other Sikus I seem to be slowly accumulating (definitely not collecting).

"Soft Drink" TM-dodging, by Yatming? Has the look of a '70s Japanese truck (and a dropped glazing issue).

1/36 Majorette. I was aware of the Land Cruiser and Blazer, didn't know/had forgotten about this one.

Commercials and tractors (the latter new to me). That transporter thing is a little gormless-looking.

And a nice selection of others, some of which were completely new to me. Have seen a couple of those R4-based JP4s for real over the years.

It has junk in the trunk.

 

Finally the charming Autobianchi. Had a French teacher with one of these circa 1980/81.

I may well have missed others in the box, although I went through it as carefully as I could, but I'm very happy with what I did unearth. All for the price of just over one HW Premium....

[eddyramrod]

29 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

 a very enjoyable and successul sunny day out 

What's one of those?

Oh... the pictures explain beautifully!

[bunglebus]

Only picked up two cars at the second boot sale, then got offered a box of them for £1.50

[bunglebus]

Very nice haul @Spottedlaurel

Not seen an MC MR2 before. I have a few of those 1:36 Range Rovers, and the Soma Hino soft drinks lorry

There are others...

 

[Lord Sterling]

10 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Cheers. Just bought one these to go with my recent Matchbox and Corgi 1/36 Range Rovers.