Shite in Miniature II

[155V6]

Then there's the premium versions of the Harry Potter car........

[bunglebus]

4 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

Then there's the premium versions of the Harry Potter car........

Didn't know about that! Hang on that's a custom - what are the premium versions?

[155V6]

19 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Didn't know about that! Hang on that's a custom - what are the premium versions?

Sorry,my mistake🙁.I saw a couple of customs when I was looking for the red one & thought they were real premiums.I'm surprised they haven't done one though.

[Crusty Sills]

On 9/12/2021 at 12:01 PM, junkyarddog said:

 

Bit of inspiration for you,

This guy's skills are insane. 

He does indeed have skills but why the fuck would you brush paint (badly) after all that work and spraying the primer on. 🤔🤷

[flat4alfa]

[sierraman]

Looks like he’s sprayed it before it’s dried properly or there’s some contamination under the finish

[flat4alfa]

13 hours ago, 155V6 said:

I don't remember ever seeing the red version though 😯

In the 2011 Easter Rides 5-Pack. Target exclusive, so USA-only

[Datsuncog]

Latest arrival from the Chinese-Corgi-By-Post crowd.

Yup, it's the S1 Land Rover 109  Breakdown Truck. This is the one I'd been holding out for since I first saw their list of forthcoming models - since good, complete versions of this one are few and far between, without going down the resto route.

Proportions and detailing look pretty good, though the limits of Corgi's plain-spun aluminium hubs do knock a few realism points off.

The single-piece towing rig appears to be made of plain, unfinished mazac, attached via peened-over rivets formed from the main body on either side. They seem to be fragile; it wouldn't take a lot of boisterous playground action to work this one loose.

The rear canopy is tinplate, and formed in such a way to hold itself on to the rear bed through spring-tension. The roof-mounted lamp is a lovely extra, as it actually swivels on a star-clip retainer.

It's a nice touch.

All the models that have appeared so far in this remanufactured range had original launch dates from the mid/late 1960s, so it's interesting that this #417 breakdown version represents a much earlier toy, introduced in July 1960. Even then, it's based on the plain S1 LWB Landie (#406) which was introduced in 1957 - hence the tinplate base and plain wheels.

It's also interesting that the S1 Land Rover was already obsolete by the time this one appeared, and it took until 1962 for Corgi to update their range with a S2 109 - which carried a number of similarities to the S1, including the odd sharp-cornered roof which was not fitted to standard factory Land Rover pick-ups.

The later S2, given code #438 in its most basic form, also gained sprung suspension and cast-in bumpers, which were less likely to get broken in rough play, as well as the outline of a number plate on the front wing.

(Mildly irritatingly, you can see that some of the silver paint seems to have worn off the bumper of the new arrival while in transit.)

You'll note that the S1 casting has a shorter bonnet but a deeper cab, while retaining more or less the same footprint as its successor.

Also, the S1 has no interior - although the first Corgis were heavily advertised as 'The ones with windows!' to distinguish them from their Dinky counterparts, generally they didn't start getting interiors until mid-1959 - and even then, these were usually just a thin piece of vacuum-formed plastic to give a general impression of seats and a dashboard. 

The styling differences between S1 and S2 LWBs can be well seen here, with Corgi replicating the later model's 'barrel profile' waistline and more cohesive lines (another of David Bache's designs, as it happens).

In terms of operation, the winch works extremely well:

It's so simple, with a riveted rod flattened and drilled in the middle to accept a string 'rope', and then with a hub and tyre assembly acting as a stopper and as a knob to activate the mechanism. There's just enough friction from the inboard nylon bush to maintain the tension, and stop the hook dropping to the ground under load.

Unsurprisingly, the same basic idea was scaled up and reused for the Majors series Ford H Type wrecker:

Verdict: NICE.

But...

This is causing me some confusion.

See, there seems to be some conflict here.

First off, Blue DTC Brands are, surely, incorrect in stating that this is a Series 2 Land Rover. I'm no expert, but this to me is a S1.

Secondly, going by the Great Book of Corgi, the #417 Breakdown Truck was indeed introduced in July 1960, but it's given as being withdrawn in 1965, not 1963.

However, the Corgi Book also goes on to note that during 1962, a number of Land Rover models were upgraded to add working suspension, and so used the same catalogue numbers as before, only with an 'S' after it, to denote the new suspension. Hence the Land Rover Recovery Truck being redesignated as the #417S until its withdrawal in 1965, along with the RAC Rescue Land Rover (#416S) and the RAF Land Rover (#351S).

Van Cleemput maintains that these were the same castings - he states that #417S was "the original 417 with suspension added" but looking at the photos, these are plainly completely different castings, now depicting the then-current Series 2 Land Rover.

Annoyingly, the '417S' version of #417 isn't shown in the book, but it seems reasonable to assume that all Land Rovers became S2s around that time. Certainly, all Land Rovers shown in the Gift Sets from 1962 on are the new versions, yet there's no mention that I can find in the book of this casting being an all-new representation of the Land Rover.

Maybe Ol' Marcel was off on holidays, and no-one told him?

#477, as referenced on the little collector card, was indeed a reworking of the #417, but again, Marcel has it down as being introduced at some point in 1965 with little fanfare, presumably brought online as the #417S was sold through. The Great Book states that it was the same as its predecessor but now with a plastic (rather than tinplate) plastic half-hood and revised decals.

The photo in the book of #477 clearly shows a S2 version, wearing a revised plastic canopy at the back.

Apparently this version of the Recovery Truck continued until its withdrawal in 1968 - but #477 definitely wasn't introduced in 1968, as the collector's card claims.

BUT, just to muddy the waters further, the 1965 Corgi catalogue illustration for the new #477 depicts a Series 1 Land Rover wearing the plastic hood!

This is why diecast collecting does my head in.

However, the basic #438 Land Rover S2 (like my green ex @Amishtat one in the pics above, seen wearing late-60s cast hubs) continued on well into the Whizzwheels era, lasting until 1976 as an individual model, and finally bowing out in 1977 when the No.19 Gift Set, with the Tipsy Nipper aircraft and trailer, was withdrawn -  making it one of the last of the older small-scale 1/43 toys to be made by Mettoy, and managing to sell over 10 million examples of all iterations over 15 years.

Fair play.

[bunglebus]

Glad you (sort of) understand it, being as I'm no Land Rover expert i got thoroughly lost about halfway through!

Anyway when am I getting the African Safari Beetle, that's the one I'm looking forward to

[Datsuncog]

19 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Glad you (sort of) understand it, being as I'm no Land Rover expert i got thoroughly lost about halfway through!

Heh, I wouldn't go that far...

A bit of sleuthing around the Corgi Model Club page reveals someone posting pics of their originals - and it appears that the #417S Land Rover Breakdown Truck did indeed use the revised S2 casting - but the box illustration remained the same.

So I imagine, when it came to re-doing the catalogue illustration for #477, the illustrator just modified the existing artwork for the #417S box, with the new plastic rear canopy overlaid.

A Land Rover is a Land Rover is a Land Rover, eh? Wossa difference?

Grown men (like me) 55 years later:

 

Quote

Anyway when am I getting the African Safari Beetle, that's the one I'm looking forward to

No sign of that yet, either... here's the coming releases scorecard so far:

Apparently the Mustangs are already being shipped... but if that's the approximate running order, then it looks unlikely that the Beetle will be appearing before the middle of next year.

[egg]

On 14/09/2021 at 20:36, flat4alfa said:

No, it's proof I've been in and out, and in and out, of way too many charity shops recently and gone a bit around the twist.

The first episode of PP aired on this day 40 years ago. I will be able to hear that graunching gearbox and whine and door shutting sound forever!

[Split_Pin]

The LR looks grand there, I'm definitely attracted to that. I have a green one with a Rice Horse Box which was my Dad's. I played with that one a lot.

[warch]

Uncharacteristically for me, I'm going to steer well clear of the Land Rover chat and talk about Ford Anglias instead. Oxford Diecast did indeed follow the pack and made an Invacar blue Harry Potter style Anglia but also (to their eternal credit) made a version of the car I will always associate with this model. It really should have Weller wheels too but is pretty cool for a 1/76 model.

 

 

 

[eddyramrod]

The indicators are inaccurate on that.  A pre-1964 Anglia should have white; for a couple of years they went to orange with the addition of a white sidelight, then the sidelight was moved up into the headlight and the last year or two of production just had the orange indicator.  Pedantic?  Yes; my 1967 Anglia had the last configuration and I took notice.

[bunglebus]

Our 65 had clear at the front

[flat4alfa]

1707 ML:  

Quote

SEP 1961 The original office for this letter combination is Middlesex C.C.

 

[flat4alfa]

TAT FRIDAY FUN FACT

Same car used in this, minus the Weller wheels, filmed after series 1 of Young Ones - yet before the series 2 front damage

Jump to 2:00 for Hot Neil Kinnock Action

[DoctorRetro]

Charity shop haul. 

Shout if you want anything, or any more pics, I just grabbed them as they were there.

 

[bunglebus]

Nearly missed this, and I collect Gulf colour cars

 

[bezzabsa]

23 minutes ago, DoctorRetro said:

Charity shop haul. 

Shout if you want anything, or any more pics, I just grabbed them as they were there.

 

how much for the RR???

[flat4alfa]

Anyone got a spare, any condition, Saico Ford Anglia 1/32?  The Vyvian car has give me an idea

[DoctorRetro]

34 minutes ago, bezzabsa said:

how much for the RR???

It's knackered, 50p

[bezzabsa]

1 hour ago, DoctorRetro said:

It's knackered, 50p

pm incoming

[DoctorRetro]

Just now, bezzabsa said:

pm incoming

 

[junkyarddog]

Picked this up today,was about to rip it open when I spotted something. 

Anybody else see it?

[bezzabsa]

1 minute ago, junkyarddog said:

Picked this up today,was about to rip it open when I spotted something. 

Anybody else see it?

wheels fooked

 

[bezzabsa]

2 minutes ago, DoctorRetro said:

 

not a problem, as its going to be painted and 'modded' LOL

[bezzabsa]

Whats the best 'newbie' airbrush to use? always looked at them, but never bit the bullet...fancy one with compressor rather than the 'bottle' sort

[junkyarddog]

21 minutes ago, bezzabsa said:

wheels fooked

 

It's different too,I'm not really into errors but it's an interesting find nonetheless.

[RoadworkUK]

Both in this thread, and in DMs to Datsuncog, I've spoken about my efforts to go cold turkey on tat collecting for a while. Life is currently a maelstrom of conveyancing chaos, during which I'm supposed to be boxing stuff up or getting rid of it ahead of the move, not having new stuff delivered.

The problem is I have the eBay app on my phone, and occasionally I have the need for entertainment on the toilet.

One such time, I idly entered the terms "Superkings" and "boxed" – a combination that seldom seems to come without a humungous price tag. Boxed, biggish Matchbox products that don't command a kings ransom tend to fall towards the less desirable end of the spectrum. Proper tat.

So, I present my BNIB Matchbox Superkings actual tat.

I'm no collector of royalist memorabilia. In fact I tend to ridicule it and the deranged giffers who collect it. Turns out I'm a massive hypocrite, then. Presented as a shameless cash-in on the '81 royal wedding, this edition of K-15 "The Londoner" wasn't Matchbox's finest hour in the eyes of aficionados of the brand.

However, while this casting didn't exactly go down as one of the greats, it's one I never had as a kid. I always had a bit of a hankering for one, and – cloyingly cynical marketing aside – the silver finish of this version tickled my fancy more than the too-shiny red variation.

I've long had a soft-spot for the humble Daimler Fleetline DMS, which The Londoner kinda almost portrays; my school bus contract was served by Partridge of Hadleigh, who ran a motley selection of ex-London DMS stock to balance out the exotica (Plaxton Paramount 4000, Bedford YMT Duple Lasers, phwoaaaar).  Alas, The Londoner is a little crude, rather squarer and blockier than the MCW / Park Royal bodied original, and the upper deck window pillars are way too thick, allowing space for only five instead of the six of real life. That said, other details are quite nice. The engine grilles, the bodyside strapping, all enough to denote that a little effort was made.

What's more, unlike Londoners produced to the smaller scale, this one has windows. The interior is much the same, though, still with an actual staircase.

There's no sign of the cheery bell that early releases were fitted with, but the opening side door mechanism survives, adding spectacular play value. Or it would were the mechanism not hopelessly gimcrack and unreliable in operation. 

 It rolls well, too. Had I had one as a nipper, I suspect it would have been at quite an advantage compared with many similarly scaled models when it came to a high-speed dash across the sprung wooden floor of the school hall.

So there we have it. It's tat, yes, but nice tat, with its heart in the right place.