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Shite in Miniature II


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4 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

I’d still like to resurrect it whole, would be a shame to break it up especially as I now know the motor is more common than expected.  I have plenty grain of wheat bulbs

Struggling to see from here if it’s supposed to be a Ford B-Series or International Loadstar

All yours fella 👍

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I won the Lovejoy Morris Minor on the Miniature Tat for sale thread. Paid and it got delivered today:

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You may see the arse end of a Mk2 Cav behind the box. The reason for this is; take a close look at the printed picture of the actual Lovejoy Morris Minor on its box...

I've had a closer look at the car itself. The box is almost like new apart from a small damage crease in one corner. The over-riders and mirrors have never been fitted and I don't think its ever even been outside of its box.

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I'm in 2 minds whether to actually fit this stuff on or leave as is.

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Admittedly I did have to glue the box clear plastic window back on. But thats all done now.

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Decided to have a go at making an old die-cast of mine a bit shiter today. s-l400.jpg.874d6ff0538b759927efb992e256e469.jpg

I've had a Solido Citroen Visa like this one ever since I was very young, but whilst I love the car, I've never been keen on those sporty decals. So let's make it a bit more Autoshite! 

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Tada! Need to touch up some of the white paint and maybe I'll add a little bit of faux rust on the rear arches but I'm pretty pleased with my first attempt at die-cast modding

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Recently unearthed this sad Schabak 1:43 Ford Sierra Sapphire from the loft. I've previously had two attempts at painting this 4 years ago, both ended in failure.

So I've put it away until I was ready to try again. Unfortunately I've lost the left front headlight, but by luck my brother had a broken Vanguard's Sierra.

The light will fit, expect that the joined indicator section fowls on the pin for the Schabak's separate Indicator. If that makes sense? ( Picture of both below )

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So does anyone have any ideas, on how best to cut the replacement lights down?

As I only have a Stanley blade and one shot without ruining them at present! 

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A small arrival at casa Bunglebus. Somehow apparently undamaged despite just one of those grey postal bags to protect them - surely the seller must have known they were in good condition, why not ensure they stayed like it? Anyway rant over.

T3 Ambulance 

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Just an "Ambulance" - what's it based on?

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Plus a couple of Yatmings or copies of

 

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13 hours ago, Burnside said:

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So does anyone have any ideas, on how best to cut the replacement lights down?

As I only have a Stanley blade and one shot without ruining them at present! 

I would tape a piece of fine sandpaper down on a surface, then rub back the piece in circular motions, applying a spot of water as you go. The patience should pay off with a smoother finish too

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I got a few bits too.

Majorette Alpine A310 in Police livery

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Majo Lancia Monte Carlo - I really need to make a "Giselle" to go with the various Herbies I have

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Good job there's a spare

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Next up, Norev Pug 505

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I had a spare Zylmex MK1 Transit and sold it. So obviously I needed to buy another. I wonder if the tailgate fits the Husky ones?

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Back to Majorette with this Autobianchi A11220210603_181133.thumb.jpg.2bdd6962a059875c1cc3ba67a5a6e9a5.jpg

Corgi Sierra in a livery I hadn't seen before - British Racing and Sports Car Club

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Lastly, grabbed this Hare Splitter in a job lot. Has obviously been on garden duty but cleaned up OK

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Just spotted this blurb on a Matchbox listing. Thought I'd share it here as it makes for interesting reading. I didn't know anything about their early history to be fair. 

 

The Matchbox name originated in 1953 as a brand name of the British die-casting company Lesney Products, whose reputation was moulded by[2] John W. "Jack" Odell (1920–2007),[3] Leslie Charles Smith (1918–2005),[4] and Rodney Smith. The name Lesney was a portmanteau of Leslie and Rodney Smith's first names. Their first major sales success was the popular model of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation coach, which sold more than a million models. Lesney co-owner Jack Odell then created a toy that paved the way for the company's future success which was designed for his daughter. Her school only allowed children to bring toys that could fit inside a matchbox, so Odell crafted a scaled-down version of the Lesney green and red road roller. This toy ultimately became the first of the 1-75 miniature range. A dump truck and a cement mixer completed the original three-model release that marked the starting point for the mass-market success of the Matchbox series. The company decided to sell the models in replica matchboxes, thus yielding the name of the series.

Additional models continued to be added to the line throughout the decade, including cars such as an MG Midget TD, a Vauxhall Cresta, a Ford Zodiac, and many others. As the collection grew, it also gradually became more international, including models of Volkswagens, a Citroën, and American makes. To make such miniatures, the designers took detailed photographs of the real models, even obtaining some original blueprints. This enabled them to make models with surprisingly high levels of detail, despite the small scale. The size of the models allowed Matchbox to occupy a market niche barely touched by the competition; the associated price advantage made the toys affordable and helped establish "Matchbox" as a generic word for small toy cars, whatever the brand.
Moko; growth & development of the 1-75 and other core series

In the earliest years of the regular, or 1-75 series – well before the series actually numbered 75 models – Lesney was marketed/distributed by Moko (itself named after its founder, Moses Kohnstam). Boxes in that era mentioned this, with the text "A Moko Lesney" appearing on each. Lesney gained its independence from Moko in 1959[5] by buying out Moko's share in the joint enterprise, leading to a period of growth, both in sales and in size. Early models did not feature windows or interiors, were made entirely of metal, and were often about 2" (5 cm) in length. By 1968, Matchbox was the biggest-selling brand of small die-cast model cars worldwide. By this time, the average model in their collection featured plastic windows, interiors, tyres (often with separate disc wheels), and occasional accessories; spring suspensions; opening parts; and was about 3" (7 cm) long. Some even featured steering, including the pressure-based AutoSteer system debuting in 1969. The line was very diverse, including lorries, buses, tractors, motorcycles, and trailers as well as standard passenger cars.
A 1968/1969 Lesney-Era Matchbox Ford Pickup

The three dominant brands in the world at the time, all British-made (Dinky, Matchbox and Corgi), were very successful. Each had its own market niche and its own strong reputation, while innovations and advances by one were adopted by the others within a matter of a few years. Each also expanded to some extent into the others' territory, though this never seemed to seriously affect the sales of any brand's core series.

As part of Lesney's expansion activities, four further die-cast model ranges were introduced during the 1950s and 60s. The Models of Yesteryear, introduced in 1956, were renditions of classic vehicles from the steam and early automotive eras. These were often about 3½-4" in length. Accessories Packs were also introduced in 1956 and included petrol pumps, garages, and the like. Major Packs, which were larger-scale models, often of construction vehicles, were added in 1957. The King Size series of larger-scale trucks and tractors was added in 1960 and was diversified from 1967 onwards to include passenger car models in a scale similar to that used by Corgi and Dinky. Major Packs had been absorbed into the King Size range by 1968.
Competition and crisis

However, the main focus at Matchbox continued to be their smaller cars. Other brands, including Husky/Corgi Junior, Budgie, and Cigar Box, attempted to compete with Matchbox, but none were particularly successful until American toy giant Mattel introduced the revolutionary low-friction "racing" wheels on its Hot Wheels line of cars. These models, although less true to scale and often featuring fantasy vehicles, were attractive, painted in bright metallic colours and fitted with racing-style "mag" wheels and slick tires, and were marketed aggressively and with numerous accessory products, such as race track sets and the like. The Hot Wheels line often featured models that were decidedly American. In 1969, a second competitor based in the US, Johnny Lightning, entered the market, and the bottom effectively fell out of Lesney's US sales. At the same time, the other major market (the UK) was also under attack by competitors.[2]

Lesney's response to this was relatively quick – but not quick enough to avoid major financial worries – by creating the "Superfast" line.[2] This was effectively a transformation of the 1969 line to include low-friction wheels (at first narrow, since the company needed time to retool the series to accommodate wide tires), often accompanied with new colours. The result was, at first, a strange but interesting line of fast-wheeling cars, trucks, and trailers, basically complete in 1970. Racing track sets and the like were also released to allow children to race their cars. Starting in 1970 and particularly in 1971, new models appeared with wider tyres, and older models (including trucks still in the line) were retooled to fit slicks. The King Size range was similarly updated, including a division into Super Kings (mostly trucks, but also with mag wheels) and Speed Kings (cars). A short-lived series of rechargeable electric cars, called Scorpions, was released as well, to compete with similar products from Hot Wheels (Sizzlers) and Corgi (ElectroRockets).

By the mid-1970s, Matchbox was again a force on the world market, having completed the transition and having even updated its line to include some fantasy vehicles. The 1-75 series was also amended to include the Rola-Matics (featuring mechanical parts that moved when the vehicle was moved) and Streakers, the latter an attempt to compete with Hot Wheels' newest innovation, tampo-printing on the vehicle itself.
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