Shite in Miniature II

[eddyramrod]

I never noticed a dab of green, but when I'm upstairs again I'll check.

 

Edit: and if it's Corgi (which I hadn't realised either) I'd better find a Corgi Transit to tow it with, hadn't I?

[bunglebus]

Forgot to mention these few. Regular seller had a bunch of late 80s Matchbox in lovely condition for £2.00 each, various Jag XJs and Rolls-Royces, all of which I have already. 

I mean, I also have the Saab and Sterling, but not this nice

Alfa was rescued from a 50p tub and saved from the indignity of a Peppa Pig sticker on the bonnet

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, eddyramrod said:

 if it's Corgi (which I hadn't realised either) I'd better find a Corgi Transit to tow it with, hadn't I?

Problem is, Corgi missed a trick with the MK2, and didn't include a towbar for caravans/landscaping trailers 

The Martin Walter MK1 doesn't have one either

 

 

[Split_Pin]

A crafty paperclip glued on and painted black would open up these opportunities.

[MiniMinorMk3]

15 hours ago, bunglebus said:

A few odds ends and weirdos

Hong Kong copy of the Matchbox Mercedes trailer?

 

First and Last.

Original Regular Wheel No.2 Mercedes Trailer.

Later military painted version.

Original has model number and leaf spring detail.

Late one has no number, modified axle holders and an extra gusset ahead of the rear axle.

Note Superfast cast into the axle mounts. Also the tow eye bar has PAT APP cast into it. The original did not.

Your Hong version is based on the later modified Superfast trailer.

[Lord Sterling]

Right shiters. I need help. I'm getting to the end of my tether with this thing;

A bit of a back story. A year or two ago, I happened to be browsing in local antiques shop by mine, some local chap came in with some old Corgi cars, I don't remember what the other was, but this one was available at £15. It's an original 1960s Corgi James Bond DB5. It needed a little fettling and a tiny bit or oil to lube up the moving parts.

This is where things go wrong. As I did the base from the joining peg. The peg has since become quite damaged and is reluctant to hold the base and all of the interior mechanisms. The bullet-proof shield that pops out the boot causes this.

I don't have a drill piece thin enough to drill a hole in the middle and fit a tiny screw, no matter how much I try and move the peg, it just won't hold it on. I've tried glue and even that now doesn't work. This is getting on my nerves and I've been tempted to chuck this in the bin, but these, whilst not exactly rare, are a piece of history and I'm reluctant to do that. Help!

[MiniMinorMk3]

@Lord Sterling Have you tried 2 part epoxy resin. Mix some up and put some on the body part, then use tape to hold the chassis to the body, then apply more epoxy around the hole where the peg comes through. Leave until the epoxy has gone of. Obviously you need to be able to put all the bits together before the first application of epoxy goes off, so a slower acting one would help.

[bunglebus]

Yep either epoxy or 1.5mm drill, 2mm tap and M2 screw. It looks like there's an off centre hole in the post already so potentially that could end in disaster if the metal splits.

Rather than tape I'd use a plastic spring clamp or similar to keep the base on while the epoxy goes off, especially if there's spring tension trying to push it off

You get those in Poundland, QD, Poundstretcher etc etc or eBay

[bunglebus]

 

[andy18s]

5 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Yes although mine has a white top and I can't remember the colour of the engine.

This has just popped up for about a tenner posted..

[paulplom]

Scarborough indoor market.

[eddyramrod]

4 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Problem is, Corgi missed a trick with the MK2, and didn't include a towbar for caravans/landscaping trailers 

Well that's a major oversight!  How is Pikey Pat supposed to have your Ifor Williams away in the middle of the night with no towbar?

[flat4alfa]

7 hours ago, Lord Sterling said:

it just won't hold it on. I've tried glue and even that now doesn't work

Get Xenia to hold it in a grip, while the epoxy hardens.  That'll work.

[Lord Sterling]

10 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

@Lord Sterling Have you tried 2 part epoxy resin. Mix some up and put some on the body part, then use tape to hold the chassis to the body, then apply more epoxy around the hole where the peg comes through. Leave until the epoxy has gone of. Obviously you need to be able to put all the bits together before the first application of epoxy goes off, so a slower acting one would help.

Cheers. I'll give it some thought, but knowing me, I just don't have the patience. Putting the parts in is actually quite easy.

10 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Yep either epoxy or 1.5mm drill, 2mm tap and M2 screw. It looks like there's an off centre hole in the post already so potentially that could end in disaster if the metal splits.

Rather than tape I'd use a plastic spring clamp or similar to keep the base on while the epoxy goes off, especially if there's spring tension trying to push it off

You get those in Poundland, QD, Poundstretcher etc etc or eBay

Cheers, sounds like the way forward with this. That bloody car has battled being put together for the last year or so now. I stuffed it in a bag and forgot about it until I started looking up Aston Martin DB5 models again (inspired by the abandoned DB5 that sat on a driveway for many years)

[bunglebus]

On 11/03/2025 at 14:37, bunglebus said:

Help me out here, what on earth did I take these wheels off of? I know I used the other pair on my custom Adams Probe, now I could do with another pair for something else 

 

 

On 12/03/2025 at 23:25, bunglebus said:

I think I've found where my mystery wheels are from

 

I'm still not going to destroy a Mebetoys Miura just for the wheels. However, a broken Mebetoys Jeep...

By happy accident, it has similar looking but very slightly taller tyres too, which has given me a bit of "rubber rake", and suits my project perfectly

[Lord Sterling]

The three Calibras comparison:

I waited absolutely ages for a Schuco Calibra to come up, I'd already got a Gama model in white, then a Del Prado which only comes in white so it was only right that I got a Schuco model in white too. Most were for sale at around £40+ if any were available in white. I lost out on one I bid on after forgetting about it. Then a Schuco one in white came up for a good price. So now, for a trio comparison test:

The Gama and Schuco models are almost identical bar the wheels, badge on bonnet and front grille. The Gama looks like a slightly inferior model whereas the Schuco is a little better out together. However, as I understand it, Schuco had some financial difficulties before the right were acquired by Gama to produce Schuco models, so presumably they than had access to better equipment, which explains why there seems to have been a cross-over during the tenure of making Vauxhall/Opel dealer models, especially in the 90s.

The underside shows that the Del Prado model appears to have used underside cast offs from Gama but with their name printed on it as everything is exactly the same apart from the locating holes where the Del Prado may have once come with a plinth.

As before, the Gama and Schuco are almost identical so will have identical opening parts. The Del Prado has no opening parts but does indeed sport some nice period alloys which are standard on the Del Prado models.

The Del Prado model overall feels a bit cheaper but actually looks quite good. They are actually very cheap models to obtain often coming in under £10 for a 1/43 model. The wheels, whilst nice are a little too inset and the window details such as the black border lines are actually a nice touch that brings the overall view of the car up nicely.

[eddyramrod]

I've got a couple of these Jeep pickups by Corgi...

...but I could do with a couple more for project purposes.  I don't care if they still have whatever fittings they had on the back, any or none is fine.  I could probably also make use of a Holmes wrecker...

...even as rough as this is fine.  Likewise almost any other wrecker or fire truck.  As and when they show up at scrap price; no rush.

I've also got a Milligan's Mill here in what seems to be quite good condition.

I haven't got an awful lot for sale at the moment but this certainly can be.  It needs a better home than I can give it.  I know it's not worth a lot as-is; might be worth putting your name against it though, until I sort out some more surplus.

[bunglebus]

I wouldn't mind the 'Mill, I'll see what I have for swapsies. I've got 3 or four Gus's Gulpers in the project box box but the only Mill is in poor shape, and I have an actual plan for one of those

[bunglebus]

Popped into Smyths at just the right time, pegs full of new Silverlines 

Are they a new wheel design?

Plus a new set of premiums!

That reflection isn't my poor photo skills, it's printed like that

[Split_Pin]

Oh love the Hilux, Beetle and Brat. I'll need to look for those. 

[ETCHY]

As Dinky Vega's/ Bedford Val's seem to be the latest obsession I've been buying a few.

These are in addition to the re-painted one I got a while back.

One is a later Dinky one without the flashing indicators in the later bright white with red interior & clear indicators ( this is in really good condition).

One is a flashing indicator Dinky with the slightly less common red-ish coloured side stripe.

One is a larger scale than the Dinky's plastic Hong Kong made friction drive with a bit of damage.

One is a smaller scale than the Dinky's plastic Hong Kong made friction drive.

I got the two plastic ones for £21.00 which I thought was quite good.

Opinions & input welcomed .

 

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

Beetle 

Thankfully as it's got a metal base, the front wheels are in the right place. They look really odd on the mainline

Premium ones are much better

 

[barrett]

22 hours ago, bunglebus said:

 

I'm still not going to destroy a Mebetoys Miura just for the wheels. However, a broken Mebetoys Jeep...

By happy accident, it has similar looking but very slightly taller tyres too, which has given me a bit of "rubber rake", and suits my project perfectly

Not sure how often you do 1:43 custom projects, but would these interest you for something in the future?

They're Pilen items. Not sure why I have them or where they came form but I obviously figured they might come in useful one day as the 'suspension' is fully intact. I think the left is from the Maserati Ghibli and the right is the Monteverdi Hai. Useful to you?

Anyway, can't remember the last time I bought any old shit toys. I did some decorating recently and 90% of my stuff got put away in boxes and shoved under a bed where they've stayed so I haven't been looking to add any more, but seeing the very rough purple Dinky Capri on here the other day made me think how this was something which I have never knowingly seen in real life so I went straight to ebay, and now...

It's not a patch on my old Italian crap, but there's something very charming about it and I just love the colour. Shame about that missing headlamp as its otherwise in really nice condition... right, back to lurking again.

[bunglebus]

50 minutes ago, barrett said:

Not sure how often you do 1:43 custom projects, but would these interest you for something in the future?

Absolutely! Actually a lot of the reason I don't do the bigger cars is a lack of custom wheel choices. I've got a few Scalextric wheels I picked up as they're about the right size. 

Talking of which I might as well show what it is the Mebetoys wheels have gone on

Pretty pleased with how they look, especially the happy accident of taller rear tyres

I've done a fair bit of work on this one cleaning up casting lines on the roof

I didn't take any before shots but there were some heavy lines diagonally to each corner.

I also tried to sort out the disaster that was the rear of the casting, particularly the casting lines again

Next I tried to improve the doors, which had material missing in the hinged sides

There's now chemical metal to build these areas up. Time for primer....

You might notice I also added something Corgi omitted - tail lights! I was looking on eBay for styrene tube, but it was all too big. Then it occured to me that I had various bits of ball point pen ink tube things, so I cut a couple of thin slices and glued them in about the same place as the real thing. I'm hoping to use Krystal Klear and clear red paint for lenses.

Paint colour TBC but I'm leaning towards something that acknowledges the dodgy yellow overpaint it had when I got it

 

[FakeConcern]

3 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Absolutely! Actually a lot of the reason I don't do the bigger cars is a lack of custom wheel choices. I've got a few Scalextric wheels I picked up as they're about the right size. 

Talking of which I might as well show what it is the Mebetoys wheels have gone on

Pretty pleased with how they look, especially the happy accident of taller rear tyres

I've done a fair bit of work on this one cleaning up casting lines on the roof

I didn't take any before shits but there were some heavy lines diagonally to each corner.

I also tried to sort out the disaster that was the rear of the casting, particularly the casting lines again

Next I tried to improve the doors, which had material missing in the hinged sides

There's now chemical metal to build these areas up. Time for primer....

You might notice I also added something Corgi omitted - tail lights! I was looking on eBay for styrene tube, but it was all too big. Then it occured to me that I had various bits of ball point pen ink tube things, so I cut a couple of thin slices and glued them in about the same place as the real thing. I'm hoping to use Krystal Klear and clear red paint for lenses.

Paint colour TBC but I'm leaning towards something that acknowledges the dodgy yellow overpaint it had when I got it

 

That is looking really good! I'm always in two minds as to whether I should get rid of casting marks or not as they are part of what makes them a toy and gives character, I've often opted to smooth but not completely remove casting lines on things like Dinky Escort and Capris.

Love the rear lights on the Thames Airborne!

[bunglebus]

31 minutes ago, FakeConcern said:

That is looking really good! I'm always in two minds as to whether I should get rid of casting marks or not as they are part of what makes them a toy and gives character, I've often opted to smooth but not completely remove casting lines on things like Dinky Escort and Capris.

Love the rear lights on the Thames Airborne!

Depends what I'm trying to create.

Custom - aim for as good a finish as I can achieve, the designers didn't want the casting lines and flaws on the finished product, they're just what happens with mass produced die castings. 

Resto - pretty much leave alone, although I'll remove bits of flash, play damage and slightly smooth out casting lines, as my paint is thinner than original and they show more. 

Those lights look bloody huge now on my laptop screen, but if you imagine how small a biro ink chamber is, they were quite fiddly things to glue in place. Hopefully they'll look alright if what I want to do works out

[Datsuncog]

Seems that Tuesdays are the day to check for new stock Mattel items - I'd some good fortune in the main (only?) standalone Entertainer store in Central Belfast earlier:

Premium VW Samba bus and Silverline Mk1 Escort RS1600? That'll do well, thank you.

Also called into the Smithfield model shop in Belfast after, for a mooch.

That Escort cabriolet continues to horrify and fascinate in equal measure - I realised after I took the last set of pics that I hadn't peeked at the luckless model through the other side of the box.

Turns out it's even worse.

Maybe else someone's given it a rattle since I last picked it up, but it's now lost most of its offside wing and a fair chunk of the windscreen frame to the dreaded pest.

Wow.

Scary stuff.

Very much not what I'd associate with Matchbox, but happily this seems to be a rare occurrence.

Keeping it old, some pricey twin packs were in the glass cabinets, including another iteration of the trailer mentioned upthread:

Plus some other premium Matchbox items too:

60th Anniversary models, from 2013.

Lots of Minis - at a price. Tenner each on these older mainlines.

Super GTs were colourful, but on closer inspection some of them look pretty rough:

This place has a lot of boxed Lesney-era Matchbox - also for those with deep pockets:

Metallic pinky-purple Supra with a red tailgate is an odd one.

Hot Rocker Capri in red is a late issue version - but is that box kosher?

I don't know enough about the ins and outs of this era of packaging to comment knowledgeably, but something about it seems a bit rum...

At least you know where you stand with the loose items. Some weird and wonderfuls lurking amongst the usual stuff:

Corgi E30 BMW with metal base was in alright nick, and hasn't yet shed its doors. Juniors Alfa Carabo was showing some minor wear, but still very presentable.

Novacar Nissan Terrano, and no-name Hong Kong racer which looks very coincidentally like a Corgi Junior.

Two more no-names - Merc SEL says Made in China, Jeep (with opening bonnet) boasts that it's made in Hong Kong.

Lastly, two of those Hungarian rip-offs of Lesney products - a High Speed Tanker, and a Bedford TM car transporter, branded as 'Playmobile' (not Playmobil).

The only thing I came away with was a contemporary Volvo 240 for a fellow-shiter on here, but it's always good to have a bit of a hoke...

 

Happy Tuesday, kids.

[junkyarddog]

11 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Metallic pinky-purple Supra with a red tailgate

That is unusual,Bulgarian?

How much was it?

(Out of curiosity)

 

[sierraman]

I can’t understand why they devalue them by sticking the price on the box of those seventies ones. 

[bunglebus]

7 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Lastly, two of those Hungarian rip-offs of Lesney products - a High Speed Tanker, and a Bedford TM car transporter, branded as 'Playmobile' (not Playmobil)

Ooh, interesting. I have several of the transporters but not the tanker. I'd be interested if it wasn't stupid money

Looks like I have part of the tanker...

The Merc is fairly common, one was in my boot sale box