Shite in Miniature II

[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.

[eddyramrod]

9 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Page 1936

In which case...

https://onlineredlineguide.com/69/69_classic_36_ford_coupe/69_classic_36_ford_coupe.html

 

[sierraman]

24 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

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.

Probably a good thing for Mercedes then! By the early 1970’s Volkswagen were near going bust, if the Golf had failed they’d have joined the other defunct brands from that time. 

[bunglebus]

Picked up this Corgi Buick Regal just now in a charity shop 

Mainly as I noticed a bit of an oddity with the base

Has the slots which are for the side exhausts on the elusive Track Car version, but also a jacked up rear axle so it sits on a rake

I suppose this is a close to the Track Car as most of us are likely to get!

 

[danthecapriman]

41 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Picked up this Corgi Buick Regal just now in a charity shop 

Mainly as I noticed a bit of an oddity with the base

Has the slots which are for the side exhausts on the elusive Track Car version, but also a jacked up rear axle so it sits on a rake

I suppose this is a close to the Track Car as most of us are likely to get!

 

Ive got that one but mines got the standard base without rake. Maybe they ran out of standard bases at the factory so just used what was available that day on some?

[Split_Pin]

I've seen quote a few late Regals jacked up like your Fire Chief one. Also, Made in China means it's post 1989 and I didn't know they were made as late as that.

[MiniMinorMk3]

20 hours 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'm just waiting for all the Chinese stuff that was meant to go to the US to get dumped in Europe at a heavy discount due to over supply.

 

16 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

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!? 
 

What an absolutely ridiculous price. I checked the sellers other items and they were all priced at Dream On prices. No body in their right mind would should fall for that hype.

If you want an E21 go and find a nice old Schuco 1/43rd from the late 1970s. I'd rather buy a lot of 5 Schucos at auction for £100 plus commission than one Argentinian part work.

If you want a modern E"! then look for a nice Minichamps version. Carmodel.com ask 50 euros for theirs.

 

15 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

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.

All of the various models that I post up that have passed through my hands were all found at toy auctions. Most were sold on for a reasonable profit through Ebay after researching asking prices and then undercutting them. Very few of my models have been purchased new in shops in the last 10 to 15 years because I know they will eventually turn up at auction at some point.

These days though I do not buy so much as I have closed all my Ebay accounts due to them making a mess of it over the last 5 to 10 years and my spare room is full to the brim with stuff.

 

Just one more thing, in the world of collecting when things are newish and perceived to be rare they always get marked up because of supply and demand. Back when Michael Schumacher was driving his Ferrari to victory all the time some of the 1/43rd Minichamps models of his Benettons and Ferraris commanded triple figure prices. But after his star faded the prices have been dropping and dropping. As for the value of these supposed limited hard to find Matchbox and Hotwheels, just take a look at the lots that come up in auction that contain 50 plus of them still in their bubbles. Rarely do they sell for more than an average of £2 each.

[danthecapriman]

3 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

 

I'm just waiting for all the Chinese stuff that was meant to go to the US get dumped in Europe at a heavy discount due to over supply.

 

What an absolutely ridiculous price. I checked the sellers other items and they were all priced at Dream On prices. No body in their right mind would should fall for that hype.

If you want an E21 go and fine a nice old SChuco 1/43rd from the late 1970s.

 

 

All of the various models that I post up that have passed through my hands were all found at toy auctions. Most were sold on for a reasonable profit through Ebay after researching asking prices and then undercutting them. Very few of my models have been purchased new in shops in the last 10 to 15 years because I know they will eventually turn up at auction at some point.

These days though I do not buy so much as I have closed all my Ebay accounts due to them making a mess of it over the last 5 to 10 years and my spare room is full to the brim with stuff.

Tbh, I didn’t even bother looking at that numb nuts’s other listings. Thing is though, he has a feedback score so someone out there is buying his stuff! I’d feel an absolute twat listing something like that at a price like that though. It’s absolutely shameless!

That old Schuco E21 is nice, but (and I’ll probably take some flak for this!) like many models/toys like that, it’s a bit crude for my tastes. That BMW shows why I dislike opening features, as the door fit and gaps are just not in scale to my eyes. I’d rather have no opening features and scale accurate cast in door shut lines etc. But, maybe that’s the railway modeller in me coming out!😆 

[sierraman]

19 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Tbh, I didn’t even bother looking at that numb nuts’s other listings. Thing is though, he has a feedback score so someone out there is buying his stuff! I’d feel an absolute twat listing something like that at a price like that though. It’s absolutely shameless!

That old Schuco E21 is nice, but (and I’ll probably take some flak for this!) like many models/toys like that, it’s a bit crude for my tastes. That BMW shows why I dislike opening features, as the door fit and gaps are just not in scale to my eyes. I’d rather have no opening features and scale accurate cast in door shut lines etc. But, maybe that’s the railway modeller in me coming out!😆 

I was really impressed with the Moving Parts Chevy Pick up in that respect, really clean casting, for £4 they’re not bad value when you consider the work that must go in to them. 

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

I've seen quote a few late Regals jacked up like your Fire Chief one. Also, Made in China means it's post 1989 and I didn't know they were made as late as that.

Looks like I have a better one

For 50p it might make a fun custom anyway.

Going through my pics it looks like all the ones with the exhaust slots have the jacked up rear, whether Great Britain or Chinese made. None have been so obviously high at the back as to catch my eye like this one though, might do a group shot of the two dozen I have

[bunglebus]

Opened the Maisto BMW packaging

And got a copper Caper Cart in the post, just touched the scratched roof up a bit

[bunglebus]

Those Chinese Corgi wheels are remarkably similar to Yatming aren't they?

 

[flat4alfa]

Whitebox did a MB 170H in 1:43 for around 35 Euros

So did IXO, for a bit less, although I'd rather have a Whitebox I think

[bunglebus]

Another diecast oddity discovered in the loft

These are the same, other than a different shade of green aren't they?

Apparently not

[FakeConcern]

20 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

 

That old Schuco E21 is nice, but (and I’ll probably take some flak for this!) like many models/toys like that, it’s a bit crude for my tastes. That BMW shows why I dislike opening features, as the door fit and gaps are just not in scale to my eyes. I’d rather have no opening features and scale accurate cast in door shut lines etc. But, maybe that’s the railway modeller in me coming out!😆 

It goes to show how different things appeal to each of us as when I looked at that Schuco BMW and saw the opening bits I thought I'd like one despite not being a fan of BMWs! The opening bits and crudity makes it more toy like which is one of the things that makes me want it. Don't get me wrong I very much admire more accurate models and appreciate them for what they are, but I don't want to own them. As a teenager I did make plastic kits of cars and mainly WW2 planes and made them look as realistic as ever I could, somehow that was different though. I don't think you (Dan) are likely to take flak for your opinion as I can see why you'd think the toys are crude (they are), it's just two sides of die cast appreciation and collecting.

[danthecapriman]

4 minutes ago, FakeConcern said:

It goes to show how different things appeal to each of us as when I looked at that Schuco BMW and saw the opening bits I thought I'd like one despite not being a fan of BMWs! The opening bits and crudity makes it more toy like which is one of the things that makes me want it. Don't get me wrong I very much admire more accurate models and appreciate them for what they are, but I don't want to own them. As a teenager I did make plastic kits of cars and mainly WW2 planes and made them look as realistic as ever I could, somehow that was different though. I don't think you (Dan) are likely to take flak for your opinion as I can see why you'd think the toys are crude (they are), it's just two sides of die cast appreciation and collecting.

Absolutely. 
I don’t dislike the older cruder toy style stuff. It’s still interesting and has an appeal in its own right. I still do have a load of old stuff with opening features here in my collection, despite thinning it out quite a bit. 
I just find my personal preference is for more scale accurate stuff, although you can still find faults and things wrong on those too. 
A big part of it for me though is customising and changing them, I just can’t seem to leave things alone!😄 But sometimes I feel guilty about hacking up or stripping original paint from a model or toy that’s so old now. Even if it is heavily playworn. Do it to a modern model though and it doesn’t bother me at all because nothing is being lost by doing it. They don’t have the soul or character an old model or toy has managed to pick up over it’s however many years, if that makes sense?

Ive got a brand new IXO Dodge tractor unit here I got cheaper than usual here. It’s absolutely pristine and still wrapped in the cellophane around the box even, but, it’s going on the workbench once my shed is finished as I want to stretch the chassis and repaint it to create a tipper out of it! You can’t buy one like that so it’s a total one off after I’m done, but doing it to a Corgi Major Mack for example, I’d feel a bit bad! 
There’s still that big Triang Jumbo BMC FFK truck in bits here too I need to finish, so I’m not only sticking to newer stuff. But that was absolutely minging when I got it!

Thats the good thing about here though as there’s a bit of everything to look at! Collecting old(er) stuff, customising old(er) stuff, plastic kit building and customising, RC stuff occasionally, more modern models and customising those, finding all the weird differences between what would on the face of it be identical things, a bit of history about things and the place they were made even… etc etc.     

Im sure my custom and modern models aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but it’s great to see a bit of everything. Sometimes only seeing the same thing all the time gets a bit stale, which is the trouble with some other forums etc as it’s all about trying to get perfectly accurate models or whatever, so the mixture on here is great.

You also get boring rambling posts like this on here too!😆

 

[Split_Pin]

Totally agree Dan and Peter, well said. I love the variety you see in this thread.

Personally I love old 1/24 and 1/25 Italian toy cars from the 70s, 80s and early 1990s, Mainly because they were generally out of my financial reach as a kid, but I had just enough examples to get a love for them. I also like Corgis and Dinkys of the 60s and 70s, because a few tatty 1/1 examples were just clinging on to life in the early 1980s when I was a wee boy. Ever the shiteist,  I loved to spot them but there was no way of me acquiring any more than I had already inherited from my dad and uncles. By the time I discovered Swapmeets, they were getting pricey.

I also remember my friend having a huge collection of Box, Bang, Best and Eligor 1/43 models in plastic display cases in the late 1980s. To me these were like the crown jewels in comparison to my tatty Superfasts. But when I started drawing a wage and bought a few, I realised it was the old rammle I actually preferred 😂

[sierraman]

I’m never happier than rummaging through a 50p box 😂

[MiniMinorMk3]

21 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I’m never happier than rummaging through a 50p box 😂

I more happy scanning through endless auction listings and scanning the pictures for that rare item.

I was doing a bit of scanning yesterday and had a close look at this lot, originally estimated at £30-£40, but with pre-bids up to £150. There's some nice little bits in here, but one that sticks out as the prize item. I might have a go at this on Tuesday as it is a rare rare thing.

[danthecapriman]

28 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Totally agree Dan and Peter, well said. I love the variety you see in this thread.

Personally I love old 1/24 and 1/25 Italian toy cars from the 70s, 80s and early 1990s, Mainly because they were generally out of my financial reach as a kid, but I had just enough examples to get a love for them. I also like Corgis and Dinkys of the 60s and 70s, because a few tatty 1/1 examples were just clinging on to life in the early 1980s when I was a wee boy. Ever the shiteist,  I loved to spot them but there was no way of me acquiring any more than I had already inherited from my dad and uncles. By the time I discovered Swapmeets, they were getting pricey.

I also remember my friend having a huge collection of Box, Bang, Best and Eligor 1/43 models in plastic display cases in the late 1980s. To me these were like the crown jewels in comparison to my tatty Superfasts. But when I started drawing a wage and bought a few, I realised it was the old rammle I actually preferred 😂

I was the same, those bigger scale models were completely out of my budget and even as Xmas presents etc they were few and far between just because my parents couldn’t really afford them. Smaller Matchbox or maybe a Superkings were more affordable. 
I think I’m a few years younger than you Iain? I’m 40. But the old Corgi’s and Dinky’s were always much prized finds, particularly from local car boot sales. But, as you say, they were starting to become more valuable by then so you didn’t find them all that often, unless you wanted to pay more of course. One I did find was the mk1 Escort @FakeConcern Peter rebuilt a while back. That one came from a car boot at Merchistoun Hall in Horndean, they held the boot sale every other weekend on some old tennis courts so me and a school friend used to go diecast hunting since it was local. That Escort was in a rummage box istr. It was a bit of a mess really but I kept that absolutely ages so it was good to move it on and see it become something so nice. 
I don’t know why I got into the modern models really. I started diecast collecting as a kid with the usual Matchbox & Corgi etc then stopped as I got a bit older and got more into trains. Around 2010ish I started getting a few modern diecast models from Vanguard’s, Premium X, NEO etc but stopped again. I think maybe it was in the last few years since taking notice of @eddyramrod custom repaints etc that I started getting more into it and trying it out on older castings then cheaper partwork stuff. Tbh, I like few things more now than sitting quietly and taking the models to bits, stripping them and creating something completely unique to my own tastes from them. I can easily lose hours and hours doing it!

[MiniMinorMk3]

And talking of auctions, Vectis have got a Matchbox sale on in 2 weeks. It has everything from old original Moko issues up to 21st Century Mattel issues with lots in between.

Vectis Auctions | Matchbox Model Auction

Some of the rarities include

And what every Matchbox collector needs in their lounge to show off their collection.

[Split_Pin]

I'm 46 this year so roughly similar ages Dan.

Your Escort memory of a boot sale reminds me of one that popped up in a local park I used to go to with my mum, Rouken Glen (I still go there with my own family to this day!) I found a Whizzwheels MK1 Escort which was absolutely my favourite car in the early 1980s. A boy racer who lived on the same street as me had a Black MK1 Escort and I coveted it.  Anyway, the base was detached at one end and I had to persuade my mum to let me buy it. It finally got a proper repaint  into Sunburst red in 1994 after spending some time brush painted in Oporto Red , and it still on my shelf today! I'd like to take it back to the spot where the boot sale was (the park hasn't changed much)  and have my photo taken but I think that might weird out my wife and son 😂

[Tenmil Socket]

59 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

I more happy scanning through endless auction listings and scanning the pictures for that rare item.

I was doing a bit of scanning yesterday and had a close look at this lot, originally estimated at £30-£40, but with pre-bids up to £150. There's some nice little bits in here, but one that sticks out as the prize item. I might have a go at this on Tuesday as it is a rare rare thing.

Which one?