Shite in Miniature II

[Split_Pin]

@bunglebus I don't think I've ever seen a Crystal Green Fiesta XR2 before. Anyway, it matches the colour of my face, which is how jealous I am of you right now.

[Datsuncog]

4 hours ago, Kev said:

 

Looks good!

I'd really hoped to make it along last night, but thick freezing fog and a yellow travel warning made me think twice about heading out along the M2... next time, though!

[andrew e]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

@bunglebus I don't think I've ever seen a Crystal Green Fiesta XR2 before. Anyway, it matches the colour of my face, which is how jealous I am of you right now.

I think the colour kills it despite being a bonafide fomoco colour! I thinks its more Willow green than crystal green though?

[bunglebus]

It does look like the kind of thing you'd see down Southend in the 90's, a Ghia with all the XR2 kit fitted. I'd like the red version but chances are slim

[flat4alfa]

5 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Best answer by midnight tonight as to why they really really want the spare Fiesta I picked up wins it free of charge!

Because it gives the ladies zig a zig ahh.

[Datsuncog]

On 28/11/2024 at 17:52, bunglebus said:

Best answer by midnight tonight as to why they really really want the spare Fiesta I picked up wins it free of charge!

I've been trying to think up a killer reason all day, but drawn a blank... but then, fortunately, I had a bit of luck in the Abbeycentre  branch of Poundland this evening: 

Yaaay!

Really didn't think I'd see anything from a 2025 A-Case until 2026 at the earliest...

(Our nearby revamped Tesco Extra store has just had its Entertainer aisle restocked - and have rewarded everyone by putting out yet another early 2024 Matchbox mix case, the one with the white Twizy and blue Ranchero in it. Sigh...)

[bunglebus]

Posted that Mega Blasters car earlier, then went off to Wiki to find out what it's called - and found this. Now I need one.

[junkyarddog]

6 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Best answer by midnight tonight as to why they really really want the spare Fiesta I picked up wins it free of charge!

Can't think of a reason either,so I think you should open it up and modify it!

[bunglebus]

Aw I was hoping someone's nan's dog's best mate's cousin was brought home from the hospital in one.

I do have one saved in the modify pile already so there's still a spare

[eddyramrod]

I passed my test in a green Fiesta........

 

[Christine]

Me too , but it was a mk1 !  

[Lord Sterling]

11 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Best answer by midnight tonight as to why they really really want the spare Fiesta I picked up wins it free of charge!

Erm, if not, I'll give ya some money for it?

[sierraman]

A white fiesta would have been good, loads of them seemed to be diamond white or radiant red as I can remember. 

[Tenmil Socket]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

A white fiesta would have been good, loads of them seemed to be diamond white or radiant red as I can remember. 

And black…

[sierraman]

29 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

And black…

I always preferred them as with the XR3i with the white trims. 

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

A white fiesta would have been good, loads of them seemed to be diamond white or radiant red as I can remember. 

Hopefully only a matter of time before more colours come through - and something tampo'd up to look like a grass track racer could be good fun too.

Distressing how many US and Australian YouTube collectors are already referring to the Fiesta as an unwanted pegwarmer, though. Savages.

[Split_Pin]

2 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

unwanted pegwarmer

Does not compute. Maybe we could trade them the AMC Wagons?

[sierraman]

1 minute ago, Datsuncog said:

Hopefully only a matter of time before more colours come through - and something tampo'd up to look like a grass track racer could be good fun too.

Distressing how many US and Australian YouTube collectors are already referring to the Fiesta as an unwanted pegwarmer, though. Savages.

For that I’d send them 3.5 million Airport Tugs. Ideally dropped from a great height over their house. 

[Datsuncog]

43 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Does not compute. Maybe we could trade them the AMC Wagons?

So many of those Eagle wagons still kicking around - I was excited to grab that one in bronze back in early 2023, and yet they're still widely available in B&M, some Poundland branches and The Entertainer's flagship Belfast store, nearly two years on.

Entertainer also had the 2024 release AMC in black, but only as a Power Grab boxed version for £3, which seemed a bit steep.

I really like the casting as a toy, but damn if I don't feel a bit miffed that they're now blocking the arrival of some of the more recent cases... Did find some more blue Volvo 240s in another Poundland branch yesterday from late last year, but I think we all have plenty of those now?

Never have seen any of the last 2024 mix anywhere - the one with the Morgan, Jeep Wagoneer, 1970 Ford Bronco, Nissan Pathfinder etc.

I was surprised to find the entire Matchbox section in the Abbeycentre Poundland was made up of only 2025 case - it had been rifled through already, but there were no older release cars on the pegs there at all.

I thought about snaffling the blue Datsun too, but I already have one in orange and I'm trying not to just grab stuff unless I really like it. Ditto the gold Mercedes 230 SL, and the BMW E91 in bright satin blue - very appealing, but I have one of each in white and that feels good enough. And I've a couple of the 2019 Subaru Foresters too, so another (in fairly drab navy blue) seemed unnecessary.

[Datsuncog]

36 minutes ago, sierraman said:

For that I’d send them 3.5 million Airport Tugs. Ideally dropped from a great height over their house. 

I think we may need to fight it out...

[sierraman]

Picked up a gold 230SL last night. Nice model, the wheels rub a bit but my days on the carpet are over. 

[eddyramrod]

7 hours ago, Christine said:

Me too , but it was a mk1 !  

Yes, mine too: UYM 717S, in Peppermint Green.  It was practically new at the time.

[Datsuncog]

Some other acquisitions of late, in no particular order...

The lovely '75 Mitsubishi Galant Celeste, available as a Moving Parts release, or - like mine - as some sort of Japanese Collection release, in a Power Grabs sized cardboard box.

I really like this - though I wouldn't be averse to a bronze version too, if I can ever find one.

Despite what I've just written, some models are worth having in different colourways - and this is one of them.

Engine detail's great, though my bonnet is attached slightly crookedly - apparently a bit of an issue with them.

This one came from the model shop in Smithfield for a fiver:

Though Colin in St George's now has the same selection out on his stall for £3.50 a pop. Guess a wholesaler is doing  these import twelve-packs at a decent price.

A few weeks back, I picked up these two Mercs from The Entertainer in Belfast:

The first release version of the Mercedes 230SL in white, and the latest version of the CLA estate (or 'shooting brake', as the base insists) in red.

They were boxed up as Power Grabs, and inexplicably were more expensive than blister pack mainlines (£3 vs £2.40) while not benefitting from the usual 'buy one get one half price' or 'buy two get one free' promotions that are applied to most Mattel mainlines.

The Power Grab editions are always priced at a few pence more in Poundstretcher, too. I'd love to know why.

Ah well. The SL is just lovely, with great detailing to the front and back, while the CLA is one I bought a while back in its previous black colourway, but didn't open the blister - I'm just not sure many toy cars suit black paint, and there seems to have been a lot of them released lately in that colour. Maybe, as Henry Ford discovered, black dries faster than other paints, so can keep the production lines moving faster?

I'd thought from the box illustration that this CLA might be a nice metallic ruby sort of red, a bit like the Ford Bronco that was out last year, but upon tearing open the box it turned out to be more like Ford Radiant Red. Eh, it's fine. Suddenly, the advantages of blister packs become clear (literally)...

So if anyone wants a MIB Mercedes CLA wagon in black for £2, let me know!

I managed to make a rare charity shop score with these two, in a 20p basket amongst mostly worthless cheap generics:

Matchbox Nissan NV, in 'Sea Aquatorium' livery from 2020, and a Hot Wheels BMW M4 in F82 iteration.

The Nissan turned out to be in really good shape (once the mashed potatoes had been cleaned off it; at least, I hope it was mashed potatoes), with just two tiny chips, while the M4 has been rather more enjoyed by its previous owner - some chips to the leading edges, scuffing to the plastic roof and paint loss from the wheels plus rusty axles - but after a bit of the old rub-a-dub-dub with a toothbrush, it's still fairly presentable.

For 20p, like.

Speaking of Matchbox/ Hot Wheels double-headers:

@Spottedlaurel kindly saved me from wasting hours of my life scouring the north of Ireland in a fruitless search for nonexistent Matchbox Moving Parts... this Range Rover is fantastic, definitely propelling itself into one of my favourite releases of 2024. Great detail, with tampo prints front and back and on both sides, a great colour, and nicely toy-like proportions.

The Hot Wheels '77 Pontiac Firebird T/A is a cracking new casting - well detailed and, dare I say, an improvement on the old blackwalls-era Hot Bird/ Firebird casting that dates back to 1979, and which still gets the occasional re-release even now.

Tesco surprised me by restocking with some newer Hot Wheels, so I picked up this Lotus Type 49 single seat racer:

Not normally my bag, but this casting is just lovely. Good and weighty with a diecast body and base.

I also surprised myself by getting all hot under the collar for this Aston Martin DB4 GT High Speed Edition:

I'm not usually much of a fan of Astons, racing cars or fantasy castings, yet this is just glorious.

While very much an imaginary vehicle, there's so much to love about this - it looks simply wonderful as a lightweight salt flats racer, with the streamlined body, clearcoated raw zamac finish and the cleverly executed 'salt-whitened' wheels (solid white wheels overprinted with black tampo on the sidewalls, giving the illusion of black tyres with the tread whitened by the salt flats).

Despite the frequent (well justified) rants on here about Mattel and their business practices re. sales and distribution, this model perfectly encapsulates just how well Hot Wheels' designers can do their job if left alone - this DB4 GT is by Craig Callum, a recently hired UK designer who now occupies the Hot Wheels design manager role. He worked closely with Aston Martin designers Miles Nurnberger and Thomas Gilbert to get this one just right - and it shows. I love it.

The jewel-like little Vespa Super Sprint and the forthcoming Morgan Super 3 are also Callum's craftsmanship, as is the somewhat wacky Mo-Stash comb/racing car combo.

I also picked up said Vespa recently too, as well as the recoloured candy-apple red '68 Dodge Dart, which I reckon looks better than the earlier release in white.

It's quite big, the scooter - easily larger than 1/43 scale. But very well rendered.

Looking forward to seeing what else this designer brings.

Lidl unexpectedly served me up this factory spec Audi Quattro, at last:

Delighted to pick one up for £1.49, as I didn't much fancy paying anywhere between £10 and £15 for an eight-pack containing the red version and not much else of interest.

Again, despite my previous yammering, this one does look good in black. It could be a Matchbox, given the restrained rendering - this one is from the design board of Fraser Campbell, another Brit, who's given us an embarrassment of superb castings over the past twenty years, often with a British, Japanese or European flavour - the Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts are both his handiwork, as are the recent Volvo 240 Drift Wagon, the '73 Honda Civic Custom, the Alfa GTV6, the Land Rover SII SWB, the Jaguar Mk1 Racer, and the BMW M3 Touring, plus the Lotus Type 49 above. And he also designed the Proton Saga, so hats off to him.

Finding a stock Quattro also gave me an opportunity to pop the box on the Sport Quattro, just to compare the two - it's really good, but I think I like the standard road version more. This casting is by Dmitriy Shakhmatov, the former design manager for Hot Wheels, who seemed to specialise mostly in fantasy castings but did produce some superb off-roaders too, notably the Land Rover SIII LWB pickup, the Land Rover 90, Toyota Land Cruiser 80, and Nissan Patrol Custom - plus the Nissan Maxima Drift Wagon, which is a personal highlight for me.

Yesterday I took a bit of a trip over the hills and far away to see if the Toytown store in Ards Shopping Centre had anything new in to tickle me. They hadn't - I was specifically looking to see if they'd brought in any more Action Drivers sets, but they only had a handful of the really old 2021 releases still kicking about - but this big ol' box did interest me:

Yup, twenty Matchbox cars, in a big box, for £15.

Now, there wasn't much in there that I don't have in one form or another, and there were a few generic construction vehicles and a helicopter which I didn't much fancy, but I'm now sorta kicking myself as it seemed very good value... available online but for rather more, too.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134943858582

I came away with these two Convoy packs, which I'd agonised over earlier in the year, and then not bought.

They're older releases from 2023 and, reduced down to £7, I buckled.

I'll probably crack them open later tonight - I like them, but I'm not sure I love them. The opaque silver windows on the Western Star tractor unit seem a bit silly, while the tanker trailer looks to be all-plastic. Similarly, the generic cabover pulling the box trailer seems a bit lukewarm, though the forklift looks like it could be good fun, if the forks are functional.

Still a bit miffed that the bad weather kept me away from the Toy Fair on Wednesday night, and the Smithfield model shop is also back on my shit list for being closed on two attempts to go in there to buy something in the window (during their advertised opening hours), only for the item to be gone by the time I finally got in through the door.

So - bit of a mixed bag this week, maybe. But I'm still buzzing over the Fiesta, so on balance I'm going to rate it as GOOD.

Happy Friday, kids.

[bunglebus]

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I say Mattel owe me a few quid for my ideas

[bunglebus]

Postal arrivals once again, spotted these lovely condition Laser Wheels on Facebook. I don't think I ever had one of these as a kid, they're so achingly late 80s with the CD effect on the wheel centres

Even has my first three initials on this one

In another box were some Miras. I dropped a slight bollock here as I thought the big blue saloon was the MK2 Granada, but it's a Pug 504

Steering wheel is not positioned very ergonomically 

Others include the Lambo with the big rocket launcher exhaust (presumably once worked like a Key Car)

The Seat 128, which is a nicely detailed little thing, holds its own against a Matchbox or Majorette of the era

And this, which have no interest in, but again it's nicely done. Bit of an odd size too, about 950mm or so nose to tail

One for @danthecapriman maybe?

[bunglebus]

Nearly forgot! The Laser Wheels were offered to me after I agreed to buy the chase car from the Car Culture drag racers series from a while back

[Split_Pin]

I've got that Mira 128 but it has the earlier wheels like the 505 and a plastic base. An absolute joy.

I've a busy weekend ahead so won't have much chance for hunting the Fiesta - may have to hit up AliExpress.

[sierraman]

44 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Postal arrivals once again, spotted these lovely condition Laser Wheels on Facebook. I don't think I ever had one of these as a kid, they're so achingly late 80s with the CD effect on the wheel centres

Even has my first three initials on this one

In another box were some Miras. I dropped a slight bollock here as I thought the big blue saloon was the MK2 Granada, but it's a Pug 504

Steering wheel is not positioned very ergonomically 

Others include the Lambo with the big rocket launcher exhaust (presumably once worked like a Key Car)

The Seat 128, which is a nicely detailed little thing, holds its own against a Matchbox or Majorette of the era

And this, which have no interest in, but again it's nicely done. Bit of an odd size too, about 950mm or so nose to tail

One for @danthecapriman maybe?

Those 80’s Mira Pegaso are ace. A Cepsa one would have been more fitting though! 
 

Laser Wheels were brilliant, the Rover Sterling was my favourite, quite a hard one to find now as well. 

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I say Mattel owe me a few quid for my ideas

How do you manage to stop the primer grinning through when you spray them white? Mine always look a bit funny in the recesses. 

[bunglebus]

38 minutes ago, sierraman said:

How do you manage to stop the primer grinning through when you spray them white? Mine always look a bit funny in the recesses. 

I used white primer!