Shite in Miniature II

[sierraman]

24 minutes ago, MVX11V said:

It is getting a bit silly now and I agree that something doesn't seem 100% legit.

Even just a few years back, pre production, colour trials and the like were available if you knew where to find them or got lucky at a boot sale, and they were all in generally rough shape where they had been used for the exact reasons they were created for. Even a well known dealer I have used for years, an ex employee, once explained how they were generally obtained out of the company bins/ skips, or found laying about and discarded. These recent waves of 'one offs' really are in immaculate condition, and they are easily available from several sellers, some who just seem to have come out of nowhere in the last couple of years. 

I got a particular colour trial once and was pretty pissed that it could have been made yesterday, even the resin holding the shell to the base has a glossy lick of paint on it.

More so, I have noticed these models with 'decals' applied and this is not a process I recall from the factory, (I may be wrong here), in my experience as a collector and from test runs and one offs,  they were crudely painted or printed, even pen was used. There were several produced too.

Decals are easily replicated. Given the decals applied some 30-40 years ago, they certainly have retained their lustre well. 

So knowing this information we look for such items matching this condition, there is a Porsche for sale right now for 3 hunnit. It's rough and looks like a 3 year old has dumped it in play doh, but the description is so vague by the seller who either has no idea what it is supposed to be, which doesn't warrant the price tag, or knows exactly what they are doing and leaving the ?'s for the buyer to fill in the blanks and convince themselves that it's a genuine piece. 

I have a strong feeling that if certain forums relating to this product were still going, participants would be calling bull shit on many, if not all of these 'one offs'. The vast experience on those forums were like a models 'customs boarder control' and you'd be hard pushed to get fakery through, the seller being publicly called out and discussed.

Notably, the 'one off' availability was no-where this abundant when those forums operated, and that is the sad fact.

I think as a rule of thumb, I will certainly be sticking to what I know and avoiding these decades old models which look like they were made yesterday.

 

 

This 100%. There’s some sellers that are known to have worked in the design department where it’s credible they would have had access to them. Then there are others where I suspect they are just creating them ad-hoc. If you are incredibly careful it’s possible to drill the base in such a way that it will come off by lever but then the rivet is intact enough that it’ll snap back in place. I have picked up pre production items on very rare occasions, it is possible but when the seller is hawking a dozen of them it’s unlikely. 
 

Silver used to be a common colour as it used to show any defects in the casting up. In addition though I don’t doubt there were factory worker specials but really in the seventies people wouldn’t have thought like they do now and stored them. They’d have just put a Cortina in with some Eccles caravans in the spray booth to knock one up like theirs to give the kids. It’s be battered to fuck like 90% of them are assuming it survived at all. 

[sierraman]

Like this

https://ebay.us/m/hr2P10

Pre production because it’s hot blue glazing. Base araldited on…

[sierraman]

This one. Towbar chewed to fuck but rest of it mint. 
 

https://ebay.us/m/lUTCo0

[sierraman]

Some just border on embarrassing. Base screwed on. Fresh paint. £150 please. 
 

https://ebay.us/m/uNJFs4

[sierraman]

I’d have probably got the old paint off underneath and used an aerosol for a convincing effort but hey it’s £300!

https://ebay.us/m/gnz07z

[RoadworkUK]

33 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I’d have probably got the old paint off underneath and used an aerosol for a convincing effort but hey it’s £300!

https://ebay.us/m/gnz07z

Lol to the curly hair stuck on the roof.

Wonder why that feature didn't make production? Could have set a trend.

[sierraman]

18 minutes ago, RoadworkUK said:

Lol to the curly hair stuck on the roof.

Wonder why that feature didn't make production? Could have set a trend.

Little known series they planned in 1984. Curlys, bringing the fun of the hair dressing salon to a wacky range of miniatures with wigs on. Range cancelled just prior to release when they couldn’t find the weed. 

[quicksilver]

Do I sense an opportunity to make a fortune*? Get a load of old Matchbox, blow them over with those cheap random rattle cans from Graff City and sell them for hundreds as rare pre-production colour trials. Maybe I don't even need to bother painting and reassembling: just strip them bare, shove a rubber band around them and claim they're raw castings.

[Tenmil Socket]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

I’d have probably got the old paint off underneath and used an aerosol for a convincing effort but hey it’s £300!

https://ebay.us/m/gnz07z

Perhaps ask about its history?

[Tenmil Socket]

Can anyone share pics of genuine pre-production cars they own?

[sierraman]

3 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Can anyone share pics of genuine pre-production cars they own?

I have a pre production Swing Wing in the loft somewhere. I did have a preproduction VW 1600TL in silver but it got binned when I moved out donkeys years ago. 

[junkyarddog]

The Hot Wheels Ford Transit Supervan does make a sweet 70's style customised Van.

Emblems all present too.

I do like this a lot.

What do you think Smoll Eddy?

"If the vans a rockin,don't come a knockin M8"

[Tenmil Socket]

Spotted this on Instagram. What does it remind you of 🤔

 

[Tenmil Socket]

On 04/01/2026 at 18:17, bunglebus said:

I think I'm done messing about with the KS Toys Golf

There's still evidence of the roof being cracked if you catch it in the right light, it responds well to sanding and polishing if the next owner wants to do more

I can't believe how long it took me to see it was a Majorette copy

 

[andrew e]

I’d like to point out the last UK manufacturing plant for Matchbox in Rochford closed in 1987. So the youngest employee would have been born at least in 1971 so be 55 now. Realistically anyone who actually had the prestige of doing colour trials, casting modifications etc would like be at least 20+ years older and likely moved from  the Hackney factory in 1982. So why are these old employees, 10+ years after their state pension age now flogging off the trials? There not are they 😁

[andrew e]

I picked some of the latest matchbox in Poundland earlier, currently 2 for £3 so I treated myself. So what did I get? (Apart from getting soaked, and the prescription I’d gone up for “not in till this afternoon” as bloody usual!) so 40 years+ past the intend purchasing age I went shopping. The  the current release Matchbox castings are pretty good - up to a moving parts standard really - bar the lack of moving parts obviously. I’m more a whim purchaser than a completionist these days, and these four hit the spot.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/electric/1500-rev.html

First off the so new even Dodge hasn't launched it yet RAM 1500 REV range extender. A bit of a missed baseplate opportunity here really:

Next up the current Rav4, but in a much nicer BRG than the previous pale release. Unlike (in my eyes!) the lack of centre B pillar works for me - where as the recent 3 series compact was spoiled by the missing pillar for me.

The Jeep J10 Honcho stepside is great with stripes and text tampo printed on, the colours great as well. Shades of the 80’s Dodge Dakota pick up here. Quite surprised the roll bar is a separate piece and different colour to the interior too. WILL BUY AGAIN 😉

For the hell of it comparison shows chrome spot lamps are a missed opportunity! A chrome rollbar would work well on this 👍

Finally I’m a bit late to the party with the warlord spec Land Cruiser 70. this is such a nice casting and it does share a manufacturing design trait with the RAM pickup. Its even got side repeaters picked out too.

Interior and wheel arches are the same moulded piece on these pair so expect some variations in the future.

[MVX11V]

3 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Can anyone share pics of genuine pre-production cars they own?

I had some. I sold them off. Two are pictured/ credited on Christian Falkensteiners site and the other was that resin escort turbo thing. Pre productions are generally unlike the actual release model in some way or another and in the case of the escort, was never made available in its entirety.

Colour trials are another world where a production model is wearing unreleased paint colours, designs, or Tampo prints. I believe I have at least two colour trials.

 

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Spotted this on Instagram. What does it remind you of 🤔

 

A Paul Smith Mini?

[Tenmil Socket]

45 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

A Paul Smith Mini?

Graffic Traffic!

[sierraman]

56 minutes ago, MVX11V said:

I had some. I sold them off. Two are pictured/ credited on Christian Falkensteiners site and the other was that resin escort turbo thing. Pre productions are generally unlike the actual release model in some way or another and in the case of the escort, was never made available in its entirety.

Colour trials are another world where a production model is wearing unreleased paint colours, designs, or Tampo prints. I believe I have at least two colour trials.

 

RS1700T? 

[sierraman]

2 hours ago, andrew e said:

I’d like to point out the last UK manufacturing plant for Matchbox in Rochford closed in 1987. So the youngest employee would have been born at least in 1971 so be 55 now. Realistically anyone who actually had the prestige of doing colour trials, casting modifications etc would like be at least 20+ years older and likely moved from  the Hackney factory in 1982. So why are these old employees, 10+ years after their state pension age now flogging off the trials? There not are they 😁

The design studios at that point were in Enfield. As you say it doesn’t take much to start picking holes in this. 

[bunglebus]

7 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

Can anyone share pics of genuine pre-production cars they own?

K-32 Shovel Nose

Casting is different to production, canopy can be removed 

Incomplete date on the base

50p from the toy fair

I've got a chrome finish Lamborghini Countach somewhere but can't seem to find the pics

[bunglebus]

Another Speed King, K-45 Marauder. Colour trial and various detail differences to production version 

Seat is different, presumably to stop the driver coming out. There are also a couple of triangular supports ahead of the rear spoiler on the production version, again presumably to stop the spoiler getting broken like my one

The location slots for the spoiler were also enlarged prior to production it seems. You can also see a difference in the footwell area in this shot too

I've got that pink donor to improve this one a bit without dismantling, hopefully

 

[bunglebus]

Here we go, mine is very battered but it was once in a chrome type finish, apparently this one shows up now and again so may have been a very small batch made for some reason?

 

[bunglebus]

On 31/12/2025 at 13:44, barrett said:

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

 

10 shite points to Barrett

[sheffcortinacentre]

Not pre production but over the last year or so there seems to be a lot of mint maize yellow corgi MK3 cortina GXL (313l appearing  (unboxed obviously) for £500+  on eBay yet none seem to appear at toy fairs etc were you could examine them closely.

These were given to buyers of the real car during the  first few weeks after launch & probably given to junior on the way home.

They appear correct with red interior & yellow base. The normal bronze or green versions have a white interior with black base & were only available for 3ish years, were as the police version (with red interior) was available for around 10 years.

 

[sierraman]

35 minutes ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

Not pre production but over the last year or so there seems to be a lot of mint maize yellow corgi MK3 cortina GXL (313l appearing  (unboxed obviously) for £500+  on eBay yet none seem to appear at toy fairs etc were you could examine them closely.

These were given to buyers of the real car during the  first few weeks after launch & probably given to junior on the way home.

They appear correct with red interior & yellow base. The normal bronze or green versions have a white interior with black base & were only available for 3ish years, were as the police version (with red interior) was available for around 10 years.

 

Don’t know if when you went to Donny Fair, a guy had loads of mint dinky from the mid fifties with nobody at the stall? 

[AndyW201]

On 08/01/2026 at 22:21, Datsuncog said:

Are you on the AS MiniShite WhatsApp group? 

If not, you might want to get on the WhatsApp group - and if so, hit me up!

I'm not, no. Does one have to be invited as I can't find the group on WhatsApp?

[sheffcortinacentre]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

Don’t know if when you went to Donny Fair, a guy had loads of mint dinky from the mid fifties with nobody at the stall? 

Yep. Went & was really good only bought a few bits.

[Datsuncog]

8 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

I'm not, no. Does one have to be invited as I can't find the group on WhatsApp?

If you PM me your mobile number, I'll happily add you to the group - it's private, and just the folks on this thread. A handy way to get updates on diecast discoveries in real time!