Shite in Miniature II

[sierraman]

That looks awesome!

[Split_Pin]

I still have 3 of those Escort vans. I have an early plastic base one that I repainted in white with a black tidemark, a later 1980s British Airways example with metal back bumpers and a 1996 release with sealed and paneled in rear doors. I think Corgi must have sold this model for about 25 years. A long time in comparison to the hatchback version.

[junkyarddog]

More polishing,

1971 Buick Riviera.

 

 

Someday I may own a real one.

Gotta love a boattail

[Junkman]

When did you last buy a Jo Han kit for 15.00 quid?

 

 

 

Also got me this gem:

 

 

[155V6]

Not mine,but I saw this on another forum & thought "If Autoshite did The A-Team" 

 

[Felly Magic]

They look like Merc 608's, complete with one of em with a broken axle, LOLZ

[Felly Magic]

Heard tales of woe via Mr Lobster about Hornby, it does look like they may go to the wall

[MarvinsMom]

share down 3/4 in only a couple of days, things don't look good for the margate firm....

 

saying that, they went bust in 1972 when lines bros. folded, and again in 1980? when DCM (Dunbee Combex Marx Ltd.?), the firm that bought them from the remains of Tri-ang.

 

but they have had alsorts of issues with chinese factories in recent years and also have a small mountain of debt built up buying airfix, corgi etc.

[Junkman]

...and also have a small mountain of debt built up buying airfix, corgi etc.

 

What I will never understand is why it is legal for companies to buy other companies with borrowed money.

[Felly Magic]

I know, I suspect all isn't well with EFE either as they are having yet another warehouse clearout of unsold stock. Serves em right for bumping up the price, and not improving the quality of the models

[Junkman]

It's an industry wide thing. AutoArt is with one foot in the grave as well.

The trouble is, that those Chinese sweat shop slaves insolently demand salaries, paid holidays, sick leave and pension funds.

Also, the Chinese companies start to market the products themselves, cutting out the well educated white middle man. Ungrateful lowlifes, the lot of them.

 

And when Märklin had to call in the receivers a few years ago, it turned out their debt was exactly equal to what they had paid to external consultants.

[Felly Magic]

I do believe Oxford are doing OK partly down to owning their factory, no middle man etc, plus actually getting out there and listening to the customers. Notice how Oxford have recently branched out into model railways, and other scales, plus the US 1/87 scale market

[Split_Pin]

Think Mr Lobster said that Oxford were also easy to deal with unlike Corgi who were awkward. Anyway, the model car market seems so crowded now. I remember the days when all you had to choose from in the UK were Matchbox,Corgi, Majorette and then Bburago for something larger. All of which could be bought from your local newsagents. If you wanted a model of something ususual, the only chance you had was either getting a Guisval, Guiloy or Mira whilst on holiday in Spain, or getting a 1/87 plastic Wiking or Herpa from a model railway shop, if you were lucky. If you were really (un)lucky you could find a 1/18 Maisto in Woolworths.

 

Im fed up now with model cars that are too perfect, almost anodyne, so Im reliving my youth and buying all the Bburagos and Maistos that I either wanted as a kid but didnt have, or had but swapped or sold.

[Junkman]

Im fed up now with model cars that are too perfect, almost anodyne...

 

I see your point.

After a massive high end diecast indulgence, I'm now determined to make a mess of a few plastic kits.

Back to the roots, so to speak.

[Mr Lobster]

Heard tales of woe via Mr Lobster about Hornby, it does look like they may go to the wall

I suspect they will survive and if not someone will buy them up and carry on largely as before. The brand has a lot of value. They aren't alone though. One brand we sell a lot of has seemingly vanished into the Chinese night and another which we've been doing pretty well with has gone bust with a third announcing that they have ceased production but have sufficient stock to carry on trading for 2016.

 

Meanwhile there's some really good new stuff coming out so its a case of the more things change, the more they stay the same I suppose.

[Junkman]

Meanwhile there's some really good new stuff coming out...

 

Like what?

Going by the Nürnberg Fair, 2016 will be less than lukewarm.

[Mr Lobster]

Think Mr Lobster said that Oxford were also easy to deal with unlike Corgi who were awkward. .

If it wasn't for the fact that Corgis products (vanguards at least) are generally pretty good and sensibly priced then I suspect nobody would bother. They can be very hard work. A lot of their problem is they are so reliant on the UK market, more so than a lot of comparable European brands. Finding Corgi in a European wholesaler or retail shop is incredibly rare and yet getting Schuco / Norev / Minichamps etc over here is easy. That's the frustrating thing with Corgi, they could be so good if somebody really tried.

 

Oxford are a great company though and one I really like dealing with. Product is excellent and they are fantastic to people.

[Mr Lobster]

Like what?

Going by the Nürnberg Fair, 2016 will be less than lukewarm.

I'd agree about the Toyfair, a lot of it did look a bit meh.

 

But, amongst all that the new Cult Scale Models stuff is getting a good reaction, there's some decent part works for later this year and Oxfords new stuff looks excellent.

 

I'm still on with those Greenlights as well Mr Junk.

[Felly Magic]

Lyndon at Oxford did well poaching Aidrienne Fuller from Corgi, she was always decent to deal with, and even when Corgi was ticking over reasonably, they were an utter bunch of dickheads to deal with, having done the 'roadshow' twice with them at Harrogate, the 2nd time the genset on the trailer was fubbed, and it was f'kin freezing! 

 

I was a Corgi Gold Star Stockist, which really meant a cheap display cabinet, and occasionally something allegedly exclusive, but regularly I got better deals from local freelancer Barry Hudson, and Norman at Ayreys than from Corgi directly! Often getting slight seconds for peanuts from Barry, which were ideal market fodder, and even QVC returns at half trade price. I think Corgi never really have recovered from the over production/dumping not long after release, which really pissed me off as a retailer, and also the regular punters who pre ordered stuff.

[Bear]

Building the collection of "cars I've owned" in 1:43 scale progresses slowly, but the most recent ones are at least easy to find.

 

Though Minichamps = not cheap :/

 

 

 

[Split_Pin]

Gate did a cracking 1/18 of a yellow 406 coupe back in the late 1990s. Its on my bucket list!!

[Felly Magic]

It was reasonably priced back then for a 1/18 too, they also did a pretty good Eunos as well IIRC

[155V6]

Here's mine,I think I paid a tenner at a car boot a couple of years ago 

 

[cms206]

Think I have a red Gate 1/18 406 Coupe somewhere still which I built from a kit.

[Bear]

Gate did a cracking 1/18 of a yellow 406 coupe back in the late 1990s. Its on my bucket list!!

 

I've seen one, but I don't do 1:18 - I have about 110 individual models to find an example of every car I've owned. 1:43 is has to be - though the last Gate one i saw on eBay was a fiver, I was a high bidder, then it got pulled because the owner claimed to have given it to a charity shop "because the box was damp". Like I cared about that

[andrew e]

share down 3/4 in only a couple of days, things don't look good for the margate firm....

 

saying that, they went bust in 1972 when lines bros. folded, and again in 1980? when DCM (Dunbee Combex Marx Ltd.?), the firm that bought them from the remains of Tri-ang.

 

but they have had alsorts of issues with chinese factories in recent years and also have a small mountain of debt built up buying airfix, corgi etc.

Well I had a stupid 5 minutes Friday, 1000 shares £236.60p. The model/tool fund is in minus territory now, but sometimes you need to go sod it!

 

I might be clogging the grumpy thread next week if Barclays yank the plug away...

[155V6]

I don't really do 1/18 either,but bought the 406 as I was thinking of getting a real one.I did get a 1/43 as well,it's a partwork & it's not as nice as the Minichamps.I think it's blue,but I'm not sure & I can't find it at the moment.

[Jon]

Went to a local antiques shop today and spotted one of these:

 

 

It's a motorised Victory Models Vauxhall Velox made in plastic, in what I guess to be about 1/24 scale. Sadly it's damaged and has no driver's side A-pillar and is missing the plate for the battery cover and the front and rear 'screens The old fella in the shop wanted $20, which equates to about £9; not a huge sum for any avid Vauxhall fans adept at a bit of plastic fixing? I'm guessing there aren't tonnes of these about. Will go pick it up if anyone's interested, though no idea how much it'd cost to post. Anyway, it's a lot cheaper than this fully equipped one!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VICTORY-MODELS-VAUXHALL-VELOX-SOMETHING-A-LITTLE-DIFFERENT-VINTAGE-1-18-SCALE-/151455440317

 

Seller says it's 1/18th scale and it was big from memory, so probably somewhere between the two.

[Split_Pin]

Id bite his hand off. There were a few of these for sale for years at my local swapmeet, mint and boxed. Asking over a ton.

 

For £9, its worth putting up with the slight playwear to have a fantastic piece of 50s toy memorabilia that few others will have.

[mercrocker]

Buy it.   Definitely buy it.  Doesn't look to have too much warpage either which these can suffer from.