Shite in Miniature II

[RobT]

1 hour ago, TheDoctor said:

Littlun decided that the next project should be this Renault 11.

I showed him some pictures of @RobT 's one, and he now wants to make it into a replica and send it to him. ?

 

Ah that's nice.  He can have a ride in the real thing one day, next time we're able to do a Kent meet!

[morrisoxide]

@bunglebus That Bel Air looks the same scale but mine is turquoise with flames, and has a switch on the roof for the lights. I'm going to a have a proper look tomorrow.

Edit: Found it

 

[bunglebus]

Excellent, was that sold as a Hot Wheels or a Micro Machine?

[AndyW201]

While rummaging about in the loft earlier, I came across another collection that's not seen the light of day for 15 years or so. Soz,  it's modern Corgi related again...

Still with me? Good.

This collection goes back years, to when I was still working on the taxis, although I was starting to alternate it with the delivery job, eventually packing in the taxi trade altogether. So, early 2000s-ish, I was still getting catalogues sent from Corgi, and I saw a couple of Vanguards models, in period taxi livery. This piqued my interest, and  a small-ish collection built up.

So, from what I remember, the first one I purchased was this,

Note, the Lledo name was still quite prominent on the packaging at this point, although this was after the Corgi takeover. Usual marketing leaflet inside the packaging, but at this time, you didn't get the collector's card/certificate, instead just getting '1 of XXXX pieces' printed on the base.

I don't know if the livery of these Vanguards taxis were based on real companies or faked, however the Manchester licencing sign on the bonnet of this one looks kosher. Don't know why the model is described as from Leicester either, if it was supposed to be licensed in Manchester. 

All the same though, it's a decent model. The Vanguards Marina, despite being from the early days of the range, captures the real thing well. It's a 1.8 Super, so the grille panel is correct, and the Marina Super wheel trims are among the best that Lledo/Corgi ever did. I like the tiny BL badges on the front wings too.

Again, I'm not sure whether the real private hire vehicle would have had a Taxi sign on the roof, as most of the councils I know of only allow Hackney cars and cabs to have roof signs, not p/hire. But the signage is good, the tiny signs in the window informing 'Not insured unless booked through operator' lend it an air of realism.

Next up, a bit of posh (ish) Ford action,

I have to admit, I have picked up a fair few Vanguards models over the years... The MK3 Zephyr is one I've never bothered with though. However, having got this one out today, I may have to get one or two as it's a lovely model really.

Nice to see the lowlier Zephyr being modelled, with it's single headlights, less body bling and plain wheels.

I think they have caught the shape well, I must be the only one to prefer the styling of the Zephyr with the thicker C pillar reminding me of a big MK1 or 2 Cortina, rather than the six light set up of the Zodiac. Being a Zephyr, it's a nice big model, with plenty of weight to it. It's part of the reason I like the Vanguards, the metal bases give them a nice weighty feel.

Sticking with big Fords,

One of my favourite castings of one of my favourite cars. Again, nice to see the povo spec Consul modelled. 

Correct Consul-spec grille and low spec wheels with hubcaps. Don't know if the livery is a genuine one, but it looks good on the Daytona yellow.

I have been looking for ages for the ordinary Daytona yellow version of the Consul, as it would make a nice contrast with the other posher variants in the collection (Consul 3.0 GT, Purple velvet Granada and a few 3.0 Ghias) but people are asking silly money for them on ebay. These taxi versions though are a lot cheaper, mint boxed versions can be had for not much more than a tenner so I have been toying with getting another one of these and reverting it to 'civilian' spec. I don't know if the Tampos could be removed without having to redo the paint job?

Next, a bit of six-pot leather cocooned luxury after your several pints of Watney's Red Barrel and fish supper (all for less than a quid in them days, y'know...)

Always been a fan of the landcrab, especially the Wolesley. It makes a nice taxi model too.

Pretty good treatment of the front end. (Shame the badge doesn't light up tho...)

That legendary landcrab interior space... Nice accurate steering wheel rake too!

And to a slightly more budget-conscious landcrab owning firm,

2005 now, note that Lledo is no longer on the packaging.

Nice colour combo, bet the red vinyl would have been pleasant to do a long shift in, on a hot day.

And who wouldn't want this taking them home from a night on the piss?

Possibly not one for the grammar police though. Note the spelling of the word Taxis on the door signs and on the plinth. Makes me wonder if this might have been a real life livery...

Great front end treatment on this one too.

Unusual to see a PA with a single tone body colour and plain-ish wheels without whitewall tyres. Puts me more in mind of a Velox?

Like the Zephyr, it's not a model I've gone for before, but it captures the PA's lovely shape well, and it's another nice big, weighty model.

So that's it for the Lledo/Corgi crossover clear case era.

After completing this lot, I discovered there had been a few more, done a few years earlier in the good old slidey box pre-Corgi era. These were a lot harder (and more expensive!) to find, but I had to get them!

Again, apostrophe-botherers beware...

So, first cab off the rank (heh!) Is the Farina Cambridge Portugese taxi.

Not an unattractive colour scheme, the Farina's lines look good on it. 

Another Farina next,

An Oxford this time, in Hong Kong colours.

Bit more garish, this one...

The taxi plates front and rear are a nice touch though.

And finally, the one that took the most finding,

Another PA Cresta, In Legion Taxis (Australia) livery.

Sadly the paint has gone a bit shite on this one, the blue bits have crazed pretty badly,

Must be that hot Australian sunshine...

[bunglebus]

6 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

I don't know if the Tampos could be removed without having to redo the paint job?

There are a few methods out there, acetone (nail polish remover) and dry wipe markers are some of them, I've tried acetone and it does work but can start to wear the paint off if you're not careful. T-cut or the like might work too. Hardest part is where the tampo goes into the door shut lines

[Split_Pin]

Nail varnish remover worked for me when converting a 1/18 police Escort to civvy spec.

[MorrisItalSLX]

11 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

And finally, the one that took the most finding,

Another PA Cresta, In Legion Taxis (Australia) livery.

Sadly the paint has gone a bit shite on this one, the blue bits have crazed pretty badly,

Must be that hot Australian sunshine...

Good to see an authentic New South Wales taxi number plate fitted, nice touch there. Trax did a Ford XK Falcon in the same livery.

Fun fact about Legion Cabs, their current head office is located in a former Leyland dealership, Purnell Motors of Arncliffe, Sydney.

[morrisoxide]

12 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Excellent, was that sold as a Hot Wheels or a Micro Machine?

Hot Wheels I believe. It got put in with the Micro Machines. I got it from a junk shop with a HW 66 Corvette Stingray and a Lone Star 70's Corvette.

[bunglebus]

Grabbed a victim to try tampo removal with a dry wipe marker. Also used a bit of acetone but the marker seemed to do the most. As usual there's a bit left in the door shuts and repeated rubbing does thin the paint on edges and handles etc. Not too bad though

 

A bit of black Sharpie around the lines helps

[Skizzer]

16 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

I have been looking for ages for the ordinary Daytona yellow version of the Consul, as it would make a nice contrast with the other posher variants in the collection (Consul 3.0 GT, Purple velvet Granada and a few 3.0 Ghias) but people are asking silly money for them on ebay. These taxi versions though are a lot cheaper, mint boxed versions can be had for not much more than a tenner so I have been toying with getting another one of these and reverting it to 'civilian' spec. I don't know if the Tampos could be removed without having to redo the paint job?

Hey Andy, I’ve got a Vanguards Daytona yellow civvy Consul that you’re welcome to have. As new, boxed. 

I thought I might get into collecting Vanguards way back when, but I went off the idea after about three models, of which this is one.

PM me your address and I’ll send it to you once I’ve dug it out of the cupboard.

[bunglebus]

Had another play with nail varnish and thinner via my ancient airbrush. Rather pleased with the results so some different ones are on order

[155V6]

I found some of those tiny Hotwheels as well

[DoctorRetro]

A couple close to being finished, just need gluing back together. 

Renault 11 needs another coat on the sides. 

The Studebaker looks pretty good on Corgi wheels. It will be a little lower at the front when back together properly. 

As a bonus, the fold down tailgate now works. 

I also created a panel to go in the roof, being as the original sliding roof doesn't, but not sure about it. 

[flat4alfa]

7 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Great

All you've got left to do is fashion a new hood and it will be ready for its MOT !

[flat4alfa]

OMG WLTM etc

[flat4alfa]

Quote

mira stretcha fetcha ambulancia militar

[MarvinsMom]

i too have a Charlies Angels Van.

though mine, (bought off this forum) is a common Corgi Juniors one.

i don't remember ever watching Charlies Angels on the telly as a nipper, i do remember these generic american vans made by Corgi.

they did come in a range of different liveries, Charlies Angels, Superman, i think there was a Spiderman one too.

no doubt there were even more of them

[flat4alfa]

5 minutes ago, MarvinsMom said:

i too have a Charlies Angels Van.

though mine, (bought off this forum) is a common Corgi Juniors one.

i don't remember ever watching Charlies Angels on the telly as a nipper, i do remember these generic american vans made by Corgi.

they did come in a range of different liveries, Charlies Angels, Superman, i think there was a Spiderman one too.

no doubt there were even more of them

Yes I have the large scale Corgi one.  No, in fact I have four. in various states of undress...

I suffered an embarassing perchant for the range and have the lot....

[Remspoor]

I am not "into" the HotWheels rod rods but I had to watch  a series called Life Size presented by Nicole Lyons.

I don't know if there are more but I have watched 4 so far all around 10 mins long. The subject is life sized HotWheel cars.

It is a bit light and American shouty, (if you know what I mean).  But in the times when light entertainment is needed this is a recommendation. Has anyone else watched them?

[bunglebus]

Yeah I've seen them, somehow the toy cars don't really translate into life size ones well for me. If they did some of the ones based on actual production cars I'd be interested

[bunglebus]

A quartet of 911s have joined the fleet...

 

20200421_115208 by RS, on Flickr

20200421_115246 by RS, on Flickr

20200421_115136 by RS, on Flickr

 

...including this, one of a few I've been trying to find. A Hot Wheels from when they used some ex-Corgi castings. It's a bit squished but they don't turn up often

 

20200421_124059 by RS, on Flickr

20200421_124110 by RS, on Flickr

20200421_124126 by RS, on Flickr

[andy18s]

So this arrived today unopened and with a small amount of card creasing I'm happy with it

Both cars in almost perfect condition with the Manta having some red showing through at the very back of the roof

[bunglebus]

Can't seem to find much info online, but there seem to be quite a lot of different countries of origin on Hot Wheels. That Porsche ^ is Malaysia, as are all the ones made currently

20200421_124126 by RS, on Flickr

This in need of resto Mirada Stocker courtesy of @flat4alfa is one of very few French ones I've found

20200421_115357 by RS, on Flickr

Hare Splitter from Hong Kong

20191210_122731 by RS, on Flickr

Chinese Beetle

20200210_123512 by RS, on Flickr

Corvette from Thailand

20191221_153742 by RS, on Flickr

A few have the country of origin removed. I have another the same that says Hong Kong - but why remove it?

20191217_132722 by RS, on Flickr

20191005_131404 by RS, on Flickr

McDonald's meal toy from Vietnam

20190415_130550 by RS, on Flickr 

What I don't have, is any that are made in the USA. The original 1968 cars were made in both the USA and Hong Kong, with differences in each casting depending where it was made. All my 1968 cars are Hong Kong, as presumably they supplied the UK market. I can't find out anything about USA production and when it stopped altogether.

[155V6]

I just had a quick look at my 15 or so battered Redlines.All of them are made in Hong Kong,apart from this Custom AMX.

The Hong Kong cars don't have the USA after Mattel.Inc. & usually have Hong Kong somewhere else on the base.

@bunglebus do you ever go on the UK Hotwheels forum?

[junkyarddog]

I picked up a near mint USA A.M.X last year somtime,

was in with a load of newer HotWheels cars.

Will find it tomorrow and post up a pic,think I have one or two other USA made Redlines too.

[flat4alfa]

13 hours ago, Remspoor said:

I am not "into" the HotWheels rod rods but I had to watch  a series called Life Size presented by Nicole Lyons.

I don't know if there are more but I have watched 4 so far all around 10 mins long. The subject is life sized HotWheel cars.

It is a bit light and American shouty, (if you know what I mean).  But in the times when light entertainment is needed this is a recommendation. Has anyone else watched them?

Unfortunately we can only get that in UK with Motortrend subscription and payment £50 pa

[bunglebus]

They had an offer on subs recently, might still be on?

[bunglebus]

10 hours ago, 155V6 said:

 

@bunglebus do you ever go on the UK Hotwheels forum?

I am a member but I also go on all sorts of different die cast forums and FB groups, sometimes I forget what I've joined!

[Remspoor]

pm me if you want a link which is free to watch ? It is not totally legal and any link is followed at you own discretion.

[Christine]

Grande Punto van...