Shite in Miniature II

[ambassador84]

3 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Oh it’s wider than that - they’ve been closing one a month for two years now

Last month was Croydon, Luton previous month, then East Kilbride, Dundee, Birmingham Fort, High Wycombe, Huddersfield, Sutton Coldfield…

There has been a recruitment freeze in force since November

Huddersfield is my local branch but is still trading and nothing online that I've seen to say it is. It wouldn't shock me though as our town centre is in its final death throes!

[sierraman]

32 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Had a look, they are. Also paid leave on their birthday. Well I never

 

Next you’ll be telling me they get sick pay! 😂

[quicksilver]

3 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Perhaps they're leaving the big-box experience to Smyths, and pivoting to corner the toy market in convenience locations - I think that's been a big shift for The Entertainer over the past year.

Could be their business model is now focusing on growing sales through the Tesco concessions and online business, rather than operating separate retail stores?

While it's never good to see toy shops shutting, their Belfast store has been selling less and less of the stuff I'm interested in for a while now. Unhelpful opening hours and stale stock means it's hard to justify going out of my way to visit them lately.

And yet they've just opened a new store in Milton Keynes shopping centre that can't have come cheap. They closed their original store there quite  a while ago but now (as of last October) have what looks like a bigger one in a more prime location. No idea what it's like as I haven't been inside yet.

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

Next you’ll be telling me they get sick pay! 😂

It seems not but they do have life cover with Death in service at 4x salary, which is at the extreme end of a type of sick pay

20% staff discount crikey

I might have to reconsider my assessment!

 

[FakeConcern]

5 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I was thinking... I wonder why very few models are made with an actual 'driver' sat at the wheel?

It would make sense for them to have a driver, but when I was a kid I usually removed the driver when fitted. The examples I can remember are Corgi Elans in the Lotus gift set, although I do still have them as I have the complete box as well and the Corgi Marcos 1800 no idea where he went. Dinky police Transit had a driver and again I removed and lost him. I'm  sure some others I owned must have had a driver, but I can't think what at the moment.

[bunglebus]

Spotted a few cheap old Hot Wheels on the UK Diecast Sales FB page the other night

Don't mind a purple 'vette

I definitely don't mind a Range Rover 

But the seller also had this, and despite being labelled Dunes Racer, it's our old friend the 4X4 Open Back Truck 

[Split_Pin]

Up to a point, all early 1/76 Hong Kong bus models had a driver. He was even waving in some of the 'Collector's Model' buses!

[bunglebus]

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

Race cars have drivers.

Taxis sometimes have drivers

Dinky FX4 Cabs have drivers,

even the Jubilee one

[Tenmil Socket]

I’m talking the vast majority of small scale Matchbox, Corgi, Hot Wheels, Majorette etc.

Opening parts such as doors, bonnets, boots, sunroof’s etc. and even objects moulded into the parcel shelf but no driver!

[Remspoor]

On 13/04/2025 at 10:16, ETCHY said:

How fucking much, I assume ?

 

On 13/04/2025 at 11:01, eddyramrod said:

 

Perfectly assumed.  I honestly thought that acronym had gained enough traction here to be universally recognised.

I have always thought it was Hedge Fund Money

[Remspoor]

Because of YT I came across a Dutch video about a model shop in Rotterdam. It is mainly trains but it does have die-cast/plastic vehicles and model kits.

I never heard of it. My step daughter lives near Rotterdam. Hope I can get to teh shop sometime. Any hows if you are in the Netherlands maybe something to plan in to visit.

https://www.meijerenblessing.nl/artikelen/schaalmodellen

The address is at the bottom of the page.

[Spottedlaurel]

Don't forget this chap:

Although he does appear to have an issue with overly firm suspension and loose steering wheel.

[flat4alfa]

Later that week he had piles and never recovered fully

[Spottedlaurel]

Assorted acquisitions from the last week or so, including a long birthday weekend down in Kent/East Sussex:

My selection from the boxed Corgis at a local charity shop (along with purchases for some of you here).

Gift from Miss SL, chosen when we popped into Smyths in Leicester recently. She did at least pay for it herself, so we've moved-on a bit....

The Datsun 510 is particularly nice.

Bits and bobs from the car museum/antiques shop in Rolvenden.  Ought to redo the Camry as a replica of the 2.2 Sport I used to have. Just found photos from when we visited there back in 2006, not sure if much has changed. At ome point I'll post photos of the diecast displays.

From Sackville Emporium in Bexhill. A funny little place, and without asking I effectively got the Corolla for free with the Princess.

Smyths in Eastbourne. Shame about the overly large wheels on the van.

[FakeConcern]

35 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Assorted acquisitions from the last week or so, including a long birthday weekend down in Kent/East Sussex:

My selection from the boxed Corgis at a local charity shop (along with purchases for some of you here).

Gift from Miss SL, chosen when we popped into Smyths in Leicester recently. She did at least pay for it herself, so we've moved-on a bit....

The Datsun 510 is particularly nice.

Bits and bobs from the car museum/antiques shop in Rolvenden.  Ought to redo the Camry as a replica of the 2.2 Sport I used to have. Just found photos from when we visited there back in 2006, not sure if much has changed. At ome point I'll post photos of the diecast displays.

From Sackville Emporium in Bexhill. A funny little place, and without asking I effectively got the Corolla for free with the Princess.

Smyths in Eastbourne. Shame about the overly large wheels on the van.

You could have popped in to see us in Bexhill!

Glad you had a good time in the area and some great finds there too...

[flat4alfa]

4 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I’m talking the vast majority of small scale Matchbox, Corgi, Hot Wheels, Majorette etc.

Opening parts such as doors, bonnets, boots, sunroof’s etc. and even objects moulded into the parcel shelf but no driver!

Lone Star 'Tuff Toys' 'Citroen' might fit the bill

Nicely done, for the size I think, model of a DS 'Decapotable' by Chapron

1:86 scale, it says underneath

 

Which makes it quite weeny, yet still has a driver

[bunglebus]

I'm sure there are many more. Personally it never occurred to me as a kid, as I was the driver anyway 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Does anyone know their way around Tonka clutch popper mechanisms? Are they repairable? 

[bunglebus]

 

[flat4alfa]

4 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

but no driver!

Yeah.  Just look at this shocker

Sedan gets TWO DRIVERS

BUT Station Wagon gets no drivers

Yet THEY LEFT TWO DOGS IN THE CAR

SHOCKER

[bunglebus]

Oh dear 

Interesting that the septics were paying $29 99, which seems cheaper to me than what we pay in proper money

[Spottedlaurel]

7 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

You could have popped in to see us in Bexhill!

Glad you had a good time in the area and some great finds there too...

You were in my mind as I was down there, but I couldn't remember where on the coast you were.

You ever buy anything from the Stackville Emporium? Funny little place, only found it by chance when we wandered around after visiting the pavilion.

[flat4alfa]

6 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Oh dear 

Interesting that the septics were paying $29 99, which seems cheaper to me than what we pay in proper money

I’m more bothered about that very low shipping charge. We all know how much it costs to ship to and from US, well before the Orange Mussolini got involved, and it’s not that cheap. Must be a typo, what with it being stated in £ not $

[FakeConcern]

3 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

You were in my mind as I was down there, but I couldn't remember where on the coast you were.

You ever buy anything from the Stackville Emporium? Funny little place, only found it by chance when we wandered around after visiting the pavilion.

Everyone forgets about Bexhill!

If  the Sackville Emporium is the place I think it is, then it is the result of a military memorabilia/toy train shop and a Doll's house shop which were both in the old arcade in Western Road amalgamating. I've never bought anything in there, but looked around a few times.

Love the Pavilion, though it's a bit run down at the moment. They occasionally have a good exhibition there and we've been to some great concerts.

Italian Job Exhibition in 2012

We decided we wanted to move to Bexhill from SE London after visiting the DLWP!

[MiniMinorMk3]

11 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Nicely done, for the size I think, model of a DS 'Decapotable' by Chapron

 

 

Even has the detail of the indicators at the top corners of the boot lid.

[MiniMinorMk3]

I could spend hours looking in windows like this when I was little.

[danthecapriman]

7 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

I could spend hours looking in windows like this when I was little.

You don’t see toy shops much at all now, let alone proper Aladdin’s cave style places like that.

Like so many of those places though, I bet it’s now a Costa/nail bar/kens kebab’s or some other shit just like every other towns shopping area.

[Bren]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

I could spend hours looking in windows like this when I was little.

I can see the dinky jubilee coach so it is circa 1977.

[Remspoor]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

I could spend hours looking in windows like this when I was little.

I would be a bit annoyed if the shop window had not been changed from my last visit. Why cant they do this every week?☹️

When I was younger we used to have 3 toy shops  in the main shopping area. One was part of a department store. The other two were independents. Then a small parade of shops near to our house had a shoe repairer. He also sold matchbox cars. The smell of the glue and leather was a bonus.