Shite in Miniature II

[WillCarter]

10 hours ago, MarvinsMom said:

but for the shitters oooop norf, there is no sign as of yet of any toyfairs taking place this year.

we used to like the big one up at  Gateshead Stadium, though given there is now indian bat flu floating about now on Tyneside, i doubt there will ben any toyfairs at all round here this year.

BP Fairs have some scheduled by the looks of it, Doncaster and Bolton being the furthest North. 

[flat4alfa]

@Datsuncog

Wed 26th - Ulster Model Club -  Belvoir Toy Fair
Belvoir Activity Centre, Belvoir Drive, Belfast, Co.Antrim

That's today

[flat4alfa]

https://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/eventSMT/y2021/m5

Swapmeets and Toyfairs Calendar

 

[Datsuncog]

49 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

@Datsuncog

Wed 26th - Ulster Model Club -  Belvoir Toy Fair
Belvoir Activity Centre, Belvoir Drive, Belfast, Co.Antrim

That's today

Cheers for that - though I'm not 100% sure if it's actually going ahead tonight, or if it's just a rolling  notification on the UK Modelshops site which is automatically generated?

Going by their Facebook page, the Belvoir swapmeet hasn't taken place since last year - and no recent announcements seem to have been made.

According to the Belvoir Activity Centre website, their premises remain closed for the time being.

At the same time, offloading that big box of dead stock lurking at the bottom of the wardrobe has some appeal...

Have sent a query through to the organisers - thanks!

[Datsuncog]

Nah, no model fairs here just yet - booooo.

That said, I've never really taken to model fairs - other than an annual railway exhibition in the local leisure centre which featured a bit of diecast as a sideline, I've only ever been to one.

I basically got mugged for a boxed Superfast Mk2 Cortina I'd brought with me to sell, and was so traumatised that I never went to another one.

Could only happen to me.

😆

[bunglebus]

I miss the Brentwood one - my wallet doesn't though, far too many temptations 

[flat4alfa]

31 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

far too many temptations 

[Datsuncog]

More arrivals today...

This little thing.

That's right, it's the next instalment in the Corgi Model Club's latest effort to prove that old adage about a fool and his money - No. 339, the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally winning BMC Mini Cooper.

It is a very nice little thing, and although nothing opens it's packed with features like the roof rack with spare wheels, bank of grille-mounted spotlights, sump guard and front-facing mudflaps.

The box contains a slip of paper giving a run-down on the Mini's successes in the Monte Carlo Rally; I assume this is something that would have come with the original.

Because this is release #2, I'm still being love-bombed with OMG FREE GIFTS.

Here we have a small square tin in which to keep all my all-important Certificates of Authenticity.

Well, ideally I'd have liked it to be made from 6" reinforced steel plate with a retina-scanning locking mechanism release, because as we all know, these certificates are more valuable than diamonds.

But I guess a tin will have to do, until I can arrange round-the-clock armed guards from Brinks-Matt.

It's less annoying than those lever arch files they used to give you 'free with Issue 2' to keep your partworks in, appealing to consumers' reliance on sunk costs fallacy to keep them spending their hard-earned cash.

Also included was a replica 1966 Corgi Catalogue - the paper's a bit shinier than the originals, but it's otherwise a good crisp reproduction.

Their choice of replica models announced so far seem to all belong to the 1966/67 range, so presumably the target market is people who were nine or ten, 55 years ago.

So this brings us to the awkward juncture of whether to continue on with a monthly model at full price (£19.99 + £5.00 p&p), or whether to take my freebie Wall's Ice Cream Anglia and half-price Mini Cooper and run...

All I'll say is that ludicrous sums are being asked for these online...

And the Ice Cream Van and all.

I'd be very interested to see if any of them are actually selling at these kind of prices, mind you...

I'll have a think. About half of the other six revealed so far do interest me (007 Aston Martin; Land Rover recovery wagon; Saint Volvo P1800S), while the other three I'm not so fussed about (Lotus Climax F1; Porsche Carrera 6; Ford Mustang). If they were £10-12 like the Dinky repros then yes, but £25 is a fair whack.

Maybe I should just focus on ceramic thimbles featuring English Heritage castles, or collectable teaspoons...

[flat4alfa]

9 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

I'd be very interested to see if any of them are actually selling at these kind of prices, mind you...

They certainly are  😲

https://tinyurl.com/hw3v68ct  

I'm doing it wrong.

[Datsuncog]

Holy cow. I'm plainly doing it wrong too!!

[flat4alfa]

I've decided to STOP DOING THAT WRONG RIGHT NOW.

And after looking at the sold prices for the Anglebox Ice Cream van too, I fired-up the credit car and got this

Quote

Your order is confirmed

On both of them.

[flat4alfa]

Next is the Volvo

I might get a few sets sent over to relations, as a proxy address.  I'll have paid the house off by October.  Probably.

[bunglebus]

Tat Wednesday is occurring. Only a few offerings, but two I'm pretty pleased about

First up, the right Golden Jacks wheels for my P6. Spare wheel cover still MIA

 

These two were a job lot with a vague description - regular wheels Fiat 1500 with luggage

And a bay window camper

Now as a dyed-in-the wool VW fan, obviously I already have some:

But this one has FUEL DOOR. Quite hard to find, and those that have them usually know they're rare

 

[flat4alfa]

7 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Tat Wednesday is occurring.

Good point.

POST LADY is back.  She handed me this

[Datsuncog]

Well going from Corgis with high-collectability, to Corgis with exceedingly low collectability... I saw these in Lidl on Monday. Corgi Chunkies.

Mmm... very much kiddy-oriented, I'd say.

Twelve separate toys in the range, derived from six different castings - four of them unique.

Generic fire engine, and UK-type ambulance body paired what looks like some sort of Ford cab. Cabs are zamac, bodies and bases are plastic.

Humvee-esque all-terrain vehicle, in either farm or Safari decor. All-metal body.

Generic front-loader in New Holland colours, and some sort of Armoured Personnel Carrier.

Police Hummer, and a Ford snowplough/gritter.

Ford Tipper, and army drab Hummer.

Fourth iteration of the Ford, as a Police wrecker, and mobile crane to finish on.

Hornby Corgi, it's true - but I don't see these getting collectors all of a-lather any time soon.

I certainly can't see myself spunking £84 on a complete set, that's for darn sure.

Corgi's 1960s chunky commercial range for younger kids, Qualitoys, are a bit of a curio but nothing more.

Equally, the 70s Corgi Cubs range might raise a memory or two, but they're not exactly a goldmine either.

Still, nice to see some Corgi Toys back on the shelves again, I suppose?

[flat4alfa]

Now I have a handful of these.  Three sets in fact.  All grabbed for repair* a good while ago.  Why do I do this to myself?  Because it keeps me out of the pub I tell her.  I am a fibber.

Do you want to see the contents?  

[bunglebus]

Of course...

[flat4alfa]

54 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Oh look.  It's quite tidy in here

Yay!  This is one rarely modelled:  The 1968 Chevrolet Astrovette

It's around 1:24 scale and looks quite swish

Not bad for a £8.50 top bid.  Very surprising in fact.  Now to get it working....

 

Phact: Astrovette was actually a thing

She looks chirpy.

[flat4alfa]

2 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Of course...

Uh.  Ok.

 

Obsessive madness.

[flat4alfa]

33 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Corgi's 1960s chunky commercial range for younger kids, Qualitoys, are a bit of a curio but nothing more.

Equally, the 70s Corgi Cubs range might raise a memory or two, but they're not exactly a goldmine either.

A Cub and a Qualitoy

Interesting, but worthless.

[Amishtat]

Moar photos of that DBS please! 

[eddyramrod]

I got a DBS in the post today!  I'll post up a photo later if you want, it's the OHMSS car from the Bond partwork collection.

[flat4alfa]

7 minutes ago, Amishtat said:

Moar photos of that DBS please! 

 

[17-Coffees]

Last month I talked of the HW stuff I had, I finally got to taking a photo...

I know some of you were asking & saying how rare some of the HW stuff stateside can be so tying to recall which ones exactly were from the US. I think it's the Honda City's, Porsche 935, Fairlady 2000 & the Skyline 2000 GTR. 

I also added to my latest stuff with...

It was that or a '86 Chevy Monty Carlo! This won as the Monty was in white & I wasn't a fan of the paintjob.

[Datsuncog]

1 hour ago, flat4alfa said:

I've decided to STOP DOING THAT WRONG RIGHT NOW.

And after looking at the sold prices for the Anglebox Ice Cream van too, I fired-up the credit car and got this

On both of them.

Heaven help me, I've gone and done the very same.

Looking at the Corgi Model Club page on Facebook, it seems there's an enormous unmet demand from overseas collectors for these reproductions - since currently they're only available to subscribers at UK addresses.

I'm guessing that's why they're reselling for anything between £40 - £100 a throw online.

My plan (such as it is) is to obtain two, sell one, and hope it covers the initial outlay and part-pays for the one I'm keeping.

Stand by to watch as this latest diecast wheeze collapses around my ears, when they suddenly expand their subscriptions abroad...

[sierraman]

I had never heard of Qualitoys. That’s a new one on me, I’ve seen the models before but never knew they were a precursor to the cubs?

[Mrcento]

This thread keeps reminding me I have loads of models (As in hundreds) ranging from the little matchbox, Corgi, Dinky, Hot wheels etc up to the Maisto, Bburago, Ertl etc 1/18's i really need to be going through and moving a few on just to get more space.

I started a few years back and sold a couple but the faff of advertising was a nightmare.

[flat4alfa]

3 hours ago, sierraman said:

I had never heard of Qualitoys. That’s a new one on me, I’ve seen the models before but never knew they were a precursor to the cubs?

I suppose both lines were intended in the way that Duplo was the infant Lego range

 

Qualitoys were a series of rugged models aimed at children in 1969. They were only produced for one year, with a bold statement on the packaging.  Clearly not infant market, but maybe that's where all the giraffes and ladders went.  Swallowed.

 

The Corgi Cubs range was produced in 1977-78 and withdrawn shortly afterwards. They were designed to be cheap to produce so that Corgi could enter the nursery toy market.  Mothercare was a stockist

Later, they were also distributed by Avon Cosmetics, with the Corgi brand removed.

[flat4alfa]

1 minute ago, Mrcento said:

sold a couple but the faff of advertising was a nightmare.

Probably would sell quickly and in bulk off this very thread

[Datsuncog]

51 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I had never heard of Qualitoys. That’s a new one on me, I’ve seen the models before but never knew they were a precursor to the cubs?

I'd seen a few of them kicking around the market stall, but I didn't realise exactly what they were until I got the Great Book of Corgi last year.

"1969 Overview - A new series of 'Turbo' trucks would be launched under the brand name 'Qualitoys'. This new range would in fact be delivered in mid-year, against no comparable competitive product. The initial response to it was very good. Although not part of the Corgi range, they were publicised as being from 'the makers of Corgi Toys'. The revolving merchandising unit headers however, just had the names Corgi and Qualitoy." (p.182)

"September 1969 - The Qualitoys range consisted of eight items as follows:

• 0701 Pick-up Truck
• 0702 Side Tipper
• 0703 Breakdown Truck
• 0704 Tower Wagon
• 0705 Horse Box
• 0706 Giraffe Transporter
• 0707 Fire Engine
• 0708 Pick-up Trailer

This is a range of very robust and sturdy looking vehicles. All these toys used the same basic parts. The idea of the project, apart from providing suitably sturdy toys for the pre-school age group, was to be able to mass-produce on a vast scale, thereby keeping costs as low as possible. The common parts included the chassis, wheels and axles; the cab and its window; the seat moulding, which also gave a styling strip along the sides. The cab itself was a double impression mould in which the cabs were moulded back to back, again to keep unit costs low. The whole range was in great demand by the trade once they had had sight of the pre-production samples and the initial response was very encouraging." (p.190)

"1971 - six further Qualitoy items were introduced during the year, but these would be the last." (p.215)

It doesn't say what these six are, sadly!

There's details of one fella's attempts to track down a full collection on the Diecast Rescue forum:

the unknown Corgi's: Qualitoys turbine series - Diecast Rescue (tapatalk.com)

That was where I stole the above dining table pic from...