Shite in Miniature II

[Vincent Velocette]

Wasn't sure where to put this but I have a Tamiya problem...

[MarvinsMom]

blimy them Tamiya cars are ace! 

i have an escrot cosworth and alfa dtm car up in my loft, and thought they were great back in the olden dayz.

i really really wanted one of their Rover Mini's too, though sadly that wasn't to be,

as i remember i discovered going to the pub and that was then end of that.....

[bunglebus]

Cor those MK2s are nice!

[Remspoor]

5 hours ago, andrew e said:

Same here for the HW appeal  (and the Street Machine!) twas me with the Schabak Scorpio too. 
 

In other news for the price of a real car you can buy this cool box in Costco 😳

Yep not cheap...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VW-Camper-Van-Cool-Box/dp/B07KJGCWS6

[morrisoxide]

I finally got around to some photographing. It was the National Parks liveried Matchbox 59 Dodge Coronet.

I filled the roof and converted to pillarless hard top then painted.

Then I had a play in the potted plants in the garden.

 

[bunglebus]

That looks really good - how did you do the whitewalls?

[morrisoxide]

24 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

That looks really good - how did you do the whitewalls?

Thanks.

For the whitewalls I use a white Uni-ball paint pen whilst spinning the wheel. Then when dry I use a scalpel blade or fine tip black marker to trim the edges down, again whilst spinning the wheel. It takes a bit of faffing around to sort out but you sort of get a feel for the angle of each tyre.

[andrew e]

Those Tamiya’s are ace @Vincent Velocette - fabulous job on the shells, look at the perfectly cut radius on those arches! What chassis are they on - M type? 
 

Out walking with my youngest yesterday who quite likes thrashing miniature cars as much as full size ones, though I think she can get more ‘air’ in a FIAT 500  😂 

Tamiya TT02 despite being sold as a rally shell is bloody terrible with no ground clearance and picks up muck like you wouldn’t believe! I built this one out of individual parts and waterproof electrics it seems to shrug it off with just a good shake and a dowse in GT85 dispersant. 

[Jon]

Picked this up from a charity shop last week:

 

 

Debatably I paid a little too much for it at c. £2.50 but I was overcome with the notion that I'd actually found a die cast of interest at a chaz shop, which is unheard of here. Plus it's de rigueur not to haggle in these places, I find.

 

I should still have one of these sitting in a cupboard a mere 12000 miles away, so in that context, it was worth getting a duplicate for now. My older brother had the more accurately suspended version, with motorbikes on the back, although I vaguely remember it had a flat tyre from getting too close to a heating element, so it wasn't really played with as a result.

 

And should anyone wonder where my photo location was, it was in the kitchen, to the left of the kettle. Much as I enjoy an induction cook top, they're a bugger to keep clean!

[Jon]

I've been away with work lately, so haven't had time to do much else than lurk on these pages on a daily basis. That said, I had a welcome break on Thursday, when I was able to visit my favourite model shop for some much needed retail therapy. 

 

I picked these up on the day I was due to head home but got the call for another day's work, so I had to sort out a place to stay another night. Usual place was booked, so I got a swanky pad in the centre of Auckland, complete with a direct view of the Sky Tower and a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud under wraps in the basement garage (the penthouse owner's, apparently...). More importantly, the sky was lighting up right proper beautiful with a golden sunset, so I decided to do what any 40 year old would do and snap some photos of some second hand toy cars.

 

First to get the artwank treatment was debatably the best of the bunch, a 1/43 Gama Vectra A. Ever since I'd been visiting the shop, this had sat in a cabinet with a $20 (£10) sticker on its roof. Many a time, I watched on, hoping it'd reduce in price one day. On my arrival, it was the first thing I spotted in their $5 cabinet! Yes!

 

I only had my phone with me, so the quality was patchy at best but the resultant blur and grain that a pinhole lens creates was an excellent way to obfuscate the dash here and its lack of steering wheel. Guess you can't have it all at £2.50 though, eh?

 

Then the light hit the sweet spot of recreating an early 90's brochure photo. Except for the side window, which is in dire need of some diffusion. Incidentally, the bonnet doesn't open on this; only the boot and front doors.

 

This Audi 100 battled with me in my makeshift kitchen work top studio, as my phone refused to keep it in focus. I blagged this along with all bar 2 of my catch from the 50p tub, which was full to the brim with stuff - so much so, there's likely to have been bounty left behind, as I couldn't bring myself to slash my way through it, like I used to when searching for the elusive pieces in our big Lego box, back in the day.

Also, said 50p tub is on the floor in plain sight from the open shop door, which allows passing pedestrians and drivers stopped at the lights to marvel in the full spectacle of a middle aged man on his knees, buying used children's toys on a weekday afternoon.

 

But hey, none of those people managed to bag an almost complete Yatming 6 Series BMW for a dollar, did they?! Suckers! Audi looks on deep BG, looking to all and sundry like a Talbot Tagora (which is what I thought it was, when it first emerged from the tub rummage).

 

Cheeky Opel VX220 takes a sultry rest upon the net curtains. Not a bad effort for a 21st Century Matchbox.

 

Not really sure why I picked up this HW 911, as Mrs_Jon bought me one for Christmas (a bit of a joke present, as she'd like an 80's 911) and I've yet to open it. At this point in time, I was yet to get a shot of it fully on focus, either.

 

Bingo! Props used: tumbler; back of instructions card about accessing wifi; hot drinks sachets holder, turned upside down.

 

More to come.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Many thanks @bunglebus for the tyres for the front of DL junior's army jeep. Quick bit of craft knife action to trim down the centres a little and Bob's your uncle! Here it is ready to do some proper work 💪. 

[bunglebus]

Cool, they fitted. I meant to say the inside would probably need trimming down to fit, probably came off a Chinese pull-back car at some point

[Dick Cheeseburger]

25 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Cool, they fitted. I meant to say the inside would probably need trimming down to fit, probably came off a Chinese pull-back car at some point

A quick tickle with the blade and they were sat on tight. I've found a comparable Polistil jeep on ebay - shame mine has lost it's rocket launcher at some point. The silver one looks pretty smart too. 

[bunglebus]

Picked up a couple of Tomica catalogues. Obviously I scanned the one from the best year ever first

 

Obviously I understand every word

[Spottedlaurel]

Much loveliness there. Do like the garage sets in the middle of p26.

Finished this one yesterday:

 

 

The LT5 engine from a '90s AMT Corvette dropped in there like it was meant to be. Austin-Rover Sandalwood Beige paint keeping it appropriate to here. Lowered suspension, accessory set of Keystone Klassic wheels with time-consuming detail painting. Nicely-detailed kit but had some fitment issues so I'm glad to see it completed and on the shelf.

[bunglebus]

Excellent as ever. I need to find a photo location like yours that adds some realism, and book some decent weather

[Spottedlaurel]

Just now, bunglebus said:

Excellent as ever. I need to find a photo location like yours that adds some realism, and book some decent weather

Thanks. It's just the rubbish flat roof extension on the back of the house, shots taken lowdown to avoid getting clutter from our garden in view.

[barrett]

Just having a clear out and I found this stuff in a dusty box under my bed. Any interest to anyone here?

Soviet vehicles all boxed

And a mix of 70s, 80s and 90s tat. 

Act fast if anyone wants anything because they'll be going to a charity shop soon

[sierraman]

3 minutes ago, barrett said:

Just having a clear out and I found this stuff in a dusty box under my bed. Any interest to anyone here?

Soviet vehicles all boxed

And a mix of 70s, 80s and 90s tat. 

Act fast if anyone wants anything because they'll be going to a charity shop soon

Ooh yes the second pictures contents yes!

[diecastcollect]

Had this lot since i can remember. mainly 90s/2000s random makes some realtoy matchbox etc

Couple from Mcds happy meal:

 

[barrett]

That was easy! Send me a PM to work out the details @sierraman

[eddyramrod]

1 hour ago, barrett said:

Just having a clear out and I found this stuff in a dusty box under my bed. Any interest to anyone here?

Soviet vehicles all boxed

And a mix of 70s, 80s and 90s tat. 

Act fast if anyone wants anything because they'll be going to a charity shop soon

 

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

Ooh yes the second pictures contents yes!

If Sierraman is clearing the second pic can I claim the first please?

[barrett]

Done! PM me @eddyramrod

[barrett]

Anyone fancy this pretty minty Norev (metal) Visa with original box?

[RoadworkUK]

Mr Loverman, SCHABAK

Mr Loverman, SCHABAK

When we arrived home from our government-sanctioned perambulation yesterday, we were met by an oblong package on the doorstep.

"Well I haven't ordered anything", said the steering committee, indignantly, with an "I know perfectly well that's a model car" air if ever I heard one.

Can't fault her instincts, though.

After precisely 0.8 seconds of oohing and aahing the other day after @Amishtat posted his own, fabulously burgundy example of Schabak's 1:25-scale officially Ford-recognised rendition of the Mk3 Granada, I was already on eBay wondering how it has taken me quite this long to get one for myself. I considered it an early birthday present to myself – a justification that I'll no doubt apply to several other indulgences over the next three weeks.

Anyway. If this isn't the very embodiment of BNIB, I don't know what is; the cardboard is still in place over the polythene window. I won't be removing it. It was also among the cheapest Schabak Scorps currently listed.

I bloody love it. Of course I do. It being so BNIB I really don't want to remove the twangy straps that hold the doors closed (well... the front, opening ones – I'm not entirely sure why the rear, sealed ones were treated to the same treatment.

As I mentioned, I went for the Bronze because it's pretty close to the Quartz Gold that made such an impression on me from an early age; for starters, there was one trolling around in Frinton-on-Sea, its glorious gold-over-brown livery striking exactly the right tone in the self-proclaimed "Bond Street of Essex" (said nobody under 40 who lived there, ever). Plus a top-spec Scorpio so attired was also the subject of a Ford new car handover training video that one of my schoolmates purloined for me.

This is one of those models that you love for the basics.

The casting itself is quite crude in a number of places. There's a big chunk missing from the top grille vane, frinstance, and some rather unsightly flashing on the bootlid, just above the model inscription. Final assembly isn't absolutely top-drawer, either; the gap twixt front bumper and metalwork seems a mite wider than Ford's QC people would be happy with.

Also, the posture is a bit on the "grossly misjudged caravan noseweight" side:

See what I mean?

However. I'm ready to forgive that on the basis of how incredibly "right" the whole thing looks. 

It could do with rather more matt black around the rear quarter windows, but the proportions are bang on, I reckon, and the curves and character lines are very nicely judged – especially upper regions of the front wings, where the Scorpio's contours do exactly the same thing as on the Sierra, and the way that swage line continues to curve over the rear deck is a fabulous bit of styling.

Yeah, I quite like Granadas.

Inside, well, it's a bit of a shame that mine's a left hooker, and that the steering wheel has clearly been depicted mid-doughnut, but you can see enough detail on the dash to be able to recognise it as Mk 3 Granada / Scorpio – all the relevant holes and hollows where vents, stereos etc would reside are present and correct. The seats are particularly well modelled, too; not that you can tell in this photo.

One thing that is perhaps notable is Schabak's choice to model the manual gearbox, whose gaiter is remarkably well observed. That makes the subject matter quite an unusual machine, the vast majority getting the automatic 'box.  This would have been quite a nippy machine; 9.0 sec to 60 and 129mph top whack.

So, does that same level of detail run to under the bonnet?

Ah, yes; tip up that big old lid and you're treated to the unmistakeable sight of Ford's good old....

Oh; well there's a turn up for the books. That ain't no Cologne.

At first glance I saw the air filter housing and thought they must have got the wrong 2.8 – perhaps there was a development hack running around with the carb'd version.

But I then noticed only one bank of cylinders and quickly realised that this is actually quite a high-fidelity recreation of the 2.0-litre Pinto, as featured underhood in my dad's Sierra, complete with sundry fluid bottles, and the nicely observed front strut towers deserving particular praise.

Odd, though, that such a model should be built with a discrepancy between boot badge and bonnet-load; these Schabaks were definitely priced more towards the 'admire on a shelf' brigade than the 'run into the skirting boards' crowd, and somebody desirous of a replica of the luxobarge on their drive would no doubt be mortified to find a plebeian four-pot up front.

@Amishtatand @andrew e, if you have the facility to take a look at yours, I'd be interested to see if the 2.8 actually did get modelled, or whether they were all like this. 

[bunglebus]

Someone obviously blew up the V6 so dropped in Pinto in there instead...

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Are you sure it’s a 2.0, don’t forget there was a 1.8 too. 

[RoadworkUK]

Indeed, but it wasn't available at launch and I'm pretty sure this model was offered around that time.

[Amishtat]

I did try to post an under-bonnet photo the other night, but a combination of shitty kitchen lighting and an unphotogenic colour scheme defeated my phone camera. Will nip into the loft later and have a closer look. I'm still quite impressed that Schabak bothered with making it both as  a Granada and Scorpio. 

[Amishtat]

No, it's a Pinto. In its defence, the boot badging isn't claiming it's anything else.