Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

Nice, the collector case and Capri are quite sought-after

[Datsuncog]

Well then, by popular demand... the full spoils of the French Connection:

Yowee.

Pics are a bit rubbish, but this may give you a flavour for now!

That old Jalopy favourite, the Turbot Horizontal, turned up in that shade of gold that nearly all of them seemed to be when I was a kid. Surprisingly there were a few different colourways available in the shop - including a gold over brown special edition - but I'm very happy with this one.

This had been knocked loose from its mountings and was rattling round loose in the box, but seems to be none the worse for its ordeal beyond a slightly flattened roof aerial.

[EDIT: hold on, I've just noticed it's lost the door mirror!]

Overall impressions are good; to my eye the Horizon was always a slightly oddly-proportioned thing, so it's no surprise the 1/43 version is also a smidge peculiar, but in 

The nose is maybe a little long, with the front end slope maybe slightly too pronounced, but that's just pickiness. 

The wheels are really very nicely done indeed, and the accent paint and decals are very crisp.

Rear screen demister lines and Paris plates top it off nicely. I've a couple of these Simca Collection models now (Rancho, Samba, Solara, Tagora) and they're all really nice.

Chevette has been extensively covered before; wheelarches are indeed chunky but overall dimensions are decent. Pity Vanguards never saw fit to cast this in miniature; I'd suspect an HS/HSR version would prove popular, as well as a cooking version like this.

[EDIT: I know Trófeu produce an HSR, but have you seen the prices!]

I desperately loathe the blister pack packaging on these magazine partworks, as they're nigh-on impossible to remove cleanly (even using a sharp blade), and leave you the problem of what to do with the damn thing once you've opened it.

This one seems to have popped the plastic blister off its cardboard base of its own accord, as it's had to be stapled back on. Fair enough.

This E70 Corolla was one of the cheaper models in the order, and I think I can see why - there are numerous paint flaws and chips, one indicator lens is rattling around loose inside the packaging, plus what looks like glue is smeared over one wing.

It might clean up a bit with a dab of acetone - we'll see. But it's not a car that gets modelled very often, and these were hugely popular all over Ireland in the early 1980s, and with a Toyota dealership only round the corner from us, a fair few people in the neighbourhood owned one. I think this one came from a Polish partwork, but the registration plate of ZGD 3583 could, at a distance, almost pass as an old-style ROI plate. So that's a nice touch.

Keeping it Polish...

Yup, a Polski-Fiat/ FSO 125P, in a cheery yellow.

My aunt's neighbour drove one of these in the mid-80s, in that oh-so-Eastern-Bloc mid-blue shade. I was perpetually intrigued at how a car could be so new (4 years old, going by the AXI registration) yet look so old-fashioned and also be rustier than my father's pretty shagged 1978 Marina estate. I gather they were tough old things, but often bought by owners whose penny-pinching ways would be their undoing.

Say it quietly, but I prefer FSOs to Ladas.

And on the same frequency...

Hard to see it properly with this packaging, but there's an FSO Polonez in there.

Again, this was a very cheap one - €6 or so - and it's a smidge crude with ludicrously bright chrome-effect wheels. But it's a nice oddity, and not too many manufacturers are falling over themselves to model it. For about a month in 1996 I lusted after a £50 Polonez dumped on the street outside a local dealer's lot (they apparently didn't want it on the forecourt), so this is a nice memento of a once-common car that's now nigh-on extinct.

Shifting south behind the Iron Curtain...

This was the cheapest in the whole order, perhaps appropriately, as the Yugo 45's entire marketing campaign was based on how cheap it was new.

A chum from school drove an identical one of these after his Fiat Fiorino finally died of rust, and while he was endlessly ridiculed for being a Yugo owner, it was fairly reliable and I don't remember much falling off (unlike other mates with Minis).  I've another Yugo Zastava upstairs somewhere, so this'll be a nice companion.

Continuing our voyage of discovery for Balkantat, the existence of this car came as entirely news to me:

I'm well familiar with the Renault 12's extended retirement in Romania behind the Dacia badge, but the Renault 20?

Mind. Blown.

Turns out a very small number of Dacia 2000s were put together under licence in the early 80s, and only supplied as official cars for Communist Party elites or secret police. They were only ever painted black or dark blue.

I formerly owned an Éligor remake of the Solido R30, which I passed on as it was just too toy-like to display neatly (door shut-lines...), so this one fills a hole in the 1/43 Renault line-up, even if it lacks the Diamond of Doom on the grille (which the Solido one didn't have anyway!).

Rounding up the cheapy-cheap models, is this:

Volkswagen Passat slopeyback, which is one of those cars I just have a weird lust for. The wraparound bumpers and clean, uncluttered front end still look very fresh to me; clearly when I was but a nipper (c.1985) this is what 'modern' looked like, and I haven't really moved on. Even though the facelift version of the Passat B2 was just another reworking of a basic design that reached back to 1973, it still seems to bridge that gap between 'old cars' and 'new cars'.

I'd definitely have a real one of these, especially an estate, although most survivors seem to have been pineappled to oblivion. Shame.

The model looks slightly like it's standing on its tippy-toes - initially I thought it was a wheel issue, but now I'm not sure if it's that the sills don't quite go down far enough.

I'll take proper pics as and when opening occurs!

More to follow later!

[bunglebus]

41 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

I particularly like the antipodean Opel

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

I particularly like the antipodean Opel

Yup, unfortunately that one's had a worse time of it than the Horizon, which seemed to have just slipped loose of its screw mount.

The base of the Commodore's display case has actually broken into pieces, with the screw and part of the base remaining attached to the model - and it's rattled round a bit inside the case.

Sadly it seems to have picked up a bit of damage to the matt-black roof, which is annoying but will probably look heaps better with just a dab of black paint where needed. The door mirrors look a bit bent, but are still attached.

I can only assume the base of the display case may have been cracked from the factory as - although I don't believe the packaging was quite up to my preferred standards of cushioning - if the package had been very roughly handled or poorly packed, I would have expected rather more damage to the rest of the order.

That's the danger of distance-purchasing, I guess! I'd always sooner handle before buying as I've had some pricey stuff arrive with some pretty egregious flaws, but with the state of the world and for these prices, well... on balance I think I'm a happy enough camper, all told.

[bunglebus]

I've obviously got my tat-spotting eye well focused this week. Fuzzy pics with a few interesting/unidentified vehicles. Funny enough the 1st turned out to be a 1:64 Polistil, but not the 928 - Toyota Celica

Majorette Alfa 75 with very Zylmex looking wheels

I've seen these before, but this one's different - I think it's Summer High Speed Zakspeed Capri...

....but this one has a pullback motor and does wheelies

Another Summer we've seen before (in blue) but always worth a giggle as it's marked BNW underneath

Pretty good nick Lone Star Impy Mustang...

Looks like my colour choice wan't far off on my restored one

This one was bought separately from the same seller. Quite a chunky thing, Majorette Explorateur

 

[Tenmil Socket]

5 hours ago, stuboy said:

Can't find my previous post, but got these given to me.

That Capri looks great. Is the passenger door frame homemade?

[bunglebus]

I think it's missing the driver's side

[flat4alfa]

Post Lady paid a visit

In the box was Corgi Juniors Chevrolet Van Golden Eagle 

Its little variation rarity friends popped over to welcome it 😎

All is well with the world

@Dick Longbridge

[Dick Cheeseburger]

11 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Post Lady paid a visit

In the box was Corgi Juniors Chevrolet Van Golden Eagle 

Its little variation rarity friends popped over to welcome it 😎

All is well with the world

@Dick Longbridge

Great to see it reunited with some of the brethren.

[flat4alfa]

1 minute ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Great to see it reunited with some of the brethren.

I think they talk in tongues.

[RoadworkUK]

4 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Well then, by popular demand... the full spoils of the French Connection:

Sublime haul. I came very close to pulling the trigger on a good few of those... and then I fell victim to a sudden pang of guilt that nixed the whole endeavour.

However, the Argentinian Partworks that you've yet to reveal in full (including the masterful Sierra) might well tip the balance the other way.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

12 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

I think they talk in tongues.

I wonder if they mentioned that ideally they should have been joined by the Charlie's Angels van which is still here?😉

[flat4alfa]

34 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

I wonder if they mentioned that ideally they should have been joined by the Charlie's Angels van which is still here?😉

It's lucky they have a big sister to play with!

Although she's now wondering what she has let herself in for...

[stuboy]

18 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Nice, the collector case and Capri are quite sought-after

sadly capri lost a tyre

[flat4alfa]

1 minute ago, stuboy said:

sadly capri lost a tyre

Oh dear.  That makes it near worthless so please sell it to me cheaply!

Easy fix!  Tyres are available, no issue

[stuboy]

11 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Oh dear.  That makes it near priceless so please sell it to me !

lol

[eddyramrod]

At the beginning of the month, @64A60 offered me a Fordson van so that I could recreate this one...

...which appears to have been my dad's company vehicle from well before I was born.

So Dan sent me a message, telling me he'd sent it... and then nothing.  No box arrived.  After three weeks I messaged him saying so, and he was able to tell me it had been tracked to Barrow and marked as "delivered," but that was it.  Today, just as I was about to take my dog to the park, I intercepted the postie who had a box for me.  Yes, the missing parcel from Dan!  Seems it had been returned to Barrow sorting office and marked for redelivery (so why didn't I get a card through the door?) but that was over two weeks ago!  Anyway it doesn't matter, I've got it now.

The van is lovely, too good to repaint really but I don't think they get played with like they did when I were a nipper.  But what's this behind it?  Only a 1/64 scale workshop diorama, complete with a 1957 Chevy Bel Air!  A little bonus, but a massive delight.  Thank you so much, my friend.  I could not be more pleased.

[barrett]

Why did they model that? Volume three!

It's Joal No 115, Iso Rivolta, and it's a nice thing.

Like most of Joal's 1970s output, this is a recycled casting, which originated as Politoys No 515. It's definitely a much cheaper effort than the Italian original - the interior is significantly more basic, it wears generic plastic wheels and rubber tyres (which actually look alright) and it wears nasty thick red paint which smothers some of the delicate casting details of the original.

Library pic of the Politoys version for comparison:

Still, it was cheap (£6 plus postage) when people ask high double or triple figures for the Italian version. Joal and Pilen are good routes into some unusual diecast subjects if you can live with the slight downgrade in quality.

Like so many of these, the Rivolta seems like an odd choice, but Politoys (actually it was Mebetoys!) modelled the four-door Fidia and there were several attempts at the Grifo from different manufacturers. I remember when you couldn't give away (real) Rivoltas, but people ask outrageous money for them these days. It's one of my favourite Italian Grand Tourers of the '60s, and this - chunky A-pillar aside - is an excellent minature representation

[Datsuncog]

4 hours ago, RoadworkUK said:

I came very close to pulling the trigger on a good few of those... and then I fell victim to a sudden pang of guilt that nixed the whole endeavour.

Heh, not gonna lie - I had a bit of a moment after clicking the button too; but there's a few I've had my eye on for about 15 years now (that CX, for one), and I think retail supplies may not last for very much longer. Certainly some of the Jumajo items are showing 'last one' and 'two left', so... I think I felt the hand of fate upon me. At any rate, I took the view that surplus items could be offered out to an appreciative audience here.

Postage is of course a factor to be considered, but I felt it's not outrageous - €23.10 for 18 models. Some quick calculations indicated that the whole order would cost about the same as paying £8 each for the cars, £15 for the Leyland FG and £20 for the big Volvo F88 - all of which I'd paid before for similar items at a bricks and mortar model shop, and would happily pay again (if any were open).

What I will say is that I may be putting in another order with Jumajo before long, so if there's anything that you particularly fancy - let me know and we can probably work something out.

If you're after a large number of models it'd probably work out not significantly dearer to get it shipped to your own door, but if there's just one or two items, it'd work out a fair bit less to bundle it in with a larger order - and I can then distribute along with tat box items as desired...

Will try to get more pics up later!

[Amishtat]

2 hours ago, barrett said:

Why did they model that? Volume three!

It's Joal No 115, Iso Rivolta, and it's a nice thing.

Like most of Joal's 1970s output, this is a recycled casting, which originated as Politoys No 515. It's definitely a much cheaper effort than the Italian original - the interior is significantly more basic, it wears generic plastic wheels and rubber tyres (which actually look alright) and it wears nasty thick red paint which smothers some of the delicate casting details of the original.

Library pic of the Politoys version for comparison:

Still, it was cheap (£6 plus postage) when people ask high double or triple figures for the Italian version. Joal and Pilen are good routes into some unusual diecast subjects if you can live with the slight downgrade in quality.

Like so many of these, the Rivolta seems like an odd choice, but Politoys also modelled the four-door Fidia and there were several attempts at the Grifo from different manufacturers. I remember when you couldn't give away (real) Rivoltas, but people ask outrageous money for them these days. It's one of my favourite Italian Grand Tourers of the '60s, and this - chunky A-pillar aside - is an excellent minature representation

There used to be a thoroughly rotten Iso Rivolta sitting in a council house garden near me when I was a child. Such a pity, you could see what a lovely thing it had been once. 

[sierraman]

10 hours ago, Amishtat said:

There used to be a thoroughly rotten Iso Rivolta sitting in a council house garden near me when I was a child. Such a pity, you could see what a lovely thing it had been once. 

Those sort of stories always fascinated me with the back story of how they got there. When I was a kid there was an XJC with the full broadspeed kit sat in a garden, would have been a real bit of kit in the day but alas it ended up surrounded by nettles in a garden.

[flat4alfa]

15 hours ago, barrett said:

Iso Rivolta

I remember when you couldn't give away (real) Rivoltas, but people ask outrageous money for them these days. It's one of my favourite Italian Grand Tourers of the '60s

I've always had a thing about the Rivolta too!  

I remember a TV 'classic cars' programme from around 1988 where a fella had one (in red?) in a council lock-up.  Said to camera he couldn't afford that example complete, so he bought it minus its engine.  So all he could do was roll it out and look at it.  Pretty much confirmed the Chevrolet engine was worth more outside of the body.  Might have it on a bit of tape somewhere, will check if interested.

I remember a Lele abandoned up a driveway of a house not that long ago.

A Rivolta, along with a Lele, would draw me over at a show.  I would be striding past the Grifos to reach them.  QUEL QUALCOSA DI SPECIALE.

[flat4alfa]

15 hours ago, barrett said:

Like most of Joal's 1970s output, this is a recycled casting

Recycled caravan too by the looks of things!

This is the second time I've seen reproduced what, throughout my childhood, I knew as the 'Corgi caravan'.    Why it's suddenly occurred to me that it could be modelled on a genuine real-life caravan with that colour scheme I don't know...  Answers on a post card.  Or should that be tarjeta postal.

[barrett]

20 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

I've always had a thing about the Rivolta too!  

I remember a TV 'classic cars' programme from around 1988 where a fella had one (in red?) in a council lock-up.  Said to camera he couldn't afford that example complete, so he bought it minus its engine.  So all he could do was roll it out and look at it.  Pretty much confirmed the Chevrolet engine was worth more outside of the body.  Might have it on a bit of tape somewhere, will check if interested.

I remember a Lele abandoned up a driveway of a house not that long ago.

A Rivolta, along with a Lele, would draw me over at a show.  I would be striding past the Grifos to reach them.  QUEL QUALCOSA DI SPECIALE.

They are properly nice things, and I guess it's good they are finally being valued as proper cars. I remember in Practical Cla**ics years ago there was a dealer profile and he was bemoaning the fact that his Rivolta hadn't had a single phone call (at £5k or whatever) which he thought was because people didn't want a car called a 'revolting'. Ah well, here's a basket case for £35,000

https://www.artebellum.com/en/classic-cars-for-sale/13851-1964-iso-rivolta

The Corgi* caravan explains why my Rivolta has the remains of a tow bar fitted. Most unbecoming.

[Datsuncog]

So - Jumajo Part 2?

I've had an eye out for one of these for a fair few years now - I first saw these IXO (?) French partworks in TK Maxx of all places, where they showed up around 2006/2007 for a princely £3.99 each.

On the first sweep I managed to bag a Renault 6, 8, 12 and Dauphine, plus a Peugeot 404. Over the next few years I found a few more, such as the R14, Fuego, R10, Citroen LNA and Peugeot 305 and 504, often at autojumbles at the Classic shows at the NEC/ RDS - but the CX always eluded me. Until now.

The finish and detail on this range is always pretty good, though I'm seeing it as perhaps a little stubby around the tail? May need to compare it with the ex- @barrett Minichamps estate version, and see which proportions seem best...

Staying with French, how's about this...

Oooof, Argentinian release Pug 504 estate. 

I like estate cars; most of our family cars were estates (other than my father's brief mid- life crisis forays into MGF and Alfa GT ownership) and I do prefer estates myself - generally because my gung-ho approach to home renovation often leaves me needing to transport 5m lengths of architrave or four dozen breezeblocks. Yet estate models are relatively uncommon, and I've been trying to remedy that of late.

(As an aside, there's a weekend mini-tat challenge for you - toy cars that were modelled as estates rather than saloon/ hatch. Three to start with: Matchbox Superfast Citroen CX, Corgi Juniors Volvo 245DL, and 'that' Siku Mk1 Granada. Over to you!)

I can still remember these 504 estates knocking around in the early 1990s, and they were simply enormous. The way the roofline went up and up to make it even taller at the back was almost alarming.

I look forward to comparing it to my saloon version!

Also a South American version of a gallic model is this...

I've been looking for a R18 model for yonks; I think Norev did a silver estate version which was identical to a GTL version we owned in the late 80s, but they seem to fetch well into three figures (when they even come up, which is hardly ever).

So the GTX II seemed to be the closest I was going to get, and in fairness it does look very nice. Though while looking yesterday, it seems Jumajo (now?) have an earlier two-tone version available with Turbo alloys, which reminds me of the 'America' special edition a fella down the road owned ( I could be wrong about nearly all of that, mind).

Oh well, this will fill the R18 shaped gap in the model shelf (I don't have a R17, but I do have a 19 Chamade - I think).

Moving on to something equally Renault, but more utilitarian (and still Argentinian):

Mmm, white van man fun with a stock, unsigned Renner Trafic (I love the way autocorrect always tries to change it to 'Tragic').

This was a pricier one from the catalogue, at nearly €15, and while I'm not massively into commercials I do love a bit of street furniture and these were everywhere at one point - with the survivors now almost exclusively camper van conversions.

Something about this just pleases me immeasurably.

And the last from the Argentina collection is this, as alluded to by @RoadworkUK:

A really nicely done rendering of the high-end Sierra, with very good detailing and a great feel for the lines of the real thing.

Checking the invoice reveals that this was joint-cheapest with the Yugo 45 at €5.90, which is a tremendous price.

Swapping over to the Blue Oval's rivals...

Opel Kadett GTE in a rather fetching black, and one I know we've had profiled on these pages a short while back ( @AndyW201?)

Now, while I normally much prefer the more basic versions rather than the fancy range-toppers I chose this over a more lowly pea-green Kadett D. Maybe it's those alloys? Either way, this is lovely.

Moving on chronologically...

Mmm, a post-facelift Kadett E Caravan/Mk2 Astra 3-dr estate.

Back when these were just street furniture, they seemed to be the preferred chariot of pensioners with dogs or else window cleaners. As such, I usually thought of them as terminally dull - but now, of course...

Nice to have another estate version, anyway!

Keeping with The General's motors...

Ouch!

Another disaster in transit - this Opel Commodore B GS/E has had a bit of a mischief on the road from France.

Hopefully any damage is superficial - the base of the case has broken, leaving the big Opel hardtop banging around for many a mile.

I could have had this one in red too, but I once went to look at a yellow one just like this in the late '90s, so that's as good a reason as any.

I didn't buy it; it'd been parked up on grass for years and the floor was rotted clean out of it... rather like the council estate Rivolta, big Opels always seemed to fall from favour far too quickly (see Monza vs Manta), and many seemed to end their days gazing blearily out from under a disintegrating tarp.

Back onto commercials, then...

Criminy, it's a Spanish-built-under-licence Leyland FG.

The FG was always something of an odd little creature, with its thruppenny bit cab and footwell windows. A local glazing firm ran a fleet of them through the 1980s, so whenever a window got broken at school (which was often) one of these, in dark brown, would rock up and park in the playground. They always fascinated me.

Can't wait to open this one and see if the tipper really tips.

More to follow, later on!

[AndyW201]

Yep, that was me with the MK1 Kadett GTE, an absolutely cracking model for the price, especially seeing what the white, Ixo packaged version fetches.

Birthday coming up soon, so I can see a Jumajo order going in, certainly before their Taunus Ghias sell out!

[eddyramrod]

Just now, Datsuncog said:

(As an aside, there's a weekend mini-tat challenge for you - toy cars that were modelled as estates rather than saloon/ hatch. Three to start with: Matchbox Superfast Citroen CX, Corgi Juniors Volvo 245DL, and 'that' Siku Mk1 Granada. Over to you

Off the top of my head then... Vauxhall Victors:  Matchbox FB, Airfix FD.  Studebaker Lark: Matchbox and Husky.  1959 Plymouth: Corgi.  I can think of others, that were offered as saloons either by another manufacturer, or by the same manufacturer in later years, but let's not go there!

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

I remember a TV 'classic cars' programme from around 1988 where a fella had one (in red?) in a council lock-up.  Said to camera he couldn't afford that example complete, so he bought it minus its engine.  So all he could do was roll it out and look at it.  Pretty much confirmed the Chevrolet engine was worth more outside of the body.

I remember that. He had the choice of buying it with or without the engine and could only afford without. Said he was looking forward to doing 80 in second or something ridiculous? 

[flat4alfa]

Didn't know Kadett/Astra GTE was available in five door

[eddyramrod]

Just thought of another one, and I don't know how it slipped past me considering I'm in the process of building one into a model of the saloon I owned...!  Mercury Sable of course!  By Matchbox.