Shite in Miniature II

[morrisoxide]

22 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Love this casting, needs customising

Haven't found a green one yet.

Here is one I made earlier. 

Still needs a bit of detailing on the milliput engine and one headlight looks like it's on the wonk.

[Macscrooge]

Warshite.  Some of Dinky’s finest after a swift repaint. Bedford QL, Daimler scout car (Dingo) and Daimler armoured car. The air recognition roundel is a decal, other markings - arm of service and division - are painted. The Bedford in particular was rather tatty but I think they’ve turned out well. They’re for use in wargames so definitely not display pieces!

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, morrisoxide said:

Here is one I made earlier. 

Nice job, lots of changes there. You must have a steady hand to paint the rims, a hateful job to try and get right

[Lord Sterling]

Right. Some SD1 action:

I'd just bought the Polistil 1.24 SD1 when some suggestions came up showing a Matchbox one. I had to buy it...

I was extremely reluctant to get it out the packet, but it's mine and I can easily glue the packet closed again.

Despite being marketed as a "moving parts" car, the bonnet does seem to be quite a fragile thing to open and I am reluctant to force it.

The rear number plate is a nice touch, underneath is very difficult to read, but it looks like it says "MATCHBOX ENGLAND ???" I think.

The Matchbox car is very nicely detailed but the proportions of the car are a tad out imho.

I have an earlier Matchbox SD1 in a copper colour but I cannot recall its whereabouts. When I find it, I'll do a comparison. 

Polistil 1.24 SD1 3500

This was the eBay purchase prior to the Matchbox SD1. I've had this a few days now and admittedly, I did pay more than I normally would have for a Polistil car. However, this one has previously been detailed quite nicely, possibly by its previous owner. Its different from the plain Polistil models on that it has black inserts for the window pillars and fine chrome lip around the windows and top frame of the car.

It appears to have had some "Nuln" oil added to the alloys to give it more of authentic look which does help a lot.

The rear was something I had to work on. My Molotow pen is running out but the rear bumper and lights were still as plain as they were and the badges were painted black with silver lettering. This SD1 is based on an early version, so chrome rear bumper and silver-backed badging with black lettering. The lights got a slither of white for the reversing lights as that is a prominent feature on the SD1, and the range indicator lights added too to break up the sea of red.

The front badge was painted red with a silver border. This was rectified as again, this is an early car with the earlier front viking badge.

Additionally, I got a Mercedes R107 SL by Polistil. These are pretty cheap and easy to find compared to the Jaguar and Rover.

This was as plain as it was out of box. The front grille has a broken slat. But it was painted black as per real car and has given it that more recognisably Mercedes look compared to just a load of silvery grille slats.

Rear had the white pen for adding reverse lights but its not that subtle. The side of the light was given a light adding of white, then orange colour to slightly pop out that orange indicator lense look. The front indicators were also given a bit more orange as per real car, it didn't look right with only a tad bit of orange colouring behind the lights.

I haven't got much to say about the interior, except, there ya go. Needs a clean.

BIG JAGS AND ROVERS

A little bit of a shout out to Jag XJC I got recently. Nice model, a marked improvement over the first blue one that was released, looked nice but horrid wheels and drab colour let it down massively. This red with more period-looking wheels is more like it.

[bunglebus]

I was quite impressed with my Polistil SD1 until I saw yours, didn't know they made some with added factory detail

 

[Split_Pin]

I think Mo is saying someone added the detail afterwards, what a transformation! The wheels look amazing.

[Lord Sterling]

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I was quite impressed with my Polistil SD1 until I saw yours, didn't know they made some with added factory detail.

 

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

I think Mo is saying someone added the detail afterwards, what a transformation! The wheels look amazing.

Basically as @Split_Pin said. It appears to have been modded by a model enthusiast. I just finished it off by adding the small details to the rear. It does look good.

[Datsuncog]

This week also brought a fresh DanBox™ to my door:

Once again, packing is on point, and snugged up inside we have...

Ah, you can see where this is going, yeah?

Yup, late Mettoy-era Corgi. Two I've never had before - the #327 Chevrolet Caprice Classic in taxi colours, and the #1159 Ford Transcontinental Car Transporter.

And in their original packaging, too. The box on the Caprice is pretty tidy, while the Transporter should look well with some pressing and fresh cellophane.

Really pleased with these, thanks for holding them over for me @danthecapriman!

[danthecapriman]

29 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

This week also brought a fresh DanBox™ to my door:

Once again, packing is on point, and snugged up inside we have...

Ah, you can see where this is going, yeah?

Yup, late Mettoy-era Corgi. Two I've never had before - the #327 Chevrolet Caprice Classic in taxi colours, and the #1159 Ford Transcontinental Car Transporter.

And in their original packaging, too. The box on the Caprice is pretty tidy, while the Transporter should tidy up well with some pressing and fresh cellophane.

Really pleased with these, thanks for holding them over for me @danthecapriman!

Glad you like em’!

Hopefully the boxes will improve with some TLC. It’s odd the Transcontinental still has the box, as it’s obviously been out and played with a bit. Normally they just end up straight in the bin.

[bunglebus]

I thought I had the Taxi Caprice, but my archives say:

[Datsuncog]

34 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I once owned an STP stock car version - rather foolishly, I swapped it along with a load of other MIB 80s Corgis for a Corgi Classics Scammell truck. But I was 14, and my mindset at the time was 'adult models, not kiddy toys'.

Ironically, I could probably pick up the Scammell for about a tenner online nowadays while my original Corgis are mostly well outside my budget (especially the yellow MG Maestro with working lights!)

I also had the Corgitronics Fire Chief version, procured from the market in about 2019:

Which worked pretty well and was in good nick bar the missing bulb cover on the roof, but which I passed on in the big house move clear-out in early 2022.

It's a slightly clumsy design, with the wheels always seeming to be mounted quite far out, but the taxi version looks pretty good with the advertising sign on the roof and the aerial.

I'd still like to track down a civilian version, mind - Corgi produced plain green versions, plain gold versions, and a two-tone blue and silver version, but they seem to have been slow sellers and consequently not that easy to find now.

The search continues!

[bunglebus]

Not seeing much of interest in charity shops lately, so maybe I should have left this three wheelin' Hot Wheels Mebetoys Golf behind - but the wheels just push onto a peg, so easy enough to fix with a donor. Could even swap some Bburagos onto it, excitement!

[Datsuncog]

Some lunchtime laptop pix of the Drift-Ender, freed from its plastic prison:

It's daft, but I really like it.

Removed rear door reveals suspension points and cross-bracing; not all that easy to photograph, sadly.

I'd hoped there might be some peeler figures concealed in the back, but sadly not.

Twin turbos protruding through the bonnet are another nifty touch, though I'm not sure how easy it'd be trying to drift a 4wd vehicle...

[danthecapriman]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

I once owned an STP stock car version - rather foolishly, I swapped it along with a load of other MIB 80s Corgis for a Corgi Classics Scammell truck. But I was 14, and my mindset at the time was 'adult models, not kiddy toys'.

Ironically, I could probably pick up the Scammell for about a tenner online nowadays while my original Corgis are mostly well outside my budget (especially the yellow MG Maestro with working lights!)

I also had the Corgitronics Fire Chief version, procured from the market in about 2019:

Which worked pretty well and was in good nick bar the missing bulb cover on the roof, but which I passed on in the big house move clear-out in early 2022.

It's a slightly clumsy design, with the wheels always seeming to be mounted quite far out, but the taxi version looks pretty good with the advertising sign on the roof and the aerial.

I'd still like to track down a civilian version, mind - Corgi produced plain green versions, plain gold versions, and a two-tone blue and silver version, but they seem to have been slow sellers and consequently not that easy to find now.

The search continues!

I’ve had 2 taxi versions now. One of you lot had the other one off me too. Only civilian one I had was the green one which is with @andrew e now. Some of the 2 tone blue & silver ones had the earlier 4 spoke style wheels too.

The taxi version always reminds me of Die Hard 3 when they were tanking a yellow cab through Central Park!

[Split_Pin]

I had a MiB 2 tone example, I wish I'd kept it but I let it go in the great purge of '13 before I decided that 1/36 cars were going to be a focus of mine.

[bunglebus]

Ordered some supposedly chrome effect paints off Temu as I need to repaint the Graffic Traffic Corvette, and didn't fancy buying a £25 Molotow refill.

To be fair, this one doesn't promise chrome but it looks identical to others I've seen that are very effective 

Verdict: no good, just metallic silver

Second one is a gel nail polish that needs a UV lamp to cure

Considering that's just applied on a tatty car with no prep, and with a terrible brush that came with the other paint, I'd say it was pretty good. 

Only thing is I don't think I dare try and thin it for the airbrush as I suspect that will change how it works, think chrome effect needs an alcohol base to evaporate off quickly. Might be brush painting the body!

[bunglebus]

Hmm not quite sure - I'd say 7/10 but considering it's brushed on, I think it could be great for bumpers etc

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

Hmm not quite sure - I'd say 7/10 but considering it's brushed on, I think it could be great for bumpers etc

It doesn’t look too bad. I wonder if you could polish it up to more of a shine after it’s fully dried?

[AndyW201]

Finally got one of these. I've had one on my ebay watchlist from Jumajo in France for what must be years but I finally snagged one from a UK seller for £cheap.

Not the most exciting thing in the world, but that's where most of my collecting instincts lead to...

So, it's the IXO-produced Opel Vectra A hatchback (or Mk3 Cav to the majority of us) from the Opel Collection partwork series. The later silver Designer edition seems to be quite easy to find, but I've really wanted to get this version in 'Mournful Maroon' as part of my "Cars I've owned or had experience of" collection.

In a previous incarnation as a taxi driver, many moons ago, I had quite a few Mk3 Cavaliers pass through my hands, seven in fact. This one, right down to the colour, is an almost perfect replica of the last car I drove as a private hire driver, N392 XHN. The owner of the firm had ordered a new Vectra B, which would be the first one on the road in Middlesbrough, and was offered a mega cheap deal on a couple of last of the line Cavaliers as well. They were both poverty Envoy spec with the old 1.7 non- turbo GM diesel. The epitome of misery on wheels but they were as tough as old boots  and just kept going. XHN was already well up on the miles when I started for that particular firm, and was a bit of a comedown after the Mondeo LX I had at the previous firm, but it was at least reliable, and soon after, it did  get pimped up a bit with a parcel shelf & rear head restraints, a higher spec Philips stereo, and a set of the 5 spole dogleg alloys from an absolutely knackered GLS that had just come out of service. So the model looks even more like that car with those wheels. If I was able to mock up a miniature set of M'bro council licence plates and 1999 vintage 'Commercial Cars - 224466'  door signs, it'd be spot on!

(Not long after, I went over onto the  hackney carriage saloon side of the trade and got given a 2 year old Peugeot 406 GLX TD. It was like a spaceship compared to that Cavalier...)

i've already got a few of the Vanguards Mk3s, but with them all being sports models, and saloons, it is nice to have a cooking hatchback version. IXO have done a good job capturing the shape, although being a cheap partwork jobby, some bits of fit and finish are a bit wonky, like some of the windows and lights, but it's still acceptable for a cheapie.

Interior again is a bit rudimental, but the seats are better than in the Vanguards ones, with the correct head restraints, and it does have a bit of dial detail, and the three spoke steering wheel (pre the hideous airbag one) looks okay.

A good model all in all and a nice reminder of a particular type of car I spent a good proportion of my working life in. The Mk3 Cavalier is a well remembered car nowadays, and for good reason.

[danthecapriman]

10 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

Finally got one of these. I've had one on my ebay watchlist from Jumajo in France for what must be years but I finally snagged one from a UK seller for £cheap.

Not the most exciting thing in the world, but that's where most of my collecting instincts lead to...

So, it's the IXO-produced Opel Vectra A hatchback (or Mk3 Cav to the majority of us) from the Opel Collection partwork series. The later silver Designer edition seems to be quite easy to find, but I've really wanted to get this version in 'Mournful Maroon' as part of my "Cars I've owned or had experience of" collection.

In a previous incarnation as a taxi driver, many moons ago, I had quite a few Mk3 Cavaliers pass through my hands, seven in fact. This one, right down to the colour, is an almost perfect replica of the last car I drove as a private hire driver, N392 XHN. The owner of the firm had ordered a new Vectra B, which would be the first one on the road in Middlesbrough, and was offered a mega cheap deal on a couple of last of the line Cavaliers as well. They were both Envoy spec with the old 1.7 non turbo GM diesel. The epitome of misery on wheels but they were as tough as old boots  and just kept going. XHN was already well up on the miles when I started for that particular firm, and was a bit of a comedown after being used to Sierra and Mondeo LXs and GLXs at the previous firm, but it was at least reliable, and soon after, it did get get pimped up a bit with a rear shelf, complete with rear head restraints, a decent Philips stereo, and a set of the 5 spole dogleg alloys from an absolutely knackered GLS that had just come out of service. So the model looks even more like that car with those wheels. If I was able to mock up a miniature set of M'bro council licence plates and 1999 vintage 'Commercial Cars - 224466'  door signs, it'd be spot on!

(Not long after I went over onto the saloon hackney carriage side of the trade and got given a 2 year old Peugeot 406 GLX TD. It was like a spaceship compared to that Cavalier...)

i've already got a few of the Vanguards Mk3s, but all being sports models, and saloons, it is nice to have a cooking hatchback version. IXO have done a good job capturing the shape, although being a cheap partwork jobby, some bits of fit and finish are a bit wonky, like some of the windows and lights, but it's still acceptable for a cheapie.

Interior again is a bit rudimental, but the seats are better than in the Vanguards ones, with the correct head restraints, and it does have a bit of dial detail, and the three spoke steering wheel (pre the hideous airbag one) looks okay.

That Cav is a lovely looking model. I’ve got a few of them here! 
There’s some gems in that Opel collection. Keep an eye out for the Senator and Carlton/Omega A.

[Split_Pin]

10 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

Finally got one of these. I've had one on my ebay watchlist from Jumajo in France for what must be years but I finally snagged one from a UK seller for £cheap.

Not the most exciting thing in the world, but that's where most of my collecting instincts lead to...

So, it's the IXO-produced Opel Vectra A hatchback (or Mk3 Cav to the majority of us) from the Opel Collection partwork series. The later silver Designer edition seems to be quite easy to find, but I've really wanted to get this version in 'Mournful Maroon' as part of my "Cars I've owned or had experience of" collection.

In a previous incarnation as a taxi driver, many moons ago, I had quite a few Mk3 Cavaliers pass through my hands, seven in fact. This one, right down to the colour, is an almost perfect replica of the last car I drove as a private hire driver, N392 XHN. The owner of the firm had ordered a new Vectra B, which would be the first one on the road in Middlesbrough, and was offered a mega cheap deal on a couple of last of the line Cavaliers as well. They were both Envoy spec with the old 1.7 non turbo GM diesel. The epitome of misery on wheels but they were as tough as old boots  and just kept going. XHN was already well up on the miles when I started for that particular firm, and was a bit of a comedown after being used to Sierra and Mondeo LXs and GLXs at the previous firm, but it was at least reliable, and soon after, it did get get pimped up a bit with a rear shelf, complete with rear head restraints, a decent Philips stereo, and a set of the 5 spole dogleg alloys from an absolutely knackered GLS that had just come out of service. So the model looks even more like that car with those wheels. If I was able to mock up a miniature set of M'bro council licence plates and 1999 vintage 'Commercial Cars - 224466'  door signs, it'd be spot on!

(Not long after I went over onto the saloon hackney carriage side of the trade and got given a 2 year old Peugeot 406 GLX TD. It was like a spaceship compared to that Cavalier...)

i've already got a few of the Vanguards Mk3s, but all being sports models, and saloons, it is nice to have a cooking hatchback version. IXO have done a good job capturing the shape, although being a cheap partwork jobby, some bits of fit and finish are a bit wonky, like some of the windows and lights, but it's still acceptable for a cheapie.

Interior again is a bit rudimental, but the seats are better than in the Vanguards ones, with the correct head restraints, and it does have a bit of dial detail, and the three spoke steering wheel (pre the hideous airbag one) looks okay.

That's a much nicer issue than the silver one I got which has a silly chrome finish on the wheels ! Still a great representation of the Cav, The Vanguards ones have a few places that are out of proportion such as the side windows and headlights. With the way prices are going, I'll be content I've had 3 1/1 scale examples and stick to these models instead! If they ever did one in Nautilus or Frost blue, like mine, I'd jump at it.

[danthecapriman]

I can’t find my Senator, but here’s the Carlton and Monza.

The Carlton has the horrible chrome finish wheels as @Split_Pin mentioned. I’ll paint these grey instead I think.

Monza is a real peach! Colour is absolutely gorgeous too.

 
There’s a few versions of the Astra/Kadett in the collection, all of which are pretty good. I’ve also got a Nova/Corsa A somewhere from another partwork which is brilliant. There’s also a couple of versions of the Corsa B available but so far I’ve not got any of those.

[Spottedlaurel]

5 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

The Carlton has the horrible chrome finish wheels as @Split_Pin mentioned. I’ll paint these grey instead I think.

Flat or semi-gloss clear is useful for toning down shiny plated plastic in my experience,  maybe in conjunction with a dark wash between the spokes on those wheels?

[danthecapriman]

Just now, Spottedlaurel said:

Flat or semi-gloss clear is useful for toning down shiny plated plastic in my experience,  maybe in conjunction with a dark wash between the spokes on those wheels?

That’s a good idea👍 

Ive got some black wash and it would work well in those wheel spokes.

[AndyW201]

16 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

 With the way prices are going, I'll be content I've had 3 1/1 scale examples and stick to these models instead! If they ever did one in Nautilus or Frost blue, like mine, I'd jump at it.

Exactly why I've started collecting more models of Mercedes 190Es now, as I know there's no way I'll be having a 1/1 version anymore! Even the W202 C Classes are slowly creeping up in value, I'm glad I got a decent low mileage example when I did. Prices on 90's stuff are unreal at the moment...

[danthecapriman]

Spot-On Rover 3 litre is finished.

Decided to go a different way with the colour. I think this Ford colour actually suits it well, although it’s did mean I had to change the interior colour too.

It’s Ford pine green. 
I’ve tried to keep it roughly as Triang made them without loads of chrome trim painted in etc. I’ve just done the lights and number plates as it looked a bit odd without them. 
Ignore the bits of white on the tyres, that’s polish residue where I gave the wheels a shine up! 
You can see the wear and a bit of damage to the casting in a few places but it is a 60 odd year old toy and it wasn’t in the best of shape when I got it - that’s my excuse anyway!😄

 

[danthecapriman]

I might not be doing any vehicles for a bit now. Since my workbench is clear(ish) I’m going to start something else, but kind of related.

Usually when I take photos of my models they’re just sat on my bench or some other pretty crap place. So, I’m going to build a little diorama for them! Not only will it be somewhere to photograph them that gives a bit of background but I can also display a few on it too. 
Being mostly 1:43 scale I’ve bought some O gauge model railway buildings to get started.    
The backdrop will be a row of terraces so I have three card kits for those.

Then this:

Laser cut wood kit for a small garage/workshop, just because it’s cool and goes well with the road vehicles theme of it all! 
It’s been some years now since I did any models like this so wish me luck!

[bunglebus]

Boot sale bits (and a couple of eBay arrivals)

[bunglebus]

15 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

It doesn’t look too bad. I wonder if you could polish it up to more of a shine after it’s fully dried?

Unfortunately not, like Molotow you can't polish or lacquer it. I don't quite know how it works but it seems to have a fast evaporating solvent that leaves the extra shiny finish behind

[AndyW201]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

I can’t find my Senator, but here’s the Carlton and Monza.

The Carlton has the horrible chrome finish wheels as @Split_Pin mentioned. I’ll paint these grey instead I think.

Monza is a real peach! Colour is absolutely gorgeous too.

 
There’s a few versions of the Astra/Kadett in the collection, all of which are pretty good. I’ve also got a Nova/Corsa A somewhere from another partwork which is brilliant. There’s also a couple of versions of the Corsa B available but so far I’ve not got any of those.

They look great, a Carlton /Omega A is a gap I've been wanting to fill in the Vauxhall/Opel collection. Vanguards GSi versions are still quite easy to find but I wouldnt mind the CDX one that they did, thats a real rarity.

That Monza is also a beauty, I got the Schuco Senator and Monza a few years ago when ebay was flooded with them at a tenner or so. They also have Opel Collection on the packaging, but I think these were sold through Opel dealerships, the outer boxes they came in had GM part numbers on them. Theyre some of the best models I've seen, although compared to the IXO version, the wheels do seem slightly large and sticky-out.