Shite in Miniature II

[sierraman]

You are probably right. Just the reference to it being a possibility in the listing usually means the seller has done it himself!

Best way to pick stuff up like this is at a swap meet, then you can inspect it to hand. But even then you need to know what you are looking for, take as example the 67 VW fastback, the metallic pink one was prone to sun fading it to a silver colour, which is incidentally a colour often used as a colour trial as it shows up any defects. Again the super fast cross over stuff that had the plastic retainer to accept the thinner super fast axles are easily removed and the red retainer ones are very rare and could easily be sprayed from the original black. Doesn’t help that when Lesney went bust in ‘82 a lot of the left over stickers depicting the Scorpion labels were sold off meaning you could create a ‘scarce’ variation yourself.

[mercrocker]

I am actually looking after some Dinky stuff for somebody at the moment - it is quite hard to tell repainted stuff even when you have it in your hand.   Some of what I have seen of his stuff so far is so well done and colour-matched that normal rivet inspection etc.  doesn't fail the test.   I think it's had quite an effect on the value of rarities but even the 1980s valuation guides were warning about this.....

[mercrocker]

 

 

I think it's a Wardie Master Toys "Wee World".

There was another one, which was similar, but more old fashioned and came in green with yellow plastic grids at the ends, which was much more common. This one is very rare indeed.

 

You can see both of them in this shit pic, the only one I found on the www.

 

wardie.jpg

 

Good work that man.....I wondered about the raves, too - it has that shape.

[junkyarddog]

Here's my one,balanced behind a lesney massey harris tractor.

 

 

 

[junkyarddog]

Another recent find is this lift,

It had a broken lever,so wouldn't work.

A bit of diecast bodgery later and it does.

 

 

 

 

D.C.M.T Crescent,made in England.

 

The guy actually had two,but the other one was totally missing the lever.

Kinda regretting not getting now,it may have been bodgeable too.

[mercrocker]

DCMT (Die Cast Machine Tools) made toys under the Crescent brand name but are better known for Lone Star.   They did a smaller ramp for the Impy cars under that brand - these had moulded plastic lubrication pumps etc.   Nice find.

[junkyarddog]

It's a cold,wet and windy day here.

Miserable.

 

So to cheer myself up I'll a look through one of my Matchbox carry cases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[junkyarddog]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[eddyramrod]

Some lovely original condition going on there!  Well kept, sir!

[MorrisItalSLX]

20181109_140244.jpg

Is that a Holden Kingswood Ute?

[junkyarddog]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sierraman]

The MG 1300 is a particular favourite of mine. Keeping look out for a ratty one to restore into a more 70’s colour. Maybe metallic brown!

[junkyarddog]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[junkyarddog]

That's the contents of one carry case.

 

I have two others.

 

Will get around to them another time.

 

[sierraman]

The AEC horse box is another scarce one these days.

 

I liked the Lotus 7, so fragile though, managed to find one last year with its windscreen intact, the other 3 I’ve got were missing this frequently broken part.

[junkyarddog]

Is that a Holden Kingswood Ute?

It is a Holden,not sure of the exact model though.

[egg]

2mins of sad silent footage of the Lesney factory in 1987

 

 

Oh and some Urbex from 2008 of it here

 

https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/lesneys-matchbox-factory-hackney-london-oct-08.34232/

[egg]

I picked up this mini Peck Stow and Wilcox USA made antique vice today. I'm hoping it's wide enough to use to hold Lesneys when I'm drilling them out.

[mercrocker]

2mins of sad silent footage of the Lesney factory in 1987

 

 

Oh and some Urbex from 2008 of it here

 

https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/lesneys-matchbox-factory-hackney-london-oct-08.34232/

 

That is indeed sad....I saw the place once, as a kid, from my grandad's P6 at night.   Whether they were working night shifts then or not, I don't know, but it was lit up like the field of dreams to me as we passed.   Would have been about '67/68.

[mercrocker]

As we've seen Junkyarddogs, let's check mine out.....

Suspect mine is a bit more battered - its been lugged about with me since I first left home in 1980....

 

In fact the handle just fell out on the way downstairs. 

 

 

 

Its not just for Superfast though....

 

No mugshots - just a group photo, 

 

 

Just like those lurid Weekend chocs yer mum used to scoff on Sunday, there's another multi-coloured layer...

 

 

 

Some good memories there.....

[egg]

There's rumours a member of Mrs Egg's family worked at Lesney in the 50s-60s (being an ex-East End family this is pretty plausible), but I've yet to find out any more than that.

[Christine]

I reckon the MG1100  has a dog looking out of the  window....same dog here in this truck ...?  

 

[mercrocker]

The MG indeed has a dog.  He obviously moonlighted for Dinky as well!

[junkyarddog]

I do like a well stocked carry case

 

Nice to see in yours Mr Rocker.

[MorrisItalSLX]

It is a Holden,not sure of the exact model though.

It would be a 1974-1979 Holden HJ/HX/HZ Ute, but it has the GTS vents in the front wings, which was only fitted to utes with the sandman pack. It also only has a single headlamp front end which means it would only be a HJ or HX (‘74-‘77) Sandman as the HZ got the twin headlamp front from the premier.

[Junkman]

Seeing this one up manship going on here, you guys seriously believe I was resting on my laurels, haven't you?

Well, I have you know, I did no such thing.

 

However, since Egg is hoovering up every warped Norev in sight and then some, I had to revert to Minialuxe to fulfill my distorted plastic needs.

Have this wonderful 1914 Panhard & Levassor Skiff by the seriously bonkers coachbuilder Labourdette.

 

 

[Junkman]

Then I got these two models from fellow shiters who are seriously close to my heart. Hence they are cherished.

 

 

 

One is the Alfa Romeo Canguro by Politoys.

No photos will do the model justice. The detailing goes down to separately moulded grab handles on the dashboard, which also sports vents.

When it arrived it had quite scruffy windows, which has been rectified now. It also got a thorough cleanup.

 

 

 

 

 

The other is the Dinky Merryweather Marquis fire engine.

We are talking one and one third pounds of good old English heavy metal here!

 

 

Anyone with half a brain would have realised now that it's no fucking wonder they went bust.

 

In addition, it has an elaborate multi layer candy paint job:

 

 

There is a locker for a hose:

 

 

This might have remotely to do with the fact that it's marked hose locker:

 

 

Hence there is a hose:

 

 

which wouldn't be of any use if there weren't a water tank and pump:

 

 

Madness!

[Junkman]

I expanded on my way too slowly growing Dinky collection (life, you know) with these examples from quite opposite ends of the portfolio.

 

 

[Junkman]

I made sure I have the infrastructure in place to cater to all those toys.

 

[Junkman]

And lastly I snatched some Lesneys for good measure.