Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

The yellow Volvo definitely needs a wheel swap, I'm thinking these grey 5 spokes would work to make it look like the T5-R

 

[Tenmil Socket]

It would make my day if HW or Matchbox brought out a Series 2 RS Turbo in red. Imagine if they did a line of special edition 80's/90's hot hatches!

[AndyW201]

15 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

It would make my day if HW or Matchbox brought out a Series 2 RS Turbo in red. Imagine if they did a line of special edition 80's/90's hot hatches!

I'd be up for that! A lot more expensive, but keep an eye on the Corgi Vanguards range. They've just brought out a MK4 XR3i, but have already tweaked the casting to a red S2 RST for a 4 car gift set, so chances are we'll see a single release before long.

[Tenmil Socket]

27 minutes ago, AndyW201 said:

I'd be up for that! A lot more expensive, but keep an eye on the Corgi Vanguards range. They've just brought out a MK4 XR3i, but have already tweaked the casting to a red S2 RST for a 4 car gift set, so chances are we'll see a single release before long.

That sounds great apart from the 'expensive' bit 😆

[Tenmil Socket]

Incase I don't get back on here later... All the best everyone and may your 2021 be low tiered and full of TAT! 

 

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, Tenmil Socket said:

It would make my day if HW or Matchbox brought out a Series 2 RS Turbo in red. Imagine if they did a line of special edition 80's/90's hot hatches!

As is mostly the case from the 1980s onwards, MB and HW rarely made a model of anything that wasn't sold in the USA. 

Even the Rover 800 was simply marked as 'Sterling'. Long live Majorette and Bburago.

The Fiesta Courier was a nice exception though.

[warch]

Bit of festive joy appeared in my postbox this morning, a Bedford TK by EFE in 1/76 scale. It is a 1979 V suffix in the livery of Bloxwich Lock and Stamping Company. I quite like old lorries, they have a very appealing wheel size to cab size ratio, modern trucks tend to be quite top heavy looking by comparison. I saw a lovely looking TK on The Professionals last night. 

[Jon]

  

On 12/25/2020 at 12:48 PM, Datsuncog said:

Aleko is still available, as is the ZIL 117 - you're welcome to either, or both!

I know, it's a bit distressing when something just keeps harping on your consciousness... I get that rather frequently...

Hopefully you'll find a quiet afternoon sometime soon for more camera antics, I certainly enjoy them!

Apologies for not getting back in touch sooner (by the way, greetings from 2021, everyone!) but I'll happily claim both Aleko and Zil, please, as they are next to non-existent here - to the point that I even consider zinc pest infested stuff, purely as it's usually cheap...

and LO!, I've found some time to trawl through my photographic archives to bring you another thrilling* log of my time-travelling road trip. Buckle up! Or not, as it wasn't mandatory, back then.

For those of you who don't have a photographic memory of 2 month old posts from 50 pages ago(!), here's my last load of tosh:

On 10/24/2020 at 1:41 PM, Jon said:

So last week, I left you with news of my runabout hire car:

 

Gotta say it's good on gas but I do miss the waft of my previous steeds. At least it's nice to have something as new to tool about the place though.

 

Rocked up to an affordable hostelry for the night but then figured that I'd saved so much on fuel costs, that I might as well splash out a little extra, instead, so off I trundled.

 

Arrived here but my compact car felt a little out of place, so I parked next to the Swallowtail Golf right of frame, as I knew my car's standing. At least it has an incongruous bonnet decal, to add a bit of classy decadence to the situation.

 

As I arrived into the foyer, I knew I'd made the right choice.

 

Next day, back to reality, as I had to nip in and get one of the crossplies tended to. They don't make 'em like they used to! The electrical dealer was also wondering what on earth I was wanting them to do about it but that's by the by. Just geddit sorted, goddamnit!

 

And another classy establishment to rest my head for the night. Just out of frame is a parking attendant nodding his head slowly and pointing me to the far away car park...

 

Thought I'd then go and catch a movie at the local drive-in but it looks like I arrived a little bit late. Ah well! 

Verdict - skinny wheels help it move along quite nicely and the springy suspension and doors that actually open are real selling points. Didn't stop me chopping it in for something else though!

 

From all the fuel money saved trundling round in the Chevette, I was able to splash out for a decadent weekend steed, next:

 

A nice sturdy cruiser, again lovely pliant suspension and skinny wheels but despite its all-American looks, this one was made in Japan! Tsk. As you can see, in order to pay its running costs, I had to downgrade my dining hostelry establishments. Despite its looks however, the garcon was good enough to arrange a whole plethora of plant-based hors d'oeurves, to sate my appetite. Most generous, I thought. 

Anyway, onwards!

 

To the next eating post! I'm seen here exiting from the hostelry of Jeff Wong and his gen-u-ine Texan-Chinese fusion cafe. Merriment and barbecued sweet and sour vegetables were served in equally generous measures, though he did quip that I was "foo yung" to be driving a Cadillac (even a Japanese one). He's a joker, old Jeff! 

On leaving the joint (Jeff doffing his woven conical stetson as a farewell), those words rung true in my ears. Sure, it was a nice folly but it was a loaner, and an expensive one at that, so I handed back the keys to the immaculately coiffured desk clerk at the hire car yard and went about spending my recent imaginary insurance payout for the crashed Corvette Stingray (remember that story?!) on something a bit more 'me':

 

And didn't I do well! Picked this up for a good price and the colour is a personal fave - in years to come, when I was an actual youth in the 1980's, someone up the road had an immaculate Passat Coupe in this colour, which I coveted very positively. Therefore, time travelling me just had to get this, in tribute. As you can see though, this isn't a high speed vehicle (I blame the axles - too thick), as it was unable to transport me to this Asian provender whilst they were still open; apologies therefore, for the lack of accompanying off-topic nonsense as a result of this.

 

Another day, another over-sold lodge to rest my weary head. This one got a 5 star hand-written review on the cork backed notice board I selected it from, though admittedly both paper and biro ink were somewhat sun faded, so perhaps it was right at the time. 

 

Serendipitously though, the following morn I encountered this mirage in the ether, as my lack of sustenance and squalid accommodation had indeed left me feeling like a hungry hobo - albeit not one that bore a resemblance to Paddigton bear.

The gruff manner in which I was served my roasted aubergine, lemon tahini and dukkha foot long hoagie really did add to the Chicago Style of the establishment, as did the serious crime; reputedly, this box car suffers the highest railway drive-by shooting stats of all rolling stock-based lunch providers. Sobering stuff, I'm sure you'll agree.

Now excuse me while I bid you farewell, so I can go away and muster up some reason or other as to why I'll have changed my motor by the next post.

[bunglebus]

Spotted this locally, I knew Matchbox made a SNR6 hovercraft in both Superfast and Superkings flavours, but I hadn't seen a Dinky one before. Of course now several have popped up on eBay, often with the door (?) missing. Mine won't go very fast with no blades on its prop, interesting to see that both the Dinky and Superkings have a Rollamatic type mechanism to spin the radar and propeller

[bunglebus]

A few streets away from where I collected the hovercraft, another seller had this 

Having persuaded him to let me collect it from the top of his wheelie bin rather than pay to have it delivered a mile, I picked it up, excited to find a cheap bumper donor for my copper one

Oh cobblers 😡

[RoadworkUK]

Thought I'd round my 2020 off with a long overdue look at this, which has been scowling at me for attention since the esteemed Mr D. Cog liberated it from St George's Market.

A bit of background: I like buses, and have done from toddling age. It's an aesthetic thing, I'm sure; there's a certain poetry in the way they carry momentum, moving as they do in a less jagged, more fluid way than lighter vehicles. There's no doubt whatsoever that I latently hold the same highly romanticised view of them that I did when I was much younger; we all went on coach trips at school, which we remember fondly for the mischief and giddiness that abounded in the rearmost rows.

My two most vivid sets of bus-related memories concern two trips: The first, a school trip to St Omer, I'm ashamed to admit to not remembering what the actual coach concerned was. I do, though, recall that our pair of drivers were somewhat sporting, and that there had been a Duple 0.425 parked adjacent to our coach in the vehicle deck of the Pride Of Kent on the way back. They formed a kind of matey rivalry with the Duple drivers, and on the journey back up the M20 from Dover we jockeyed for position all the way, all aboard cheering when we passed the Duple, and then booing when it overtook us. I think we were first to reach the M25.

The other memory was from the annual trip to the Earls Court Boat Show, which I used to make in the company of the local Sea Cadets. I wasn't a member, but I tagged along. We went in a Bova Futura of Windmill Coaches, Colchester, and the journey there was, of course, one of excitement and anticipation. On the trip home, though, we were all absolutely knackered after a day of clambering all over £500k yachts and begging weary display staff for freebies. We were far more mellow at that point, and once past the indulgence of an "Executive Tea Drink" (for me as a 12 year old, there was something incredibly surreal and appealing about being able to get out of my seat while in motion and get a cup of tea), I reclined in my comfy seat (back then I wasn't quite in such dire need of leg room as I am now) and listened to my Aiwa personal stereo. It being January, we were travelling in darkness and the music melded with the rythmic passing of the motorway lights, as well as the red and white streams of cars way below, those overtaking affording me a brief glimpse into somebody elses world — I'd look down at them and wonder what they had been up to that day, where they were going and what they were listening to.

Anyway. When I first went to Florida in 1993, I discovered that they had buses in America, too; and that, inevitably, they were much bigger than ours. In the process of having Disney crammed down my throat, I became aware of two specific forms of bus. The first was the Gillig Phantom; a briliantly noisy thing that conveyed us from Orlando International Airport terminal to the Alamo car rental desk. The second was the MCI 102. I didn't travel on one, but I saw them everywhere, and marvelled at how virtually every coach I saw had six wheels. How incredibly exotic.

So, when this example showed up on the stall of Sir Market Blokey, I was all aquiver and trembling with excitement. Well, perhaps that's a stretch but I certainly said "gosh" audibly, even though there was nobody there to hear me.

The first thing that struck me as I freed it from its (remarkably well preserved) box, was that Mr C must have given it a good spruce-up before sending it across the sea from Norn Iron. It was described as "huge, heavy and utterly filthy", but it's now only two of those things. As you can see from the pics upthread,  it was treated to a full valet before delivery — not something I'm used to when buying any vehicle, let alone one eight inches long. (Thank you Tim, very much).

The second thing that struck me is its bigness. It really is an impressive thing, and I feel it's a great shame that this isn't a more popular scale. It would probably sit quite well with the amusingly trademark-circumvented SETRR (sic) double decker I have knocking about. I'll do a side-by side shoot at some point for a looksee.

So, anyway, what's it like? Well, it's more or less superb. In terms of fidelity, in some ways it's actually a little way behind what you get from recent EFE releases and the like; the lights are all painted on, aside from the headlights, which are formed from unpained diecast metal. While undoubtedly colourful, the livery is printed to a far lower resolution than today's releases, but I don't really think that's anything worth crying over.

There's little to moan about when it comes to the way it's modelled, though; from my own memories and actual photos (although I can't find a prototype that carries this exact livery anywhere), the shape and proportions are bob on, and all the grilles and vents look good.

Lets just take a moment to drink in the specialness of North American coaches. I really like the almost militaristic utilitarianism of their design. There are none of the styling flourishes you found on European coaches, but the purposeful nature of MCIs, Prevosts and the like have an appeal all of their own. The high-mounted rear lights — similar in style to those of the Duple 0.425 — are actually quite an intelligent feature.

I really like how the rear wheels are modelled, too. Being so much bigger than 1:76 scale, their chunkiness comes across rather well, and I always found the "one concave, one convex" setup you'd get on a bogey with a single driven axle — this typically being the middle one, as it tends to be with three-axle buses in Europe, too.

I think what I like most, though, is the (very) tinted glass. From recollection, those examples I saw in Florida had windows that were tinted to such an extend that you were only given the vaguest hint that there was an interior at all, but the darkness of the glass dissolved at night, when internal illumination laid the interior bare for all to see.

Were the model to be rigged up with some internal LEDs, that effect could probably be quite well recreated; the interior seating looks to be very neatly modelled.

So there we have it. Just one of the many happy outcomes of Tat Friday, which I know for sure to be the highlight of many an Autoshiter's week. Big thanks again to Datsuncog for feeding our collective habit, one which I'm sure none of us will hatch any new year's resolution to cut back on.

Happy new year.

[bunglebus]

The 2nd thing I bought myself for Christmas finally arrived 

does pose another problem though - there's yet another variation shown on the base

anyone known what currency this was priced in?

[Split_Pin]

That reminds me, I had a Playart Daimler Fleetline bus in China Motor Bus Livery that was a knock off Matchbox Superkings casting.

Talking of valeted buses, I think DC also gave the same treatment to my Dennis Jubilant as it arrived very clean, not like it had been sitting in a tray at a market stall.

[AndyW201]

4 hours ago, Tenmil Socket said:

That sounds great apart from the 'expensive' bit 😆

Collecting Vanguards models is what keeps me poor I reckon...

[Datsuncog]

Well well well… slithering towards the end of 2020 is bringing a lot of feelings, for many and disparate reasons. It’s been a helluva year; almost – you might say – an unprecedented one, to coin a phrase…

(Sorry)

But despite a tenmonth of uncertainty, disruption and a change to daily living that was unimaginable this time last year, there’s been one constant for much of this year…

Tiny Tat.

Yup - what better time, when the Friday Tat Market is on its third lockdown, to cast an eye back on a rollercoaster year where arriving home with a slightly torn carrier bag containing some bashed  Corgi, Dinky and Majorette was a genuine cause for triumph?

I guess if the present is a bit of a disaster, and the future a cause for serious concern, then maybe the past is an understandable place to want to live in – even if just for a while, every now and then.

It’s been real, kids.

So then! January brought a large handful of delights from the 50p Tat Box, which benefited some denizens of this thread...

...plus a few other nicely evocative bigger models for only a couple of quid, all of which were re-homed:

The end of the month also saw a never-to-be-repeated 50p clear-out by Market Blokey, which saw me stagger out of St George's laden with carrier bags of Superkings and all sorts.

It also netted me this very tidy Corgi Majors Ford H-Series wrecker (for rather more than 50p, mind), which is still one of my prize finds of the year.

I like this a lot.

Still kicking myself for not nabbing the Rover P6 and (intact) Renault 16 while available at a tenner each - think I just hadn't enough cash on me one lunchtime, and needed to be back at my desk pronto.

Regrets, hey?

February, then...

As ever, new stuff continued to appear, including this simply lovely little Lone Star Foden. Despite missing its tipper, this is an excellent example of a toy with a huge amount of charm to it - and I don't know why, but it's simply very very appealing.

I don't normally go for this kind of thing at all, but I just had to have it - and I was delighted to pass it on to an appreciative new home.

There were also some sealed Matchbox picked up for not much more than their original purchase price:

And I also picked up this ultra-grimy King Size Scammell Heavy Wrecker, in Superkings colour scheme but with the earlier wheels:

...which cleaned up surprisingly well.

And this 1/24 Polistil VW Polo from the Charity Stall was a corker of a find, too.

The missing grille didn't hold it back, and it's now looking cared-for again in Scotland.

March started with one of the best-ever hauls ever - Market Blokey arrived with a stonking great box of sixties Matchbox and Corgi...

Not only netting me these beauties (now rehomed)...

...but also scoring me a Lone Star Transit wrecker, which is very much one for the Datsuncog Permanent Collection. It's great.

Mind you, Charity Bloke also outdid himself, with these stunners at very moderate prices:

What a haul!

In fact, things were going swimmingly until...

Everything shut down. Including the Tat Market

So there followed a rather odd spring, where new diecast was hard to come by, and some people (ahem) seemed to lose the run of themselves and started playing in the flowerbeds.

And in the newly-arrived building supplies.

And then went completely daft with (very loose) frame-by-frame diecast remakes of well-known films...

Yes, quite. But it was probably more fun than a Joe Wicks work-out, am I right?

And then in July...

A cautious and limited return, with lots of arrows and hand sanitizer everywhere, but a return nonetheless...

Pickings were aimed more towards the collectables end rather than the old tatty toys end, but it was a relief to break the drought.

But the Charity Stall pulled through with a belter of a tat box haul:

And yet more:

This Corgi Metro was like new; it now lives in my Corgi Cabinet.

Goodies continued into August:

...and the good weather provided opportunities for more alfresco photoshoots.

The 50p Tat Box continued to put in sporadic appearances, and sometimes yielded some excellent results:

While September brought more large-scale stuff:

and some small rarities, too.

#

Having only ever had the tractor unit as a kid, I was pleased to finally obtain a complete Corgi Volvo BM cement mixer.

Also some rare exotics, in the form of French Dinkys:

Plus a particularly crazy day netted some real stunners...

And the Hat of Tat became a thing.

October started very well...

...and kept getting better.

Even so, things started going a bit downhill again, with restrictions tightening again...

and Market Blokey doing a vanishing act.

...but it was okay, as he returned just before Hallowe'en with a load of Corgi and Spot On.

Plus other tat.

November saw Charity Stall up its game somewhat, netting me some gorgeous first release Matchbox Convoys:

And other Matchbox and Corgi delights.

It also brought a bumper haul for bus fans, as A LOT of buses started to appear on the stalls:

All these found happy new homes, you'll be pleased to learn.

Rarities continued to pop up sporadically:

...but reality intruded toward the end of the month, and the market again found its gates locked.

And yet, a brief flicker of bureaucracy allowed another two market events in December...

...netting some nice Corgi and Russian diecast, plus some more buses .

And then, regrettably, the Year In Tat was curtailed once again, as with so much else, by the Current Situation...

Ah now.

But, I think we can agree that it's been interests and activities that have got us through this weird, weird year - and it's been this kind of stuff that's kept me sane (even if some of it's the kind of rubbish that no sane person should go near).

So here's hoping that 2021 brings better things to everyone - cheers for sharing it, folks. The market stuff couldn't happen without your input, so here's hoping it won't be too long before the sound of clinking diecast in a torn blue bag heralds my Friday mornings once again...

Take care, and Happy New Year!

[Tenmil Socket]

14 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Well well well… slithering towards the end of 2020 is bringing a lot of feelings, for many and disparate reasons. It’s been a helluva year; almost – you might say – an unprecedented one, to coin a phrase…

(Sorry)

But despite a tenmonth of uncertainty, disruption and a change to daily living that was unimaginable this time last year, there’s been one constant for much of this year…

Tiny Tat.

 

Yup - what better time, when the Friday Tat Market is on its third lockdown, to cast an eye back on a rollercoaster year where arriving home with a slightly torn carrier bag containing some bashed  Corgi, Dinky and Majorette was a genuine cause for triumph?

I guess if the present is a bit of a disaster, and the future a cause for serious concern, then maybe the past is an understandable place to want to live in – even if just for a while, every now and then.

It’s been real, kids.

So then! January brought a large handful of delights from the 50p Tat Box, which benefited some denizens of this thread...

...plus a few other nicely evocative bigger models for only a couple of quid, all of which were re-homed:

The end of the month also saw a never-to-be-repeated 50p clear-out by Market Blokey, which saw me stagger out of St George's laden with carrier bags of Superkings and all sorts.

It also netted me this very tidy Corgi Majors Ford H-Series wrecker (for rather more than 50p, mind), which is still one of my prize finds of the year.

I like this a lot.

Still kicking myself for not nabbing the Rover P6 and (intact) Renault 16 while available at a tenner each - think I just hadn't enough cash on me one lunchtime, and needed to be back at my desk pronto.

Regrets, hey?

February, then...

As ever, new stuff continued to appear, including this simply lovely little Lone Star Foden. Despite missing its tipper, this is an excellent example of a toy with a huge amount of charm to it - and I don't know why, but it's simply very very appealing.

I don't normally go for this kind of thing at all, but I just had to have it - and I was delighted to pass it on to an appreciative new home.

There were also some sealed Matchbox picked up for not much more than their original purchase price:

And I also picked up this ultra-grimy King Size Scammell Heavy Wrecker, in Superkings colour scheme but with the earlier wheels:

...which cleaned up surprisingly well.

And this 1/24 Polistil VW Polo from the Charity Stall was a corker of a find, too.

The missing grille didn't hold it back, and it's now looking cared-for again in Scotland.

March started with one of the best-ever hauls ever - Market Blokey arrived with a stonking great box of sixties Matchbox and Corgi...

Not only netting me these beauties (now rehomed)...

...but also scoring me a Lone Star Transit wrecker, which is very much one for the Datsuncog Permanent Collection. It's great.

Mind you, Charity Bloke also outdid himself, with these stunners at very moderate prices:

What a haul!

In fact, things were going swimmingly until...

Everything shut down. Including the Tat Market

So there followed a rather odd spring, where new diecast was hard to come by, and some people (ahem) seemed to lose the run of themselves and started playing in the flowerbeds.

And in the newly-arrived building supplies.

And then went completely daft with (very loose) frame-by-frame diecast remakes of well-known films...

Yes, quite. But it was probably more fun than a Joe Wicks work-out, am I right?

And then in July...

A cautious and limited return, with lots of arrows and hand sanitizer everywhere, but a return nonetheless...

Pickings were aimed more towards the collectables end rather than the old tatty toys end, but it was a relief to break the drought.

But the Charity Stall pulled through with a belter of a tat box haul:

And yet more:

This Corgi Metro was like new; it now lives in my Corgi Cabinet.

Goodies continued into August:

...and the good weather provided opportunities for more alfresco photoshoots.

The 50p Tat Box continued to put in sporadic appearances, and sometimes yielded some excellent results:

While September brought more large-scale stuff:

and some small rarities, too.

#

Having only ever had the tractor unit as a kid, I was pleased to finally obtain a complete Corgi Volvo BM cement mixer.

Also some rare exotics, in the form of French Dinkys:

Plus a particularly crazy day netted some real stunners...

And the Hat of Tat became a thing.

October started very well...

...and kept getting better.

Even so, things started going a bit downhill again, with restrictions tightening again...

and Market Blokey doing a vanishing act.

...but it was okay, as he returned just before Hallowe'en with a load of Corgi and Spot On.

Plus other tat.

November saw Charity Stall up its game somewhat, netting me some gorgeous first release Matchbox Convoys:

And other Matchbox and Corgi delights.

It also brought a bumper haul for bus fans, as A LOT of buses started to appear on the stalls:

All these found happy new homes, you'll be pleased to learn.

Rarities continued to pop up sporadically:

...but reality intruded toward the end of the month, and the market again found its gates locked.

And yet, a brief flicker of bureaucracy allowed another two market events in December...

...netting some nice Corgi and Russian diecast, plus some more buses .

And then, regrettably, the Year In Tat was curtailed once again, as with so much else, by the Current Situation...

Ah now.

But, I think we can agree that it's been interests and activities that have got us through this weird, weird year - and it's been this kind of stuff that's kept me sane (even if some of it's the kind of rubbish that no same person should go near).

So here's hoping that 2021 brings better things to everyone - cheers for sharing it, folks. The market stuff couldn't happen without your input, so here's hoping it won't be too long before the sound of clinking diecast in a torn blue bag heralds my Friday mornings once again...

Take care, and Happy New Year!

Thanks for all your input this year @Datsuncog

[bunglebus]

Seconded. I recognise a few of those that are now living with me, and I appreciate you finding them and selling them on at zero profit or less!

[flat4alfa]

On 12/30/2020 at 6:45 PM, Mr Pastry said:

That sounds about right but I'm not an anorak, can't remember that sort of stuff.  I'd have said 1960s.  It is what it is.  Give it a go.  Plenty of oil in and around the cylinder and bearings first, motor oil is fine.  

It's alive!

 

[155V6]

Thanks for all your effort @Datsuncog,the Matchbox Service Station you got for me (amongst many other goodies) was one of my favourite buys of the year  😎👍

[Mr Pastry]

11 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

It's alive!

 

Result!  Running nicely!

[bezzabsa]

21 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

It's alive!

 

Mine is missing a drive belt and the steering handle, vivid memories of trails of burning meths on the kitchen lino...LOL

[AndyW201]

A great Cog-review of the year, there. I think there are a great few of us on this thread who have been kept going through the year thanks to mini-tat.

A few notable items kept me going through lockdown, one of them being gifted a mint & boxed Vanguards Consul base, by our own Skizzer, which was much appreciated,

After a sudden rush of love on here for the Corgi 1/36 range, I gained two that I've been seeking out for a while, both kindly procured by members of this parish,

A Corgi Merc W115, in lovely condition and in my favourite colour scheme for this model, courtesy of our very own bunglebus.

And the Sierra 2.3 Ghia in the same colour and box as the one I received as a present, when the real Sierra was launched, courtesy of Amishtat.

I also started searching for Vauxhall/GM related models, with owning a full size Vauxhall for the first time in quite a while, and suddenly finding a shedload of pukka dealer models on eBay at bargain prices. Highlights were the Schuco Opel Senator and Monza models, with unbelievable detail at less than a tenner a pop,

Another bargain was the Ixo-based partwork Kadett/Astra MK1 GTE, bought for just £8 from a French eBay seller,

And a NOS dealer box Corsa B GSi was had for £7,

Yup, only on here would you ever hear of Vauxhalls bringing a person joy during lockdown!

So it's all the best for 2021 to all my fellow mini-tat hunters, It remains a mission of mine to make a Tat Friday purchase, (I even arrange my scheduled tacho break on a Friday to try to catch it in time) I feel left out having not made a purchase yet...

 

[flat4alfa]

I did get the Mamod to rev quite a bit higher, shortly after.  Also reconnected the belt and steering handle and had it trundling the paving slabs  ....after a fashion

Then it got too dark.  Let it cool and brought it in to clean up the oil splatters.  Now back in box to slumber for another 40 years, well after I'm gone.

 

Next time on AS :  The original 1970s MB Games BIG TRAK !

That is, once I've unjammed the loft hatch...

[bunglebus]

7 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Next time on AS :  The original 1970s MB Games BIG TRAK !

That is, once I've unjammed the loft hatch...

They are cool. Seen a few pop up for sale but they just take up too much room for me!

[bunglebus]

2020 has been a very odd year, but one bonus has been plenty of time on my hands to molest unsuspecting diecasts. This year 75 have been restored, customised or modified to a point I consider them finished. You've seen most of them before but here's a recap

 

There are still plenty more either in progress, awaiting start or cast back into the project box carelessly because they haven't gone to plan and I've lost interest in them

[FakeConcern]

I love this thread, but never manage to keep up with it as it must be a full time job for some people on here!

Anyway just got a new C30 model/toy for my birthday in 1:18 scale, it's not so acurate as the Welly 1:24 I already have, but I'm still very pleased with it...

It looks like it's a Volvo promotional model of some sort...

Doors open as well and made of plastic...

Has all the Volvo logos and official photos on the box ...

I also have a really nice Welly 1:24 model with doors and bonnet that open and generally much better detailing and a Matchbox 1:64(?) that I got from @Datsuncog (also have a gold one but Mrs Concern used it in a Christmas ornament).

 

Obviously a bit of a jump in scale from the Matchbox to the Welly...

I know that models in both 1:32 and 1:43 have been produced so I'd really like them as well and would also like more of the Matchbox models in other colours so if anyone has any for sale let me know. A bit new for most of you I know but worth asking...

[flat4alfa]

41 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

2020 has been a very odd year, but one bonus has been plenty of time on my hands to molest unsuspecting diecasts. This year 75 have been restored, customised or modified to a point I consider them finished.

Some fantastic efforts there!

Can I vote for two?

Great, then the will be the Might Motor Corniche and the re-engined Road Dragster.

[flat4alfa]

On 12/11/2019 at 2:42 PM, flat4alfa said:

They also adapted the casting into the Battle Kings 'Hover-Raider'.  I've had this since I was a lad, Mum gave it to me for a Christmas.

Dinky also did a 'rola-matic' SR.N6 as well.  It's slightly larger and heavier, with its die-cast base, alloy wheels and rubber tyres.  Opening front door hatch too.  My fave.

@bunglebus  There's a nice pair of those back here too

I'm still after another complete -but repaintable- Dinky.  Can't spoil this one.

Your one can have a new prop quite cheaply:

Quote

290 Hoovercraft blue plastic propeller

£1.25

Hoovercraft as well !  Bonus.

[flat4alfa]

On 12/30/2020 at 6:52 PM, flat4alfa said:

It’s all-plastic and 17cm long so about 1/22ish

Remember this?

After un-seizing the motor - which sang with an awful squeaky dryness for a bit - with some further oiling and a cleaning of the properly rusted contacts, it now can do this:

So, now fixed and doing what a real 917K is far too valuable to attempt: donuts.  What with this and the Mamod resurrection earlier, this evening is working out to be eventful.  Given the situation...

The Wife is, as ever, delighted and wants me to get out of the kitchen now.

[bunglebus]

42 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

@bunglebus  There's a nice pair of those back here too

I'm still after another complete -but repaintable- Dinky.  Can't spoil this one.

Your one can have a new prop quite cheaply:

Hoovercraft as well !  Bonus.

That quote from the Steve Flowers site (presumably) properly upset the page formatting on my phone 🤣

Oh and did you get chucked out of the kitchen for crashing into the bin?