Shite in Miniature II

[sierraman]

I can’t see how there’s any money in trading old diecast now, everybody knows the going rate on EBay. Have noticed though 1/36 Corgi having taken a dip, which I’ve cashed in on by buying a few favourites that I had to have like the Senator and the Rancho. 

[bunglebus]

Warm on the heels of the Triplex Corgi SD1 I gained recently is this stock version 

Accompanying it was this rather less exciting but still tidy Metronome 

[egg]

There's always been something about the proportions of the Corgi Metro that doesn't work for me, never worked out what!

[bunglebus]

38 minutes ago, egg said:

There's always been something about the proportions of the Corgi Metro that doesn't work for me, never worked out what!

To be honest I think that about Metros anyway, window area is too tall I think

[junkyarddog]

Finally found something new,still no sign of the black Mercedes though.

Two nice castings.

If you want to go into the bush you take a land rover,if you want to come out again you take a Land Cruiser.

What would you recommend to get into the bush with Smoll Eddy?

"Cheap bottle of plonk and some Barry White M8"

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, egg said:

There's always been something about the proportions of the Corgi Metro that doesn't work for me, never worked out what!

Probably the steering wheel nicked from the SS Lusitania... It was built as a one off for Douglas Bader. Lovely condition SD1 though. @Datsuncog what’s the story in the Big Book or Corgi begins the SD1? I can imagine knowing the arse about tit way BL went about with product placement, Corgi would have been told to fuck off when they asked for the borrow of the real thing to model. 

[flat4alfa]

Looking at the Dinky effort, Corgi got it right

[Remspoor]

7 hours ago, egg said:

There's always been something about the proportions of the Corgi Metro that doesn't work for me, never worked out what!

I have the MG Maestro. That is a total cock up of a model. Maybe the plans which were faxed to Corgi got corrupted.

[155V6]

7 hours ago, egg said:

There's always been something about the proportions of the Corgi Metro that doesn't work for me, never worked out what!

I think the sills are too heavy on the Corgi model,they make it look really dumpy.It might look better if they were painted black?

[Bren]

I bagged this off the bay - 

It cost £13 inc the p&p. Presumably because one of the wipers is missing.

My brother had the red one - my cousin usually got us either polistil or burago for christmas. Compared to corgi or matchbox they were exotic - and expensive.

[junkyarddog]

Smoll Eddy received a consignment of wheels today,so it seemed rude not to let him try out a set on a Celica fresh out of the blister pack.

 

Nice work Smoll Eddy!

"I'm the rim king M8"

[Datsuncog]

On 8/11/2021 at 3:25 PM, sierraman said:

 @Datsuncog what’s the story in the Big Book or Corgi begins the SD1? I can imagine knowing the arse about tit way BL went about with product placement, Corgi would have been told to fuck off when they asked for the borrow of the real thing to model. 

There's not an awful lot in the big Corgi book on the SD1 - I kinda get the vibe that ol' Marcel wasn't as fussed on the later 1/36 scale stuff, so there's not so much info or trivia towards the end of the book. But here's what there is:

January 1980 - #338 Rover 3500
Withdrawn: 1983
Scale: 1/36
Sold: 139,000+

Also in Bronze with Dark Brown roof and in Red with Black roof. This quite large and beautiful model featured opening doors, opening hatch-back and hinged parcel shelf, as well as an opening bonnet revealing a well-detailed engine.

In terms of variants, there's also:

July 1980 - #339 Rover 3500 Police Car
Not withdrawn [I think this means that production continued into the Corgi Toys Ltd era, post-1983]
Scale: 1/36
Sold: 169,000+

This was the #338 Rover 3500 model released at the start of the year, now converted into a police car with the addition of a triangular roof sign as used by the Oxfordshire Constabulary. The model was decorated with the usual police labels and stripes, which also incorporated a coat of arms.

January 1981 - #340 Rover Triplex
Not withdrawn
Scale: 1/36
Sold: 137,000+

This was the #338 Rover 3500 now beautifully and authentically decorated in the racing colours and livery of the Triplex sponsored and highly successful racing car. It was one of the first Corgi models to be decorated by the 'tampo' printing process. This method used a 'tampo' rubber pad to pick up the various ink colours from the different printing plates and then transfer the inked designs on to the model. The soft rubber tampo conforms to the shape of the casting as it makes contact to transfer the ink. This method gives far greater scope for accurate, detailed printing and at the same time eliminates armies of girls having to apply labels. The system would have been a great asset in the earlier days of the highly decorated Formula One models.

 

The SD1 is a great model, though compared to the real thing it certainly took a while to enter production, for whatever reason.

As a bit of trivia, it seems that the 3500 was the last new Corgi model to feature opening bonnet, boot and front doors... until the Rover 800 came along.

Good detail under the bonnets, though.

The 800 is probably more true to the real-life car's dimensions - originally, Corgi's design team had a tendency to widen their models to make them look less 'skinny' when viewed from above than they otherwise would be, if the exact measurements were used.  It seems that in the post-Mettoy era, after Van Cleemput had retired, Corgi stopped doing this. So the model 800 does look a bit long and narrow, even though it's probably bang-on.

The 800 also had doorframes and mirrors cast on to the model, as well as a bonnet and boot attached with pivot hinges rather than the usual thick cast-in hinges - a neater choice, but kinda fragile, hence a lot of playworn examples missing one or both.

[flat4alfa]

20 hours ago, Remspoor said:

I have the MG Maestro. That is a total cock up of a model. Maybe the plans which were faxed to Corgi got corrupted.

Both the Metro and Maestro suffer from wheels too far inset

redoing the track would* make all the difference 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

57 minutes ago, junkyarddog said:

Smoll Eddy received a consignment of wheels today,so it seemed rude not to let him try out a set on a Celica fresh out of the blister pack.

 

Nice work Smoll Eddy!

"I'm the rim king M8"

Nice rims! Where do you source them from, and are they a bugger to fit? 

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, junkyarddog said:

Smoll Eddy received a consignment of wheels today

Where does Small Eddie find his wheels? Big Rich is running out

[barrett]

Okay, this is possibly only of interest to me, but I've just discovered the Politoys plastic cars and M-series were not only different scales, but were also briefly sold at the same time. Which means you could have walked into a shop and bought, for example, an Alfa Giulia SS in 1:66 scale...

... or 1:41...

... or 1:43, all from the same manufacturer.

There's a surprising number of cars which were produced in both plastic (1:41) and M-series (1:43) versions, and several which were ALSO modelled in the Penny (1:66) range... and remind me why they went bankrupt?

anyway, yeah, probably only of interest to me but I found this fascinating as it's taken me this long to notice...

 

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

January 1981 - #340 Rover Triplex

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

July 1980 - #339 Rover 3500 Police Car

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

January 1980 - #338 Rover 3500

Not too worried about other colours but it seems I have all the variants covered otherwise. Shame they weren't quicker off the mark or we might have got a nice yellow 3500S for example

 

[junkyarddog]

35 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Nice rims! Where do you source them from, and are they a bugger to fit? 

See below for the source, fitting can be tricky, I normally drill out the posts remove the old wheels and axles fit the new,then screw the car back together using M2 stainless steel screws.

29 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Where does Small Eddie find his wheels? Big Rich is running out

€ 12,44  5%OFF | 20Sets(for 20 cars) 1/64 Car Tires Rubber tire Five Star Wheels with Axle for Matchbox Domeka 1:64 Alloy Model Cars
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0eEbMb

I got them from here.They are quite well made.

[bunglebus]

22 minutes ago, barrett said:

probably only of interest to me but I found this fascinating

Me too, I'm always intrigued by the decisions toy/model makers reached. Two almost the same size, but different Husky ranges, the one Polistil catalogue I have shows four different scales of some cars. Still need that Porsche in 1:64

 

 

[sierraman]

18 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Not too worried about other colours but it seems I have all the variants covered otherwise. Shame they weren't quicker off the mark or we might have got a nice yellow 3500S for example

 

I’ve got a touring car type one somewhere, red with various tampo on it. Then there’s the yellow hepolite pistons one. 

[155V6]

Corgi Model Club have changed the offer,they must have run out of Anglia Ice Cream Vans.You now get the rally Mini,the repro catalogue,the tin,& the set of mechanics for £9.99.

Plus,you can see a bit more about other cars in the series,& it says you can miss out ones you don't want 🤔

https://corgimodelclub.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Corgi+|+Cold+-+Purchase&utm_content=Interests+-+Diecast&fbclid=IwAR3OU3TYqpe6H1jzBd0jMA_w58Mu5uquDbvzmDcV43mrpxZHQRpmTdwYu9o

[Datsuncog]

19 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

you can miss out ones you don't want

Ah... that's useful to know. I don't believe that's been brought to the attention of current subscribers, though there could be an email lurking somewhere.

As it happens, this arrived today: the #155 Lotus Climax F1 car.

It's nice and all, but my interest in single-seat racers is quite limited.

Fragile exhausts are usually absent from any originals I've encountered. Engine detail beneath is quite well concealed, but it's there.

It says 'spring suspension', but the axles just feel a bit wobbly, which maybe isn't quite the same thing.

I guess it's a pretty iconic F1 car, though perhaps I'm a bit young to feel the same cultural resonance about it that others might manage.

Is it nice?

Absolutely.

Is it £24 nice?

Mmm... not sure.

What I'd really like to see in the range is more passenger cars like the Mk1 Cortina Woody, the MkX Jaguar,  Rover P6, or more road-going sports cars like the Lotus Elan or MGB GT.  But I suppose the folks at Blue DTC Brands are probably looking at what sold well the first time around, to give the broadest possible nostalgia base, and that's probably going to be racers and character stuff.

I genuinely can't work out whether I'm just a bit underwhelmed by some of these, or whether everything's just feeling a bit meh at present.

[eddyramrod]

50 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Is it £24 nice?

Mmm... not sure.

What I'd really like to see in the range is more passenger cars like the Mk1 Cortina Woody, the MkX Jaguar,  Rover P6, or more road-going sports cars like the Lotus Elan or MGB GT. 

This. And maybe some of the Americans, like the beautiful 59 Impala, Buick Riviera, Imperial convertible....

[flat4alfa]

I’m going to ring them and ask to skip the Lotus F1 and the Land Rover Breakdown. Got enough Climax Lotus examples by Scalex and have more than enough Land Rovers

Not received Porsche yet but have been away for a fortnight so probably on the door mat waiting.  Hope not too late to cancel

Bought an original release Porsche in ‘antique’ shop in Devon as well.  They had THE PRICE TAGS too.  Things are getting out of hand 

[flat4alfa]

Talking of which, is it 

?

[bunglebus]

Hope so, I'm getting tat withdrawal symptoms 

[sierraman]

Is it brightly coloured sports shoes Friday? 

[flat4alfa]

Just rang Corgi Club and skipping of the Lotus and LR has been actioned.  Good idea really as I was going to cancel the lot but this means I still stay a subscriber so no loss of customer for them.  Yet.

So next one should be the Mustang according to the website.  Never owned one of those, so seems sensible* to pick and choose 

[flat4alfa]

It’s Friday 

It’s tense

Only PopMaster makes sense 

 

[Datsuncog]

Yes, market day once more...

...although nothing new to tickle our collective diecast fancies, I'm afraid.

Old Corgis and Dinkys now mostly down to the incomplete and bashed items.

Lesney and Husky items also just mainly down to the dregs.

No-name 1/24-ish Chevrolet was missing its bumpers and other bits:

Mostly complete Corgi Majors LaFrance still there, with £10 asking price.

Two Corgi Lotus Climax F1 cars providing a handy comparator to the remanufactured Chinese versions:

Missing drivers and windshields, but with exhausts still in place.

Original bases seem to be grey, rather than the green of the new one.

Suspension on these is taut and springy; not like the one that arrived yesterday. Dunno if I just have a dodgy one, or there's a 'good enough' attitude going down...

Yes, the Trainer King was already in attendance, resplendent in his blue Adidas, and yes, he had a dozen or so models already set away. I tried not to look, though I could see the Porsche Carrera 6 and the Marcos Volvo amongst them.

Market Blokey advised that next week there should be a significant influx of boxed buses, which he's picking up over the weekend, so just to give everyone a heads-up on that.

Not much to be seen elsewhere - the Charity Stall had nothing, although Paddy's Overpriced Market Stall had emptied out last week's plastic bag into a box, revealing some random oddities:

Trio of Mercedes SELs - with an MC Toy base on the blue one in the middle.

The orange one seems to be an even lower-res copy of the silver one.

I love the barefaced cheek of the pirated version adding '(c) 1988' on the base.

Unusual, but again no prices.

Terrible Mustang III also there:

It did have wheels, but they were mounted very far inboard.

So that was that...

And here's what I squandered my cash on this week:

@bunglebushad requested the other Corgi Camaro, which is just as incomplete and dusty as the one set aside for @flat4alfa...

So that's there for you if you want it, dude.

[**EDIT: SALE AGREED**]

I also picked up one of the Dinky #188 caravans, just out of interest.

Crayon daubings should clean off, hopefully. Good to know repro doors are available for these.

Some glazing cracks,but nothing major.

Available for the £5 paid.

Sticking with Dinky, I finally brought this  #113 MGB Roadster home:

It looks pretty rough, but it's structurally sound, all the missing bits are available, and it might restore pretty well.

I don't know why I like these, I just do. I've half a mind to restore this myself, but we all know I'll never do it, so it's also available at £5.

Lastly, that pink Corgi Fiat 2100:

While the rear blinds are pretty cool, it seems to have developed something of a lean...

I think one of the wire supports that holds the axles tight to the base has slipped out of place; I may be able to remedy that without needing to dismantle anything.

Notable as the first Italian car modelled by Corgi Toys (wot no Ferrari?),  it's suffered quite a lot of paint loss as well as its jewelled headlights - but may look fresher after a bit of a scrub to get the worst of the grime off.

Also available at £5.

[**EDIT: NOW SOLD!!**]

So that's that for this week - a bit of a hurried one, but ain't that just the way it goes these days...?

Til next time...