Shite in Miniature II

[Datsuncog]

8 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Ooft, I will take the Bburago Escort please Tim!

Thought you might - I'll pop that one aside for you!

6 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Bloody hell a Buddy L!

Yup, two Chevrolets (with working steering)

... plus a Kenworth wrecker which is similar to one I owned, but had completely forgotten about.

But I'll not tempt you further down the slippery slope!

There were also these newly arrived boxed Dinkys on the Tat Stall - nice stuff, pretty good but not pristine - and not massively cheap at £30 each.

Unless anyone's feeling flush?

[Amishtat]

Much as I'd love that Dinky Bentley, must resist this early in the month.. 

[MorrisItalSLX]

I spied some BMC 1800 Pininfarinas in the tat pile, are any of them in decent condition?

[sierraman]

I had the red Buddy L with the steering.

[Split_Pin]

They were great toys.

I had a black pickup with a trailer and a plastic Camaro on it. I had a similar pickup but with bigger wheels and a recovery boom on the back.

I also had an army articulated Transporter with about 5 tanks on it but I can't remember if that was a Buddy L.

[flat4alfa]

I’m away in Cornwall nursing a hangover at the moment so can’t check but I think I have a Buddy-L Chevrolet, but the siren one not a steering one.  Are they similar size I wonder?

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, Amishtat said:

Much as I'd love that Dinky Bentley, must resist this early in the month.. 

Almost sure the worn Bentley is Corgi, but the new in box Dinky is the Rolls Royce Cloud III with the oriental stereotype eyes

[Datsuncog]

59 minutes ago, MorrisItalSLX said:

I spied some BMC 1800 Pininfarinas in the tat pile, are any of them in decent condition?

Heh, not really - there's one that's just a shell plus doors, and one that's been squashed a bit with the glazing smashed - possibly one good one could be made from them. I think I have a later big-arches orange version with a damaged interior still available, but the glazing might be ok...

3 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

I’m away in Cornwall nursing a hangover at the moment so can’t check but I think I have a Buddy-L Chevrolet, but the siren one not a steering one.  Are they similar size I wonder?

I'd say these two are about 20cm long, at a guess - both the same pressing, one just with a plastic canopy clipped on the rear bed. No electronics on these! They each had a few small marks on them, but were definitely better than most sandpit toys... base said they were copyright 1983.

[MorrisItalSLX]

5 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Heh, not really - there's one that's just a shell plus doors, and one that's been squashed a bit with the glazing smashed - possibly one good one could be made from them. I think I have a later big-arches orange version with a damaged interior still available, but the glazing might be ok...

Hmmmmm... I think I’ll pass. The last thing I need now is more projects to clog up my tinkering desk!

I’m still yet to fix up my Dinky Princess that has managed to loose large quantities of paint just sitting on the shelf.

[Datsuncog]

7 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Almost sure the worn Bentley is Corgi, but the new in box Dinky is the Rolls Royce Cloud III with the oriental stereotype eyes

You're quite right, on both counts!

I think the Dinky Roller's had a minor box refresh, as the clear plastic window looks a bit too clear and uncreased to be the age it ought to be... there's also a lot of paint blemishes on it that look a bit like bubbles, as well as quite a few minor scratches - the Mini Dinky fiasco aside, surely diecast of this era don't suffer zinc pest?

[Split_Pin]

Bubbling paint isn't really a sign of Zinc Pest. It's possibly been repainted at some point (I have had that disaster before).

Zinc pest normally gives the surface an uneven slate-like appearance, usually accompanied by swelling or warping of the part or shell.

[Amishtat]

I'll give it a swerve then thanks! 

[Datsuncog]

So then - today's trinkets!

First off, a few Stobart partwork and Oxford commercials, which I believe @quicksilver had requested a couple of weeks back?

Was pleased to see these had resurfaced, as they're quite nice despite a few issues like missing mirrors. At £5 for the Parcel Force artic and £3 each for the Unimog roadrailer and the Daf sweeper, they're probably a fair price - and they're nice enough that I'll keep them myself if they're no longer required!

Next up, that Bburago Escort RS1800 Zakspeed, as claimed by @Split_Pin

It's a wee bit chipped, has a slightly dodgy rear axle and is missing its spoiler and a wheel insert, but will hopefully display ok!

Then summat for myself...

Continuing with my 1970s Corgi odyssey, here's the big Volvo BM 860TC cement mixer.

This is one I previously owned, as a sandpit toy (along with a big Dinky digger) - except I only had the front half, which kinda limited the playvalue a little.

This seems to be an oddly recurring theme of my childhood; MrsDC still creases herself with laughter about my earnest P2 writings concerning an attempt to play with half a Spirograph.

I think something might be missing here too, since there's no apparent way to keep the hitching mechanism attached to the trailer. Ah well. It's still pretty nice.

Then, moving into 50p tat corner territory, some of the VWs which @sierraman had mentioned a few weeks back, yet were gone when I returned - only to reappear again today.

Surprised to see the cheerfully pointless opening frunk on this 2008 model - I thought Matchbox had stopped putting opening features on their toys well before this.

Yours if you want them, dude!

Then there were these beauties:

Not from the tat box; these were up top, though were a quite reasonable pound each. That's a Zylmex Ford Pinto and a Norev Jet Citroen Dyane.

Dyane is almost like new.

Available to anyone who fancies them!

Then there's some older Lesney fun to be had, from the depths of the 50p pile:

Six-wheeled fire tender is rough but its superb detail makes it still quite appealing. NASA tracking vehicle/ mobile meth lab has been anonymised,  but could be a useful custom base...?

 

Some 1980s Matchbox, now:

Pontiac Fiero, another Red Rider with mildly chewed header stacks, and Super GT Saab Sonnett III, all in tolerable nick - and all available at 50p each.

Lastly, we have the freaks 'n' uniques:

There's a plain red Corgi Firebird, a Hot Wheels Metrorail (Austin/Nash Metropolitan) and a Realtoy Isuzu VehiCross - again, all available at 50p a throw!

I'm gonna leave it there for now - I have more pics which I'll add in later, but the mega-glitchy phone editing is turning this whole enterprise into a massive wind-up, rather. BUT let me know if anything here takes your fancy!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Seeing that Natures Healing and Tat Friday is back has made me think. Did I have some tat put aside from the Olden Days, ie pre Corona ?
If so could you send me a bill and I’ll settle up assuming that the near 6 month payment holiday has been interest free.

[Split_Pin]

Could you add the Pinto and Dyane to my box please Tim? 

Escort looks good!

[flat4alfa]

25 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

 

NASA tracking vehicle/ mobile meth lab

That’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but on a bigger scale

Greenlight did do that ‘86 Fleetwood Bounder in 1/64.

[andy18s]

Can you stick the Vehicross and the plain Trans Am from the last pic in my pile of stuff plz?

Ta

[Split_Pin]

I was up in the loft looking for an old picture which my wife thinks might be worth selling but I got sidetracked by more important stuff*

Like a mole I burrowed deep into the loft and found my oldest toys which date from no later than about 1983.

Buddy L truck with opening bonnet. It had a car trailer and a Camaro which I think are elsewhere.

I thought I'd sold this years ago. I actually quite liked this as a kid, it used to belong to my older cousin. 

Another smaller Buddy L. There's a hoofing great crack in the chassis at the axle but nothing is missing. I was quite rough with my toys up until I was about 4.

Front wheel drive LR by Jimson. I loved this as a kid because it really looked like a Land Rover.

I also loved this. I know it's a Chevy but I always thought it looked like a Datsun Cherry N10 because of the colour, shape and the whiney motor. You revved it up by repeatedly pushing it and then pressing the button on the top to release the potential energy. It was absolutely ferocious and Mum didn't like me playing with it indoors. It now makes a horrible noise like the balance wheel is loose.

This had a clicker to send it different ways. It's a nice representation of a Range Rover and looks like a rip-off of a Bburago casting. Sadly the rear axle is bent now.

This W123 Coupe  is a belter, I remember how ecstatic I was when I got it at Christmas from friends of my Granny and Grandpa. It's about 1/10 scale. It had working lights, sirens and a CB radio on the boot. The wiring inside is absolutely toast now but aesthetically it's in great condition. The rubber Mercedes emblem went brittle and snapped off but I still have it.

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, andy18s said:

Can you stick the Vehicross and the plain Trans Am from the last pic in my pile of stuff plz?

Ta

I sure can - mind you, there's already a plain red Pontiac in your pile! If you fancy them both though, that's not a bother.

Interestingly, I thought these were identical - but they're not.

Wheel variations mean that today's Pontiac (left) has four equally sized 8-division wheels, while the one I'd previously set aside for you wears 5-doublespoke wheels- with bigger ones on the back than the front.

Also, looking underneath...

For the first time, I noticed the text on the lower right of the baseplate - (c) MLBPC 1982.

Now, as far as I know the only Corgi Toys to wear copyright notices are licenced products from film or TV shows... and 1982 was the year Knight Rider hit the small screen.

A quick glance through the variations listed for the 1984-released J46 Pontiac Firebird in the Bill Manzke book indicates a black version with a red panel between the headlights is a known variation. This makes me wonder if this model was designed as a licenced model of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider, but, like all the Bond and Marvel/DC Comics based-toys, the licensing agreement ceased when Mettoy went bust in '83 - so it only officially appeared in civilian versions during the later Corgi Toys Ltd era, from 1984 on.

Food for thought...

Sure let me know if you fancy one or both of these!

[Remspoor]

6 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Ferrari-esque GT cars possibly late 60s/early 70s; kinda incredible they've survived in their packaging for 50 years or so.

 

I think the name Lotus written on them gives the game away. Maybe a tinplate version of an Europa? Small back window and raised rear engine cover

[flat4alfa]

25 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Like a mole I burrowed deep into the loft and found my oldest toys which date from no later than about 1983.

I like the look of those plastic LR and RR

What sort of dimensions are they?

Any more pics?

[Amishtat]

That Mercedes must be absolutely massive! 

[Split_Pin]

33 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

I like the look of those plastic LR and RR

What sort of dimensions are they?

Any more pics?

The Land Rover is about 1/30 scale at a guess and the Range Rover looks about 1/16. No more pics at present as I was meant to be doing house chores!

11 minutes ago, Amishtat said:

That Mercedes must be absolutely massive! 

Yes it's huge, about 60 or 70cm long!

[MrBiscuits]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

I was up in the loft looking for an old picture which my wife thinks might be worth selling but I got sidetracked by more important stuff*

Like a mole I burrowed deep into the loft and found my oldest toys which date from no later than about 1983.

Buddy L truck with opening bonnet. It had a car trailer and a Camaro which I think are elsewhere.

I thought I'd sold this years ago. I actually quite liked this as a kid, it used to belong to my older cousin. 

Another smaller Buddy L. There's a hoofing great crack in the chassis at the axle but nothing is missing. I was quite rough with my toys up until I was about 4.

Front wheel drive LR by Jimson. I loved this as a kid because it really looked like a Land Rover.

I also loved this. I know it's a Chevy but I always thought it looked like a Datsun Cherry N10 because of the colour, shape and the whiney motor. You revved it up by repeatedly pushing it and then pressing the button on the top to release the potential energy. It was absolutely ferocious and Mum didn't like me playing with it indoors. It now makes a horrible noise like the balance wheel is loose.

This had a clicker to send it different ways. It's a nice representation of a Range Rover and looks like a rip-off of a Bburago casting. Sadly the rear axle is bent now.

This W123 Coupe  is a belter, I remember how ecstatic I was when I got it at Christmas from friends of my Granny and Grandpa. It's about 1/10 scale. It had working lights, sirens and a CB radio on the boot. The wiring inside is absolutely toast now but aesthetically it's in great condition. The rubber Mercedes emblem went brittle and snapped off but I still have it.

That yellow chevy is a Tonka Clutch Popper. I had a few of them. They made a great noise, reached incredible speeds once you got the flywheel going at 10000rpm and could slam into skirting boards like nothing else ?

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

I was up in the loft looking for an old picture which my wife thinks might be worth selling but I got sidetracked by more important stuff*

Like a mole I burrowed deep into the loft and found my oldest toys which date from no later than about 1983.

Buddy L truck with opening bonnet. It had a car trailer and a Camaro which I think are elsewhere.

I thought I'd sold this years ago. I actually quite liked this as a kid, it used to belong to my older cousin. 

Another smaller Buddy L. There's a hoofing great crack in the chassis at the axle but nothing is missing. I was quite rough with my toys up until I was about 4.

Front wheel drive LR by Jimson. I loved this as a kid because it really looked like a Land Rover.

I also loved this. I know it's a Chevy but I always thought it looked like a Datsun Cherry N10 because of the colour, shape and the whiney motor. You revved it up by repeatedly pushing it and then pressing the button on the top to release the potential energy. It was absolutely ferocious and Mum didn't like me playing with it indoors. It now makes a horrible noise like the balance wheel is loose.

This had a clicker to send it different ways. It's a nice representation of a Range Rover and looks like a rip-off of a Bburago casting. Sadly the rear axle is bent now.

This W123 Coupe  is a belter, I remember how ecstatic I was when I got it at Christmas from friends of my Granny and Grandpa. It's about 1/10 scale. It had working lights, sirens and a CB radio on the boot. The wiring inside is absolutely toast now but aesthetically it's in great condition. The rubber Mercedes emblem went brittle and snapped off but I still have it.

Those are ace, cheers for posting those pics!!

Out of interest, is the Land Rover battery operated? That pic's awoken a hazy and long-slumbering memory of having a very similar army-detailed LWB SII with a corroded battery compartment...

1 hour ago, Remspoor said:

I think the name Lotus written on them gives the game away. Maybe a tinplate version of an Europa? Small back window and raised rear engine cover

Ah yes, that might be a bit of a clue, right enough! Hadn't spotted that.

[Split_Pin]

4 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Those are ace, cheers for posting those pics!!

Out of interest, is the Land Rover battery operated? That pic's awoken a hazy and long-slumbering memory of having a very similar army-detailed LWB SII with a corroded battery compartment...

 

This one has a friction motor 'powering' the front wheels although it never really moved the toy more than a few feet.

[Split_Pin]

20 minutes ago, MrBiscuits said:

That yellow chevy is a Tonka Clutch Popper. I had a few of them. They made a great noise, reached incredible speeds once you got the flywheel going at 10000rpm and could slam into skirting boards like nothing else ?

Haha what a great name, that exactly what they do! 

You're absolutely right about the skirting boards too!

[Datsuncog]

Ah, cool - mine must have been different again. Still a nicely rendered model, though!

You've done well to keep them so nicely; most of my plastic stuff ended up in bits - the most-mourned being a gold Citroen CX which I remember as being huge, but thought it was maybe just that I was small - but possibly it was indeed a similar 1/10 scale to your big police Mercedes.

Great stuff!

[andy18s]

@Datsuncog I had forgotten about the 1st Trans Ams,but both is fine

Thanks

[Tenmil Socket]

Currently in York with mrs socket and had chance to pop into a couple of charity shops