Shite in Miniature II

[egg]

Can anyone ID the manufacturer of this please?

 

 

[Datsuncog]

^^^ Looks like a Benbros Mighty Midget Gypsy Caravan (or half of one, anyway)

[egg]

Thanks, that just looks like scrap then, as the other half has long since disappeared.

[egg]

Another that needs glass, paint, decals and tyres. So another tenner or 'move it on'...

 

[RoadworkUK]

 So another tenner or 'move it on'...

 

 

 It's tidier than mine...

 

[quicksilver]

Just bought this, despite its Japanese origins all the way from far-flung Northampton.

Toyota Crown by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

 

Lovely model, but the box is really the icing on the cake. Look at that quality* translation.

Japanglish! by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

[mercrocker]

Haha, that box blurb is better than a 1960s Honda Cub handbook, brilliant.

[RoadworkUK]

The other day, My dad mentioned that I ought to really consider emptying some of the rammle that's been bending his loft joists for years and years and years. Here's the first batch to be forcibly evicted:

 

 

This is the bulk of my childhood toy car collection, some of which were hand-me-downs, many of which were brand new to me (particularly the Lazer-wheels and Super GT by Matchbox etc), some were picked up along the way. All were energetically played with, though.

 

Here are some notables:

 

 

The 1:36 Rolls came in a presentation set with a plastic Rolls Royce badge thing that I never figured out what to do with. Our wealthy next-door neighbours got me this, sadly right towards the period that I was getting into 1:18 Bburagos, so the poor thing got a bit neglected. The SD1 (together with the similar police version, which seems to be missing) was an earlier acquisition.

 

 

1:36 Corgi stuff always seemed oddly varied. While Matchbox seemed focussed on more glamorous subjects, Corgi brought out stuff like this Mazda B1600. Pretty sure this was mine from new, which is odd because the B1600 ended production in '77 and I was built in '81.

 

 

This thing's awesome. Once had a black horse thing (a horse, probably) in the box, but that just rattled around so I just ignored it. I enjoyed hitching and unhitching, though, and the Land Cruiser is amazing, with its opening doors, tailgate and spare wheel that hinges out. Both window surrounds eventually snapped off, but that's probably true of the real thing.

 

 

This is a fairly inexplicable combo from the Matchbox SuperKings range. This same curiously futuristic cab design appeared in numerous capacities, I've got some kind of strange rocket transporter thing somewhere, too. The car is a strange dragster riff on the Mustang II.

 

 

Not altogether sure where this came from, but I love it with every fibre of my being. Seven articulated components if you include the folding seats. Astoundingly playworn, but complete, against all odds.

 

 

This was my default car to play with, at age eight, on the ad-hoc road network of dirt channels and ruts that peppered The Mound, found in the corner of the Hamford primary playing field. I think I was drawn to it because I knew that the full-size machine had electric windows, sunroof and central locking. Those things impressed me when I was eight, and still do. This came with a matching boat and trailer, long since lost.

 

 

Never worked out what this was, or how it came into my possession. I wouldn't be without it now, though.

 

 

Majorettes are great. Sooo much suspension travel. Between this, my Celica and 300ZX I used to stage the best stop-motion car chases. Without the camera.

 

 

This is a baffling creation. It taunted me, with its three non-removable, shiny, angular mystery cars of generic design. They're more like scale pieces of modern abstract art than actual cars. A bit like those not-Sierras that Hornby sold for far too many quid.

 

 

This is barmy, too. A beautifully detailed cab, complete with an outrageous window tint, and an amusingly abbreviated wheelbase and dumpy single-axle trailer, presumably to enable it to fit in the usual Matchbox box.

 

More, probably, as they're unearthed and fondled.

[Split_Pin]

Great write up! In light of the fact that I had about 50% of the same cars, I am going to guess you are in your late 30s?

 

Nice to see them again, brings back memories, I must go and unearth mine from the loft for old time's sake.

[junkyarddog]

I always thought those cars on the Bedford transporter were quite Austin Princess shaped.

[Split_Pin]

Me too, I got Mutha_Pin to carve them off one of mine!

[RoadworkUK]

I always thought those cars on the Bedford transporter were quite Austin Princess shaped.

 

Sort of Princess / Renault 16 mashup with a long Mk1 Capri nose.

 

Split_Pin: Yep, 37. And still utterly unwilling to accept that fact.

[Bren]

The mazda pick up was created as an incredible hulk toy.

 

I got the matchbox car transporter when it came out. The cars were quickly removed - even the lower one once the tang above it had been removed.

[bramz7]

 

 

These are neat. Crude but neat.

[Split_Pin]

Sort of Princess / Renault 16 mashup with a long Mk1 Capri nose.

 

Split_Pin: Yep, 37. And still utterly unwilling to accept that fact.

Only on here could somebody guess another's age from pictures of their childhood toy cars!

[RoadworkUK]

Only on here could somebody guess another's age from pictures of their childhood toy cars!

You can probably tell much more besides. Shiteometrical profiling.

[Amishtat]

Nice to know I wasn't the only one thinking that.. Here's my one

[sierraman]

I was never that happy with the Leyland artic, it would have been ace as a superkings though.

 

I think my car habits have passed down a generation, my youngest won't let go of a Matchbox BMW 323i that I got from Datsuncog, she is only 21 months old but she likes 'driving' the BMW up and down the walls simulating the noise. Had to step in when she hit her sister in the face with it though.

[Split_Pin]

I have 2 of those Leylands, one MIB and the other wad a chooldhood toy. I also have it as a red and white tanker, if I remember correctly.

[sierraman]

Is that the Leyland or the generic one that they did at the same time, in Burmah livery?

[Split_Pin]

Its the Leyland one. I also have the generic one in yellow towing a blue aggregate wagon.

[Split_Pin]

Speaking of variations, I also have the Bedford as a Horse Box. It has a different numberplate too, something I still really like about Matchbox cars of that era. They are in the correct font too.

[sierraman]

Found one sometime ago with the horses still in the back at a car boot. Needless to say the horses were the first thing to go missing usually. I could go on for hours about Matchboxes. Round that period my favourite was the armoured car they did. Still looking for the olive coloured Dresden Bank one. I'd heartily recommend the Charlie Mack book on these, a real wealth of info in there.

[egg]

This coach hasn't gone anywhere in a while...touch of the 'y tho'

 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Sort of Princess / Renault 16 mashup with a long Mk1 Capri nose.

 

Split_Pin: Yep, 37. And still utterly unwilling to accept that fact.

 

There is a "Playmobil" branded version (of much inferior construction) where the little cars have Citroen logos. You can just make it out on the red car:

 

 

[Amishtat]

Fucked Dinky plod Transit

[Amishtat]

Surprisingly unfucked Matchbox D-series

[sierraman]

Rarer yellow trailer as well.

[egg]

Another question, how do you pop out the glass on this super fast without snapping it?

 

[Datsuncog]

IMG_20180622_114441.jpgIMG_20180622_114448.jpg

Fucked Dinky plod Transit

 

Looks like one of my amazing restos from days gone by...

 

 

 

 

Hoping to remedy that soon by stripping and getting new bits to repair and repaint mine. Seems that Acme 3000 can do me a replacement glazing unit and tailgate from Ebay for not a huge amount.

 

Pale blue paint in the doorframe of yours suggests it was a Kenwood liveried panel van rather than police, maybe?

 

 

Dinky really got their money out of that casting, modifying it substantially at least twice in line with Ford's own Transit facelifts - or was it a complete recast? Never had an early one to compare against...