Shite in Miniature II

[Burnside]

Here another French pair, ( while  I can access them) which I also acquired earlier this year from the wallet empting/ Jumajo website.

Really pleased to get the Altaya Renault 9, as wanted that one for ages! 

The R5 Raider was a unexpected find.  Always liked this version with the colour matching wheels as a kid. Even got the blue matching details on the interior too.

An it hasn't just been 1:43 I've picked up in 25. 

Thanks to my Brother I've also received the Hot Wheels below and the Majorette Camaro.

Which also reminds me I really need to find my well used Childhood Matchbox version, so I can give that a much deserved makeover. 

I've picked up all these over the year below, that's before I even look at my charity shop/ toy fair finds!

The Welly Astra is pretty decent for such a cheap model, cost me about £7.50 off eBay Inc postage which wasn't bad I thought.

[Burnside]

2 hours ago, Lord Sterling said:

Anyone remember any rare scale models you'd like to get a hold of? 

I'll start:

Here's one I've never been able to find. A 1/24 (or 1/25) De Tomaso Pantera.

It looked a bit like this one:

But I'm pretty sure it wasn't a build-it-yourself one, but it may well have been.

My uncle isn't much of a car guy, he used to trail brocantes (car boot sales) and pick up interesting bits. I have asked him about it,  but I think he sold it on at a brocante he did a few years back.

I remember he had this 1/25 De Tomaso in black and I'm sure it had BBS-style wheels in hold on it. I'd love to get a hold of one (as if I haven't already got enough interesting 1/24 1/25 scale stuff).

Also, many years ago, back when I was still trade-plating for a living. I was sent to a small car sales place somewhere around Cambridgeshire/Suffolk area. It was in the middle of a small quiet residential street which was unusual. 

In their office, they had a 1/24 Paul's Model Art Minichamps E39 BMW 5er like this one:

I've always wanted one since. I'm also looking fir the E36 3er if anyone has one for sale or knows where to find one. Tried eBay and Vinted without much luck. Not in a rush but I thought I may aswell stick these here.

I really want one of these!

As it's probably the nearest I'll get to replicating my Dad's old Fiat Strada 70CL Team. Similar to the one below.

The Polistil model is a earlier MK2. So it has round handles and the rear numberplate is between the rear lights etc, but it's nearest I can get. They fetch stupid money on eBay if you can find one, usually only in Italy. 

[bunglebus]

Not making much progress with my Milligans Mill, sanded and rechromed some wheels, and they look terrible. Not quite sure why as the rears are all good. I have them two coats and they still look rough

Tried one of the other batch numbers of white primer on my test casting, and it's just as awful as the other lot

This is the exact same stuff, except grey - finish is fine. Might email the manufacturer as I've got about 6 cans of white!

[bunglebus]

Some of you may have noticed I picked up some more Matchbox catalogues on Saturday, I didn't have 1968 and although I'd prefer the English edition, this USA on is in great condition. How ironic that this was the year the Yanks launched Hot Wheels and changed everything

Still driving on the left in the roadway pictures...

...although that VW 1600 is conveniently LHD!

Cougar looks really good in light blue, if only they had

Proper peak Matchbox I think

[danthecapriman]

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Not making much progress with my Milligans Mill, sanded and rechromed some wheels, and they look terrible. Not quite sure why as the rears are all good. I have them two coats and they still look rough

Tried one of the other batch numbers of white primer on my test casting, and it's just as awful as the other lot

This is the exact same stuff, except grey - finish is fine. Might email the manufacturer as I've got about 6 cans of white!

What brand is that primer? Just for my own reference😄

Can you wet flat it down with fine wet & dry? Sometimes that’s enough to get rid of that funny finish.

[sheffcortinacentre]

7 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

A very busy toy fair this morning, but I didn't get that much this time

Ixo/Altaya Dodge Avenger 1800 SE

The Rostyle wheels are great.

I assume it's some sort of part work for a far off country and if so I wonder how it ended up over here. Didn't someone turn one into an Avenger @danthecapriman maybe?

Polistil Polo

A very nice little model

Some opening parts

Shame the hatch is fixed

Here's everything

Dodge avenger is Argentinian partwork.

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

What brand is that primer? Just for my own reference

Paint Factory, I've been using it for ages as it goes on really smoothly and sands well - until now. All well and good flatting it back on larger areas but in detail areas like grilles etc you're stuck with the rough finish - and it seems to cause a reaction with the white I used too.

Bearing in mind I've used the same primer and colour for all the Graffic Traffics I've restored without any problems, there's definitely something different about the latest batch of primer

[Zie]

Had some good luck lately but not much time to update. 

Got these from ASDA, they had the full set, but I'm being picky these days. 

These from a very picked over Smyths. 

[bunglebus]

What do we reckon the Renault 8/10 is chaps?

[ambassador84]

The UK Matchbox importers have clearly been on the ball throughout most of 2025 judging by just how many new batches we got compared to previous years.

Its not even 2026 yet and we've already been getting in Case A, B and now C which I saw in Poundland this morning! They were also selling Hot Wheels Fast n Furious Tokyo Drift for just £2!

[bunglebus]

I'm after a couple from that set, Corvette convertible mainly

[bunglebus]

Found a Matchbox Scorpion on Vinted

I believe the engine is a common one shared with various other 70s Superfasts, so I'll find something to replace it

[bunglebus]

Excellently 70s colour scheme Majorette Merc just got here too

[bunglebus]

Still having a few problems with the paint on my 'Mill, so I got on with the base, all back together now. These are surprisingly complex with nine separate parts plus wheels and axles to get in the right order

[FakeConcern]

On 28/12/2025 at 16:15, Burnside said:

 

Me and my Brother had that Sierra XR4i as a kid. It's from a cheapo slot car set we had for years. Can't recall the make though. Probably had it as a B'day / Xmas present.

I had a pinkish coloured one and my Brother had the Blue version you have pictured. Lights use to work on them too.

I have a few different ones if you'd like them, £5 plus post for the lot.

[Spottedlaurel]

7 hours ago, ambassador84 said:

RAV4?! 😍

[ambassador84]

10 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

RAV4?! 😍

Both this new 1997 casting and a recoloured green RAV4 TRD 😀😀

[bunglebus]

[bunglebus]

Messing about with a few different things this afternoon. Trying to save the broken KS Toys Golf, noticed some very familiar details on it

That's literally the same registration 

Plus the tennis bats in the boot. Cheeky buggers! 🤣

In other news, I dismantled a Draguar and possibly caught a disease unknown to science 

But the engine is too small for my Scorpion 

It should fill the engine bay front to rear

The extra height isn't a problem, I'll sand the bottom until it sits in the right place. I think the Speed Kings Charger and Cougar use the same size engine as the Draguar, so where am I going to get one from that's slightly larger?

[matt79]

59 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Messing about with a few different things this afternoon. Trying to save the broken KS Toys Golf, noticed some very familiar details on it

That's literally the same registration 

Plus the tennis bats in the boot. Cheeky buggers! 🤣

In other news, I dismantled a Draguar and possibly caught a disease unknown to science 

But the engine is too small for my Scorpion 

It should fill the engine bay front to rear

The extra height isn't a problem, I'll sand the bottom until it sits in the right place. I think the Speed Kings Charger and Cougar use the same size engine as the Draguar, so where am I going to get one from that's slightly larger?

I thought the exposed engines in these Matchbox models were the same design but different sizes - small for the Superfast models & larger for the Speedkings models? 

Looking at this pic below they look like they are different sizes (could just be the camera angle though?)

 

 

 

[bunglebus]

1 minute ago, matt79 said:

I thought the exposed engines in these Matchbox were different sizes - small for the Superfast models & larger for the Speedkings models? 

Looking at this pic below they look like they are different sizes (could just be the camera angle though?)

There are definitely several different sizes - I found a hot rod Jeep, the pink dragster and a Draguar in the spares box - all different. I'm fairly confident the Draguar engine is the same as the Cougar/Charger one believe it or not

[Christine]

Small block and  Big block engines innit

[bunglebus]

Jumping ahead a few decades tonight, Matchbox 1992

There you go, a very different world from 1968. Some interesting stuff in here including some prototypes to be spotted

[barrett]

On 29/12/2025 at 09:26, bunglebus said:

What do we reckon the Renault 8/10 is chaps?

Pretty sure that's by Paya in Spain – incredibly rare and very valuable, actually. You better buy it!

 

[bunglebus]

14 minutes ago, barrett said:

Pretty sure that's by Paya in Spain – incredibly rare and very valuable, actually. You better buy it!

 

Already did, but I think it's an overpainted diecast... something. We'll see

[barrett]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Already did, but I think it's an overpainted diecast... something. We'll see

Paya is diecast (and they did plastic versions, too, which I think might be the one in my pic). Can't think what else it could possibly be – I'm unreasonably excited for it to arrive

[MVX11V]

I knew it existed!

 

For a lot longer than is healthy, I have had in my mind that I once had a RHD MB Transit in ambulance flavour. I have a side collection of RHD MB Transit and could I find that version? No... Not for years. I honestly thought that I had made it up.

Then today, I sat on the bog to carry out some business and the first thing ebay lit up in front of me...

NO WaaaY!1

This fucker has eluded me for far too long... But not anymore! 

(Commence replies with a thousand images of RHD umblans tranny...)

 

[Tenmil Socket]

8 minutes ago, MVX11V said:

I knew it existed!

 

For a lot longer than is healthy, I have had in my mind that I once had a RHD MB Transit in ambulance flavour. I have a side collection of RHD MB Transit and could I find that version? No... Not for years. I honestly thought that I had made it up.

Then today, I sat on the bog to carry out some business and the first thing ebay lit up in front of me...

NO WaaaY!1

This fucker has eluded me for far too long... But not anymore! 

(Commence replies with a thousand images of RHD umblans tranny...)

 

I have never seen Matchbox packaged that way before.

 

[Tenmil Socket]

20 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Jumping ahead a few decades tonight, Matchbox 1992

There you go, a very different world from 1968. Some interesting stuff in here including some prototypes to be spotted

Quite a few things in there that I wasn’t aware of, especially the foot thing (which looks crap) but I was starting high school at the time so probably wasn’t paying much attention.

[MVX11V]

 

3 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

I have never seen Matchbox packaged that way before.

 

Well, that'll be for sale minus the transit as I no longer collect cardboard.

The rhd interior is early and the ambulance colours are later, I seem to recall a factory change over at this time  from macau to China... Something like that anyways.