Shite in Miniature II

[Split_Pin]

I think that's to house the ratchet mechanism for the tipper version. I have the milk float and a late 90s reissue of the tipper.

I've always wanted the recovery version as a pal had one as part of the AA set as a kid. Always too expensive for me to get though.

[jon.k]

Datsuncog and amishtat’s enthusiastic response to the models I posted inspired me to dig out some of my favourite toys. I do have others in better condition which I collected as I got older but these were some of the ones that got played with (not for sale!)

Last picture for early registration madness. (DLS 155R)

 

 

 

[flat4alfa]

Is the blue MPV a Majorette Monospace?

[jon.k]

11 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Is the blue MPV a Majorette Monospace?

Yes! I went on holiday to France (in a white 306 sedan) and being Peugeot mad it was all quite exciting. 

The leopardskin Range Rover is also a Majorette. When I was 3 or 4 I asked for "a Range Rover towing a caravan" for Christmas, and my dad recently told me that he'd spent hours ringing around toy shops to find one. I'm not sure if the caravan was in a set with it or came separately, but that got lost along the way somewhere.

[Split_Pin]

16 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

A parcel can brighten even the greyest of days...

Especially when it's filled with diecast tat, you'll agree.

Behold! A box of delights from @jon.k.

I've never had a complete example of the Matchbox MB 178 Ford Cargo skip truck -although a fair few have passed through my sweaty hands, they've always been missing their skip.

Well,  no longer!

Unlike Corgi and Majorette's plastic offerings, the skip is a weighty diecast thing and so swings and pivots correctly.

I'm ridiculously delighted with this.

Hours of fun. And I haven't even got into the flowerbeds yet.

Staying with small-scale, there was also  this Corgi AA Land Rover 110:

I've had a couple of versions of this casting previously, wearing Fire Brigade and Duckhams QXL decoration; I thought they always looked curiously squat and wide compared to the real thing:

I'm not sure whether there was a genuine mix-up with dimensions, or if it was deliberately tweaked to give it a lower centre of gravity for use on Auto City playtrack.

But detail is really good on this post-Mettoy model, and streets ahead of the trashy early 80s stuff. Not many Juniors-scale came with numberplates (though the Volvo 760 did, from memory). Better wheels would have helped, though - imagine how much more realistic it might appear with the dished wheels from the Cargo above!

Next up...

Phoar, more AA action - this time with the 1/36-ish Mk2 Transit wrecker. 

I had a pair of these before, both picked up at jumble sales, and both in much poorer condition than this. By the time I'd gone at them with my paint pens, they were pretty much ruined, which is why I punted them on a few years back.

This one still has its towing hook, which the others never did (despite some optimistic improvisation with bent paperclips). This also has a black towing arm and silver bed insert, whereas my two both had blue arms and yellow inserts.

The paper stickers were long since missing from my old ones, so I dunno if they were originally AA versions or not.

Front end is nicely proportioned - Corgi used the same cab and base castings for the milk float version, as well as a different chassis for the tipper version. Shame they never did a panel van, mind.

And lastly, this oddity...

I'd messaged Jon to ask him to hold over the Corgi taxi for me - only to be told sorry, it's not a Corgi - it's a Chinese no-name model.

Most curious. It looks very like a Corgi C435 Austin FX4 to me.

VERY like a Corgi FX4.

There's not much to tell 'em apart, going by the castings...

And if we look inside, the no-name even has the groove for Corgi's sliding partition, plus vestigial nubs for the fold-down jumpseats - both of which appeared on the genuine article, but not here.

And a look at the bases reveals some startling similarities...

Well, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum, I reckon we're dealing with some diecast piracy here, folks - what think you?

Even the wheels are similar, though much cruder on the copy.

I think this is the first 1/36 Corgi pirate casting I've encountered (I know there's the slightly shrunken Playart Mazda B1600 pick-up; any more?) and I'm surprised how much it pleases me. Although the quality is noticeably inferior, and it's much lighter, it's still in excellent nick and I think it'll display well.

So! Cheers Jon, a most enjoyable parcel indeed!

No pictures sadly as both are long gone but I had a Playart copy of the horrible Superkings Daimler DM Fleetline 'Londoner'.  The copy was in China Motor bus livery. Both original and copy thankfully now long gone.

What is strange is that the Superkings was based on the very first batch of DM/S class Fleetlines with the headlights closer together but the Superfast version is of the post 1971 version with the lights further apart. I've had the latter since a very young child and it's a delightful wee casting, really detailed and accurate. It even has a flight of stairs inside.

[Datsuncog]

18 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Front end is nicely proportioned - Corgi used the same cab and base castings for the milk float version, as well as a different chassis for the tipper version. Shame they never did a panel van, mind.

 

16 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

What's the odd lump ahead of the rear axle meant to be?

 

16 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

I think that's to house the ratchet mechanism for the tipper version. I have the milk float and a late 90s reissue of the tipper.

I've always wanted the recovery version as a pal had one as part of the AA set as a kid. Always too expensive for me to get though.

Aha, that's good to know... I'd thought that the Transit tipper had a different chassis, for some reason - based on dim memories of the shop stock from twenty odd years ago, which I sneeringly dismissed as kids' toys and roundly ignored, instead blowing all my wages and staff discount on 'adult' Vitesse and Corgi Classics 1/43s.

Well, who's crying (and blowing all their wages on eBay) now?

I had the Dairy Crest milk float too, which wasn't in bad shape considering it was from a car boot sale. Unfortunately, ten years of shelf display left it with dreadful UV yellowing to the plastic, so it also got rehomed a few years back.

Incidentally, I do sorta regret not buying a complete boxed Corgi AA set at the market over the summer - it was £20, though the box wasn't in great shape with flaps missing and only barely hanging together.

Through some logic fail, I reasoned that while I'd have happily paid that for just the loose models on their own, a trashed box that was no good for display and would still need to be stored somewhere made it less appealing to me.

So I left it.

Well, durr, as the kids used to say.

Interestingly, the Transit  in the set above has the blue jib and '24hr' stickers to the side, which I think was the same as my older versions - not the 'AA Relay' side stickers, like Jon's. So there must be two slightly different versions of the AA Wrecker in circulation, just to further test the patience/bank balances of the completionists among us...

[Amishtat]

I only thought to take the one picture of my set back when I rediscovered it last year but it's definitely got a black jib. And a pretty fucked box. 

[bunglebus]

I've not yet got my hands on any version of this MK2 casting, other than an inspection of this one that I mentioned previously 

[egg]

22 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Black AMX is indeed a rarity, nice score!

If anyone is after one, or indeed either of the two hot wheels, I'm sure a deal could be done...

[jon.k]

Would anyone be interested in any of these? They’d be a couple of quid plus postage each (unless anyone can jump in and tell me that I’ve got something rare and precious in there!) 

 

 

 

[RoadworkUK]

21 hours ago, jon.k said:

Datsuncog and amishtat’s enthusiastic response to the models I posted inspired me to dig out some of my favourite toys. I do have others in better condition which I collected as I got older but these were some of the ones that got played with (not for sale!)

I have that Ferrari / Iveco racing car transporter (with the laughably out of scale 1:64 Formula 1 cars.) Sadly I had it on display on my bedroom windowsill for ages and the big Ferrari sticker on one side faded to bright white.

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, jon.k said:

Would anyone be interested in any of these? They’d be a couple of quid plus postage each (unless anyone can jump in and tell me that I’ve got something rare and precious in there!) 

 

 

 

White Trabant is pretty cool - and is it an odd angle or is the Starsky and Hutch Torino a strange shape?

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, jon.k said:

Would anyone be interested in any of these? They’d be a couple of quid plus postage each

I'm trying not to buy any more as I've shelves full and the wife is having kittens over it all

But if I was, they would be 007 Aston ; Britains Police Discovery, Corgi yellow AA Range Rover ; Dinky yellow Bedford CF Van

[bunglebus]

Think I now have all the different body styles of Corgi VW T1. This and the Kombi could do with a re-paint. Maybe.

[flat4alfa]

2 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

White Trabant is pretty cool - and is it an odd angle or is the Starsky and Hutch Torino a strange shape?

Camera lies and half the white stripe has been eaten

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, jon.k said:

Would anyone be interested in any of these? They’d be a couple of quid plus postage each

Also, what is that?

[flat4alfa]

On 2/1/2021 at 7:04 PM, flat4alfa said:

CLICLAC  party. 

There was a point to all this, but I can't remember what it was

[Dunno how I mucked up the images, so deleted the post and reposted]

 

 

I remember now!

This is a Heller CLICLAC Land Rover 109 City Police

Dolly and Ken spotted this on Holiday in France. 

It surprised them, as for a French product primarily sold on the French market, the Police livery is....

...British Police !

Not the best model obviously, but all of them are after all just fit-the-box approx 1/32 click-together plastic kits, aimed at children banned from being near glue.

Oh yes, the point... (ahem) Heller did a good few different guises, with various extras to click home and then eventually loose in the darkest toy box recesses.

  

But not only that, did you know that AIRFIX bought a few and rejigged the ideas as a 'Junior' range also marketed as Clix ?  A sort of precursor for the current Quick Build range

 

If you see one cheap, pick it up and you'll find that these kits from the nineties - especially Black Widow - can be quite valuable now.  But don't offer it to me, I really don't want anymore, thanks!

[jon.k]

12 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Also, what is that?

It’s a made in China pull-back trabant with epic custom gold marker pen paint job, of course! 

 

Tempted?

[bunglebus]

I might be interested in this one and the white Trabby

 

[Spottedlaurel]

Not really shite subject material, but this one I finished on Sunday was painted with Ford Cayman Blue as seen on '90s Mondeos, Fiestas etc. Put it together as a quick simple build after I'd robbed its engine for a '67 Impala.

 

 

[flat4alfa]

32 minutes ago, jon.k said:

It’s a made in China pull-back trabant with epic custom gold marker pen paint job, of course! 

 

Tempted?

Unfortunately yes

[flat4alfa]

Got this Tonka a few weeks back in a job lot.  Clearly meant to be a Chevolet Monza so has to be late-seventies early eighties.

Never had any of these as a child, exaggerated toy styles like this were always a turn-off.  But still, being an old man now, thought it was worth some (re)discovery, from a mechanical perspective and also because of the Marina door handles.

It was filthy and seized.  So took it apart cleaned all the muck off and got it working.   There was half a Mars Bar of gunk in there.

You push it forward multiple times (it's very stiff) so it gathers energy in its flywheel, making a right din.  Then push the button on the top and it releases a clutch and it FLIES !!!  ...off towards the skirting board to chip another chunk out of it.  Hard.  I now know why most of the ones spotted on Tat Friday have bumper/grilles pieces missing.

Being tin-plate over plastic and a heavy flywheel inside, it does have some weight to it.  Ideal for throwing at lockdown-breaching neighbours having a disco

[RoadworkUK]

40 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Not really shite subject material, but this one I finished on Sunday was painted with Ford Cayman Blue as seen on '90s Mondeos, Fiestas etc. Put it together as a quick simple build after I'd robbed its engine for a '67 Impala.

You know, the C4 Corvette really is a staggeringly good looking car. I was tempted to actually buy one for ages, until – fortunately – I had an opportunity to sit in one and found that I literally do. not. fit.

[bunglebus]

33 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Got this Tonka a few weeks back in a job lot.  Clearly meant to be a Chevolet Monza so has to be late-seventies early eighties.

Looks like this chap

 

[Spottedlaurel]

4 minutes ago, RoadworkUK said:

You know, the C4 Corvette really is a staggeringly good looking car. I was tempted to actually buy one for ages, until – fortunately – I had an opportunity to sit in one and found that I literally do. not. fit.

Some years of Camaro and Firebird seemed to lose their way, but yes that generation of Corvette seemed to maintain its good looks throughout.

Strange that you didn't fit a car designed by/for Americans.

[flat4alfa]

On 2/1/2021 at 10:42 AM, flat4alfa said:

Maisto Smart City-Coupé (it says), in 1/33

The model is smart enough (pun intended).  What does smart though is the thin rear track, due to the mounting of a generic pull-back motor mechanism. 

Well no more.  The tramping, inset rear axle no longer makes me twitch...

....because it was taken to bits and introduced it to a replacement chassis which was near enough the right wheel base

So after some adaptions to the chassis and a few fiddles about to fit, taking all evening; it now looks like this

And does this

Will see about fitting a driver and seat tops later.  Perhaps a nob of glue on the door might be wise so driver doesn't go flying

[RoadworkUK]

16 minutes ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Strange that you didn't fit a car designed by/for Americans.

Yep. They've got bellies, I've got freakishly long shins. Genuinely can't fit my knee under the wheel.

[flat4alfa]

On 9/11/2020 at 4:48 PM, bunglebus said:

first of all a Tonka I did buy - mentioned recently IIRC with the friction motor, still working and making the awful noise. Another £2.00

Ohhh..... don't

It's a Pinto too.

[andrew e]

I had a yellow one as a kid - pretty patio proof, it had a fair bit of torque for rough surface propulsion, even if it was totally the wrong size fit my matchbox sized scrapyards.

[Datsuncog]

58 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Got this Tonka a few weeks back in a job lot.  Clearly meant to be a Chevolet Monza so has to be late-seventies early eighties.

Never had any of these as a child, exaggerated toy styles like this were always a turn-off.  But still, being an old man now, thought it was worth some (re)discovery, from a mechanical perspective and also because of the Marina door handles.

It was filthy and seized.  So took it apart cleaned all the muck off and got it working.   There was half a Mars Bar of gunk in there.

You push it forward multiple times (it's very stiff) so it gathers energy in its flywheel, making a right din.  Then push the button on the top and it releases a clutch and it FLIES !!!  ...off towards the skirting board to chip another chunk out of it.  Hard.  I now know most of the ones spotted on Tat Friday have bumper/grilles pieces missing.

Being tin-plate over plastic and a heavy flywheel inside, it does have some weight to it.  Ideal for throwing at lockdown-breaching neighbours having a disco

Good grief, there's a sudden rush of buried memories... I had one just like that. I've no idea what became of it, and I'm sure I haven't thought of it for 30 years+.

Never felt much of a connection with it, due to the cartoonish proportions, and of course I had no idea what it was meant to be based on (I was about three). 

But yes, the mechanism was fierce, that much I do recall!