Shite in Miniature II

[sierraman]

Fantastic stuff that is, well done!

[eddyramrod]

No restoration required on this one!  It was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.  The charity shop was about to throw it out, so I dug a pound coin out of my pocket and left with a garage I didn't have a purpose for!  (Isn't that the Autoshite way...)

All I had to do was clean it up and add cars.

[Datsuncog]

So then - I came away from today's extravaganza with a few requests, and a few speculative purchases...

Dinky 193 Rambler Cross Country was obtained for Mr @Amishtat at the target price of £5:

Someone's been messing around with the paintbox near this one too; two different shades of yellow daubed on the bonnet for no apparent reason, but thankfully not too badly -  might clean off with some sort of cutting compound.

Seems to have some species of steering mechanism too; didn't know Dinkys of this era had that.

Next up, the Lesney Superfast No.48 Dodge Dumper, for @bunglebus:

Krazy rear axles, but otherwise fairly sound.

I bought the No.36 Opel Diplomat speculatively, figuring that someone here would probably want it:

And it turns out that person is @Split_Pin!

Will set that aside for you, dude - this also came in at £1 (well, the overall haul amounted to £10, so that seems the natural way to divvy it all up).

Also from Tat Speculator Corner, I nabbed this No.4 Dodge Stake Truck:

Mainly because these were quite fragile wee things, and the vast majority of survivors seem to have either the mudflaps or the sidebars broken (or both). This one's still intact - and is up for grabs at £1. **NOW SOLD!!**

I couldn't find it in my heart to leave the Husky DS Safari:

Other than the missing roof load, this isn't in bad shape - I might give it a rub with some T-Cut over the weekend, to see if I can reduce the toybox wear to the bonnet and sides.

Also available, at £1. **NOW SOLD!!**

Lastly, more smol Corgi - that Mercedes 240D in German taxi colours:

Some wear, and a strange gouge to the bootlid, but it's otherwise quite straight with glazing and stickers intact.

Probably nearer a 50p item than a £1 item, in all fairness, but a quid's what was paid, so if anyone fancies it... let me know.

Oh, and this is what I was talking about earlier:

The Taxi sign is made from a length of card, printed on both sides and poked into the extended glazing moulding on the roof, then jammed against the back seats once the interior moulding and base is attached, to hold it in place.

Even more impressively, it says 'Taxi' at both ends, so it didn't matter which which way up it was inserted on the assembly line. Cunning.

If this tiny tribute to Teutonic beigeness floats your boat, let me know.

So! I guess that's that for another week... and I have a fair few Tat Boxes to get parcelled up and away this weekend, so I'll let you know as and when those are posted. You know who you are!

Happy Friday, kids!

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 26/06/2021 at 12:07, barrett said:

It just looks great from every angle, and the wire wheels are a nice touch. I'm still not sure why this model seems to scarce - a quick search of ebay suggests about 30 examples are currently for sale, mostly MIB examples for loads of money. Searching for the approximately contemporaneous Lancia Fulva Zagato shows at least twice that number on offer in every possible condition. Why did a common, popular car like an MGB seemingly sell much worse than something 99% of kids would never have seen in real life?

 

maybe cos the mgC seemed moar betterer with its matt black bonnet when your pocket money was burning a hole

[bunglebus]

I'll take the stake truck and DS unless anyone desperately needs them - I believe the Husky is the metal base?

[Datsuncog]

2 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

There is a de-banana'd Scammell Contractor here that I've had as long I can can think.  Not from new though, as clearly older than me...   It has some excellent shrinkage and as a result has a three-tyre deficiency.   Not that it would stop its involvement in a @Datsuncog garden scenario event, so will put it in your box if you would like it 

The SuperKings came from a recent visit to @Spottedlaurel's secret nuclear bunker man-cave house.  It has also lost its grille!   There is an obvious market for these, and it seems Mr Flowers has not picked up on it ...yet

I would indeed like it, if it's up for grabs... at some point I'll be putting in an order for about 100 replacement tyres, so lack of black hoops is no barrier. Cheers!

 

6 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I'll take the stake truck and DS unless anyone desperately needs them - I believe the Husky is the metal base?

No bother - will pop those aside for you!

DS is indeed the larger, metal-based version.

[Split_Pin]

Many thanks Tim, like the Zodiac, a Diplomat with the bonnet is rare. The one I have doesn't have one so I'm glad you got this.  Happy to pay now or set aside until more Tat comes up, I'm easy either way!

[sierraman]

I think that dump truck can be quite easily fixed, could be wrong here but the rear axle clips off so you can straighten the axles. 

Picked up a Matchbox Renault 17 lately, near mint but the axle was bent, managed to straighten it with some really fine pliers. 

[Datsuncog]

3 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I think that dump truck can be quite easily fixed, could be wrong here but the rear axle clips off so you can straighten the axles. 

Nearly - the front axle clips off, but as luck would have it, that's the one that's totally straight.

Didn't Hot Wheels supply a special tool back in their early days to straighten bent axles, or am I just imagining that?

[Split_Pin]

I've got the very same Dodge from my CogBox from a few years ago. The real trucks nearly all have big petrol engines! I'm not sure if there were ever any made in the UK but they probably had a Perkins diesel or something!

[bunglebus]

I am kicking myself today, I knew the yellow Volvo 850 was coming out, and I knew exactly which wheels I wanted to put on it

So I bought several Divos - and sold them on eBay. Went all through my collection, parts cars and wheel box last night, none. So for now it's got some repainted ones until I find the correct set

 

[bunglebus]

5 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Didn't Hot Wheels supply a special tool back in their early days to straighten bent axles, or am I just imagining that?

You can buy them but I made my own

That little slot in the end goes over the axle behind the wheel. I'll have to make some more to deal with larger diameter axles 

[bunglebus]

I've been hopping about all week waiting for this. I thought this Milligans Mill was clean but it looks as if it's never been played with, confirmed by the rear battery piece rattling around inside, having missed being riveted in. However it was something else I noticed that made me buy it - anyone else see it?

[sierraman]

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

You can buy them but I made my own

That little slot in the end goes over the axle behind the wheel. I'll have to make some more to deal with larger diameter axles 

Hmm good idea. I’ll have a look round for a suitable bit of tin and knock one up. 

[Datsuncog]

22 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

However it was something else I noticed that made me buy it - anyone else see it?

Seems to have the roof sticker from a Gus's Gulper applied, no?

[bunglebus]

Yes, and the rear decal! I've got quite a few Gulpers and Mills that aren't made as intended - Mill should have an orange interior and the wider engine scoop, Gulper should be yellow and rounded scoop. I guess as they share a base, misbuilds are common but I've not seen the stickers swapped before other than the rear one is often upside-down - an error I inadvertently copied on the white Gulper I made!

[Amishtat]

7 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

So then - I came away from today's extravaganza with a few requests, and a few speculative purchases...

Dinky 193 Rambler Cross Country was obtained for Mr @Amishtat at the target price of £5:

Someone's been messing around with the paintbox near this one too; two different shades of yellow daubed on the bonnet for no apparent reason, but thankfully not too badly -  might clean off with some sort of cutting compound.

Seems to have some species of steering mechanism too; didn't know Dinkys of this era had that.

Next up, the Lesney Superfast No.48 Dodge Dumper, for @bunglebus:

Krazy rear axles, but otherwise fairly sound.

I bought the No.36 Opel Diplomat speculatively, figuring that someone here would probably want it:

And it turns out that person is @Split_Pin!

Will set that aside for you, dude - this also came in at £1 (well, the overall haul amounted to £10, so that seems the natural way to divvy it all up).

Also from Tat Speculator Corner, I nabbed this No.4 Dodge Stake Truck:

Mainly because these were quite fragile wee things, and the vast majority of survivors seem to have either the mudflaps or the sidebars broken (or both). This one's still intact - and is up for grabs at £1. **NOW SOLD!!**

I couldn't find it in my heart to leave the Husky DS Safari:

Other than the missing roof load, this isn't in bad shape - I might give it a rub with some T-Cut over the weekend, to see if I can reduce the toybox wear to the bonnet and sides.

Also available, at £1. **NOW SOLD!!**

Lastly, more smol Corgi - that Mercedes 240D in German taxi colours:

Some wear, and a strange gouge to the bootlid, but it's otherwise quite straight with glazing and stickers intact.

Probably nearer a 50p item than a £1 item, in all fairness, but a quid's what was paid, so if anyone fancies it... let me know.

Oh, and this is what I was talking about earlier:

The Taxi sign is made from a length of card, printed on both sides and poked into the extended glazing moulding on the roof, then jammed against the back seats once the interior moulding and base is attached, to hold it in place.

Even more impressively, it says 'Taxi' at both ends, so it didn't matter which which way up it was inserted on the assembly line. Cunning.

If this tiny tribute to Teutonic beigeness floats your boat, let me know.

So! I guess that's that for another week... and I have a fair few Tat Boxes to get parcelled up and away this weekend, so I'll let you know as and when those are posted. You know who you are!

Happy Friday, kids!

Thank you! 

(And thanks Eddy Ramrod for inadvertently pointing out earlier in the week that yes, my collection does need that..) 

[sierraman]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Yes! I've got quite a few Gulpers and Mills that aren't made as intended - Mill should have an orange interior and the wider engine scoop, Gulper should be yellow and rounded scoop. I guess as they share a base, misbuilds are common but I've not seen the stickers swapped before other than the rear one is often upside-down - an error I inadvertently copied on the white Gulper I made!

When Lesney folded in ‘82 loads of sheets of stickers were discovered, I think they were the Gulf ones from the Gift Set. Anyhow they got out into collectors hands so it’s not unusual to see wrong stickers on cars. 

[egg]

Just a note. I need to find a Norev Simca 1501 in this fantastic beige.

[bunglebus]

I bid on a bunch of cars from one seller starting at 99p, ended up outbid on all but what I thought were the most interesting two 

The Panda has a completely blank base

Despite looking like it's from the same maker, the MK3 Escort has a different base, and you can see it used to say Kees

Maybe I should have tried harder to obtain the others:

 

[sierraman]

Decided to round up a few of my Matra Rancho today to see ‘Who did it best?’

In the 1:36 Matchbox of course did the K90 in Trans Globe Couriers, I do have a better one but where it is I don’t know. They seemed to get the width right but the glorious detail on the Corgi edges it for me. 

[sierraman]

The game was in reverse when it came to 1/76, the Corgi effort felt very cheap and nasty. Even as time went on the opening hatch got deleted. Wide variety of wheels fitted as well, from Whizwheels to the late 80’s cloverleaf type.

[sierraman]

Matchbox, less variety in the casting but better quality and apt for a French Car, compliant suspension. 

[sierraman]

Curiously although the first ones made in ‘82 were built in the UK, they never updated the base to reflect the late 80’s being made in Macau until the last ‘Marine Rescue’ was released in the 90’s when the base finally said ‘Made in China’

[Split_Pin]

The answer is of course Bburago in 1/24 scale.

[sierraman]

8 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

The answer is of course Bburago in 1/24 scale.

Or the 1/18 Otto resin models. Didn’t know Bburago did a Rancho. Is there a list anywhere of what 1/24 they released in the 70’s/80’s?

[cms206]

Having not really bought anything of late, does anyone know any more about Lone Star? Bit old for me but it was cheap* and looked a bit of alright. Undecided about keeping it yet as I really need a clearout.

[bunglebus]

The Matchbox Rancho I got the other day is the first 1:64 I've found, got a few of the small Corgis - as you say quite cheap feeling as with a lot of the 80s releases.

I have both the larger versions, hard to chose a favourite as the Matchbox is pretty tatty and presumably missing the upper tailgate as it doesn't have one

[bunglebus]

3 hours ago, cms206 said:

Having not really bought anything of late, does anyone know any more about Lone Star? Bit old for me but it was cheap* and looked a bit of alright. Undecided about keeping it yet as I really need a clearout.

That's awesome, I have a selection of Lone Star toys including a few Tuf Tots.

The castings were re issued later by a company who bought the moulds

Here we go - mokes

 

[Split_Pin]

5 hours ago, sierraman said:

Or the 1/18 Otto resin models. Didn’t know Bburago did a Rancho. Is there a list anywhere of what 1/24 they released in the 70’s/80’s?

I could tell you off the top of my head!