Shite in Miniature II

[sierraman]

It’s all part of a bigger conspiracy, highlighted when Blue Peter asked kids to send in their old boxed chain link Dinky Fodens and Lesney Soap Racers. John Noakes took all the good ones home and Peter Purves stamped on the rest. In order to ensure their continued rise in value they devised the pyramid scheme that is Lledo Days Gone By, conning thousands of former mine workers and foundry men into spending thousands on items that were guaranteed to end up stinking of rolling tobacco and clutter up charity shops for a generation  increase in a meteoric fashion. 

[sierraman]

[matt79]

True story......

...charity shop near me for a local hospice - proper 'old school' charity shop, a haphazard eclectic mix of stock, has a smell  inside it, not unpleasant, but a smell, staffed by volunteers who are seemingly in triple digit ages....anyway they refused a box of Lledos I'd taken in, saying they'd never sell.....

......yet they stock VHS videos & those freebie giveaway music compilation CD's from the 90's FFS 🤣

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, junkyarddog said:

Some recent finds in no particular order....

Hot Wheels Fordson.

Hot Wheels RedLine Fleetside. 

EFSI Transit. 

Corgi Transit Tyre service. 

Corgi Major Motorway express coach.

I really like this,even though I'm not a bus person. 

Couple of Yatmings.

Dinky Mercedes 600 Limo.

I'm thinking I may repaint this,as the paint is quite poor.

Couple of long card Hot Wheels. 

Finally this XL version of the Toyota AE86.

Can't say I'm particularly fond of these upscaled castings,I find them a bit lacking somehow.

 

The XLs remind me of Corgi Turbos and Matchbox Specials. Lacking something for me but I cant explain what. I loved Bburago 1/43s which although way worse quality were much sharper and more like the real thing.

[Datsuncog]

2 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

Corgi Transit Tyre service. 

Didn't know that one existed, very interesting!

Is the tyre load secured in any way, or just loose in the bed?

Some top finds there!

+1 on the HW XLs, I bought the Trueno and Merc 190E and somehow can't get all that excited about them either. They'll probably end up with my brother's kids.

[Tenmil Socket]

7 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Didn't know that one existed, very interesting!

Is the tyre load secured in any way, or just loose in the bed?

Some top finds there!

+1 on the HW XLs, I bought the Trueno and Merc 190E and somehow can't get all that excited about them either. They'll probably end up with my brother's kids.

I was just going to say/ask the same thing. I wonder if they’re actually the same wheels used on a larger scale model?

[danthecapriman]

Same here with the Hot Wheels XL’s. Being 1/43 they sounded great when first mentioned but having now seen them they just don’t hit the spot or even come close for me. Couldn’t say exactly why but there’s just something missing with them. As said above, Matchbox Specials and the similar Corgi ones felt the same.

Mind you, these days I’m getting more and more like that about normal Hot Wheels. I know they’re popular here but I just can’t get excited or even all that interested in them now for some reason! 
The original red lines were like that for me too. Some were ok, but most I hated. A good percentage of the later black wall era stuff I did like, but more recent releases my interest has disappeared. It doesn’t help that pretty much everything they do is racing or dragster inspired and covered in garish paint jobs, racing paraphernalia, wide body kits etc etc. They seem to like punching out the bizarre sci-fi fantasy type stuff too which I can’t stand - probably actually more-so than Lledo DG stuff if I’m honest.

The last one they did I thought was good was the Proton tbh. 
Although I suppose they’ve got to make what will sell in numbers and I doubt what appeals to me would sell much!😆

[AndyW201]

I've not bought any 1/18s for a good few years now, reasons of space/cost/not wanting to fall down another slippery slope as I'm already in deep enough shite with 1/43, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, etc...

But frig me, do I like these!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19nU2Qf5rs/

[danthecapriman]

8 minutes ago, AndyW201 said:

I've not bought any 1/18s for a long while now, reasons of space/cost/not wanting to fall down another slippery slope as I'm already in deep enough shite with 1/43, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, etc...

But frig me, am I tempted by these,

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19nU2Qf5rs/

I’ve been looking at those too! 
Very very nice, as are some of the others in the range but, like you I’m not a collector of the bigger scales so trying to resist. Last ones I bought were the Otto Mk2 Capri and Volvo 740 turbo. They ain’t cheap either.

[junkyarddog]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Didn't know that one existed, very interesting!

Is the tyre load secured in any way, or just loose in the bed?

Some top finds there!

+1 on the HW XLs, I bought the Trueno and Merc 190E and somehow can't get all that excited about them either. They'll probably end up with my brother's kids.

Loose I think.

[sierraman]

24 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Same here with the Hot Wheels XL’s. Being 1/43 they sounded great when first mentioned but having now seen them they just don’t hit the spot or even come close for me. Couldn’t say exactly why but there’s just something missing with them. As said above, Matchbox Specials and the similar Corgi ones felt the same.

Mind you, these days I’m getting more and more like that about normal Hot Wheels. I know they’re popular here but I just can’t get excited or even all that interested in them now for some reason! 
The original red lines were like that for me too. Some were ok, but most I hated. A good percentage of the later black wall era stuff I did like, but more recent releases my interest has disappeared. It doesn’t help that pretty much everything they do is racing or dragster inspired and covered in garish paint jobs, racing paraphernalia, wide body kits etc etc. They seem to like punching out the bizarre sci-fi fantasy type stuff too which I can’t stand - probably actually more-so than Lledo DG stuff if I’m honest.

The last one they did I thought was good was the Proton tbh. 
Although I suppose they’ve got to make what will sell in numbers and I doubt what appeals to me would sell much!😆

Their main market will be Americans that like all that shouty loud stuff. I really did like some of their 80’s/90’s ones like the Nissan 300zx, lovely weighty thing it was. 

[danthecapriman]

31 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Their main market will be Americans that like all that shouty loud stuff. I really did like some of their 80’s/90’s ones like the Nissan 300zx, lovely weighty thing it was. 

The black walls era did have some good castings. The original Cadillac Seville is one I’ve kept hold of. The Dodge Omni is another. But they’re all pretty much standard road style cars. The Ford Fairmont they did is nice too despite being a bit more of a drag car. 
As you say though, they were/are intended to sell to US buyers who love all that racing loud stuff.

[Datsuncog]

20 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

They seem to like punching out the bizarre sci-fi fantasy type stuff too which I can’t stand - probably actually more-so than Lledo DG stuff if I’m honest.
The last one they did I thought was good was the Proton tbh. 
Although I suppose they’ve got to make what will sell in numbers and I doubt what appeals to me would sell much!😆

With Hot Wheels mainlines, Mattel 's always trying to strike a balance between creating models of real cars (for which they generally have to pay the manufacturer to licence the name and likeness) and fantasy vehicles designed in-house, which don't cost them anything extra. Each case released contains a blend of the two - too many licenced castings in there, and it's just not profitable at the low unit price point.

But their fixed case system means that shifting individual castings becomes the retailer's problem, not the manufacturer's - and that's what keeps their production lines rolling. Back in the old days, Lesney kept warehouses full of stock and would ship a retailer twenty Dodge Challengers, thirty Porsche 911s, five Hiway Haulers, etc etc. - whatever they needed to meet customer demand.  Mattel's insistence on only selling toys by the case assortment means that if there's strong customer demand for a couple of specific models, then it's up to the retailer to buy more cases - even if that means they end up with lots of fantasy pegwarmers that no-one really wants. It's kinda genius and kinda evil at the same time.

I'd broadly agree about the fantasy stuff though - there's so many generic hypercar-like things that seem very samey and they've no interest for me, while the whimsical food-themed and animal-themed cars aren't really my thing either (though I know some people specifically collect them).

The joint Netflix/ Mattel animated series Hot Wheels: Let's Race! also showcases only fantasy vehicles, some of which are old established HW castings (like Twin Mill, Bone Shaker and Mad Manga) and some of which seem to have been created specifically for the show - and then they appear as castings on the pegs, which I understand is the whole point of the show: to get young kids interested in building their own Hot Wheels collection.

Like most adult collectors I much prefer the licenced castings, especially in more true-to-life renderings like the Factory Fresh and Compact Kings series (which included the Proton), BUT there are some pretty nice unlicenced releases hiding in the dross sometimes - the Track Dwagon (based on a tweaked Subaru Leone estate) and Time Shifter both look pretty good, and I really liked the Kowloon'd Hypervan and the Mighty K kei-pickup when they came out.

I even picked up a Click Shifter the other day, as it's a weighty wee thing and the fidget-toy functions mean it's something I can keep in my coat pocket or on my desk.

Overall though, I think Hot Wheels are pushing out way too much product these days - it's nearly a full-time job trying to keep track of all their releases, and it overwhelms retailers too, resulting in cases getting missed.

While there's always a bit of churn as some collectors give up and others arrive in fresh to the hobby, a lot of the chat on Reddit groups and the like seems increasingly sour and desperate. I think the whole 'flipping for profit' craze amongst people going to extreme lengths to find Treasure Hunt/ Super Treasure Hunt releases to scalp online hasn't helped matters, though I've been seeing less of that in the past twelve months.

I think I might back off Mattel mainlines for a little while, as I'm noticing that my recent purchasing has been outstripping my opening/ photographing/ enjoying the damn things - I just seem to be hoarding them, again. It's no good when I go to fetch a padded envelope from on top of the wardrobe and dislodge a small avalanche of toy cars that I forgot I picked up from Lidl a few weeks back.

Online videos are showing 2027 Case As arriving already - fortunately, there's not been very much I've seen so far that tugs on my desires.

But yeah. It's a funny one.

[sierraman]

I don’t get the flipping for profit business. I understand it if you happen to stumble on 5 Super Chases but these that travel miles a day to make a couple of quid per car, I just don’t get it, how can that be in any way a profitable use of time? 

[Split_Pin]

@danthecapriman I too wish HW would tone it down with the racing stuff but some of their castings are pretty peachy. I've tried to collect all their Civics from the 90s. Their premium Nissan Primera Touring car was brilliant as well. Very evocative of 90s telly on a Saturday!

Matchbox lean far more towards regular cars and some of their offerings are brilliant. The MK2 MR2 Moving Parts is my favourite of all, Ive never got tired of looking at it since DC sent it Westerly to Scotland.

I do still prefer a Superfast but, there'll never be more of them!

[sierraman]

15 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

@danthecapriman I too wish HW would tone it down with the racing stuff but some of their castings are pretty peachy. I've tried to collect all their Civics from the 90s. Their premium Nissan Primera Touring car was brilliant as well. Very evocative of 90s telly on a Saturday!

Matchbox lean far more towards regular cars and some of their offerings are brilliant. The MK2 MR2 Moving Parts is my favourite of all, Ive never got tired of looking at it since DC sent it Westerly to Scotland.

I do still prefer a Superfast but, there'll never be more of them!

I just wish they sold the Moving Parts in the UK. 

[danthecapriman]

33 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

@danthecapriman I too wish HW would tone it down with the racing stuff but some of their castings are pretty peachy. I've tried to collect all their Civics from the 90s. Their premium Nissan Primera Touring car was brilliant as well. Very evocative of 90s telly on a Saturday!

Matchbox lean far more towards regular cars and some of their offerings are brilliant. The MK2 MR2 Moving Parts is my favourite of all, Ive never got tired of looking at it since DC sent it Westerly to Scotland.

I do still prefer a Superfast but, there'll never be more of them!

I agree, but even most of the more ‘normal’ cars in the range might be normal in the basic casting but it’ll be covered in a hideous definitely not ‘normal’ paint job. Or it’s got a decent paint finish but over the top it’s been emblazoned with tampo printing patterns etc.             

It’s almost like they just can not bear the thought of just painting something a nice colour and calling it finished. They absolutely must at all costs go further or over-do it. 
The Primera was indeed a fantastic looking thing. But… again, the nice green paint was plastered in racing numbers and sponsors and the boot spoiler let it down. I’d have probably bought one if they omitted the spoiler and left it plain green (which is a nice colour paint btw). But as they often do, they started off well and found a way to make it less good. 
The Chevette is another. That would look so cool just as a Chevette (Chevy or Vauxhall… whichever) but, nope. They did the same old same old and plastered it in graphics and made it a drag car.

But, as I said earlier. They’ve got a business to run, profit to make etc etc and as much as I don’t agree with it, tooling up a standard Vauxhall Chevette probably wouldn’t appeal to the masses and therefore sales would be low and therefore profit down. 
Seems to work well enough in the 1/43 and larger market but they’re more models aimed squarely at adult collectors. Almost certainly produced in tiny numbers compared to Mattel too.

I was very tempted by that Primera though. My first idea was to use one of those makeup remover pads to dissolve the tampo graphics and wipe them off leaving a lovely plain green car! Just got to be careful near the glazing though.

[danthecapriman]

41 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I just wish they sold the Moving Parts in the UK. 

Have they stopped?

They did used to sell them here but I haven’t actually looked for a few years.

[sierraman]

20 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

Have they stopped?

They did used to sell them here but I haven’t actually looked for a few years.

They stopped a few years ago. Maybe the new film might stimulate them to stock Moving Parts but I don’t hold much hope out. 

[danthecapriman]

5 minutes ago, sierraman said:

They stopped a few years ago. Maybe the new film might stimulate them to stock Moving Parts but I don’t hold much hope out. 

Ah. I didn’t realise they had stopped. I thought it was more down to the hit & miss distribution. But, I’ve not even looked for a year or two now.

It might be a UK thing though? 
Apparently we here aren’t a good enough market. It’s the same(ish) in the 1/43 scale world. Seemingly everywhere else gets shit loads of choice, magazine collections etc etc but nothing here. They won’t even sell much of it here so you’ve got to get stuff in from abroad. The little that is sold here is just a tiny selection of what’s available. 
Maybe Mattel don’t see the UK as a big market to justify importing moving parts stuff and only bring a limited selection of the mainline range over here. They must keep tabs on their sales of different products?

[flat4alfa]

Crikey

car transporter collection part work shocker 

https://www.centauria.it/opera/collezioni/racing-car-transporters

https://www.primaedicola.it/racing-car-transporters-scala-143-collana.html

• Fiat 642 RN2 Bartoletti - Maserati - 1957 - 03/01/2026
• Fiat 306/2 Scuderia Ferrari - 1970 - 17/01/2026
• Mercedes-Benz Actros - Williams Martini Racing - 2016 - 01/31/2026
• AEC HMS Hethel-Team Lotus - 1967 - 14/02/2026
• Saviem S45-Ligier Maserat - 1974 - 04/03/2026
• Renault Magnum-Lotus - 2012 - 18/03/2026
• Mercedes LP911 - Martini Racing - 1970 - 01/04/2026
• Iveco Stralis - Scuderia Ferrari - 2011 - 24/04/2026
• Leyland - Matra Simca - 1970 - 09/05/2026
• Fiat 306/2 Bartoletti-Ford Cobra - 1964 - 21/05/2026
• Leyland Worldmaster-Elf Tyrrell - 1971 - 04/06/2026
• Fiat 642 RN2-Scuderia Ferrari - 1957 - 18/06/2026
• Man 415F-Porsche - 1961 - 02/07/2026
• Lancia Esatau-Scuderia Lancia - 1953 - 16/07/2026
• Om Tigre-Abarth - 1960 - 30/07/2026
• Pegaso BACALAO-Pegaso - 1952 - 13/08/2026
• Volvo FH12 - Prost Peugeot - 1998 - 08/27/2026
• Citroen U23 HEULIEZ-Honda Racing Team 1965 - 10/09/2026
• Volvo F89-Martini Lotus - 1979 - 09/24/2026
• Opel Blitz 4 - 1970 - 08/10/2026
• Fiat 642 RN-Maserati - 1953 - 22/10/2026
• Mercedes-Benz - Porsche Gulf - 1968 - 05/11/2026
• BMC-British Motor Corporation - 1959 - 11/19/2026
• Leyland-Jaguar - 1988 - 03/12/2026
• Renault MAGNUM AE-McLaren - 1991 - 17/12/2026

Im off for a lie down

[RoadworkUK]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

I don’t get the flipping for profit business. I understand it if you happen to stumble on 5 Super Chases but these that travel miles a day to make a couple of quid per car, I just don’t get it, how can that be in any way a profitable use of time? 

My theory is endorphin rush. "Yes! I've made another three quid".

It's the same thing that makes idiots rush to overtake just one more car before veering violently across your bow to make their turn-off by the skin of their teeth.  Feels like winning.

[flat4alfa]

In another word:  Twat

[matt79]

9 minutes ago, RoadworkUK said:

My theory is endorphin rush. "Yes! I've made another three quid".

It's the same thing that makes idiots rush to overtake just one more car before veering violently across your bow to make their turn-off by the skin of their teeth.  Feels like winning.

Side Hustle - everyone's got to have a Side Hustle these days 

[RoadworkUK]

26 minutes ago, matt79 said:

Side Hustle - everyone's got to have a Side Hustle these days 

Even if it's utterly, utterly pointless. Anything to fill a chasm in their shallow, meaningless and futile lives.

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

Ah. I didn’t realise they had stopped. I thought it was more down to the hit & miss distribution. But, I’ve not even looked for a year or two now.

It might be a UK thing though? 
Apparently we here aren’t a good enough market. It’s the same(ish) in the 1/43 scale world. Seemingly everywhere else gets shit loads of choice, magazine collections etc etc but nothing here. They won’t even sell much of it here so you’ve got to get stuff in from abroad. The little that is sold here is just a tiny selection of what’s available. 
Maybe Mattel don’t see the UK as a big market to justify importing moving parts stuff and only bring a limited selection of the mainline range over here. They must keep tabs on their sales of different products?

Alicante Airport sells them. 

[FakeConcern]

I believe I've mentioned before that my grandad and then my uncles owned a shop that stocked Triang toys and my uncles gave me Spot On cars for Christmas and birthdays.

I recently found this pencil at my mum's house.

I've not seen one before and it's rather nice, also it almost certainly came from the same shop as this Trader

 

[neil72]

Here's a recent find from my dad who rang me and said next time i popped over he'd got a 'present' for me, he bought it in the charity shop in his High St and knowing him he would have 1) paid not a lot for it and 2) probably haggled on the price.

[sierraman]

Mid resto Mini custom complete. Last photo before. Much better

[andrew e]

What scale is it? Are you going for rust too?