Shite in Miniature II

[FakeConcern]

23 minutes ago, Dick Cheeseburger said:

If you fancy sacking off that Dinky Beetle at any point...

Not at the moment, but I'll keep you in mind.

I do have a restored Speedwheels version which is quite nice, except the engine cover falls off.

https://autoshite.com/topic/10758-shite-in-miniature-ii/page/1757/

I think I paid £8 if you want that one.

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Dick Cheeseburger said:

If you fancy sacking off that Dinky Beetle at any point...

I was bidding on a lot of junk but with a nice one of those recently, it got into the teens so I gave up - I have a decent one anyway!

The Tomica looks great too, not one I've got my mitts on yet. There's a picture of one and the mad Rolls-Royce grille version in the catalogue I have

[Dick Cheeseburger]

47 minutes ago, FakeConcern said:

Not at the moment, but I'll keep you in mind.

I do have a restored Speedwheels version which is quite nice, except the engine cover falls off.

https://autoshite.com/topic/10758-shite-in-miniature-ii/page/1757/

I think I paid £8 if you want that one.

Thanks for the offer but tend to buy original paint ideally.

[bunglebus]

3 minutes ago, Dick Cheeseburger said:

Thanks for the offer but tend to buy original paint ideally.

How do you feel about Dinky Action Kits? Both original paint and kid paint all in one!

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

15 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

How do you feel about Dinky Action Kits? Both original paint and kid paint all in one!

 

Thanks chap but the Dinky 129 Bug caught my eye with the earlier wheels and paint with a lovely patina to it. I'm on a strict no more buying, self-inflicted ban currently so shouldn't really be looking at this thread anyway! 😅 

[MiniMinorMk3]

4 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

Toy fair today

Tomica Dandy Beetle 1302 in great shape

It's not a 1302, it's a 1200LE. The last of the European built 1200 Beetles has the big square bumpers and the football rear lights. I've probably had about 10 pass through my hands in the orange. I got my first one in St Martins Accessories back in 1992.

 

4 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

I've bought lots of Spot Ons from this seller. He wanted £25 for the P1800, £5 for the Politoys XJ12 in an indeterminate scale and £5 for the Dinky Mini. I pointed out he'd had them all for ages and knocked the Jag down to £2 then let me have the lot for £25.

Which was nice...

 

That Dinky mini is unusual, red ones normally have a black roof. All mine do.

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I was bidding on a lot of junk but with a nice one of those recently, it got into the teens so I gave up - I have a decent one anyway!

The Tomica looks great too, not one I've got my mitts on yet. There's a picture of one and the mad Rolls-Royce grille version in the catalogue I have

Tomica also did one with what I think is a 1937 Ford grille

[Spottedlaurel]

Quite a bit to report with Christmas gifts and recent trip out to toy fair and shops.....

Presents. There are one or two duplicates but particularly good to get the full set of Majorettes and the latest Datsun 510. I already had the Cefiro, so.....

May end up doing the others as Majorette packaging takes up a lot of space.

All from the same seller at the toy fair. Mainlines were 2 for £5 which saves me the hassle of trying to find them, and it was good to get things like the green Fiesta and Moving Parts 280ZX.

Other toy fair purchases. I was fearful there wouldn't be many traders but it was OK. Most of these are pretty obvious. Aston is by Majorette but not from their peak years....

No-name Previa has a pull-back motor and lots of opening parts.

Studebaker in a tat box but nice to see with tailgate and sliding roof still intact.

 

Green Fiesta number two of of the day, by Guisval. Would be happy to let this one go to anyone who feels their life won't be complete without it.

I should probably give more consideration to late 1970s and early-mid '80s Matchbox. Historically my MIB-ish Superfast collection stopped at 1977-78 but after the wacky stuff they went back to some nicely done standard road cars.

Popped into shops on the way home, firstly Smyths.

Alfa had mysteriously found its way into the Sainsbury's bin but had an Argos barcode. Shame I didn't realise I'd already bought one at the toy fair....

The rest came The Entertainer in Norwich, with the Cefiro for Miss SL's BF. They had the usual table and numerous boxes of HWs but it looked like they'd already been well picked-over (probably by the chap I bought from at the toy fair?!).

[Split_Pin]

@Spottedlaurel I'd be interested in the Guisval Fiesta please!

[bunglebus]

Dammit!

[FakeConcern]

Some nice finds there @Spottedlaurel! I particularly like the Previa...

[Tenmil Socket]

14 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

Toy fair today

Cheap tat, no idea on the make, but quite nice £1 each. Not sure why I got two...

50p each for parts

Zlymax Toyota £2 and Corgi Polo I didn't want £1

Seller asked £5, but took £4 as he was packing away, he was outside and it was drizzling...

Seller wanted £10 which I said was out of my price range as I wanted it to chop up and started to walk. Got it for £4

Started at £20 and ended at £15

I really like plastic Norev

Tomica Dandy Beetle 1302 in great shape

I like lots of opening bits

Has spare in the boot too!

Dinky Beetle with the older rubber tyred wheels

The engine cover is still attached as well

I've bought lots of Spot Ons from this seller. He wanted £25 for the P1800, £5 for the Politoys XJ12 in an indeterminate scale and £5 for the Dinky Mini. I pointed out he'd had them all for ages and knocked the Jag down to £2 then let me have the lot for £25.

Which was nice...

Opening bits!

Everything

 

I’d be interested in the £1 Polo please.

 

[FakeConcern]

13 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I’d be interested in the £1 Polo please.

 

OK I'll stick it in with the others, I'm pleased for it to go to a good home.

[neil72]

A couple of recent finds, the dumper truck is Spanish, the FSO looking car has no make

[warch]

On 29/12/2024 at 14:45, sierraman said:

Britains did one IIRC. I think most of the standard Ford Tractors were built in Basildon? 

Yeah the smaller models were (and still are). The bigger tractors came from factories in Belgium and the States. Iirc Ford were happy to supply partially complete tractors minus front axles and other bits to modifiers for 4wd conversions. Incidentally Matchbox did a fairly decent model of County rival (also Ford based) the Muir Hill back in the 70s.

[MiniMinorMk3]

55 minutes ago, neil72 said:

A couple of recent finds, the dumper truck is Spanish, the FSO looking car has no make

 

FSO looks like it might be one of these remote control cars.

Rewind To 1980s: Polonez

The text is Polish

CZĘSTOCHOWSKIE
ZAKŁADY
ZABAWKARSKIE
CZĘSTOCHOWA
ul. KAWIA 4/16

Which translates to 

CZĘSTOCHOWA TOY FACTORIES
CZĘSTOCHOWA
ul. KAWIA 4/16

[MiniMinorMk3]

15 minutes ago, warch said:

Yeah the smaller models were (and still are). The bigger tractors came from factories in Belgium and the States. Iirc Ford were happy to supply partially complete tractors minus front axles and other bits to modifiers for 4wd conversions. Incidentally Matchbox did a fairly decent model of County rival (also Ford based) the Muir Hill back in the 70s.

That should have a snow plough on th efront

 

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, neil72 said:

the FSO looking car has no make

Yes it is meant to be a FSO Polonez.  As the front wheels are straight, likely it is the friction motor one with fixed steering?

Brand is CZZ.  Brand naming under Soviet times tended to be the initials of the town / factory.  Czestochowa is a city in southern Poland.

Does it have a friction flywheel motor or the remote controlled one?   If its the latter and you don't want it, I d like to get it up and working again

Approx 1:18 scale, tin plate interior you can see in your photo.  There should also be a tinplate base

[sierraman]

57 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

That should have a snow plough on th efront

 

Some have a snow plough on the front others had a digger implement on the back. 

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, neil72 said:

A couple of recent finds, the dumper truck is Spanish

 

How weird, I unearthed my one yesterday and stuck it on eBay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256766036492

[bunglebus]

Had a mooch around Basildon today but didn't find anything especially interesting. However lots of things were waiting for me when I got home. Most of these were cheaply obtained on an auction site that isn't eBay!

Couple of older Hot Wheels 

And a wheel donor 

Thought this Majorette was an unusual colour, should have clocked from the wheels it's a repaint

One day I'll paint a Monte Carlo light blue to go with one of my Herbie diecasts

A112

No junk in the trunk unfortunately 

A few Matchbox 

BMWs with and without towbars

Sone nice premium versions

Three of which are World Class

New members of Number Plate Club

I keep finding Tyrone Malone variations 

The whole reason I ended up on the site in the first place was falling down a rabbit hole thanks to @MiniMinorMk3 finding an unusual Easy Rider. This one has a yellow fuel tank and forks, mainly because the chrome has worn off the latter

[bunglebus]

That's not all though. This fantastic Polistil bit of kit was an eBay win

Can anyone spot the factory error?

Detail is absolutely lovely 

I also bought a very tidy Matchbox fastback

Visa from Norev has a wicked stance as the axles have come adrift 

Corgi Fire Chief Capri normally has a white bonnet

Yet another SD1 variation

Datapost Escort

Binz Ambulance in a new livery 

And a Fina promotional Morris Million

AliExpress and Temu parcels were in the mix, starting with a couple of boxed Matchbox 

This one was in my not-eBay pile

More far East goodies

Including the Fiesta, yay!

Continental, this has been a really hard one to find

Lastly, the ladders for the custom work van arrived, I think these are better than the first one I tried to get. Just got to give them a quick coat of silver

[Tenmil Socket]

7 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

That's not all though. This fantastic Polistil bit of kit was an eBay win

Can anyone spot the factory error?

Detail is absolutely lovely 

I also bought a very tidy Matchbox fastback

Visa from Norev has a wicked stance as the axles have come adrift 

Corgi Fire Chief Capri normally has a white bonnet

Yet another SD1 variation

Datapost Escort

Binz Ambulance in a new livery 

And a Fina promotional Morris Million

AliExpress and Temu parcels were in the mix, starting with a couple of boxed Matchbox 

This one was in my not-eBay pile

More far East goodies

Including the Fiesta, yay!

Continental, this has been a really hard one to find

Lastly, the ladders for the custom work van arrived, I think these are better than the first one I tried to get. Just got to give them a quick coat of silver

Love the Polo… is the factory error 2 fuel fillers?

[bunglebus]

No, the round bits are vents for interior air I believe, filler cap in right side quarter panel.

Error is rear bumper (or at least the end caps) are upside down 

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

 

 

The whole reason I ended up on the site in the first place was falling down a rabbit hole thanks to @MiniMinorMk3 finding an unusual Easy Rider. This one has a yellow fuel tank and forks, mainly because the chrome has worn off the latter

Your mission, should you choose to take it, is to find a red tank yellow fork version.

This post will self destruct be forgotten about in the next 15 days.

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Love the Polo… is the factory error 2 fuel fillers?

 

46 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

No, the round bits are vents for interior air I believe, filler cap in right side quarter panel.

Error is rear bumper (or at least the end caps) are upside down 

Bumper corners are correct, just a little bit over sized. And yes, the circles on the c-pillars are the interior vents, the fuel flap is a square one on the right side.

 

[Split_Pin]

Italeri 1/24 Volvo F12 coming along well.

I found the closest green I could that Volvo always use for their commercial vehicle engines.

I'm also going for a colour scheme as close as I can to B906 BNS which was an F10 with my first employer, JC McLaren.

The chassis is Saab Laser red and the cab panels are all done in Audi Nordlichblau . Waste not want not 😂

[Datsuncog]

I'm afraid I went on a bit of a Matchbox spree over the weekend.

I'm becoming uncomfortably aware that fewer and fewer retailers seem to be bothering to stock the current Matchbox range, with most places apparently just running down their remaining stock from a couple of years ago. So thought I'd see what I could find, while I can still find it.

A stop at a less-frequented branch of Poundstretcher netted me this longcard Mazda 3 in metallic grey:

I've already got the same casting in red (2020 release) and dark blue (2023 release), but for some reason I don't much care for these colour choices and have never felt particularly inspired to free either one from their packaging.

I do like the grey version though - which I believe was from a 2022 case that didn't seem to make it to many UK stores. Poundstretcher seemed to have acquired a bunch of these cases this summer, and the dregs are still to be found in some stores for £1.49.

Pleased to get this one; I'm not seeing evidence of any late 2024 or 2025 Mattel releases at Poundstretcher, but they do seem to infrequently receive stock of older long card mainline Matchbox and Hot Wheels cases as well as some current (if rather overpriced) Silverline and Premium Hot Wheels which occasionally get discounted down - so I'm hoping this might continue in 2025.

A quick skip across to B&M gave me a couple of 2023 releases from the clipstrips down in their confectionery aisle:

The Ford Interceptor SUV in Sheriff colours and VW Beetle Cabrio are both releases I've been tempted towards before, but never quite managed to inspire me enough to put my hand in my pocket. Until now.

B&M still seem to lean quite heavily into Hot Wheels, especially Silverline Fast & Furious releases, skateboard sets and Monster Trucks, but appear to have pretty much given up on stocking Matchbox. Once the clipstrips are cleared of these old 2023 cases, I don't expect to see them in their stores again.

Sainsburys proved even more uninspiring with their diecast shelf stock - my local store doesn't even keep Hot Wheels mainlines stocked anymore, let alone Matchbox.

A couple of HW 5-packs and 10-packs were the extent of it; I tried another two Sainsburys stores in passing but still there were no Moving Parts to be seen anywhere. Pretty sure they just aren't included in the stock planograms for their NI stores, annoyingly.

Maybe I should write an arsey letter to customer services and see where that gets me.

Smyths had a few new Hot Wheels Premiums to be found, but nothing I was really looking out for - which is only really that Subaru Forester and the Metro 6R4 right now.

Their diecast aisle shelves had been absolutely trashed by kiddywinks apparently desperate to spend their festive moolah, so it was kinda hard to tell what was what; I did find that Merc 190 Evo profiled upthread, but I wasn't all that keen on the lacquered zamac finish so decided not to bother. No sign of either Forester or Metro.

It seems that Smyths have no interest in stocking any Matchbox again, having cleared out the last of their 2023 mainlines for cheap over the summer.

I also uncovered my first Hot Wheels Morgan 3-wheeler on their pegs, plus a Treasure Hunt Jag MkX (Fish 'n' Chipped) in brown and cream which took my fancy quite a bit - but the queue for the tills was a mile long, so I ended up just putting them back.

Yup, I'm regretting that decision already.

Asda's toy aisle was even more destroyed; the best they could offer was an empty package for another Morgan. Meh.

Poundland seem to be gradually rolling out 2025 Matchbox cases across their stores, which gives me some hope that they're serious about remaining a stockist - some of the latest releases were on the pegs in the Ards Shopping Centre branch, so I took the Toyota Tacoma and Datsun Bluebird rally over to the till.

I'd been kicking myself for turning down that unusual Matchbox 20-pack on sale for a mere £15 over at the Newtownards branch of Toytown back in November; even though I knew they'd all be long gone, I couldn't stop myself from going in and checking (spoiler alert - I was correct).

They did however have quite a few Working Rigs and Collector Series in their Matchbox section, which weren't there in November - so maybe that's something.

The working rigs were mostly the same releases that appeared in The Entertainer last month, but a little cheaper at £4. However they also had this MBX Cement King, which despite being a generic casting looks ok.

Not such a fan of the shiny blue wheel centres, to be honest, and a bit of extra detailing to the front end wouldn't go amiss, but overall it's not a bad addition to the larger vehicle fleet. By way of working features, the cement drum rotates and the directional chute at the back is also adjustable.

I agonised over their remaining Convoy two-packs, as I understand the range has now been discontinued and the four latest releases are the final ones.

I've previously obtained the Tesla pipe trailer, International Shell tanker and the generic MBX box trailer from this store...

...but have dithered over buying the generic MBX Mega Ton articulated fire ladder paired with the International ambulance - and, once again, I left it.

I dunno, there's something about Matchbox releases which have all-plastic bodies that I just can't vibe with. Both of these are plastic-bodied. At £7, they weren't quite cheap enough to sway me.

Perhaps surprisingly, I did put my hand in my pocket for the ultimate pegwarmer - the MBX Speed Trapper from 2021, wearing 'INC Construction' colours:

A couple of years ago, Poundland had loads of these hanging up - in common with most of the Matchbox trailers in the range, absolutely no-one seemed to want them and they hung around for ages.

I'm trying to find some appreciation for these less-loved releases, hence picking up one of the reviled Mini Cargo Trucks a few months ago.

To be fair, the Speed Trapper's not quite the most dynamic of toys - not only does it need to be paired alongside something with a trailer hitch to make it roll, but its gimmick - the rotating speed display - is deep-set and and virtually indecipherable.

Still, it's a bit of a curiosity. Toytown had three of these, all on long cards, but the majority of their Matchbox mainlines were all 2023 or early 2024 stock, so again all fairly stale. At £2.19, not very cheap either.

Toytown also had a full peg of Matchbox Collectors Editions - some of which I have already, like the Triumph TR6, some of which I've no real interest in, like the Lamborghini whatever and the modern Mustang, and others that I dithered over before leaving - including the Datsun 510 Bluebird rally:

I didn't go for it, as the differently coloured wheels and arse-licking Ambassador decals sorta annoyed me. They also had two examples of the Dodge Monaco police car:

Which was a fairly uninspiring colour, and the overly shiny wheels seemed far too big on it. No thanks.

These don't represent great value for £9 - I mean, I've bought a couple of them before, but I struggle to see how they're much better than the Moving Parts in terms of decals and functionality. I'm not all that fussed on the faux-Lesney cardboard boxes included, so it's a bit of a price leap just to get the benefit of rubbery tyres.

I've seen Colin in the market and the model shop in Smithfield selling this range for £3 and £4, so someone's getting a fair whack of profit somewhere.

I also stopped off at Stewart Millar in Holywood, but they had practically zero Matchbox - a handful of old 2023 mainlines was the extent, plus some Skybusters at the highly optimistic price of £8.99 (Toy Town had these at £2.99).

The last of the Action Driver sets and the NOS Superkings fire engines dating from the early 1990s were all gone, and the display where the Matchbox once were had been given over to Teamsterz and Maisto individual vehicles.

They had restocked on recent-ish Hot Wheels, and still had plenty of Siku (starting at £4.99 for a basic car), but I left without troubling their till.

And that was that, until I swung past Tesco earlier today and noticed that some 2025 case mainlines had been thrown in with the other older stock:

Well, that'll do me.

With the usual Entertainer 'buy one, get one half price' offer applied, these worked out cheaper than Poundland.

So... maybe there's hope after all?

[sierraman]

Sad but I’d be surprised if they continue retailing them in the U.K. with the arse about tit way Mattel go on. 

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

Sad but I’d be surprised if they continue retailing them in the U.K. with the arse about tit way Mattel go on. 

I’m still wondering if Mattel are just not interested in the UK as a market. Whatever people are buying and finding in shops here seems totally random and has a massive range of release years. It just looks like it’s all stuff that hasn’t sold elsewhere in the world so gets bundled up and sent off to us in the UK to sift through the leftovers. Just occasionally a few retailers get there hands on a new case or two but they don’t last long and unless you happen to be present as those cases get put on shelves you ain’t getting nothing!

Certain things like the Fiesta, Lincoln Continental and Jag XJ seem incredibly hard to find and I just don’t believe they’re just rare.

It’s the same story with the 1:43 partwork type stuff. I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s all produced for the benefit of other countries and whatever we get here is all leftover’s and dregs that didn’t sell elsewhere, all bumped up to the usual ‘rip off Britain’ prices.

Sad really when you look back at diecast vehicle sales years ago and how popular they once were.

[bunglebus]

When new stock comes in anywhere, it flies off the pegs and the rest stagnate. Anyone would think it's middle aged collectors buying them, rather than kids. There doesn't seem to be any sort of feedback loop to Mattel, so all they know is that they sold x amount of cases to y supplier. I can only continue to vote with my wallet whenever shops do have what I want, in the hope that it encourages them to restock.

I do wonder what happens to all the battered card Hot Wheels in the big dump bins you used to see at B&M etc, do they eventually sell, are they sent back, written off and ploughed into landfill?