Shite in Miniature II

This week, I found out about a photograph collection that the US Library of Congress had bought and published online for anyone to do with as they please. The subject matter is US roadside objects/attractions/buildings and there's over 11000 of them! Crucially, they're all colour and span from 1972 to the early 2000's, so I decided to put the books down this time and try some digital backgrounds, once I'd found some models which were originally sold in the US.

So far, I'm around 1000 images in to my search, with a few more saved backgrounds ready to use. It's still a learning curve trying to make everything work and I know I'll improve my technique but in many ways, it's an easier format to work with compared to books, which want to flop around the place all the time. It has highlighted to me though how few US market cars I have, so forgive the lack of federal specs in places! Having said that, I do have plenty of unopened Hot Wheels, should I get desperate.

Anyway, if anyone's bored, here's the link to the images:

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=mrg

43,514 · July 16, 2020

HFM.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COLLECTIBLE-VINTAGE-1960-039-S-HONG-KONG-MADE-PLASTIC-FRICTION-TOY-CAR-X-2-/303617934370

Yes, I was outbid, spectacularly

60,210 · July 16, 2020

14 minutes ago, Jon said:

It has highlighted to me though how few US market cars I have, so forgive the lack of federal specs in places!

Plenty of European stuff on US roads in the 60's, VW, Ford (MK2 Cortina, MK1 Capri), MG, Austin etc etc. I quite like how out of place they look in old films, mixing it with 18' long Cadillacs etc

43,514 · July 16, 2020

Yes, Curt Henderson drove a 2CV to Mel's drive-in, in American Grafitti

14,228 · July 16, 2020

There's a glimpse of an Imp in an early episode of Rockford Files.

60,210 · July 16, 2020

Christine destroyed a MK2 Cortina GT

10,166 · July 16, 2020

Don't get me wrong, I love spotting unusual cars in US films and photographs and I've a few US mags that list imports etc. but it just seems that I haven't got enough* subjects! If ever there were a better thinly veiled excuse to buy more die cast tat, please do let me know!

Also, feel free to peruse my spotted thread, for incongruous US spots:

Actually, I really should update that thread, even if it garners little traffic.

2,010 · July 16, 2020

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Not sure Bugatti offered this colour scheme, but Hot Wheels did

20200716_175215 by RS, on Flickr

I've got a couple of Heller 1/24 Bugatti T.50 kits, I might do one of them in those colours.

10,291 · July 16, 2020

28 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Christine destroyed a MK2 Cortina GT

Volvo Estate in the film too

40,660 · July 16, 2020

Got thoroughly ripped off yesterday. 20p each for these in a charity shop. Sad the Frontera has a broken screen but it’ll go in my scrapyard.

43,514 · July 16, 2020

41 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

Volvo Estate in the film too

The Cunningham family ran a Volvo Estate in the book

But a Sedan in the film

5,543 · July 16, 2020

& Christine is a 4dr saloon.

3,043 · July 16, 2020

I like to look for odd imported cars in American films & TV.

Rear Window has some Mk1 Ford Zephyrs driving past to help get the perspective right. http://www.imcdb.org/movie.php?id=47396

American Graffiti has a few other imports, including a Morris Minor.

For some reason a Humber Snipe is some episodes of Batman as a background vehicle.

I know Superman III was filmed over here, but the maker imported a load of American cars for the scrap yard battle, but fleshed it out with some British scrap. A Hilman Hunter is one out of place car in the pile.

42,585 · July 16, 2020

Called in to Tesco tonight (for the first time since early April), kinda-hoping that there might be some Matchbox goodness available on the shelves... but no, a coupla big-wheel fantasy commercial vehicles and that was it. No Civic, no BMW - yet. Not much of interest in the Hot Wheels tub either; mostly GoPro trolleys and a few of the Toon'd range... hey ho.

Got the morning off work tomorrow; market doesn't open til 10 but the idea is to be there for early doors, post up some pics here (assuming there's owt of interest), go and do a few other errands then swing past the market again on the return leg.

I think @155V6 was interested in that Majorette Dodge pickup if it's still there, and @bunglebus asked me to check the Corgi Inter-City bus thing for intact glazing - was there anything else from last week's modest selection that appealed to anyone?

47 minutes ago, Richard_FM said:

I know Superman III was filmed over here, but the maker imported a load of American cars for the scrap yard battle, but fleshed it out with some British scrap. A Hilman Hunter is one out of place car in the pile.

Heh, I posted up a few stills from that scene on the first page of the Ford Timelord thread - I could make out a Mk1 Capri, Mini and Super Minx estate there in the scrapheap, just to totally shatter the whole cinemagoing experience for dedicated shiters...

60,210 · July 17, 2020

5 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

I think @155V6 was interested in that Majorette Dodge pickup if it's still there, and @bunglebus asked me to check the Corgi Inter-City bus thing for intact glazing - was there anything else from last week's modest selection that appealed to anyone?

The red Porsche 917 if it's £2-3 and the Husky Jag if it hasn't got broken bumpers and is a couple of quid. Similar story with the Mini Bus, I have a good one and just need the glazing for a custom project, tried making some but it's quite complex

Thank you...

60,210 · July 17, 2020

6 hours ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

& Christine is a 4dr saloon.

Well - not really. In the book it's a Fury, but Stephen King goofed and mentioned it having rear doors.

Furys were all 2 door, and were only available in one colour in 58 - and it wasn't red.

10,291 · July 17, 2020

7 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

The Cunningham family ran a Volvo Estate in the book

But a Sedan in the film

It's been a long time since I saw the film or read the book,so got them mixed up ?

33,831 · July 17, 2020

I'm annoyed with myself.

I've been trying to find a black pearl Vanguards Rover 75. The spec of the model is identical to mine.

They seem really hard to find but I finally found one on eBay and put it on my watch list but for some reason I didn't get a notification that it was due to end. It was in the middle of the afternoon too when a lot of people are working so it only went for £16. Other Vanguard 75s have been going for around £40 which is out of the question.

The search continues.

60,210 · July 17, 2020

Talking of Christine, I "improved" a HW Fury a few years ago

041_zpsnhzjhbt9 by RS, on Flickr

042_zpsosaqi86i by RS, on Flickr

20190825_120834 by RS, on Flickr

42,585 · July 17, 2020

46 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I've been trying to find a black pearl Vanguards Rover 75.

Will keep an eye out for you! Have you a preferred top end figure in mind?

Might swing by Smithfield today and see if the wee model shop's open again - I know they have a whole shelf of Vanguards, though they're priced at anything from £14-£40, depending on how long they've been sat there (newest ones priciest, oldest ones cheapest).

15,149 · July 17, 2020

How about another die-cast clearout? Dominic had been through his playworn and decided what he isn't keeping. Consider all to be spares/repairs/playworn.

Ranging from a couple of quid for decent 1:43ish size, 50p for 1:64, 10p for Chinese crap.

Will add pictures shortly.

15,149 · July 17, 2020

Dominic's Diecast Deals!

60,210 · July 17, 2020

15 minutes ago, TheDoctor said:

I've got to stop killing those tatty Speed Kings T Buckets for their engines, 3 have been dispatched already.

Think Flat4alfa had the remains of one, and I had another two hanging about with bits missing.

Just need something suitable to cram that nice V8 into now

33,831 · July 17, 2020

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Will keep an eye out for you! Have you a preferred top end figure in mind?

Might swing by Smithfield today and see if the wee model shop's open again - I know they have a whole shelf of Vanguards, though they're priced at anything from £14-£40, depending on how long they've been sat there (newest ones priciest, oldest ones cheapest).

About £25 tops I'd say!

42,585 · July 17, 2020

So, another wet one in Rain City... but by cracky, plenty of folks impatient for the market to open at 10.

Surely they can't all be queuing for beat-to-shit diecast... can they?

Such agonies assailed me as the queue (right round the building) finally began to move.

Certainly, plenty of funny-looking auld lads were thronging the tat stalls by the time I scrambled through the hand-sanitising station and navigated the one way system..

(It's not lost on me that I'm rapidly becoming one of them).

So... tat du jour?

Well, annoyingly he'd grabbed a different tat box from the one he had last week.

These were also familiar from March, but no Corgi Inter-City Commuter, and no Majorette Dodge. Sorry, guys! Plenty of battered Lesney King Size and some Gerry Anderson related Dinky in poor shape, though.

Up top brought some more familiar items...

The first release Corgi Classics and Matchbox MoYs, also from the last pre-Covid market.

This was interesting though - no-name Hong Kong racer, diecast base with tinplate body. Fiver on it.

Some Cararama, Oxford and Bang/Best/Box (I can never tell those 80s Italian modelmakers apart) rubbed shoulders with an original and (seemingly?) a rerelease Lesney construction item or two...

Tenner on the Bond stuff (I think):

And then it became clear that Market Blokey had craftily moved some stock onto the adjoining (vacant) stall:

£30-£40 on the big haulage stuff; always a popular line in Norn Iron where there's plenty of owner-operators around. We used to sell tons of Joal stuff in the model shop.

Some fresh Corgi items, though:

Special edition Minis...

...and one I've read about, but never before seen - a 1985 reissue of some original Corgi Classics models, in this case the 1910 Renault:

Corgi's first foray into the limited edition market, I believe.

Not sure if these are particularly sought-after or not... didn't ask the price, mebbe I should...

Some buses, too:

Not sure if £20 is optimistic or about right for this duo.

And, finally, another few weirdos lying distraught behind the stall - of which the Hot Wheels Porsche (clearly branded Corgi on the base) may be of interest to someone?

I carried out a desultory survey of the rest of the downsized market, and was delighted to see that the Charity Stall was back.

Despite my jaunty facemask and auld lad flat cap (hey, it was raining) he recognised me - and I was ushered behind the stall.

Sweet mercy, the first true tat box I've clapped eyes on in four months!

Now, first impressions were less than brilliant... just far-eastern rubbish and battered Hot Wheels... but then I started digging...

Suffice to say, things were found.

Will lay them all out later - some are to pass on, some I procured for my own nefarious ends, and some are utterly dreadful but I thought they might give you lot a laugh...

So I've devoured breakfast while tapping this out on a stuttering phone...

...and now I'm off to grab a few more things, but will be passing back this way in about an hour, if there's anything you can't live without!

15,149 · July 17, 2020

How much was the Maisto 1:24 Ferrari?

15,149 · July 17, 2020

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

I've got to stop killing those tatty Speed Kings T Buckets for their engines, 3 have been dispatched already.

Think Flat4alfa had the remains of one, and I had another two hanging about with bits missing.

Just need something suitable to cram that nice V8 into now

You're welcome to it, it's pretty much ruined, just haven't had the heart to get rid for a while.

42,585 · July 17, 2020

24 minutes ago, TheDoctor said:

How much was the Maisto 1:24 Ferrari?

£10 asked on that one!

...and further developments. After I'd finished tapping, I had to walk past the tat stalls to reach the exit. And apparently, in the time it took me to demolish a sausage soda, Santa had been.

The boxed Corgi are sadly not mint; £20 on the Golden Jacks Mini Marcos and Merc 600...

...and a whopping £45 on the Thompson Mongoose.

All have chips/marks to them, but lovely nonetheless.

Loose models are £10 each on the cars/smaller trucks - all repainted to a greater or lesser extent, with some more successful than others - and £20 each on the Bedford animal transporters and the sweet, sweet La France aerial ladder.

Oosh!!!

15,149 · July 17, 2020

15 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

£10 asked on that one!

...and further developments. After I'd finished tapping, I had to walk past the tat stalls to reach the exit. And apparently, in the time it took me to demolish a sausage soda, Santa had been.

The boxed Corgi are sadly not mint; £20 on the Golden Jacks Mini Marcos and Merc 600...

...and a whopping £45 on the Thompson Mongoose.

All have chips/marks to them, but lovely nonetheless.

Loose models are £10 each on the cars/smaller trucks - all repainted to a greater or lesser extent, with some more successful than others - and £20 each on the Bedford animal transporters and the sweet, sweet La France aerial ladder.

Oosh!!!

Is that a Unimog!?

Shite in Miniature II

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