Shite in Miniature II

[sierraman]

I was quite into Sierras as you can tell...

[eddyramrod]

  On 06/06/2020 at 15:20, egg said:

Ex @eddyramrod rolls before and after. Some paint issues because the spray can ran out.

Now

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That looks a real treat now!  Excellent work.

[quicksilver]

Another Humber kit, 1948 Super Snipe Series II from John Day Models. Colour scheme is based on those at the now-closed Humber museum in Hull and both colours are sprayed so it was a bit of a sod to mask.

[sierraman]

One of the first toy cars I had was a black XR4i, Matchbox Superkings. Still got it and the later powder blue one. 

Where I grew up pretty much everyone had old Fords or Vauxhall’s apart from the occasional oddball that had something like a Fiat Regatta. Therefore in the playground it was the exotica everyone wanted, Testarossas, 959’s etc. THATS when I knew I was Autoshite, when I was hunting down the base spec Majorette Renaults on holidays to France. 

[Volksy]

The Renault 4 has stalled pending more paint and bits, so started on this.. Can you tell what is is yet? 

[BL Bloke]

One of these?

DSCF1065 by timothy jones, on Flickr

[Volksy]

Close. But no gitaines.

[BL Bloke]

Mehari?

[Sudsprint]

Bijou?

 

[Volksy]

It is a Mehari, this kit is made by Heller.

It the first one of theirs I've built, it is quite a crude affair, when compared with the Japanese kits I'm more used to building.

It borrows heavily from their 2cv kit, so you get quite a lot of parts that aren't relevant as they just chuck the whole sprue in. So it can be a little confusing.

 

[sierraman]

Any interest in these two from Britain’s? BMW motorbike think handle bar is missing and some sort of motorbike coke tank thing with the front wheel missing. £2 plus post for the pair? 

[Mr Pastry]

Interesting to see the Heller Mehari.  I built their 2CV, but found that the front wheels were about 2mm too far back, so it didn't look quite right - might be worth checking before finalising the body.  I corrected it by moving the axle forwards but this upset the gearbox and driveshafts, it would have been better to lengthen the suspension arms. 

 

[Volksy]

  On 07/06/2020 at 08:59, Mr Pastry said:

Interesting to see the Heller Mehari.  I built their 2CV, but found that the front wheels were about 2mm too far back, so it didn't look quite right - might be worth checking before finalising the body.  I corrected it by moving the axle forwards but this upset the gearbox and driveshafts, it would have been better to lengthen the suspension arms. 

 

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Good advice, I've just done a dry mock up, and it looks like they have sorted it for the Mehari. Judging by the casting for the body, which is very sharp with hardly any bits of excess, I assume its a new casting but on the older 2cv kits underpinnings. 

[Jon]

Sorry for the lack of keeping up at the back, here (despite me being 11 hours ahead!) but if anyone's interested in adding a Superkings Sierra to their horde of mini-tat, I'll see if they're still at my favourite model shop, next time I visit:

 

 

$20 is pretty much £10. I had a white one as a kid but with the regular wheels - so pretty much the antithesis of what RoadworkUK was looking for! I distantly remember that my brother helped* me remove the rear wings and I wouldn't be surprised if a silver paint pen was involved in giving it a bit of a makeover. The great ides we have as young'uns, eh?

[Tenmil Socket]

  On 06/06/2020 at 19:06, sierraman said:

I was quite into Sierras as you can tell...

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Didn't matchbox do one with lights and sound?

[flat4alfa]

  On 07/06/2020 at 08:51, sierraman said:

motorbike coke tank thing 

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Kettenkrad (NSU)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sd.Kfz._2

[flat4alfa]

  On 07/06/2020 at 11:01, Tenmil Socket said:

Didn't matchbox do one with lights and sound?

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Yes in similar UK and US releases.  Notice the US artwork is of a Crown Vic, not a Sierra.  It would have been a Merkur over there anyhow

http://www.mbx-u.com/models-detail-ver-listing.php?model=SF0275

[155V6]

  On 07/06/2020 at 11:01, Tenmil Socket said:

Didn't matchbox do one with lights and sound?

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I think the Airport Security version is one of those.I've got one in black & white Sheriff livery.

[Jon]

In other news, I'm very much behind in my fulsome documentation of frivolous, needless buying. Here's a few updates:

Zylmex Beetle was one I'd not seen outside of these pages before, so it'd be rude not to snaffle it from the 50p tub at the model shop.

 

Likewise this Lesney Merryweather fire engine. I do drive a fire engine as a hobby but I don't at all feel the need to collect them but this has those removable axles that early Superfasts came with (great for scrap yard scenes), so again, a 50 year old toy bought for the price of a Kit Kat.

 

This Nissan UD was a Trademe buy, poorly listed and photographed as a Tomica 1/43, which it isn't. It is a Tomica Dandy but more 1/60 scale, so not quite as impressive as I'd hoped. Ah well. The tractor unit is much better detailed than the trailer but the 'hydraulics' still hold the tipper up quite well. Just a shame I've no real interest in it, really.

 

This was what I was expecting, though! A Siku Hanomag truck and trailer! As can be seen, it's not in the best of nick but Sikus aren't two a penny in NZ and I don't have limitless funds, so I'll take what I can get. Obviously, it's been lovingly repainted and thus devalued by a well meaning previous owner, who was selling his quite prolific collection of previously rare/valuable subjects, painted in a similar fashion.

Here's what it is in actual fact:

An ADAC vehicle test centre! Now, I've seen some silly things mounted to the back of Siku trucks (like a pre-fab petrol station), so put this idea down to pure whimsy. 

 

Turns out I was wrong!

 

 

 

More details here:

https://www.empl.at/en/news/press-releases/press-releases-detail/testphase-von-mobilen-pruefstationen-fuer-adac-erfolgreich-beendet/

 

[Jon]

Well meaning repaint man had also applied his talents to this Spot on Land Rover, which again I couldn't resist:

 

There's evidence this is a repaint of a repaint, as the same blue the Hanomag was daubed in is showing below, where the paint is chipping. There's a  couple of screws hacked into the chassis to hold this together, so I could easily try and rectify this work but I'm not sure I could actually make this look much better; there's a sort of quaintness to the colour palette and the delicate signwriting this and the Hanomag show, which I liken as a form of folk art. I've also got a couple of Spot on Land Rover station wagons, again both with very careworn paint jobs, so maybe I should try my hand on the worst of those first and leave this be until I can make my mind up.

[flat4alfa]

  On 06/06/2020 at 19:06, sierraman said:

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'Please change my batteries as they want to see me come alive again!'

 

[bunglebus]

I hadn't realised Poundland were stocking 2020 cars, usual they're old stock

 

20200607_134630 by RS, on Flickr

20200607_134609 by RS, on Flickr

20200607_134650 by RS, on Flickr

 

This pisses me off - I would have bought the Syclone and XJ220

 

20200607_124425 by RS, on Flickr

[155V6]

  On 07/06/2020 at 12:49, flat4alfa said:

'Please change my batteries as they want to see me come alive again!'

 

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Mine just about still works

[junkyarddog]

Sounds very similar to the Majorette sonic flashers. 

Probably uses the same component. 

 

[sierraman]

Mine still works but sounds a bit flaccid. 

[sierraman]

  On 07/06/2020 at 12:54, bunglebus said:

I hadn't realised Poundland were stocking 2020 cars, usual they're old stock

 

20200607_134630 by RS, on Flickr

20200607_134609 by RS, on Flickr

20200607_134650 by RS, on Flickr

 

This pisses me off - I would have bought the Syclone and XJ220

 

20200607_124425 by RS, on Flickr

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They’re £1.50 now though no? 

[flat4alfa]

Flaccid Fords.   They were all the rage!

 

  On 07/06/2020 at 13:38, junkyarddog said:

Sounds very similar to the Majorette sonic flashers. 

Probably uses the same component. 

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Quite likely same sound chip yes

 

[155V6]

  On 07/06/2020 at 14:26, flat4alfa said:

Flaccid Fords.   They were all the ra

Quite likely same sound chip yes

 

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Thanks,saves me looking for mine,only to find none of them work ?

[Spottedlaurel]

More plastic projects underway:

Estate is a 1966 Chevelle by Revell.

Being built late '80s Street Machine style, so smoothed out, lowered, painted a single bright colour and fitted with period wheels. I've also de-specced it, as the kit is a Malibu but I'm doing it as the plainer 300. Will be Camel Yellow (as per the front panel). Can't help but think it looks like the Victor FD estate in profile (a fine-looking car, so no bad thing).

Other one is a WIP which I started 25+ years ago.....

Monogram Maserati 3500 GT fitted with a big V8, fat wire wheels and smoothed out bodywork in Ford Hawaiian/Gemini blue. Above photo was from more than 12 years ago, it hadn't changed much until yesterday.

Given the good progress I've been making on others I thought I should get on with it.

A bit more filler work was required, since then it's been rubbed down, primed and given a couple of blue coats. The blue goes down really nicely, I'm not sure if it's the tin I originally had from way back when but there's plenty left and it'll be good for another project. Have made a start on painting the interior and all of the suspension and running gear is done, so it should be straightforward enough to complete this summer.

[Amishtat]

Found that Darda 205 whilst looking for something else, it's clearly suffered from some marker pen attention and hasn't got a working motor any more. From Everybody's Hobbies in Ipswich about 1988,this was a great shop but we didn't go to Ipswich much when I was a child. Now I look at it properly, the front valance was clearly less sturdy than my grandparents kitchen.