Shite in Miniature II

[Amishtat]

+1 for a soak in soapy water followed by a gentle berating with a toothbrush. 

[flat4alfa]

Obviously the hot soapy water shouldn't be too hot to discolour plastics (ask me how I know) and don't dip for long if there are paper decals.

If there are paper decals, just dab carefully to clean and dry, do not wipe.  Ask me.... etc.

[bezzabsa]

ultrasonic cleaner would work well too

[155V6]

Some pictures of the box of stuff I picked up yesterday.Nothing too special,but at least there's not a load of Chinese rubbish 😁

[flat4alfa]

4 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Stick it in the sink with some hot soapy water for a while, then try and wash it out under the tap. I can usually get good results 

Said the actress.

[flat4alfa]

28 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

Some pictures of the box of stuff I picked up yesterday.Nothing too special

Key car Renault 17 is special to me

And of course the export market Acclaim.

Is that a spaceman on a Go- Kart?  What he doing on there

[flat4alfa]

Farmer Tom bought a Toyota HiAce

He's very pleased with it, despite it being terribly rotten underneath.

But it's still a HiAce.

He's already measured and marked it up, so next weekend the top half will be cut-off and offered-up to his trusty barge hull.  It will look great, and will no doubt be the only HiAce on any waterway this side of Hokkaido.

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, bezzabsa said:

ultrasonic cleaner would work well too

Funny enough I acquired one the other day FOC. Thought it might get rid of tarnishing on the cast bodies after stripping but didn't do a lot. Might find a dirty complete car and give it a try

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, 155V6 said:

Some pictures of the box of stuff I picked up yesterday.

White Mini Pickup is nice. What's the Jeep thing next to it, Majorette? Think I also spy an MC Toys/Maisto 911 in yellow 

[155V6]

33 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

White Mini Pickup is nice. What's the Jeep thing next to it, Majorette? Think I also spy an MC Toys/Maisto 911 in yellow 

Jeep is Corgi Juniors,the white pickup is indeed nice along with a few other Matchbox cars

911 is MC Toy,along with the 956

[Frogchod]

Another Buick has arrived , this time a Skylark.

Second hand and a bit dusty but it was cheap* for Neo.

 

Because it was cheap, man maths has been applied, more Buicks incoming...

 

[flat4alfa]

That's very smart

And GREEN

[flat4alfa]

I haven't got a Buick

But I have got a wonky Plymouth Gran Fury from Buddy-L that's almost green

@Burnsideremember this from way back? 

Dug it out and took it for a run

Lighting circuit was 6v ...oops blew that a while ago.  Replaced with 12v to marry along with the motor

 

[Datsuncog]

4 hours ago, 155V6 said:

Some pictures of the box of stuff I picked up yesterday.Nothing too special,but at least there's not a load of Chinese rubbish 😁

Looks like a nice variety in there; some decent Superkings stuff, plus those Majorette attics aren't all that common.

Hot Wheels refuse truck is unfamiliar to me:

...and I think I had one of these years and years ago, never twigging that it seems to be a pirate casting of the Superfast Hairy Hustler:

Enjoy!

[MiniMort]

Right so I tried the hot and soapy water trick and it worked!!!... to an extent. Quite a bit of dirt fell out but sadly as it got wet it turned into mud and stuck. Still, progress is progress. I think it's cotton bud time now...

[bunglebus]

I've been finding Hot Wheels for a guy on a VW forum. He found some cars that didn't fit his collection so kindly sent them to me. They're all white I suppose.

First up, nameless Corgi XJS with black windows 

Corgi Crapi

best of all, Tomica Lotus with actual pop up lights

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

8 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I've been finding Hot Wheels for a guy on a VW forum. He found some cars that didn't fit his collection so kindly sent them to me. They're all white I suppose.

First up, nameless Corgi XJS with black windows 

Corgi Crapi

best of all, Tomica Lotus with actual pop up lights

 

Bunglebus- I've replied to your pm 👍

[andrew e]

Tomica make some beautiful castings and saddle them with awful wheels! The Lotus is GR9 however (even with the wheels!).

[bunglebus]

I don't think the wheels are too bad, no different to Hot Wheels or Matchbox at the time

[stuboy]

[flat4alfa]

Tesco?

[flat4alfa]

I see they're-done the packaging and it has Mattel log on the front too.  Might have been a while like that, hadn't noticed...   haven't been to a supermarket since Dec 20 anyhow

So it's a jaundice yellow on the S123 now then.  To go with the wafty and equally authentic bile green!

Polizei Golf is an odd choice.  Are Matchbox available in Germany?

[andrew e]

On 2/1/2021 at 3:21 PM, andrew e said:

That RI-KO catalogue is great @bunglebus 👍

Looking through my local Essex toyshops only Roomes in Upminster still survives I think (well it was there half ago 😁 ) any others survive across the country shitters?

Speaking of Tamiya I may have dragged a purchase  from the early 90’s out the loft.  Bought off a skint (fellow) apprentice and ragged to buggery, it’s a body less Mud Blaster (nee’ Blackfoot/Monster Beetle) it should have a Subaru Brat perched on top!

 Apart from the locktite I held it together with 30 years ago melting the chassis plastic, then the speed controller burning out, it was in good shape. Due to reissues every spare part is available.  Its now awaiting the Lexan/polycarbonate paint for new its Monster Beeetle shell that I always coveted. You spray these bodies from the inside out, and try not to bugger the masking up! Luckily the gearbox was in far better shape than I expected:

Of course I definitely didn’t squander any recent eBay winnings on a new radio and this 😉

https://www.timetunnelmodels.com/live/catalog/tamiya-58631-subaru-impreza-monte-carlo-1999-without-custom-deal-bundle-p-59181.html

Though this is winking at me now and I’ve spent the PayPal balance 😂

https://www.timetunnelmodels.com/live/catalog/order-tamiya-58691-ford-escort-cosworth-street-without-custom-deal-bundle-approx-april-2021-p-68168.htmlZ

Remember this relic from my youth?  Well fresh from much tears and frustration ( much like my youth 😂 ) It’s rejuvenated 👍

 

The decals (stickers if your from the UK) hide a few paint runs from  going in too thick too often - multiple light dusting coats are required - however because you spray a Polycarbonate/Lexan body from the inside you can hide your mistakes! (Once sprayed these shells come with a plastic sticky peel off layer you remove, so no overspray worries).

The colour is Tamiya PS63 Bright Gun Metal, with a white backing coat. This is a specific paint - you must have the ‘PS’ prefix or it won’t stick. The backing coat seems to be the done thing, but I’m not sure if you need it.

The decals are eBay repros which aren’t a patch on real ones - too thick, resolution a bit blurred -but came in the alternative colours I wanted. The clear windows are in fact pre supplied stick on masks (nightmare to align) which once removed leave the natural clear shell plastic. The Kamtec shell moulds probably are not as sharp and aligned as they were once, but like the decals  they do the job from a metre away 😁

 If you ever think of doing a buggy with a different shell, pick one without loads of reverse curved edges too 😬 as it’s a nightmare to cut! You can sand edges with wet and dry happily and if I did another shell I will pick a squarer one.

I added an electronic speed control (ESC) for £20 in addition to new ball bearings and the replacement (loctite melted) red plastic frame. Probably spent £90 all in, so my advice is buy a new buggy rather than resurrect an old knacker if you see one cheap, you only have the paint to buy.

[RoadworkUK]

That's quite superb, @andrew e. If I ever afflict the world by spawning offspring, they'll find rapidly (and coincindentally) find themselves developing an interest in radio controlled cars.

I can't match that, but I have been making trips to the attic again, and every time I go up there I reward myself by bringing something down.

Upthread I mentioned the Monogram Exactos that I picked up in Polperro. Well, I've found one of them:

I never thought the yellow did it any favours; it must be the hardest colour to avoid looking plasticky. That said, the moulding is lovely and sharp and the proportions are spot on, even down to the wheels seemingly being far more in keeping with scale than Matchbox (and certainly HotWheels) could manage.

I also have this Testarossa, its standout feature being its red seats. The shape, too, is far better captured here than Bburago managed with their 1/18 rendition. I'm not actually sure where I got this one from; might have been a waif or stray that I acquired at primary school. Alas, I don't know where my Exactos MN12 Thunderbird is. That was my favourite, too.

This was an inheritance and actually came my way a little after my main "playing with toy cars" phase was on the wane (AS IF...). It came from a big box of miscellaneous models from the late proper Dinky / early Corgi Majors etc. era that was passed to me during a spring clean by my auntie. There's no maker on it, only the legend "Made In England". So I'm not 100% sure whether it's a Britains or Lone Star. What I do know is that it has a working projectile launch mechanism that also fires individual paper caps if you line them up right.

I also have / had a matching field gun with the same mechanism, which I got second-hand when I was six or seven or so. Used to fire matchsticks the length of my nan's lounge. Alas, I've no idea where it is right now.

From the same box o' cars, here's the piece de resistance.

This is superb, and I wish I had owned it from a younger age.

 

Corgi Majors Mack Truck and crane, model 1154. Mint and nearly-mint boxed examples exist on eBay, but I'd so rather have this one in basically intact but very definitely played-with condition. This thing has been loved.

Scratches and missing paper stickers aside, the only damage is the missing air cleaner that you would press on to release the spring-loaded front-hinged bonnet. It's complete otherwise, though, and the boom mechanism and winch work fine, albeit in a rather fiddly way.

Were it not for the snow (about bloody time) it would be damn tempting go outside and stage a Datsuncog-type "construction in progress" diorama in the flowerbed.

[andrew e]

A little bit more RC: I thought I’d add on these pointers for tools I bought along the way that might be in addition to what you might have already. All of them helped quite a bit in the disassembly and rebuild.

Sharp snap off craft knife. This is a CK (dirt cheap off Amazon) and it has a proper quality handle, doesn’t twist. I can’t figure how there sold and delivered for this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/C-K-T0951-Snap-Off-Trimming-Knife/dp/B0105P17PG/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=ck+craft+knife&qid=1612701097&quartzVehicle=2590-558&replacementKeywords=craft+knife&sr=8-5

5.5mm - 7mm combination spanner - this ones a King Dick because a) I’m a man child and b) it’s good kit. Also a 5.5mm - 7mm box spanner, free with most kits, because the majority or nuts and bolts are these two sizes.

https://www.primetools.co.uk/product/king-dick-open-end-spanner-5-5-x-7/

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tamiya-Box-Spanner-Wrench-Brand-New-50038/192782303749?epid=3011042147&hash=item2ce2b88205:g:ONQAAOSwLa9UVz2f

JIS Screwdriver. A what? Here’s the science bit: https://www.motorcycle.com/ask-mo-anything/difference-between-japanese-jis-phillips.html

So you don’t chew screw heads, or as I found really tight old Tamiya JIS screws. You get a really tight purchase on the screw heads without chewing. As the Tamiya screws are quite specific pitch of thread it’s best to salvage them for reinsertion.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=11717&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs7HyuOTX7gIVQZ7tCh3CJAYsEAQYAiABEgLHAPD_BwE

Lexan scissors, you can trim the extremities of a body with normal scissors but these curved tip scissors are the biz (I tried nail scissors and it was not going well, so bought proper ones).

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=31062

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=392817

Small side cutters for trimming plastic of the trees the parts are moulded on - cuts the plastic flash of nicely. The craft knife also works here, but keep a stash of plasters for the inevitable ‘slip’.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=389287

Also a few of the lubricants I use:

Machine oil/sewing machine/gun oil. It’s more the ‘pin’ applicator than the product. A dab on screws self tapping into fresh plastic helps.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=21297

Silicon grease. Bit of a personal choice here, I slap it most moving places then wipe most of it off. However it attracts dirt dust grit and makes an ideal grinding paste, so chose it at your peril 😁 

Tamiya Cera-grease ideal for diff gears, pivots, metal on metal contact. You only get a dinky micro tube in a kit so buy a spare. Is a bugger to source, so I’m sure that ceramic brake pad grease is 99% as effective. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TAMIYA-Cera-Grease-HG-10g-87099-Made-in-Japan/283202909578?epid=710054528&hash=item41f035758a:g:OtEAAOSwMuZbvVt4

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MINTEX-ANTI-BRAKE-SQUEAL-GREASE-CERATEC-75ml-TUBE-LUBRICANT-DISC-BRAKES-CERA-TEC/183877106947?epid=7023588672&hash=item2acfedfd03:g:ofAAAOSw3kBdJcsx

[Burnside]

21 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

I haven't got a Buick

But I have got a wonky Plymouth Gran Fury from Buddy-L that's almost green

@Burnsideremember this from way back? 

Dug it out and took it for a run

Lighting circuit was 6v ...oops blew that a while ago.  Replaced with 12v to marry along with the motor

 

Thanks for uploading that video  @flat4alfaseeing this has made my day!

Great to see it having a new lease of life instead of just gathering dust in the loft. Bumpers and handles look much better in silver too. 

Btw if anyone interested I might have another loft sort through / sale of some more diecast if anyone interested? Probably in another week or so. 

[andrew e]

Why not 👍

[andrew e]

Imagine the terror of Market Blokey!!!

“There Collectors items not toys you know”

Well balls to that....  now I have to spend the evening drying it all out (!)  maybe I should jump a 100 Lledo Days Gone next 😂

[stuboy]

23 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Tesco?

yes

[bunglebus]

Today's tiny tat consists of this Hot Wheels, which arrived damaged

just joking - it is of course a Crack-Ups

This Lone Star was a casting I didn't know existed until I saw it, so had to have it despite its condition. You can clearly see where the casting used to have opening doors, the earlier ones must be a lovely thing before they downgraded to a plastic base and black glass