Shite in Miniature II

[DoctorRetro]

  On 29/10/2020 at 18:51, bunglebus said:

Good stuff. I've not done much lately as the weather prevents me painting and also makes me want to hibernate.

I did remove the paint from the Lone Star gasser though

Finding suitably skinny front wheels for drag cars is quite hard as everything's phat with rubber band tyres. Early Superfast fit the bill though, with rolling stock from a Pixar Cars vehicle on the back. Both ends required new axles with the holes in the wheels enlarged to suit, and tubes under the chassis. Think I need to make some sort of front inner wings, and I'd really like fenderwell headers too.

Wanted to cut the engine bay out and mount the engine lower, but the post and the mounting for the door spring are under there. Unlike Matchbox etc, if you remove the spring the doors just fall off. Had to settle for grinding the engine casting away until the area was flat, I'll matt black it once the paint is done before gluing the engine in

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Showed Dominic those pics and he said, 'those wheels are off Chick Hicks!' without me mentioning them... 

[flat4alfa]

  On 20/10/2020 at 00:41, flat4alfa said:

Surprisingly, this little Lone Star 'Roadmaster' Silver Cloud MkIII [MPW] was won for 99p.  Yes, missing its screen, but.... TADTS!  Go on, take a look what is available....   so many screens!  Missing.  Lost.  Oh dear.

Thankfully it does still have its has opening boot, bonnet and doors.  And being Lone Star, the base unscrews for restoration purposes.  

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This 

[bunglebus]

  Quote

Showed Dominic those pics and he said, 'those wheels are off Chick Hicks!' without me mentioning them... 

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I use Pixar wheels on customs quite often - the rest of the car goes straight in the bin

 

 

[bunglebus]

  On 29/10/2020 at 18:53, Datsuncog said:

It's a late-Lesney era Matchbox Thunderbird, that one... First release from 1982, I think, but only in so-so shape... can't remember who needed a windshield, but it's available...

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Might be a bit too curved

 

MB one looks good but they're all tinted I think. Need to get a measurement of the width, got loads of spare bits of glazing

 

[flat4alfa]

That’s ok I have found out the ex-@eddyramrod Shadow that had been dipped.  The screen might be ideal, just need to cut it back nicely.  Shame to hurt a good pre-Superfast but it is missing the grille/lights

[andrew e]

I fell into the @flat4alfa trap. One buy specific Corgi when you can buy another 3 😲 I just don’t know what happened 😂

[flat4alfa]

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE hits home. 😙

[flat4alfa]

  On 29/10/2020 at 21:43, andrew e said:

  

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Nice set !

Actually recently it’s more been @bunglebus collecting sets to sort into photoshoots.  It’s just that I whinge about my efforts   😁

[barrett]

Possibly a good lot for somebody in Southampton or thereabouts. 'about 50' cars for £50, Varying conditions but most look pretty decent

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/401941384313241/

[flat4alfa]

The Lincoln and the Triumph are worth a fiver each. The rest are worthless unless someone is really wanting one that will do even if play-worn - for a pound or so

[Datsuncog]

Another arrival for the Corgi cabinet...

Courtesy of an eBay '20% off' offer that helpfully* came through late on a Friday evening after a few drinks... sneaky.

It's the first version of the Lotus Elite from 1975, in plain red.

Well, red apart from the slightly odd yellow and blue side stripes, that is.

The casting is pretty crisp, with paper decals representing lights and, unusually for this era of Corgi,  also a number plate.

Apparently the plate was a reference to the model's RRP of 95p.

The towbar came in handy whenever the JPS Gift Set was launched a few months later, featuring a black Elite with gold decals to match the JPS Lotus F1 car it was pulling on a trailer.

Interior is fairly detailed, though seats don't have any tipping mechanism. Never worry, Corgi would rectify that later by putting tipping front seats on damn near everything, such as the 5 dr Sierra and Volvo 760.

Early versions of the Elite came with these deep dished rims; later ones seem to have appeared with the generic disc type, as well as the slightly Ford-like cross-hatch alloys.

I'm not aware of any others that wore these, though. They look a bit overly wide, so maybe that's why.

Base is plastic, and quite well detailed. 

Now, this was advertised as 'excellent', and while it is pretty clean, there's a weird amount of what looks like plasticine stuck in the wheel treads and in some of the shut lines, which will need careful removal.

There's also what looks like a couple of chips that have been touched up. Whether this has been done by a previous owner, or was part of the Corgi factory's quality control rectification programme, I'm not quite sure. But although the wheels have lost some of their silver finish, it's still pretty shiny overall.

The back of the box depicts a gold version, and there seems to be a few of those in circulation - at a premium. As well as the long running JPS version, I've also seen metallic green and metallic blue road versions up for auction, some with a matt black roof, plus quite a nice navy one with silver striping and graphics - and the ubiquitous yellow racing version. There's probably other colours and finishes too - after all, this casting appeared in the 1/36 lineup for nearly ten years.

I have to say, I always had a bit of antipathy to this model as it seemed to be a regular at jumble sales and charity shops - usually the yellow racing version, filthy and badly scratched with the stickers peeling off. I also thought it looked all wrong, proportionally. But since I wasn't then aware that the Elite was a bit of a funny looking thing (especially compared to the sleek Esprit), it turns out the model's actually pretty good.

I especially wanted the red version as it's the same as one that was parked up near to where I used to live back in the early 2000s - I never saw it move and it's now long gone, but this is a nice tribute to it.

There's a few other Corgi products of a similar vintage still cranking their way through the postal system... slippery slope, indeed.

[Datsuncog]

  On 29/10/2020 at 23:06, barrett said:

Possibly a good lot for somebody in Southampton or thereabouts. 'about 50' cars for £50, Varying conditions but most look pretty decent

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/401941384313241/

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  On 30/10/2020 at 00:17, flat4alfa said:

The Lincoln and the Triumph are worth a fiver each. The rest are worthless unless someone is really wanting one that will do even if play-worn - for a pound or so

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While there's a fair amount of playworn Lesney in there that's certainly no better than 50p Box grade, I think you'd see a fair chunk of your £50 back on that 'Wall of Death' Rockets Capri alone... and the Corgi Bedford TK fire appliance looks complete, and might be worth a tenner of anyone's money too.

But then again, I've overpaid handsomely for stuff manys a time, so maybe it's best not to listen to me...

[sierraman]

I started searching for job lots on Gumtree of whatever but ended up finding that people want a kings ransom for a box full of broken stuff. Same at the Car Boot, anything older than about 20 was a priceless collectors item. I’ve actually found lately eBay is a more reliable barometer. 

[155V6]

  On 30/10/2020 at 01:45, Datsuncog said:

 

While there's a fair amount of playworn Lesney in there that's certainly no better than 50p Box grade, I think you'd see a fair chunk of your £50 back on that 'Wall of Death' Rockets Capri alone... and the Corgi Bedford TK fire appliance looks complete, and might be worth a tenner of anyone's money too.

But then again, I've overpaid handsomely for stuff manys a time, so maybe it's best not to listen to me...

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The Matchbox Transporter looks alright too.If you're after a Wall of Death Capri,this lot has one with no mention of it in the title

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254760222754

[bunglebus]

  On 30/10/2020 at 00:41, Datsuncog said:

There's a few other Corgi products of a similar vintage still cranking their way through the postal system... slippery slope, indeed.

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Yeah me too...

 

I only have this version of the Lotus I think

 

 

[eddyramrod]

Is it Tat Friday today?

[flat4alfa]

Will admit I didn’t spot the Wall of Death Capri 

 

 

 

[Tenmil Socket]

Remember the Corgi RC Golf I bought...

After careful examination of the internals (wiggling a few wires etc.), I was unable to get it working properly. It is 40 years old after all. So not wanting to give up and be it a waste of money I'm determined to do something with it.

Hence... (all the gear, no idea).

I then found a job lot of RC cars locally for not very much.

Mrs Socket swiped the Bugatti for her Nephew (it was no use to me anyway). After a test drive of each vehicle (drifting in the kitchen) I deemed the green one to be the most suitable donor. 

I'm not sure whether to try and Barry it with the wheels?

So the intention is to try and transplant the Lamborghini engine* into a MK1 Golf. 

 

[bunglebus]

Yes to the motor, no to the wheels - do you know what's actually wrong with the Golf?

[Spottedlaurel]

  On 30/10/2020 at 09:43, Tenmil Socket said:

Remember the Corgi RC Golf I bought...

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Good luck! Sounds like an amusing project.

I really ought to see if this works, have never tried it out:

Also we seem to have ended up with some '80s RC buggy which belonged to Mrs SL's sister. It's very toy-like, has probably suffered with batteries being left in it.

  On 30/10/2020 at 00:41, Datsuncog said:

Another arrival for the Corgi cabinet...

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I've had the red one since I was young, never seen it with the stripes though - I'm sure mine never had them. The Ferrari Daytona also used those wheels, as I believe did the front end of the some of the F1 racers (can't easily get to my cabinet to dig one out).

[Tenmil Socket]

  On 30/10/2020 at 09:53, bunglebus said:

Yes to the motor, no to the wheels - do you know what's actually wrong with the Golf?

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I couldn't get the motor for the steering working and with the lack of information available I gave up. It's all pretty antiquated to be fair. I suppose I could try and look up/study electronics on the net and just put an alternative steering set-up in there? 

[Tenmil Socket]

  On 30/10/2020 at 09:56, Spottedlaurel said:

Good luck! Sounds like an amusing project.

I really ought to see if this works, have never tried it out:

Also we seem to have ended up with some '80s RC buggy which belonged to Mrs SL's sister. It's very toy-like, has probably suffered with batteries being left in it.

I've had the red one since I was young, never seen it with the stripes though - I'm sure mine never had them. The Ferrari Daytona also used those wheels, as I believe did the front end of the some of the F1 racers (can't easily get to my cabinet to dig one out).

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Yeah batteries can do some right damage when left in things!

[Datsuncog]

Well, Friday it is... and, what with the clock change and all, a bit less forbiddingly bleak outside.

After a brief tussle with the bloody parking app, which every so often likes to pretend it's never met me before, I was into the market at the stroke of 8...

It was quiet, with even more empty stalls from last week.

But Market Blokey was back!

And so was my frigging Nemesis #1!

I swear he sneaks in through the stallholders' entrance or something to get there ahead of me. It's a cut-throat game; though hopefully not literally.

I waited impatiently for him to bugger away off, because I wasn't here for the dolls...

I wasn't here for the Elvis biographies...

I wasn't here for the James Last 8-Tracks...

And I definitely wasn't here for the heartwarming collectable plates of cutesy kiddiwinks...

I was here for one thing only, and that was tat.

Wait, is that it?

Some boxless Shell Collection Maistos and a Days Gone van? Surely I haven't schlepped in for just this...

But lo, my Nemesis didst move aside, and t'was like the parting of clouds...

Well, sorta.

But there was some nice 1/36 Corgi action to be had, even if most of them were modernish film and TV items.

I could see he still had some more stuff to unpack though, so I wandered off to see if Charity Blokey had been whittling any more Dinky Transits in his spare time.

Sadly not.

Those big Buddy Ls are still there, surprisingly.

Also there was the 'Qualcast by Corgi' Turbine Truck (a cheaper sub-line that never really went anywhere), the Superkings fantasy transporter, and a somewhat beat-up Dinky Jeep that's looking more appealing by the week, despite its wonky axles.

I'd been reading through my big Corgi book during the week, and I hadn't realised that the Berliet truck came fitted with a stereotypical French beret-wearing driver behind the wheel. How about that?

Ultimately I didn't buy anything from Charity Blokey this week - though I applaud his reliability.

Paddy's Antiques Shitshow had all the diecast back, though.

As far as I can make out, he hasn't shifted a single damn thing - though plenty are now broken/ damaged through being shovelled in and out of boxes, like this plastic Rovex stab at something a bit like a Land Rover:

Yeah, that roof wasn't broken the other week.

Side profile's not bad...

But what's going on with that grille and lights?

Weird.

I still wanted to get a price off him for the big Corgi Ford Transporter, but he was waxing long and loud to another punter about something else; "they go for big money on eBay, those do, y'know".

Yup, but you're not eBay, dude. You're relying on a handful of Belfast-based customers trickling past your disorganised, unpriced stall on a Friday morning, not a perma-connected global marketplace serving up targeted listings.

After hanging about for bit, waiting in vain for him to give over, I headed back over to Market Blokey... only to stop dead as I clocked what was behind his stall, and had so fascinated Nemesis #1...

A whole rake of bloody Spot Ons. Well, no wonder he wouldn't shift.

Morris 1100 missing a headlight, and with a peculiar homebrew grille plus glazing cracks. Hmm. Morris Oxford Bullnose also lacking its prime feature.

Renault Floride and Alpine both looked like interrupted restos, with fresh paint but no glazing. The Spridget looked like it was next in line for some TLC, while the Big Healey was merely playworn. But, be still my beating heart...

HNNNNG VOLVO AMAZON.

Unmolested, for the most part too. I enquired about pricing. £20 each.

I glared bitterly at Nemesis #1's Spot On haul - a pristine blue Austin A60 Farina with roof rack and skis everything; a repainted Anglia 105E; and a chipped but complete red E-Type (couldn't tell if it was also Spot On or a Dinky one; he was busy tipping them into a bag), plus a Dinky FX3 Taxi and a modern 1/43 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith.

Meh. I found myself coveting the Farina, big time. If he got that for £20, he did well.

Edit: this was the one, bottom right:

However, there were also a few more bits and pieces laid out on the stall by now...

Well, that's more like it.

Corgi Prelude was in pretty good nick, with only a few small chips. If I hadn't already bought a cream and green version back in August, I would have had this. Bond Z3 quite similar to the one CogSr used to own, but I already got him a 1/43 model of that.

Reissue of The Saint's XJS, plus a slightly chipped Aston from The Living Daylights - unfortunately a rather turgid model round the lower quarters, with the mock-skis and stuff.

Bullitt Mustang fastback was nice though; really nice. Reissue DB5 also not bad, though I had one of those before. Mini Traveller out front is, predictably, an Atlas reissue job.

Bond's other Lotus Esprit, with lightly bent skis, plus what looked like a 60s Monte Carlo Mini (but using the later 1970s casting, so it's kinda wrong).

A submersible Esprit was also there (reissue, not original), plus some Tonka stuff and what looked like the underframe of a Corgi funny car, but I couldn't work out what. Mini Pickup is by Hongwell, and filthy.

As another Corgi oddity, here's another from their short-lived Explorers range:

The Scanotron features a cab that pivots forward and back, and has a magnifying lens fitted behind the rotating scanner. Well, okay.

I had another poke round the back of the stall, in case there was anything else I'd missed (like a brimming Tat Box), but this was all he had left over.

So, I did make a purchase or two, much as it pained my cheap arse...

...and, during my last turn round the aisles, I happened to spot this unexpected basket of delights over at Alan's Emporium:

Despite looking unpromising, there were hidden depths, it transpired...

So! I've now scalded myself with a coffee, and frozen myself tapping this out by the Riverside (my goodness, it's cold this morning) - and will be heading back over shortly to grab some fruit and that.

But yeah, I can't wait til I get home - these are what persuaded me to crack open my wallet.

The Mustang's a keeper, I think, and I even found the Steve McQueen figure rolling round at the bottom of one of the boxes.

The Volvo Amazon - I'm not sure. It's one I craved for long enough from my little library book about Spot On, but I'm not sure I want to go down the collector route on these.

I might keep it for a while and see how I feel about it, but if anyone wants to dibs it for £20, I'll let you know when I'm bored of it...

Will be heading home in half an hour, so if there's anything else you've clocked that you fancy, let me know toute suite!

[sierraman]

Do they still have the tat box?

[bunglebus]

The chassis is the lower half of the Custom Car Glo Worm Capri

Which I've just realised has two different types of decals. Here we go again...

 

[Datsuncog]

  On 30/10/2020 at 10:17, sierraman said:

Do they still have the tat box?

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Not this week, it seems - from what I can gather, he seems to have umpteen boxes of diecast, and he then pulls out a couple at random to bring in each week. Maybe next time!

It's kinda annoying - there's no point asking him about a specific model, as he doesn't seem to keep track of them. There's stuff he's assured me he's sold, only for it to reappear six months later (this is where my reference pics come in handy).

Bizarre.

[Datsuncog]

  On 30/10/2020 at 10:17, bunglebus said:

The chassis is the lower half of the Custom Car Glow Worm Capri

Which I've just realised has two different types of decals. Here we go again...

 

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I thought it might have been the Gloworm's innards - but then thought the driver must be a giant!

Looks like someone's already nabbed it while I was chronicling this morning's fun.

[barrett]

  On 30/10/2020 at 01:45, Datsuncog said:

 

While there's a fair amount of playworn Lesney in there that's certainly no better than 50p Box grade, I think you'd see a fair chunk of your £50 back on that 'Wall of Death' Rockets Capri alone... and the Corgi Bedford TK fire appliance looks complete, and might be worth a tenner of anyone's money too.

But then again, I've overpaid handsomely for stuff manys a time, so maybe it's best not to listen to me...

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I had no idea that was a thing, or was worth money. I wish I was a bit closer now!

[sierraman]

Roll on the Datsuncog diecast sale later then!

[Datsuncog]

  On 30/10/2020 at 11:30, sierraman said:

Roll on the Datsuncog diecast sale later then!

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Funny you should mention that... Let's get started (though best to be aware it may be a bit stop-start, getting all these up - as I've a feeling MrsDC wants to get some stuff done today and won't be best pleased if I'm just tippy-tapping away at my phone every time she looks up).

First up : today's Tat Box haul, courtesy of Alan's Emporium. All available, at 33p each.

And looking more organized...

Matchbox IMSA Mustang, and Glo-Racers 'Dark Rider', aka Porsche 928 [**PORSCHE CLAIMED!!**]

Super GTs - the old MB68 Porsche 910 and MB3 Monteverdi Hai. Both are the earlier Made In England versions, not Far Eastern.

(**Monteverdi taken!!**)

Super GT version of the MB14 Iso Grifo, augmented by Sharpie (**TAKEN!!**), and Realtoy Subaru Impreza (**ALSO TAKEN!!**)

No name Mercedes van masquerading as a 'Mobile Commancentre', whatever that is (**SOLD!!**), and a matching Chevrolet Caprice - both of which are wearing Royal Canadian Mounted Police insignia, for some reason.

Plastic no-name Ford Focus 3-dr that probably came with a Tesco Transporter, and a Hot Wheels bosuku manga insane cruiser thingummy.

(**Cheapo Ford and bosuku mayhem car both taken!!**)

Corgi Whizzwheels Volvo 245DL and de-Starskyfied Ford Torino.

(**Torino now taken!!**)

More to follow, from the Tat Archive!