Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

Another Spanish oddity just arrived, Mira Bora looking like a Matchbox copy

However the back and base are very strange

What's this one about? Meant to fit in a launcher maybe?

[Volksy]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

Once home, I pulled the Majorette K70 and Matchbox RS200 out of the stripper

Did he/she mind?

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Volksy said:

Did he/she mind?

Not really. Might want to see a doctor going by what happened to the paint 

[MiniMinorMk3]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Another Spanish oddity just arrived, Mira Bora looking like a Matchbox copy

However the back and base are very strange

What's this one about? Meant to fit in a launcher maybe?

Mira Slalom

[ambassador84]

As I'm a true spendthrift Yorkshire man I can no longer stomach paying £9 for Hot Wheels premiums as for me they represent poor value. Quite often a basic Mainline casting given smarter wheels and a metal baseplate just doesn't cut it anymore!

I now look East for a bit of budget premium glamour and I'm really loving the products of MSZ are putting out in 1:64 scale. Just £4 each from China gets you some very impressive budget models which do include working suspension and metal baseplates.

BMW X5 M

VW T1 Microbus 

1967 VW Beetle.

[Datsuncog]

Not just a Classic Beetle, a Classical Beetle!

Those do look very nicely finished, to be fair, and a great price.

[sierraman]

54 minutes ago, ambassador84 said:

As I'm a true spendthrift Yorkshire man I can no longer stomach paying £9 for Hot Wheels premiums as for me they represent poor value. Quite often a basic Mainline casting given smarter wheels and a metal baseplate just doesn't cut it anymore!

I now look East for a bit of budget premium glamour and I'm really loving the products of MSZ are putting out in 1:64 scale. Just £4 each from China gets you some very impressive budget models which do include working suspension and metal baseplates.

BMW X5 M

VW T1 Microbus 

1967 VW Beetle.

I know, £9 would gall me as well. Especially when £10 gets an exceptionally tidy 1/36 Corgi on fleabay. 

[ambassador84]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Not just a Classic Beetle, a Classical Beetle!

Those do look very nicely finished, to be fair, and a great price.

😅😅😅😅

Whether we like it or not the Chinese diecast industry are really hitting hard with impressive low cost premium diecasts as well as the usual cheapo unlicensed knock offs. I'm still very much a "bricks and mortar shop" kind of guy but sadly I'm really finding it hard not to buy so many of my models online from abroad now.

[ambassador84]

50 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I know, £9 would gall me as well. Especially when £10 gets an exceptionally tidy 1/36 Corgi on fleabay. 

You can buy much nicer Greenlight and Autoworld for less and not much more for superior MiniGT stuff which really makes these HW overpriced. They are expensive in most parts of Europe too so can only assume Mattel charge them/the importers quite a high unit price?

[sierraman]

1 minute ago, ambassador84 said:

You can buy much nicer Greenlight and Autoworld for less and not much more for superior MiniGT stuff which really makes these HW overpriced. They are expensive in most parts of Europe too so can only assume Mattel charge them/the importers quite a high unit price?

In light of recent events how long until Thailand get a Tariff applied when sent to USA. I don’t know what stuff is made in China, if a sizeable majority is and the US is the main market it could very easily see the downfall of comparatively expensive items like that. Could realistically see brands folding as demand goes off a cliff edge in their main market. 

[bunglebus]

Went into town earlier, and encountered a father and son team who scalp all the Hot Wheels, senior had a notebook with a list of "desirable" castings to find. Unfortunately, junior had beaten me to a new set of Fast and Furious premiums, and most of a new series of silverlines

The only other I'd quite like is the Camaro

Picked up the Morgan from Entertainer that I missed last week

And opened a box full of Playarts when I got home. Rover looks just like the Corgi Juniors to me

[sierraman]

Do these that patrol every toy aisle in the land scalping have jobs etc? It can’t be that profitable once they’ve researched it, took the time and driven 100 miles to clear every peg in the county? I’m I missing something here going to work five days a week? 😂

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

Do these that patrol every toy aisle in the land scalping have jobs etc? It can’t be that profitable once they’ve researched it, took the time and driven 100 miles to clear every peg in the county? I’m I missing something here going to work five days a week? 😂

I was thinking that too. 
Is it really worth it!? I’m not sure I could be arsed really. I buy what I like because I like it, that’s what makes it enjoyable. But to sit researching things like toy cars to find out what’s hot and what’s not then bugger off driving to every god awful shopping centre in the county trying to hoover up all the ones you think are desirable just to sit and try to make a couple of quid on top on eBay just seems a total waste of time and effort. There’s no way doing that can make a living surely?

[ambassador84]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

In light of recent events how long until Thailand get a Tariff applied when sent to USA. I don’t know what stuff is made in China, if a sizeable majority is and the US is the main market it could very easily see the downfall of comparatively expensive items like that. Could realistically see brands folding as demand goes off a cliff edge in their main market. 

I think in the short term that could be a distinct possibility though I sense Mr Trump will probably end up abandoning all these restrictive tariffs when he realises it isn't good for the very people who voted him in.

[sierraman]

26 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

I was thinking that too. 
Is it really worth it!? I’m not sure I could be arsed really. I buy what I like because I like it, that’s what makes it enjoyable. But to sit researching things like toy cars to find out what’s hot and what’s not then bugger off driving to every god awful shopping centre in the county trying to hoover up all the ones you think are desirable just to sit and try to make a couple of quid on top on eBay just seems a total waste of time and effort. There’s no way doing that can make a living surely?

It’s also quite a volatile market, you could buy a load of XR2’s then discover Poundland is full of them and you’ve the devils own work selling them.

[Lord Sterling]

38 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

I was thinking that too. 
Is it really worth it!? I’m not sure I could be arsed really. I buy what I like because I like it, that’s what makes it enjoyable. But to sit researching things like toy cars to find out what’s hot and what’s not then bugger off driving to every god awful shopping centre in the county trying to hoover up all the ones you think are desirable just to sit and try to make a couple of quid on top on eBay just seems a total waste of time and effort. There’s no way doing that can make a living surely?

I dont think so much of a living, but I'm guessing more of a 'pin money' / side hustle thing. 

There are a lot of people out there that see anything as potential profit or something to make returns on. It doesn't need to be high profit, an extra few 20s in the bank always helps.

We've had this in classic car circles where an old car is bought to be sold on for a high mark-up (only for it to disappear when no one turns up with £asking). These days it spreads to anything people can get their hands on, even if it makes pennies which is sad really as it deprives a lot of genuine enthusiasts of whatever it is from being able to purchase said items at the original price.

Bear in mind also that because ( certainly for toy cars) we have such a poor selection here in the UK thanks to the poor purchasers clerks, the good stuff gets vacuumed uo very quickly because there aren't many of them in the first place.

[egg]

Is this worth a fiver posted to anyone? Downside massive Norev Rhodialite cracks on the bonnet and roof, aerial long since lost.

Upside is this is a late 1950s early metal base Norev in 'jaune d'oeuf [egg yolk] and noir' with 'type 1' (original wheels Norev used)

Let me know.

[sierraman]

52 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

I dont think so much of a living, but I'm guessing more of a 'pin money' / side hustle thing. 

There are a lot of people out there that see anything as potential profit or something to make returns on. It doesn't need to be high profit, an extra few 20s in the bank always helps.

We've had this in classic car circles where an old car is bought to be sold on for a high mark-up (only for it to disappear when no one turns up with £asking). These days it spreads to anything people can get their hands on, even if it makes pennies which is sad really as it deprives a lot of genuine enthusiasts of whatever it is from being able to purchase said items at the original price.

Bear in mind also that because ( certainly for toy cars) we have such a poor selection here in the UK thanks to the poor purchasers clerks, the good stuff gets vacuumed uo very quickly because there aren't many of them in the first place.

I get where it’s something you do to supplement a hobby, buying and selling the surplus on to pay for the others, we all do that to a greater or lesser extent but scouring the land to basically control the market is a bit odd. But that’s up to them I guess. 

[Lord Sterling]

21 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I get where it’s something you do to supplement a hobby, buying and selling the surplus on to pay for the others, we all do that to a greater or lesser extent but scouring the land to basically control the market is a bit odd. But that’s up to them I guess. 

It is indeed and it does contribute to stopping us from buying the models we want because they've all been vacuumed up. But that's how these scalpers work. And remember, there's probably two or three of them working in a similar area, and they'll be happy to sit on the stocks they buy for years. 

I've seen these scalpers stocks on eBay and there's stuff there that's probably a few years old still in box. Their idea is that the prices will only go up.

[sierraman]

1 minute ago, Lord Sterling said:

It is indeed and it does contribute to stopping us from buying the models we want because they've all been vacuumed up. But that's how these scalpers work. And remember, there's probably two or three of them working in a similar area, and they'll be happy to sit on the stocks they buy for years. 

I've seen these scalpers stocks on eBay and there's stuff there that's probably a few years old still in box. Their idea is that the prices will only go up.

It’s hardly sitting on some Nvidia shares since 2023 is it though! 😂

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, Lord Sterling said:

I dont think so much of a living, but I'm guessing more of a 'pin money' / side hustle thing. 

There are a lot of people out there that see anything as potential profit or something to make returns on. It doesn't need to be high profit, an extra few 20s in the bank always helps.

We've had this in classic car circles where an old car is bought to be sold on for a high mark-up (only for it to disappear when no one turns up with £asking). These days it spreads to anything people can get their hands on, even if it makes pennies which is sad really as it deprives a lot of genuine enthusiasts of whatever it is from being able to purchase said items at the original price.

Bear in mind also that because ( certainly for toy cars) we have such a poor selection here in the UK thanks to the poor purchasers clerks, the good stuff gets vacuumed uo very quickly because there aren't many of them in the first place.

Absolutely true. 
The UK market for pretty much anything diecast is terrible compared to most other countries. It’s no secret on here I and plenty of others tend to go to European sellers for our ‘fix’ simply because you just can’t get things here or if you can the mark up compared to European sellers is enormous (for reasons unknown!). 

It certainly bugs me too that certain things (be it 1:1 cars or models of them) end up unavailable or unaffordable to many genuine buyers and enthusiasts because of people hoovering them up quick just to flip for a quick buck. 
Case in point:

 Last year, I was poking around on the web looking for weird and obscure 1:43 stuff from the partwork collections I’d not seen before. I ended up stumbling upon this, BMW E21 from the Argentinian collection. 
I love this model, but try as I might, I couldn’t find them anywhere. Eventually I found this one but it was in Argentina so postage was a bit pricey. Eventually after dithering I decided to buy it and just lump the postage. 

 
Since then it’s been packed into a big box for when I moved house and still not been unpacked. But I’ve never seen another one anywhere. 
Until yesterday when I was doing the same thing again, scanning the web for oddities! 
This one is a US seller and apparently this is a rare model for some reason. Be sure to be sitting down when you look at the listing!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/365094530388?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D777008%26algo%3DPERSONAL.TOPIC%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20230823115209%26meid%3D7f5812043b5e43bab409e55abc23d947%26pid%3D101800%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26itm%3D365094530388%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D4375194%26algv%3DRecentlyViewedItemsV2SignedOut%26brand%3DMINICHAMPS&_trksid=p4375194.c101800.m5481&_trkparms=parentrq%3A1bda86bf1960ad897b22a0ccfffff9e8|pageci%3A1bb9ed3f-1572-11f0-8afb-36656cca6bf4|iid%3A1|vlpname%3Avlp_homepage

WTF!!?? This is a modern 1:43 remember! 
But this sort of shite is why certain things become absolutely unattainable for most people. Ok, fine, it might be a hard to find one but FFS is it really worth that!? 
 

[danthecapriman]

37 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I get where it’s something you do to supplement a hobby, buying and selling the surplus on to pay for the others, we all do that to a greater or lesser extent but scouring the land to basically control the market is a bit odd. But that’s up to them I guess. 

I’m still convinced some stores have a funny deal going on where certain items come into the delivery bays but never see the shelves and go straight into the scalpers stocks for eBay etc. Probably not an official situation, but I’m sure it’s going on. Or even staff members at it, rifling the new store deliveries when they come in then removing the ones that are desirable and shoving the rest out on the shelves.

[Nibbler]

These arrived today. I’m pretty happy with this lot. Polo C and Passat GLS from Conrad. Volvo 480 from AHC models.

[eddyramrod]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

Absolutely true. 
The UK market for pretty much anything diecast is terrible compared to most other countries. It’s no secret on here I and plenty of others tend to go to European sellers for our ‘fix’ simply because you just can’t get things here or if you can the mark up compared to European sellers is enormous (for reasons unknown!). 

It certainly bugs me too that certain things (be it 1:1 cars or models of them) end up unavailable or unaffordable to many genuine buyers and enthusiasts because of people hoovering them up quick just to flip for a quick buck. 
Case in point:

 Last year, I was poking around on the web looking for weird and obscure 1:43 stuff from the partwork collections I’d not seen before. I ended up stumbling upon this, BMW E21 from the Argentinian collection. 
I love this model, but try as I might, I couldn’t find them anywhere. Eventually I found this one but it was in Argentina so postage was a bit pricey. Eventually after dithering I decided to buy it and just lump the postage. 

 
Since then it’s been packed into a big box for when I moved house and still not been unpacked. But I’ve never seen another one anywhere. 
Until yesterday when I was doing the same thing again, scanning the web for oddities! 
This one is a US seller and apparently this is a rare model for some reason. Be sure to be sitting down when you look at the listing!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/365094530388?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D777008%26algo%3DPERSONAL.TOPIC%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20230823115209%26meid%3D7f5812043b5e43bab409e55abc23d947%26pid%3D101800%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26itm%3D365094530388%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D4375194%26algv%3DRecentlyViewedItemsV2SignedOut%26brand%3DMINICHAMPS&_trksid=p4375194.c101800.m5481&_trkparms=parentrq%3A1bda86bf1960ad897b22a0ccfffff9e8|pageci%3A1bb9ed3f-1572-11f0-8afb-36656cca6bf4|iid%3A1|vlpname%3Avlp_homepage

WTF!!?? This is a modern 1:43 remember! 
But this sort of shite is why certain things become absolutely unattainable for most people. Ok, fine, it might be a hard to find one but FFS is it really worth that!? 
 

Fucking hell!

No.  It absolutely isn't.  However, there is a certain element of BMW tax, which is no surprise, it works with the 1/1 versions too.  Just as with Ford.  Any model of any Ford will easily fetch four times an equivalent model of, say, a Renault.  VWs suffer the same pestilence.  But we all know this.

The upshot is, of course, that someone like me, who has owned or driven what were then cheap old cars from the 70s and would like to commemorate them, can't possibly lay hands on a model of one, either contemporary or modern.  Any that now exist either don't come to UK, or if they do, they are pounced on by the scalpers and instantly priced out of reach.  And the older models have been going the same way for decades.

Sour grapes?  Maybe.  But the evidence is all around us, nowhere more so than Dan's post.

[Split_Pin]

The best thing to do is to take absolutely nothing to do with these scalpers. They're very likely to be sad individuals.

I mostly only buy from here and just wait to see what jumps out. I've had a considerable number of models, too many to list in fact, for absolutely ridiculously low prices, just because we want to pay it forward. For example a Vanguards Cavalier Turbo for a tenner, Matchbox Cavalier for a quid and a a huge 1/12 scale MIB Vullierme Citroen AX for a fiver. Not to mention all the bargains in CogBoxes, Danboxes, Bungleboxes, heck I've even had a TenmilSocketBox. If I decide to move any on, they'll be on here first with not one pound of markup.

So, we've got something those scalpers will never be able to break into, camaraderie and trust.

[danthecapriman]

23 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

The best thing to do is to take absolutely nothing to do with these scalpers. They're very likely to be sad individuals.

I mostly only buy from here and just wait to see what jumps out. I've had a considerable number of models, too many to list in fact, for absolutely ridiculously low prices, just because we want to pay it forward. For example a Vanguards Cavalier Turbo for a tenner, Matchbox Cavalier for a quid and a a huge 1/12 scale MIB Vullierme Citroen AX for a fiver. Not to mention all the bargains in CogBoxes, Danboxes, Bungleboxes, heck I've even had a TenmilSocketBox. If I decide to move any on, they'll be on here first with not one pound of markup.

So, we've got something those scalpers will never be able to break into, camaraderie and trust.

Absolutely this.

Anything I fancy passing on or that I know someone on here is after gets offered here first, without shafting anyone for it. 
I’ve said it before, but I’d rather someone here had something they want at a reasonable price. I’d feel guilty as hell trying to extort someone for something like that BMW I posted. How can anyone possibly ask that!? It’s just plain old greed and nothing more.

[eddyramrod]

On a lighter note, there has been more painting today...

Yes, that's the grab handle off my back gate.  I've repainted the gate inside and out so I thought I'd spray this too.  I can't get the rest of the hardware off so I'll have to brush-paint it in situ.  The Lancia is going to get two-toned.

At least three of these above will be going into my Screen cabinet.

[Lord Sterling]

53 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

So, we've got something those scalpers will never be able to break into, camaraderie and trust.

 Very true. But the only problem is lack of availability. As has been done here, it is first come first serve, which is fair enough. But if you miss out and want that model, what else do you do?

One thread here got so ridiculous that I decided to pop on eBay. A little searching, taking a look at the model and negotiating meant I got myself a couple of Dinky Ford Transits for a little more than one went for here, but the condition was much nicer.

[danthecapriman]

21 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

On a lighter note, there has been more painting today...

Yes, that's the grab handle off my back gate.  I've repainted the gate inside and out so I thought I'd spray this too.  I can't get the rest of the hardware off so I'll have to brush-paint it in situ.  The Lancia is going to get two-toned.

At least three of these above will be going into my Screen cabinet.

Lovely work as always Eddy👍

I must say though, that gate handle is looking fabulous😅

[flat4alfa]

Page 1936

1936 Mercedes Benz 170H. A "People's car", released two years before the Volkswagen Beetle

Dr Porsche, creator of the Volkswagen, had been chief engineer at Daimler-Benz between 1923 and 1928 when the little rear-engined Mercedes-Benz sedans were under development

The "H" stands for Heckmotor, meaning "rear engine".  It ran a water-cooled inline 4

Because the engine was deemed not suitable for conversion to wood gas generator, the Wehrmacht did not requisition them and went with the Volkswagen instead 

In an alternate universe people in California could be running about in Baja Mercs, cal look Mercs. Herbie wearing a swastika instead of a no.53.