Shite in Miniature II

[andrew e]

When I was a kid finding one of these American editions was a rare treat, I always went for the Capri maxi taxi If I could! I think I have just one treasured/battered  one now - damm you toy scrapyard recreations!

 

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

Bottom centre (Porsche 914), if you happen to find the Honda Civic in that series, it's the only one that's eluded me so far

I think the majority of the models hanging on that peg were just more of the Porsche 914s (#3 of 5) - though careful scrutiny of the pic indicates there is a #5 visible too, whatever it may be.

Will keep an eye out for you!

[Datsuncog]

But what's this?

[RoadworkUK]

I keep twitching with the idea of picking up one of the Premium Lancia Stratos Zeros – a car that's always had me swooning in a most ungentlemanly manner.

But I keep checking myself cos I fear the enormous, slightly unprototypical wheels would irk me.

If they EVER get cheap, though....

[danthecapriman]

Delivery day today for (almost😁) all of my diecast buys that I shouldn’t have bought. But we’ve all got to have something to make this miserable life that teeny bit more bearable!

Anyway…

First up, another Leyland Super Hippo. Last one in a clearance so had to! This takes my tally of this model up to 3 now😆

 
Then some similar trucks all bought cheap for use as chassis donors. Two Berliets and an Ebro. 
The Leyland Comet tanker isn’t a donor though as it’s already suitable for a UK truck, just needs the steering wheel swapping sides.

 
I couldn’t help myself but get this one! 
From some sort of fire engine partwork (pompiers) in France. Not the most common variant of Transit mk1/2 being a crew cab but they were around over here. Probably won’t be staying as a fire engine though as that’s not particularly British looking. Really nice model though.

 
And finally, another 3D printed truck cab for the stockpile. A Leyland Terrier.

As if I needed more donors and projects!!

[danthecapriman]

Dug this out of a box after moving too. 
I bought it probably 4 or 5 years ago and it’s been packed away pretty much ever since. 
Peterbilt from the film Dual!

[quicksilver]

11 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Could well have been - it's hard to track down information on all the promotions, so I'm largely going by what I can remember myself! 

That Golden Wonder Sierra does seem to crop up in many job lots of the BP Corgis, but it could well have been offered out by Golden Wonder as a promotion.

I think the first promo Corgi made for Weetabix was the Leyland Terrier box van:

I didn't have one of these, though I did have this cut-out Dodge Commando:

For reasons I'll never understand, this was kept as a Christmas decoration for many years. I used to carefully place it into the tree, balanced on a branch - and I think it was a tragic casualty when the tree fell over one year.

A later mid-80s promotion featured these five Juniors to collect, which were standard releases rather than specific promotional versions:

And a later on-pack offer incorporated an exclusively branded RM and a Volvo articulated truck for lots of tokens, or an Aston DB6 for fewer tokens:

I'm pretty sure a large-scale Ford Cargo was offered out too at one stage - a few of those have cropped up at the market in Weetabix-branded boxes.

The Frosties Corgis were specially decorated:

I had the XJS from this collection - I only had the patience to save up six tokens, whereas if I'd saved up eight I could have had the Porsche and the magazine plus stickers... ah well.

Then again, Tony the Tiger comes across as a bit of a prick in this comic, so maybe it was for the best...

I had all those Weetabix-branded vehicles. My uncle had a bowl of Weetabix every single morning for years so he was able to collect plenty of tokens and get the lot for me. Pretty much everyone in my school year had at least one of the Tony the Tiger cars and I remember having the black Porsche and white Ferrari, plus a Siku Jeep that I assume was from a different promotion.

Whatever happened to cereal packet giveaways? In my childhood they almost always had something that you could either find in the packet or collect tokens to send away for, but I haven't seen anything like that for years.

[Datsuncog]

Yup, while perusing his wares at Carrick Market last Thursday, Colin from the Irish Tat stall had informed me that he had a load of Matchbox and Hot Wheels arriving in.

So I kinda wanted to see what might have shown up.

Well, a couple of nice things - but not much I don't already have.

The Matchbox Working Rigs MAN drop side with telehandler is a marvel, but I've got one already. Ditto the International box van with the tail lift.

He had a couple of Moving Parts, but again doubles for me. I briefly considered the Collector Series Merc 220 SE, but the donk-like wheels and colour-mismatched doors didn't do it for me.

Market Blokey was away on holiday this week, so his customary two tables appeared to have been taken over by the estate of Julie Goodyear:

Ah well. Sad to say it, but he hasn't had much to interest me for a while now - I've called past the odd time, but there's been precious little to tempt me.

Paddy's Antiques Shitshow was at it again, though:

Some quite nice items, but mega money.

Yes sir, that is indeed ten pounds sterling for a pretty worn Lesney GMC Refrigeration Truck with the back door absent.

And a tenner on a chipped, boxless MoY Ford van.

Or does that say £1000? Who knows?

The Corgi Chevrolet Caprice taxi is lovely, and one I absolutely would love to have - but at £35, I think it'll be here a while yet. Same goes for the Superkings Plymouth Gran Fury cop car.

Round the corner, The Giffer had some appealing Dinky wares, but they're not really my era and they're not particularly cheap at £15-25 a throw.

He's had these for a right while, too.

The Charity Stall had a couple of larger 70s Lesneys:

But nothing I really wanted.

Alan had a few items of interest on his 50p Tray:

Not quite diamonds in the rough, but better than a poke in the eye.

None of these were in tip-top shape, to be fair. I was tempted, but left them for now.

[Tenmil Socket]

2 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Yup, while perusing his wares at Carrick Market last Thursday, Colin from the Irish Tat stall had informed me that he had a load of Matchbox and Hot Wheels arriving in.

So I kinda wanted to see what might have shown up.

Well, a couple of nice things - but not much I don't already have.

The Matchbox Working Rigs MAN drop side with telehandler is a marvel, but I've got one already. Ditto the International box van with the tail lift.

He had a couple of Moving Parts, but again doubles for me. I briefly considered the Collector Series Merc SEL, but the donk-like wheels and colour-mismatched doors didn't do it for me.

Market Blokey was away on holiday this week, so his customary two tables appeared to have been taken over by the estate of Julie Goodyear:

Ah well. Sad to say it, but he hasn't had much to interest me for a while now - I've called past the odd time, but there's been precious little to tempt me.

Paddy's Antiques Shitshow was at it again, though:

Some quite nice items, but mega money.

Yes sir, that is indeed ten pounds sterling for a pretty worn Lesney GMC Refrigeration Truck with the back door absent.

And a tenner on a chipped, boxless MoY Ford van.

Or does that say £1000? Who knows?

The Corgi Chevrolet Caprice taxi is lovely, and one I absolutely would love to have - but at £35, I think it'll be here a while yet. Same goes for the Superkings Plymouth Gran Fury cop car.

Round the corner, The Giffer had some appealing Dinky wares, but they're not really my era and they're not particularly cheap at £15-25 a throw.

He's had these for a right while, too.

The Charity Stall had a couple of larger 70s Lesneys:

But nothing I really wanted.

Alan had a few items of interest on his 50p Tray:

Not quite diamonds in the rough, but better than a poke in the eye.

None of these were in tip-top shape, to be fair. I was tempted, but left them for now.

How much was the red MK2 Escort?

[Datsuncog]

9 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

How much was the red MK2 Escort?

A whopping £37.99 on that one!

Brand new, 1/24 scale.

Culchies love them over here.

"Hi bai, does she diff?"

[danthecapriman]

Bloody Nora! How is that guy asking so much for those things? How is he making a living as he must not sell them, surely!?

@Datsuncog if your keen on a Caprice yellow cab, let me know… I have one better than that you can have for less. And it’s boxed still.

[Datsuncog]

I also shuffled in this morning because I quite fancied a coffee and bun, so duly procured same:

And with it, some small purchases from Colin.

I'm not normally a Porsche fanboy at all, but I just love this 911 Carrera casting.

I have this one in white, yellow and red already- but it looks so good in orange, I just couldn't leave it.

The Audi RS6 Avant is a cracker too, especially in this dark metallic green shade. It's not one I've seen before - I believe these are both 2023 releases, so possibly this is another case that never landed locally when new. 

The Matchbox Mercedes 220SE rally is one I did have before, but sold on just before the house move in 2022, still unopened. Again, good to be able to fill in these gaps with what appears to be old stock that's gradually filtering down through independent distributors.

And Colin gave me the latest Oxford mini-catalogue for the first half of 2025, which was nice.

The coffee was excellent; the 'cruffin' (as it apparently was) arrived with a large wad of napkins from the server, clearly borne of experience - although a 10'x16' tarpaulin, a bath towel and a drum of Swarfega might have been even better.

This isn't a pastry one consumes in polite society. Imagine a slightly damp shoe, filled with custard, and then rolled in sugar... yeah, a bit like eating one of those.

Still, it was pretty good, even if I did emerge looking like I'd been embroiled in a Chuckle Brothers sketch.

[Datsuncog]

32 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Bloody Nora! How is that guy asking so much for those things? How is he making a living as he must not sell them, surely!?

@Datsuncog if your keen on a Caprice yellow cab, let me know… I have one better than that you can have for less. And it’s boxed still.

He seems to deal primarily in old cameras and other assorted junk - diecast seem kinda peripheral to his core line of antiques.

Stuff tends to languish here for years - I think he only sells stuff whenever passing tourists get bamboozled about exchange rates and don't realise how much they're forking over.

But yes, I'd be exceedingly interested in a boxed Corgi Caprice taxi - and wouldn't you know it, I've suddenly got a suplus Oxford Firenza in blue? I'm sure we can sort something out...

[flat4alfa]

[danthecapriman]

14 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

He seems to deal primarily in old cameras and other assorted junk - diecast seem kinda peripheral to his core line of antiques.

Stuff tends to languish here for years - I think he only sells stuff whenever passing tourists get bamboozled about exchange rates and don't realise how much they're forking over.

But yes, I'd be exceedingly interested in a boxed Corgi Caprice taxi - and wouldn't you know it, I've suddenly got a suplus Oxford Firenza in blue? I'm sure we can sort something out...

I’ll dig it out and send you a few snaps. I’ve seen it recently but put it away again so I’ll have to find out which one of the many many many identical cardboard boxes it’s in😄

The box isn’t mint, but it still has it.

[bunglebus]

[Datsuncog]

54 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

I had all those Weetabix-branded vehicles. My uncle had a bowl of Weetabix every single morning for years so he was able to collect plenty of tokens and get the lot for me. Pretty much everyone in my school year had at least one of the Tony the Tiger cars and I remember having the black Porsche and white Ferrari, plus a Siku Jeep that I assume was from a different promotion.

The Frosties Corgis were great (or indeed, grrrr-eat!)

I think the Siku Jeep came a little later:

It must have been popular, as they're probably the most widely-found Siku around:

And then there's the Matchbox Firebird that started it all:

So unexpectedly popular that Kelloggs quickly ran out of stock and had to rush-order a second batch, at significant cost, so as not to let all the little tykes down.

 

Quote

Whatever happened to cereal packet giveaways? In my childhood they almost always had something that you could either find in the packet or collect tokens to send away for, but I haven't seen anything like that for years.

I think the end of in-pack giveaways were a combination of manufacturers trying to cut costs, some high-profile cases in the media of toddlers choking on things hidden in food that weren't actually edible, and a growing sense that 99% of the products were ending up as plastic landfill, so not very eco-conscious... all of which I can understand, but I absolutely loved some of the giveaways. I remember Kelloggs in the mid-1980s having little plastic mini-kits of aircraft and I think a tiny submarine that rose and sank in water if you put baking powder inside it?

But other offers were crappy things like bike reflectors and folding spoons, which didn't really grab me as much.

I think nearly every major diecast toy manufacturer put out cereal promotional models with Kelloggs in the '80s and '90s - I can also remember a Matchbox Ford Model A van for Kelloggs' cornflakes, a series of 'chromed' Majorette monster trucks with Rice Krispies, and the unique Corgi Cameo series of Brooklands Racers (and cardboard display diorama) with Corn Flakes - they also put out a 'Cars of the 1960s' range (Mini, incorrect Beetle splittie, 2CV, Minor), plus Land Speed Record cars by Lledo.

I believe my first ever Oxford Diecast was a Bullnose Morris van acquired through collecting tokens from Jordans Cereals.

[Datsuncog]

5 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

I’ll dig it out and send you a few snaps. I’ve seen it recently but put it away again so I’ll have to find out which one of the many many many identical cardboard boxes it’s in😄

The box isn’t mint, but it still has it.

Excellent! Absolutely no rush, I'm sure you're up to your eyes with the move.

I've become quite good at repairing old Corgi boxes, so that's not a problem at all.

I'd guess it's still probably not as dreadful as the yellow Mettoy box on my Mercedes 190E (but, as they say, find another...)

[sierraman]

I’ve recalled this story before but about 1994/5ish I ate my own body weight in Bernard Matthews Turkey Dinosaurs, the had an on pack offer for a Rhino Rod or a Tailgator. I cannot find any reference to this on the internet so you’ll have to take my word and my resultant irritated bowel that this took place. I still have the Rhino Rod, in fact my daughter cites it as the best thing matchbox made. Controversial opinion perhaps. 
 

Round that time new Matchbow were scarce for me, not as such because they weren’t available but moreover that we’d go to the jumble sale and could get four of them for the price of a new one. It wouldn’t be the norm at this time getting a new one unless I was prepared to give myself congestive heart failure by eating a mass of processed meat to get the coupon for a free one. 

[RoadworkUK]

4 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

I remember Kelloggs in the mid-1980s having little plastic mini-kits of aircraft and I think a tiny submarine that rose and sank in water if you put baking powder inside it?

Yes! Only this week I was describing same to a member of staff, who – bewilderingly – is 20 years my junior. How is this possible when I'm still 20 myself and 1989 was only a few weeks ago?  Those aircraft kits consisted of a single primary coloured plastic sprue from which you snipped the fuselage and wings out and clipped them together. We're talking Christmas-cracker quality here, yet somehow so much better.

Anyway. I'm off to the newsagents  now for a 20p Mars Bar.

[Datsuncog]

31 minutes ago, RoadworkUK said:

Yes! Only this week I was describing same to a member of staff, who – bewilderingly – is 20 years my junior. How is this possible when I'm still 20 myself and 1989 was only a few weeks ago?  Those aircraft kits consisted of a single primary coloured plastic sprue from which you snipped the fuselage and wings out and clipped them together. We're talking Christmas-cracker quality here, yet somehow so much better.

If you want to make absolutely, postitively sure you get no more work done this week (or possibly this month), then go ahead and click the link:

Details & information on breakfast cereal offers and promotions including free gifts and packet cut outs

1985 Airliner Model Kit issued with Kelloggs Cornflakes

Oh yeah. That's the stuff.

I think the Funmates Fords from the early 1970s are some of the best promotional toys I've ever seen - 1/43, with a launcher, and given away with packs of Proctor & Gamble laundry detergent!

[bunglebus]

I've got almost all those promo cars except the Cameos.

This Shreddies MK1 Escort is pretty rare though

 

[Tenmil Socket]

15 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

If you want to make absolutely, postitively sure you get no more work done this week (or possibly this month), then go ahead and click the link:

Details & information on breakfast cereal offers and promotions including free gifts and packet cut outs

1985 Airliner Model Kit issued with Kelloggs Cornflakes

Oh yeah. That's the stuff.

I think the Funmates Fords from the early 1970s are some of the best promotional toys I've ever seen - given away with packs of laundry detergent!

Christ almighty! I’d forgotten all about those.

[bunglebus]

Matchbox certainly pushed this one as a promotional item

[Datsuncog]

4 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Christ almighty! I’d forgotten all about those.

[MiniMinorMk3]

First batch from my latest auction lot are these vintage Corgi and Dinky models.

First is this early Corgi 208 Jaguar 2.4 Litre. 

This is the first version from 1957-1960 that had no suspension or interior. It has accessory wheel white wall decals applied, which are fine for the age and car colour.

Tin base just like a Dinky.

Talking of white walls, some daft youngster stuck some on the Vanwall and over time one had fallen off.

Left side ones were starting to peel...

so I finished the job. The tyres are rock hard so I'm glad those sticker came off easily.

Next is a 455 Karrier Bantam truck. 

This is another early Corgi made from 1957 to 1960. Pity it has lost a tyre.

Next is a 465 Commer Pick Up truck.

Still has the brown bench in the back.

Transolite

Good tyres

First of the Dinky models is the 260 Royal Mail Morris van.

Ridged hub and most of the decals still there.

Base is a bit rusty and wavey. 

480 Bedford Kodak van

Again with ridge wheels and most of the decals still present.

Tyres look like half chewed liquorice, but base is straight with only a bit of spider web corrosion under the paint.

Finally we have the Spectrum Patrol Vehicle.

A bit of paint loss and a missing aerial

Good decal on left.

All the glass is intact.

Wear on base. I had to look up what the cog on the base was for as I had forgotten after all the years that have passed since I pushed mine around. Turns out it is supposed to make a rocket noise. Well after a bit of inspection it looks like the cog teeth are a bit worn, and the corroded parts inside have put an end to any noises coming out of this Vehicle. Not to worry, people ask silly money for these even when they look like this, so I should be able to get most my investment back on this one old bit of tat.

 

[bunglebus]

 

[bunglebus]

2 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Still has the brown bench in the back.

Well I didn't know that was a thing! Now I need to find one

[MiniMinorMk3]

Breakfast toys. I remember pouring whole packets of cereal to get to the toy before my brother. The some clever person at the cereal place decided to put the toy in the box, and not in the inner bag. The first time that happened with thought we'd been ripped of after pouring out the cereal and not finding this weeks bit of tat plastic. Only after removing the inner bag from the box did we find the prize.

[bunglebus]