Shite in Miniature II

[Split_Pin]

That looks in great condition after being entombed in the soil for so long. 

Seems like Dinky made a range of home garden tools just for the heck of it. Look at the lawnmower, its fantastic!

Super find.

[Amishtat]

46 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

That looks in great condition after being entombed in the soil for so long. 

Seems like Dinky made a range of home garden tools just for the heck of it. Look at the lawnmower, its fantastic!

Super find.

[sierraman]

Wonder what these trade tariffs will mean for Matchbox in the US? Might we end up with some in the U.K.? 🤔

[Split_Pin]

As reported elsewhere, I finished the Monster Beetle, I can't wait for a proper test drive this evening. I'll have a go in the College car park while my son is at basketball training.

 

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

Wonder what these trade tariffs will mean for Matchbox in the US? Might we end up with some in the U.K.? 🤔

Mattel is American so no doubt will be exempt from the tariffs. Not to get into politics but I can't see it working out well 

[sierraman]

27 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Mattel is American so no doubt will be exempt from the tariffs. Not to get into politics but I can't see it working out well 

No I agree, out of our hands anyway. Maybe a load of Walmart specials might wind up at Poundland? 😂

[ambassador84]

3 hours ago, sierraman said:

Wonder what these trade tariffs will mean for Matchbox in the US? Might we end up with some in the U.K.? 🤔

Hot on the heels of Bunglebus I found the new 2025 Case E at an Entertainer today so at least new stuff is coming through 😉👍

[Datsuncog]

On 03/04/2025 at 08:46, sierraman said:

Wonder what these trade tariffs will mean for Matchbox in the US? Might we end up with some in the U.K.? 🤔

I doubt it'll make much difference either - Mattel just designs and manufactures the products, it's always been up to distributors and retailers around the world to turn those products into consumer sales. Taxes and tariffs are constantly shifting globally, and these toys are cheap enough that even 10% tariffs will only add pennies to the bottom line.

Even though Mattel's a US company, the Matchbox range are still brought in from factories in Thailand and China, so as I understand it will be hit with tariffs to import their products into the US - in an effort to return more manufacturing to the USA again - but that won't directly impact imports from Thailand etc to other countries such as the UK.

Over here, there are a number of huge US-based pharmaceutical companies who manufacture in Ireland and export back to the US because it's cheaper than operating a factory over there, but are now wondering whether they'd be better off shutting their Irish operations and returning to the US rather than pay the new import tariffs.

It's quite possible that Mattel might raise their wholesale prices universally to offset the extra costs for US market items, though. Which is annoying, as it seems that Matchbox and Hot Wheels are typically much cheaper in the US than here, especially for Premiums.

[MiniMinorMk3]

5 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

As reported elsewhere, I finished the Monster Beetle, I can't wait for a proper test drive this evening. I'll have a go in the College car park while my son is at basketball training.

 

Here's my Beetle that I drove to college when I was 18.

 

[Split_Pin]

That's excellent !

[MiniMinorMk3]

20 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I've also found a few new bits in Smyths, seems I've missed a delivery but picked up a few stragglers. Does the Williams count as being in Gulf livery?

 

That Williams is far from a Gulf Livery car. To me the cars that are Gulf livery are the cars from John Wyer Automotive LTD, which operated from 1966 to 1976.

 

 

McLaren had a go back in the 1990s

Audi 2001

 

 

And from 2010 there are the Aston Martins

[Lord Sterling]

Last day here in Brussels so I'm afraid I won't be able to return to Pêle-Mêle after. I will hopefully be coming back come end of August.

Anyway. I did return to Pêle-Mêle today as I've been paid. I also went to Cora and Carrefour now they're open after a strike day on Monday.

To be honest, thankfully there wasn't much out this time that I really wanted. I got some bits but fairly modest haul compared to usual.

Cora First:

1/18s:

1/43 ème:

Majorette have raised their game a bit and come out with far nicer stuff than they have been doing of late.

1/43 Majorette:

Nothing really caught my eye, a few pieces were nice but I couldn't exactly justify it. 

Pêle-Mêle had changed some of their stock since I last visited:

Gone, unfortunately was the Triumph Herald I might have grabbed abd the 1/18 BMW 850i in yellow I kind of had my eye on. Nae worries, I did pick up up some bits I'd wanted anyway.

Carrefour:

1/43:

Good to see a Fiesta on a rack untouched. You just wouldn't see this in England unless you were really lucky;

Anyway, my haul for today:

The books were also from Pêle-Mêle. 

[sierraman]

French Hypermarkets used to have a good selection like that. 

[Datsuncog]

Good find on the Bburago R9! Looks very clean. That would have been my pick from the Pêle-Mêle cases, anyway. 👍

Impressive range of products in the Belgian hypermarkets too, I can see why you make a point of stopping off!

[Lord Sterling]

Yes, the supermarkets here have a great range of stuff. Compared to the bland and poor items we get given, everything is different and interesting.

Being the centre of Europe, it also caters for other world tastes such as the UK, Italy, Turkey etc...

Motor section was like a tiny Halfords. You can buy everything from tailored floor mats fornyour car to a battery.

Electrical goods even include turntables.

I like their self-check outs. Once you buy and pay for everything, you get given a ticket to scan to come out of the self-scan area:

Carrefour even has a Tavern where  bored blokes can go to whilst waiting for their families.

It does look very dated in there though.

[Datsuncog]

Heartened by the finds detailed upthread, I took a spin down to Tesco over lunchtime, just to see what's what.

Not much new for Matchbox - a full  enough tub, but mostly made up of the same 2025 Mix B models we first saw here before Christmas, plus some even older 2024 releases:

Hot Wheels were also plentiful, but from even further back in time - that case with the yellow Honda is from when, like last September?

If I never see another Rink Racer or Dessert Drifter, it'll be too soon...

All the Hot Wheels Premiums on the pegs here are old old old stock - that white Jay Leno Garage Mazda Cosmo, the 007 Aston Martin Vantage, the Thundercats Thundertank, and the spectacularly unpopular Action Comics/ Superman green 1930s sedan. 

Not many takers for those, especially at £9 a throw.

Well, that was a waste of time.

I then swung by Sainsbury's too, as I had Nectar discounts due to expire today.

Hang on...

Let's peer a little closer into this dark shelf, shall we?

Well well well.

A freshly opened-out Hot Wheels G-Case selection.

Most unexpected. They've had bog-all here for months now.

Some very nice releases included in this particular case:

I didn't buy them all; at £2.40 a go and no multi buy offers, it'd be a somewhat hefty bill at the till. Especially as there's a chance Home Bargains or somewhere might have the same case out for nearly a pound less.

But - I did grab the marvellous little Model A, and the Mercury Cyclone too.

Whoop whoop.

[Spottedlaurel]

Majorette Toyota Century? Definitely something to watch out for when we visit France in the summer (local toy shops already scouted out).

[Lord Sterling]

42 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Majorette Toyota Century? Definitely something to watch out for when we visit France in the summer (local toy shops already scouted out).

I regret not buying this. I actually had in my hand for a few minutes intending on buying it. However I put it back 😟

I'll be returning in a few months time, hopefully with a bit more spending money and that'll be the first thing I make a beeline for.

It happened with the 1/18 Aston Martin DB5 I bought last year. I admired it for ages and ages, then when I had the money, I went for it.

[sheffcortinacentre]

5 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Here's my Beetle that I drove to college when I was 18.

 

Made it to April 84

[bunglebus]

5 hours ago, sierraman said:

French Hypermarkets used to have a good selection like that. 

I've got a job in Paris Sunday-Tues so hopefully I'll find some goodies

Don't think I've seen this one before

@Lord Sterling

 

[bunglebus]

I popped the new Matchbox 2CV out of its blister

So I could line it up with the equivalents from Corgi and McToys

Like a lot of newer Matchbox, it's tiny! No bad thing, as the detail is good. Even notorious cheapskates Corgi gave us opening doors on the Juniors though...

[Split_Pin]

I'd echo the sentiment on the Bburago R9, it's an obscure choice for an Italian manufacturer, same for the 1/24 R14, but definitely all the better for it. Ive only ever seen it in yellow though.

Guisval had a stab at it too in a couple of scales .

[Split_Pin]

7 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I popped the new Matchbox 2CV out of its blister

So I could line it up with the equivalents from Corgi and McToys

Like a lot of newer Matchbox, it's tiny! No bad thing, as the detail is good. Even notorious cheapskates Corgi gave us opening doors on the Juniors though...

I love Corgi 2cvs as they came with the 1970s square headlights which I don't think anyone else has modelled.

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

I've got a job in Paris Sunday-Tues so hopefully I'll find some goodies

Don't think I've seen this one before

@Lord Sterling

Looks to be the MB10 Willys Jeepster in dark blue - one of those early 2024 releases that never seemed to make it to the UK last year!

[Lord Sterling]

50 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I've got a job in Paris Sunday-Tues so hopefully I'll find some goodies

Don't think I've seen this one before

@Lord Sterling

 

1948 Willys Jeepster. These have been out for a long while. I saw them last year in the same place.

[sierraman]

I’ll be passing through Tenerife South next week, I’ll check it out there, last year they had an XJC so miracles can happen in their departure shops. No sign of any Guisval yet, supposedly they’re sold in petrol stations but I don’t fancy a hike down the carreterra. 

[Datsuncog]

On 02/04/2025 at 18:46, bunglebus said:

There were also some new 1:43 cars on the pegs

I grabbed the Nova, probably best there was no price on this as it was somewhat eye watering! I really liked the Mercedes in this series too but the price out me off at the time.

Anyway, it's pretty cool

I do like those Hot Wheels 1/43s - though there's a vague irony that a lot of collectors (especially on Vanguards collector pages) seem to be claiming that 1/43 models are dying as a collectable scale because younger collectors are all about Hot Wheels and 1/64 in general - yet here we are with an expanding range of 1/43 by Hot Wheels widely available at multinational chain stores.

Mercedes looks awesome, though I haven't seen one in real life yet.

[sierraman]

There are younger collectors?! 😂 Everyone I’ve seen scalping has been 50 plus! 

[Datsuncog]

Lotta guys in their twenties with tattoo sleeves, short beards, and wearing gilets with heating company logos on cruising the Mattel aisles round here... guess they gotta find the money to fix the fucked turbo on their financed Transit Custom somehow...

[ambassador84]

8 hours ago, sierraman said:

I’ll be passing through Tenerife South next week, I’ll check it out there, last year they had an XJC so miracles can happen in their departure shops. No sign of any Guisval yet, supposedly they’re sold in petrol stations but I don’t fancy a hike down the carreterra. 

Repsol petrol stations often sell Guisval though obviously not the kind of places you want to spend your holiday searching 😅