Shite in Miniature II

[junkyarddog]

They are a new casting so kinda sought after.

I managed to find a couple though,one for me one for my nephew.

 

 

They will make more of them,

Hot wheels do like to recolour their models to cater to the paint collectors

[Pillock]

I had that Corgi SD1. My mum hated the cones, barefoot, in the dark.

[Christine]

I had that Corgi SD1. My mum hated the cones, barefoot, in the dark.

 

And 3 pin electric plugs feel the same in the dark .

[stonedagain]

What's worse, 3-pin plug or cold dogshit?

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Here's yet another Corgi Mini I've bought. I didn't need yet another of these, but it was only £1, and in pretty good condition all things considered. 

 

 

Then comes the stripping, the painting, the polishing, etc. Now it's turquoise. 

 

[mercrocker]

Nice!  That colour really suits it.....

[Felly Magic]

That looks nice, and actually like a Mini, it does make you wonder about firms these days, as how many have screwed up the Mini over the years. I have a Clubfoot 1275GT by Vanguards, and it doesn't look quite right!

[mercrocker]

 I have a Clubfoot 1275GT by Vanguards, and it doesn't look quite right!

 

Neither did the real ones! 

[junkyarddog]

Majorette TR7.

 

[junkyarddog]

Majorette Renner 5.

 

[stuboy]

Spotted in tk maxx, ironic choice of vehicle being recovered..

 

Sadly i didnt purchase it.

[64A60]

Anyone fancy a 1:43 Gama Mondeo hatch? In near mint condition apart from a couple of small chips on the front bumper. Sadly unboxed. Looking for a tenner including postage.

 

 

[eddyramrod]

Bumpers easily fixed* with slivers of gaffa tape!

[Split_Pin]

Pmd you about Mondeo chap

[Datsuncog]

Turned this up in a model shop's £1 rummage box yesterday - a late '60s Mini Marx Chevrolet Camaro. It looked rather out of place (and tiny!) mixed in with the usual battered '90s Matchbox and MC Toy stuff. Seems to be roughly 1/70 scale, so closer to early '60s Matchbox size than Hot Wheels size. The very same model is profiled in Mac Ragan's informative book 'Diecast Cars of the 1960s', which is why I recognised it.

A brief poke around online seems to indicate it's not a very common model, with this example being in better condition than many for up sale - don't think Marx toys were distributed in the UK this late on, so how it ended up in Belfast is anyone's guess. Admittedly the casting is a tad crude, but the racing driver inside is a nice touch.







Shown beside MB No.62 TV Service Van, for scale:



Although an appealing little thing, it's not really what I'm collecting these days - so if anyone fancies giving it a home, £2 posted to an address of your choice?

[mercrocker]

Tempted, but.....nah, ta!   I take it though this is an update of the "Bulldog" range which featured whizzy wheels but no interior, baseplate or glazing.   I have a mint boxed Beetle if anybody fancies it!

[Datsuncog]

I take it though this is an update of the "Bulldog" range which featured whizzy wheels but no interior, baseplate or glazing.

Oddly, I think it might be the predecessor of the Bulldog range - seems the first versions (Mini Marx/Blazers) came fully loaded with glazing, stickers, interior, driver etc but, in the face of stubbornly slow sales against Matchbox and Hotwheels, cheapo stripped-out versions (some with cardboard interiors, which usually fell out) were sold instead/alongside with the Bulldog branding, sometimes in multipacks.

 

 

Don't think it was enough to save the Marx company, sadly - in 1972 Louis Marx sold the company to Quaker Oats and retired, with the entire brand going bankrupt in The Great Diecast Unpleasantness in 1980 (collapsing not long after Dinky, and just before Lesney and Mettoy-Corgi went to the wall).

[mercrocker]

So the Bulldog stuff was a bit like the cheapo Lone Stars that came out in lurid colours after the Roadmaster/Impy stuff had finished....Makes sense. 

 

Louis Marx stuff was always cheapo but at one time quite well made - I had a kiddie record player when I was at primary school. 

 

 

Still got this, too...

 

 

[Datsuncog]

So the Bulldog stuff was a bit like the cheapo Lone Stars that came out in lurid colours after the Roadmaster/Impy stuff had finished....Makes sense. 

 

Yeah, pretty much the same idea - and also the late '80s Matchbox Super GT range (obsolete castings with black plastic bases and glazing, and garish tampo prints).  Seems they thought that kiddies would buy anything if it was cheap - but clearly not...

 

That's an impressive Highway Patrol car - something absolutely lovely about large-format plastic models, even if they're a bit crude next to IXO and the like these days!

[sierraman]

The 1970s lone stars were proper gopping.

[quicksilver]

The 1970s lone stars were proper gopping.

Have you seen the superb trucks they made in the early seventies though? Very accurate and well-made 1/76 scale replicas of the Foden S24 and half-cab S50 and the Gas Turbine Leyland. They still look the part today and the S24 is so good it's been copied by at least three kit manufacturers and is much better than the EFE effort. Sadly these were replaced by some horrible crude generic shit as they started to cut costs later in the decade, a hell of a fall from grace compared with what came before.

[stuboy]

It might have been me that sold it you. I recognised it!

Resplended with few stablemates..

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I loved those old colour-changable Ford badges. 

[Datsuncog]

Headed over to the model shop again at lunchtime to procure a piece of prime miniature shite for one of the regulars here... but couldn't resist picking this up for myself while I was there. I'd only have regretted it otherwise.

 

[Junkman]

There has been some Corgi restoration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No 'before' pics for this one, for some odd reason, but it was grim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mercrocker]

Suspension of "do not paint" ethos fully justified.   That Bulli particularly superb.

[Junkman]

Thank you.

 

They are all given to Junkdaughter #2 to play with. Once she's grown up, I'll restore them again and give them to potential grandchildren.

That way they will have been toys for three generations.

[danthecapriman]

They look superb JM! I particularly like the Jag.

[eddyramrod]

I've been admiring the quality restorations on here for a while now so decided to have a go at a random group from the depths of my collection.

As you can see, these poor Corgis and Dinkies have suffered many repaints at the hands of a much younger Ramrod.  Not quite sure what happened to the Rover, because it's already been drilled out once (and was held together by elderly Plasticine).  I don't remember ever doing such things!  More importantly, the interior seems to have disappeared and I'm now beginning to doubt whether it had one.  Anyway... drilling occurred....

So I thought a convoy a la 1968 was in order...

Wise words from other Shiters led me to cleaning out a couple of old ice-cream tubs for use as caustic-soda baths.  Two tubs gave me plenty of room for all five shells, and the soda worked a treat, getting almost all of the paint off.

So this is where they are at right now.  Each one had a rinse in running water and they will now be left outside for a day or so.  Some have little dregs of paint that still needs removing, which I expect I can do with sharp tools.  (Yes I am allowed them!)

Next stage is going to be a coat of etch primer while I decide what colour(/s) they are going to be.  Any offers as to what I can use on the windows?  There's obviously a lot of old paint there, but if I can salvage them, obviously that's better than spending £4 a go on ebay.

[danthecapriman]

Those old castings look really good in bare metal. Nice job stripping them back.

When I did a few smaller cars for my model railway I used the curved plastic from old drinks bottles, carefully cut to shape and glued in place from inside the shell. Takes a while to get right size and shape sometimes but looks good enough.