Shite in Miniature II

[egg]

That Porsche 935 I did, needed a little extra, a couple of sporty waterslides are an improvement I think...

[sierraman]

Had another attempt today to buy a W123 at Tesco’s to no avail - this one didn’t even stock Matchbox. I’ve pretty much given it up as a bad job, I don’t think there is a supply of them where I live. Hopefully they will filter through to the Poundland eventually but I wouldn’t hold my breath. 

[bunglebus]

I think because Matchbox have been so hard to find, they get sold as soon as they're in stock. Chances of finding that green estate are pretty slim, but if I see one I'll grab it. Off to Lakeside today so I'll be having a good look around

[egg]

unboxed for a fiver? Might be cheaper than hunting around!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Matchbox-80-Mercedes-benz-W123-Wagon-Green-Used/333344437452?hash=item4d9ce074cc:g:d-kAAOSwVb5dkIyf

[danthecapriman]

I’ve had some more Soviet trucks delivered recently!

I got these two a couple of months back but I don’t think I posted any pics then.

First is an AT-T artillery tractor. These are built on a T54 tank chassis with a widened ZIL truck cab on top.

And a ZIL-135 heavy truck with a LUNA-M missile launcher on top!

Both from SSM models. 

And this morning I got a further parcel from my supplier in Estonia...

Two KRAZ (Ukrainian) trucks.First one is a 255V tractor unit and heavy transport trailer.

The second KRAZ is from a different brand I’ve never heard of (and I can’t read the Russian writing on the box!) it was much cheaper than the above SSM models versions but appears to be almost identical! My guess is that it’s a cheaper brand using the same tooling but aimed at the lower end of the model market?

Anyway, this ones a 256B1 dumper. These were built later in the production run of these trucks.

The colour scheme isn’t the nicest but this won’t matter because I bought this cheap one for a conversion project...

It will eventually become one of these,

It’s a specially built KRAZ 256B1 built in the immediate aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster for working in the heavily contaminated area around the destroyed reactor, removing contaminated debris to burial disposal sites in the clean up. 18 were built, and had a replacement single seater cab made of lead with radiation proof glazing and forced filtered ventilation systems and an extended dumper capacity. All 18 of these trucks only had a service life of a matter of months and once their job was done were too contaminated to be reused so were eventually buried in deep clay lined pits with many other heavily contaminated vehicles and equipment.

Should be an interesting project! Much of the new parts I’ll make from scratch from plastic sheet.

 

 

 

[sierraman]

That’s a fascinating story! I bet the lead cab with forced filtration was an absolute joy to spend 12 hours working in. 

[danthecapriman]

10 minutes ago, sierraman said:

That’s a fascinating story! I bet the lead cab with forced filtration was an absolute joy to spend 12 hours working in. 

Yeah I bet! Apparently it was built as a steel double skinned box then they poured molten lead into the void between the skins. The cab alone weighed 3 tons!

Ive read many of the other vehicles used in the Chernobyl clean up had additional lead shielding made up by their crews and fitted to the seats! Some even had crates of lead buckshot stacked under the seats in an effort to stop the radiation. There’s a photo online somewhere showing some old lead roofing sheeting crudely battered to a seat shape and fitted to a helicopter cockpit seat! The radiation was so intense in some areas it wouldn’t do much if any good at all.

It beggars belief nowadays that all the contaminated vehicles and waste were simply thrown into deep holes and buried! 

[Split_Pin]

Interesting piece on the Soviet Trucks, keep us posted for your updates.

Regarding the MB Merc. Don't buy one from ebay at an inflated price! You are playing into the hands of these greedy 'buyers' who buy all the examples they see to rip off us decent collectors either in sales or a trade heavily biased in their favour. Keep searching yourself and strangle their market!

[egg]

Fair comment.

But, I guess if you live somewhere very remote, I can see why just getting one off the 'bay might be favourable.

[sierraman]

It’s hardly very remote where I live, it’s the 5th largest city in the U.K. I agree it might only be £5 but on the market on a Monday that could see me into 10 battered old relics or a couple of Superkings. When you put it into perspective like that...

Do people actually traipse all the way round cities to make about when all is said and done about 50p a car profit? 

[egg]

yes, I think they do! There's very little in it at a fiver to be fair once fees, PayPal costs and postage are considered.

[flat4alfa]

Kraz cab photo

[flat4alfa]

10 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Do people actually traipse all the way round cities to make about when all is said and done about 50p a car profit? 

No I doubt that, the examples for sale aren’t in bulk. It would only make sense to buy in bulk and from the importer directly. More likely just folks like me that buy something(s) to get out their system and then sell on

[sierraman]

I don’t think there’s a great deal to be made dealing in toy cars, these days people are very clued up about how much things are worth and you’ve so many places to look if you want say a MB9 Ford Escort on eBay. 

[junkyarddog]

Nice to see matchbox giving a nod to their heritage. 

even if the new casting is half plastic now!

 

[Bren]

I think most modern cars should be put in clay pits and buried.

[bunglebus]

6 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

 All 18 of these trucks only had a service life of a matter of months and once their job was done were too contaminated to be reused so were eventually buried in deep clay lined pits with many other heavily contaminated vehicles and equipment.

 

 

Were they buried? Seen pics of lots of the cleanup vehicles rusting in fields. Also seen newer pics where they're noticable by their absence!

Anyway off-topic, nicely detailed models you have there.

[danthecapriman]

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

 

Were they buried? Seen pics of lots of the cleanup vehicles rusting in fields. Also seen newer pics where they're noticable by their absence!

Anyway off-topic, nicely detailed models you have there.

Not all vehicles or equipment was buried. Only the most severely contaminated stuff was, this was mostly the first response fire engines from the initial fire, cars and motorbikes etc from the immediate area of the opened reactor or radioactive cloud that came out of it and some of the cleanup vehicles, the 18 Kraz dumpers were highly contaminated, dangerously so, aswell as some of those other trucks, tractors, bulldozers etc that operated in the highly radioactive areas. Some of them had been in direct contact with ejected fuel materials!

They dug huge deep trenches, lined it with sand and clay then bulldozed in all the nasty stuff before covering it over with sand and clay, then top soil. The same thing happened to all the pine trees from the red forest. This was a patch of forest where the radioactive cloud from the reactor passed over, it killed the trees but turned them bright red first! They were chopped and bulldozed down by IMR and BAT-M military bulldozers and buried in deep pits. Trouble is, it’s rotting and water soaks through the ground which then leaches into the ground water!

The vehicle cemetery at Rassokha and Buryakovka are/were filled with less contaminated vehicles just left to rot. They couldn’t even scrap them because of the contamination levels. Although, Rassokha has recently been cleared. This is the one that had the Mi6 and Mi8 helicopters left in it!

 

[danthecapriman]

Here’s a video of some of the burials! The tank like vehicle driving over the motorbikes is an IMR military engineers vehicle.

Here’s one of the burial sites full of construction equipment and military vehicles.

[bunglebus]

? nasty business.

Anyway, this arrived today - still trying to find a nice one in red

[FakeConcern]

More Corgi catalogue scans this time from 1970...

Cost 6d or 2 1/2p, I saw one in Snoopers Paradise in Brighton, I wonder how much they want for it? Probably the cover isn't torn like mine though...

It still has the Corgi story inside the front cover, then the first few cars show that Lancia now in new colours and with Whizzwheels!

The next page is really bugging me as it shows "Project X" which I know at the time I worked out what it was, but now my mind has gone blank...

Edit... Ha, I just Googled it and it's the Cortina Mk3 with Graham Hill! Not that exciting after all...

Also Mangusta, E Type & Camaro now all Whizzwheels

I still have a C111 in the box...

More with added Whizzwheels...

Don't remember ever seeing a Daf City Car either as a Corgi or a real car, one for cars you didn't know existed thread?

Even more Whizzwheel updates...

They have one of those Bertone Coupe things in Snoopers as well...

I'd like the GP Beach Buggy with surf boards (from Mini Countryman?) for Mrs Concern's summer house, we have the one towing a sailing boat already...

The Mini Manifique was one of my faves at the time...

I had the Olds with the golden jacks, but would love the one towing the speedboat for the summerhouse, I don't remember ever seeing the boat...

Golden jacks with that lovely Mini Marcos again...

Same as...

Yawn...

Still no idea who "The Green Hornet" is...

Yawn...

Car not included? What a swizz...

I thought for a moment the check list wasn't filled in...

Farmer Palmer off to get his Christmas shopping...

Funny they should include things like the Dodge as must have been pretty rare in UK...

Always wanted a Unimog...

Don't remember the three tier transporter, I want one now...

Gotta love the recovery truck with TWO cranes...

Actually this was the Unimog I wanted...

I always liked the Jeep thing, but never saw a real one...

Same as before...

Love the TDF set, but they go for silly money now...

Where do you all get replacement tyres from, most of mine seem to have melted or cracked and broken...

Was never going to be as good as Hotwheels...

[Bren]

I have a soft spot for corgi rockets. They are pricey now especially the James Bond ones.

[egg]

Daf CityCars are great, I bought one from the Doctor last year

[FakeConcern]

My last Corgi Catalogue, 1972...

I would have been 13 and starting to think I was too old for toy cars while still loving them. I was by then into making Airfix models in a big way as well...

This is the best sort of front cover...

I know I hated the Corgi Technocrats and thought them childish and patronising, bring back the Corgi Story!

Someone had discovered the Pantone pen...

I fancied the Capri dragster, but I would have probably tried to make it look like a road car and ruined it...

I have a Merc 350SL and it looks nothing like the rendering shown here...

They still use the lovely line drawings to show details though...

The drawings of the competition cars in the lower corners look like the artist has never seen either the models or the real thing, they look like they escaped from A-ha's Take on Me video...

More of those drawings, why are they there?

 

At last Graham Hill posing with his Cortina, no mention of Project X now...

An actual photo of Daf City Car...

Amazing they still sold the Mini & bubble car, I remember having them when very young...

I never aquired the piss colour Marina, pretty sure I bought Graham's GXL instead (although mine's bronze colour)...

Strange mix of fun and the Fuzz...

Yeah yeah yeah...

Same...

Same, TDF set still cool...

Actually left blank!

Not again...

Nice...

Also nice...

More great line drawings...

Real suspension? Wow!

Is that Unimog tipper new?

Someone had fun doing these pics...

Blimey that Booster thing looks a bit mad...

 

[sheffcortinacentre]

The Tesco in the wicker has one tub each of matchbox & hot wheels but it's potluck what you get on what day.

[eddyramrod]

The Green Hornet was a masked vigilante, much like Batman.  In fact the TV series was made by the same studio and they made crossover appearances in each other's shows.  He was a newspaper owner named Britt Reid, played by Van Johnson IIRC, with a chauffeur named Kato who was played by Bruce Lee.  There was a film not many years ago with Seth Rogen (?) in the part.  They built a bunch of cars for the new film, all customised Imperials very much like the original which Corgi reproduced so well.  For a series that was barely aired over here, the car stayed in the catalogue for a surprisingly long time, and it's not hard to pick them up used.

[morrisoxide]

On 10/15/2019 at 10:42 PM, sierraman said:

I’ve got my southern correspondent (my father) on the case scouring the local Tesco for them. 

I thought them Southerners couldn't get hold of them? Anyhow I can send you a boxed W123 if you want?

I was going to turn it into the Griswolds family truckster for my Dad. However I have now bought a Greenlight Truckster in metallic pea green with greenwall tyres and graffiti!! 

[bunglebus]

3 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

 

Where do you all get replacement tyres from, most of mine seem to have melted or cracked and broken...

 

 

You can get them on eBay - check your wheel size and type carefully though, there are many variations.

[bunglebus]

3 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

 

 

Just awaiting one more to be delivered (The Commuter) and I'll have the full set of these

[MarvinsMom]

many thanks for the scans of the Corgi catalogues.

now i see that there MANY more cars that i need to add to the collection.

drat.....