Shite in Miniature II

17,006 · July 16, 2019

Facebook Marketplace strikes again... missed two massive boxes from the same seller, these were the dregs. Metro "van" and blue Nova are new ones on me, the Volvos are already on my Volvo shelf.

These'll end up probably 50/50 between my toybox and CMS_JUNIOR's toybox.

51,383 · July 16, 2019

A team vans sell well. Blue Superkings ovloV reminds me -

20190716_224820 by Rich Secker, on Flickr

My ex-green one is coming along nicely, only one colour for a 240 estate!

10,164 · July 17, 2019

That's a fantastic haul Mr CMS and that's the only other red Maestro I've seen, other than the one my brother had. I'm pretty sure they're not worth much more (if any more at all) than the yellow ones but still great to see. I'd forgotten that Corgi did a miniature version of their 240 rally car - indeed, I think the large scale rally version wasn't launched until years after MB stopped selling them, so it was always a bit of a strange idea. Indeed, the one I had as a kid had a Sierra wheel trim on one wheel...

I had that Metro van too, which must've been part of a Datapost set of some sort, as I also remember receiving 2 Datapost Escorts at the same time, the only difference being the racing numbers. Having a quick google, I've just learnt that they did a large scale Metro van, too!

Just like the Junior version, the 'van' bit is just the side windows sprayed, which even as a young'un, I found quite disappointing.

10,164 · July 17, 2019

A further note from me - if you look at the two images above of the Matchbox Superkings Volvo 245 (the CMS blue one and the bunglebus silver one), you'll see the front bumpers in 'before and after being pulled out' forms. My brother had the red one and I had the white one with rally stuff on the roof. He modified both the bumpers on each, which from memory then acted like sprung buffers and looked far more accurate. I'm just wondering why Matchbox didn't do that themselves, or is my mind playing tricks and in actual fact, I just ended up with a wobbly-bumpered Volvo?

Nice wheel and paint swap bunglebus! I do think this would look most excellent with a blue interior though. Just saying...

51,383 · July 17, 2019

Front bumper is sprung, I remember it well from the one I had as a kid (white with toot on the roof). It's quite a complex casting with opening doors and tailgate, separate bumpers + grille/lights etc and is fiddly to assemble.

Blue you say...was going to go black but blue would be nice. Always liked red in a silver car too. Decisions! Do I paint the Minilites?

July 17, 2019

Can anyone identify this plastic Porsche 356 model, which looks like it may be a slot car? Printed on the base is No 3361 Made in Hong Kong. 15cm long X 6.5cm wide.

51,383 · July 17, 2019

Picked up some nice bits this week, of most interest are these;

20190717_215457 by RS, on Flickr

20190717_215720 by RS, on Flickr

Same but different;

20190717_215234 by RS, on Flickr

20190717_215703 by RS, on Flickr

And what I really wanted for my £1 for all three;

20190717_215155 by RS, on Flickr

20190717_215216 by RS, on Flickr

20190717_215653 by RS, on Flickr

20190717_214949 by RS, on Flickr

20190717_214708 by RS, on Flickr

20190717_214841 by RS, on Flickr

39,057 · July 18, 2019

On ‎7‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 11:31 PM, cms206 said:

Facebook Marketplace strikes again...

Cor, nice haul! That Mercedes 240D in weathered rally livery is on my 'to find' list. The blue Nova's a new one on me, too. Well bought!

Just remembered, I still have a couple of market tat-box Corgi Junior Volvo estates and a Majorette Saab 900 Turbo set aside for you, from back in March... still fancy them?

If you do, I've some other stuff up for grabs at the moment - should anything else take your fancy/make the postage more worthwhile.

If not, no bother!

17,006 · July 18, 2019

52 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Cor, nice haul! That Mercedes 240D in weathered rally livery is on my 'to find' list. The blue Nova's a new one on me, too. Well bought!

Just remembered, I still have a couple of market tat-box Corgi Junior Volvo estates and a Majorette Saab 900 Turbo set aside for you, from back in March... still fancy them?

If you do, I've some other stuff up for grabs at the moment - should anything else take your fancy/make the postage more worthwhile.

If not, no bother!

I completely forgot about those 245s and the 900! Life kinda took over... it all went a bit tit shaped for a while. Happy to take those, the Corgi 760, the battered Rover Sterling and the Maisto Granada if they're still about?

10,410 · July 18, 2019

Some recent arrivals from the past couple of months. I was pleased to get hold of the Skoda 110L as this is the one that had been missing from my 1/72 Skoda collection for a long time.

Nissan Qashqai by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

BMW Z4 by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

Fiat Punto by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

Volkswagen Golf by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

Lotus Elan by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

Skoda 110L by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

Maroon Moggies by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

The Oxford Maxi in Damask Red

Maroon Maxi by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

This is brilliant, a conversion of the Matchbox milk float and probably about 50 years old

Cluffs Commer by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

39,057 · July 18, 2019

42 minutes ago, cms206 said:

I completely forgot about those 245s and the 900! Life kinda took over... it all went a bit tit shaped for a while. Happy to take those, the Corgi 760, the battered Rover Sterling and the Maisto Granada if they're still about?

Excellent stuff! Will pop those to one side for you, thanks!

July 18, 2019

I had to go in the loft to try and find something, and all alone in a random box where these 3.

Which reminded me that I really must dig out the actual boxes of cars one day

51,383 · July 18, 2019

Nice SD1. I've been having a perv at the Dinky Corgi and Matchbox catalogues I got off eBay a while ago, and now I want a load of things I never knew existed.

I suppose I should scan them cos there's some amazing stuff on those tiny pages.

7,963 · July 18, 2019

Please do! I had some Matchbox and Corgi catalogue in the mid eighties and I'd love to see them again

39,057 · July 19, 2019

Well kids, it feels like it's been a while... but we're back on the Tat Trail once again.

Nothing spectacular on the stall today though, sadly - mostly the same stuff that was here at the tail end of June. Blue Corgi Whizzwheels Land Rover 109 in good fettle did tempt me a little, mind.

1990s Corgi Range Rover in police livery had sustained damage to the A-post, and is missing its lights and upper tailgate - otherwise I'd have had it.

1970s-era Dinky diecast aircraft - Hawker Harrier, and a pair of Phantom IIs. Various Lesney Matchbox Majors to the rear, but none of them complete.

Anyone into vintage farming gear? Today's your lucky day, potentially.

In fact, you too could set up a smallholding in miniature... I believe these are Britains models, before they went plastic.

And while we're talking about Britains… who was after one of these SWB Landies, to use as a project base?

Both are fairly comprehensively fucked, so could be chopped up with no great loss to the world.

Mmm, bendy.

And moving on to the 50p tat boxes... well, some new stuff, as it happens.

Loads of late 80s/90s Corgi - the stuff that was given away with BP - and some 1970s Superfasts in various states of misery. Early Oxford Diecast promo van down the front, too - Bullnose Morris in painfully anachronistic Harry Ramsden's livery.

There were at least four green Jaaaaags in there, though the police version may have been squeezed in a vice as the rear was perplexingly droopy. None were in tip-top condition, so I left them. Yellow racer is a Corgi Rockets Porsche that seems to have had its axles and wheels replaced with ones from a MB Superfast, perplexingly. Glazing was good but the rear engine cover broken, so I left it too. Majorette Renault J4 also suffering casting damage and axle bend; Matchbox Ford Taunus wagon displaying the same paint issues that blighted my own example. Hot Wheels Crack-ups police car still functioning, but missing nearly all its tampo printing. MB Rolamatics Clipper missing its wobbly exhaust pipes.

Again, all these provoked a degree of wantage but none tickled my fancy enough to claim them. But if anyone here feels differently, I'll dander back over at 12...

More of the same - a fair few early 70s MB Superfast fantasy cars in Tat Box 2 (Mod Rod, Woosh 'n' Push, Stretcha Fetcha) but none complete. Mostly rubbish Pound shop toys in here, tbh.

Still tons of unsold Matchbox MoY on the stall, mint and boxed at £2.

Noticed this sticker on one...

Dunno what that's about - other than confirming a Code 3 manufactured outside the factory.

Possibly Matchbox International were happy enough to sell blanks, but were concerned that poor-quality finishes applied by the end user might reflect badly on them. This sticker might have been a disclaimer.

Still don't really want it, but for £2.... gnnng.

If there's owt anyone fancies - give me a yell!

61,590 · July 19, 2019

How much is the MB Morris J2 T? They are always an easy resto.

39,057 · July 19, 2019

16 minutes ago, egg said:

How much is the MB Morris J2 T? They are always an easy resto.

He's normally asking about £3 for the Lesneys on the stall itself... if you fancy it, I'll nip back over!

61,590 · July 19, 2019

Ah, probably a bit rich for me DC, if it was a quid or two...thanks!

39,057 · July 19, 2019

16 minutes ago, egg said:

Ah, probably a bit rich for me DC, if it was a quid or two...thanks!

No worries! Anyway, it wouldn't be the first time I've seen models set out on the stall for £3 (or even £5) ending up in the 50p box the following week... I'll keep my eyes peeled for you!

39,057 · July 19, 2019

I wish I could say I had more self-control. I really do.

This VW Golf, the Matchbox Superkings K-86, has long fascinated me. It's the first one I've ever actually seen in the metal, weirdly.

It's not perhaps the best Golf model - the glass area looks a wee bit too small, while the hatchback seems a shallower angle than on the real thing (and quite different from the 1-75 Superfast version, which if anything had the opposite problems - too much glazing and too steep at the back).

The rear seems particularly poorly rendered, although there's always been the problem of building a sturdy scale replica which will stand up to kids chucking it around, while also trying to stay faithful to the original design. The huge towbar and over-chunky wheels aren't helping here, in fairness.

This one's seen a fair bit of use, it would appear.

One of the most unusual features is this... a hole in the body where the fuel cap ought to be...

...because it originally came boxed together with a small petrol pump and nozzle, which fitted into the hole.

I think this is the only toy car I know of which came with such a feature - unless any of you lot know otherwise?

Without having my old catalogues to hand, I believe this white version was the second issue of the Golf - earlier ones (1981) came in black, but with the same tampo print graphics.

A fool and his 50p, etc etc...

37,448 · July 19, 2019

Also came with a Shell Petrol Station - the type that came aim the back of the Mercedes artic.

7,963 · July 19, 2019

Another I've never seen before

39,057 · July 19, 2019

7 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Also came with a Shell Petrol Station - the type that came aim the back of the Mercedes artic.

Ah yes - sorry, I was wondering about the hole in the bodywork to fit a pump nozzle, rather than the pump itself!

I really, really wanted that set, though.

Pricey, as I recall!

But, on the subject of Matchbox articulated tractor units...

37,448 · July 19, 2019

The one I had came with the Golf, the station and a mat. Still got it somewhere.

39,057 · July 19, 2019

… I also picked this up.

I really like this model of the Leyland Roadrunner; launched not long after the real thing in 1984, the lines of the K120 toy are pretty good - even if it was highly unlikely this 7.5 tonner could be found pulling a car transporter trailer...

In fact, I think I prefer this as just the tractor unit, as the trailer always looked wrong to me.

It had already appeared along with the K-10 Bedford TM transporter (which annoyed me with its bizarrely knobbly tyres and out-of-proportion air hoses)

But then, the TM was an adaption of this fantasy Superking, the K-10...

PLZ NO.

Anyway, I like the wee Leyland, which enjoyed as long and varied a life in the Matchbox lineup as its real-life counterpart.

39,057 · July 19, 2019

5 minutes ago, sierraman said:

The one I had came with the Golf, the station and a mat. Still got it somewhere.

Ah, I'm with you now - sounds excellent, don't think I've encountered that set before... you've got some cracker examples stashed away!

51,383 · July 19, 2019

3 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Hot Wheels Crack-ups police car still functioning, but missing nearly all its tampo printing

If there's owt anyone fancies - give me a yell!

If that's there next week could you grab it for me please?

51,383 · July 19, 2019

52 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

This VW Golf, the Matchbox Superkings K-86, has long fascinated me. It's the first one I've ever actually seen in the metal, weirdly.

Lovely - on my "want" list

7,963 · July 19, 2019

I had that blue Bedford transporter as a child, can't remember whether it came in that gift set box but it's possible as I recall having the orange BMW and a Renault 5 (possibly silver) with it. Not the Cortina though, that's one Matchbox from the era that's always eluded me.

51,383 · July 19, 2019

I will scan all of these at some point, but I took some pics for now. Matchbox;

I had this set as a kid;

20190719_105453 by RS, on Flickr

Cool

20190719_104951 by RS, on Flickr

1st incarnation of the Adventure 2000 set;

20190719_104823 by RS, on Flickr

And the unobtainium blue set with new casting;

20190719_104852 by RS, on Flickr

Really getting into the fantasy/Hot Rod Superkings lately;

20190719_104811 by RS, on Flickr

20190719_104755 by RS, on Flickr

There are some castings/colours I've never seen, like this Cortina - only seen gold and pinkish red before - red one looks like an S which makes me want one;

20190719_104438 by RS, on Flickr

20190719_103552 by RS, on Flickr

Never seen an RS2000 in these colours;

20190719_104356 by RS, on Flickr

Volvo with round headlights? All the ones I've seen have square

20190719_104259 by RS, on Flickr

20190719_104248 by RS, on Flickr

Ovlov came in some versions I wasn't aware of;

20190719_103434 by RS, on Flickr

I had this set

20190719_104033 by RS, on Flickr

Here's a casting I've never seen, only ever listed as a set with a caravan in various colours - on the want list;