Shite in Miniature II

[bunglebus]

I like the manager in my local Entertainer. If he spots me knocking all the Hot Wheels off the pegs he asks if I want to look through their overstock boxes. Yes, yes I do 

[barrett]

Right, I'm home now. Here's my haul from today's very small village-hall toy fair. Honestly didn't expect to find anything as my interests are so narrow. And I don't collect toy cars.

Mercury No32 Lancia Flavia Pininfarina coupé, Pilen 347 Monteverdi Hai and Norev Citroen Ami 6.

The Lancia is pretty much at the top of my wantlist for a while, as it's one of my favourite real cars, and the toy version is insanely rare. There's a very playworn example on ebay at the moment for £120 in Holland, and that's pretty much it. Never seen one in the UK. This set me back a handsome £4...

Admittedly not that great from this side though! I'll try and find a couple of tyres that fit, but chances of finding a donor for the door seem pretty slim. I'll just point it the other way round. It's a shame, because apart from a broken windscreen, the missing door and one jewelled sidelamp, it's in in really, really good condition.

I've mentioned before about the small range of Pilen castings which were unique to the brand (ie, not recycled castings from other manufacturers) and the Monteverdi is one I've particularly wanted, but they're always too much money on ebay. This one is mint and boxed (looks like it's never been out of the box until now) and in a nice colour. Very pleased with this for £20. The detail is fantastic - the boot badge is beautifully rendered (not easy to photograph) and the proportions are spot-on. Lovely. Here it is with the other 'unique' Pilens

The Ami - we all know what those look like. It was a fiver and I couldn't leave it behind as it's much nicer than the one I paid €10 a few years ago in France.

[Spottedlaurel]

Just now, barrett said:

Right, I'm home now. Here's my haul from today's very small village-hall toy fair. Honestly didn't expect to find anything as my interests are so narrow. And I don't collect toy cars.

Nice little haul there. I much prefer buying at fairs etc to eBay.

I hope there was the appropriate amount of people of a certain age grumbling about their various ailments, and the occasional person with a bit of an odour?

[andrew e]

Don’t forget the pushing coupled with belligerence 😂

Mr B. Bus your scored well there! The McLaren F1 and F150 SVT are very nice, though @barrett (who despite not collecting toy cars) has you beat today with some connoisseur choices 👍

[bunglebus]

Yep. The Pilen certainly looks a lot more realistic than the Matchbox version

[Spottedlaurel]

33 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Yep. The Pilen certainly looks a lot more realistic than the Matchbox version

That being said, there are probably many of us who'd never have heard of the Monteverdi Hai if it wasn't for that Superfast version.

[flat4alfa]

Anyone have a tatty surplus Vanguard Rover P6 3500 ?

Wanted to paint one 

Like my old Paprika one, but that release colour is scarce and way too expensive

Just wondered

[flat4alfa]

Matchbox Super Kings releases in 2005

What do we know about them?  Clearly US market only.  But why and how and where were the castings sourced?

Another just wondered

[Justwatching]

Right, home from the parents with a box of '90s diecast. Also, a slightly ripe and misshapen pumpkin (because that's all they had left at the store). 

Before we dive into my box of nostalgia, I figure an Ecto-1 line-up would be Halloween appropriate. 

Also, bonus Hot Wheels Ecto-1 from the 2019 Premium line. It's less detailed than the Johnny Lightning models above, but has a nice weight to it and the low stance looks closer to the real car.

 

 

[andrew e]

4 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Matchbox Super Kings releases in 2005

What do we know about them?  Clearly US market only.  But why and how and where were the castings sourced?

Another just wondered

How did this pass me by? More please!

[flat4alfa]

7 hours ago, barrett said:

Mercury No32 Lancia Flavia Pininfarina coupé

Lancia is pretty much at the top of my wantlist for a while, as it's one of my favourite real cars, and the toy version is insanely rare. There's a very playworn example on ebay at the moment for £120 in Holland, and that's pretty much it. Never seen one in the UK. This set me back a handsome £4...

Admittedly not that great from this side though! I'll try and find a couple of tyres that fit, but chances of finding a donor for the door seem pretty slim. I'll just point it the other way round. It's a shame, because apart from a broken windscreen, the missing door and one jewelled sidelamp, it's in in really, really good condition..

 

Nice find!  Bargain!  Maybe a bit of effort with some (reinforced) Milliput you could form something to fill the hole for now...

Or...   do a Botswana Lancia edition 😉

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, andrew e said:

How did this pass me by? More please!

I'm relieved it's not just me

Matchbox Super Kings K-202 K-203 K-204 K-205

(I did look for a Dr Cog Book entry, but did not find)

[Datsuncog]

Never knew about those rebooted Superkings either... Hell's bells, Mattel sure knows how to screw over UK collectors.

That Challenger looks ace and all.

I think the castings may be lifted from the late 90s Matchbox Collectables range? I'll check my Charlie Mack book later.

 

[flat4alfa]

35 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Hell's bells, Mattel sure knows how to screw over UK collectors.

Bastards! 😝

That's my whole childhood being culturally appropriated*, right there, etc

Packaging ought to be applauded, though ! 😎  

A bit.

The gits!

[bunglebus]

3 hours ago, Justwatching said:

bonus Hot Wheels Ecto-1 from the 2019 Premium line. It's less detailed than the Johnny Lightning models above, but has a nice weight to it and the low stance looks closer to the real car.

I have one of those but a different release (2016), missing the roof rack but it was only 50p

On the Halloween theme, how about a Fangula

or a Bone Shaker

Or a Treasure Haunt

Vampyra

Rigor Motor

 

[Jon]

 I've just spent waaaay too much time writing up the tripe below for a thread on the Open Forum, so I might as well spread my waffle far and wide to somehow justify this. Some bits of info might be helpful if anyone's having any issues taking photos of miniature shite. Happy to discuss methods further, if anyone wishes.

4 minutes ago, Jon said:

OK, here goes. I'll try to keep official camera speak to a minimum (mostly because I'm not an expert).

A small bunch of us AS-ers frequent the 'shite in miniature' thread, with our interest in toy scale model cars and suchlike. I like taking photos and also like old scale diecasts, plus I like old period photos, so I started combining these things 2-3 years ago. Below are some examples of my efforts, in a mostly chronological order, all uploaded in the largest file sizes available, for max. scrupulation:

 

First up, an early effort of a Matchbox DAF truck:

Shot on an iPhone 4!! So as camera technology goes: cheap. Would've been hand held, possibly too close to the subject, as the front is not fully in focus. Seems the sharpest bit is the wall of the load bed, just behind the cab. Notice how the tyres vary in focus, from sharper to softer as they get further from the lens, which relates to the depth of field of the lens. Suffice to say, not much you can do with an iPhone 4 to overcome this, other than turning the subject sideways on to the lens, so all bits of it are equally close to the lens.  Now imagine photographing  a long item like a necklace - shooting it from above would likely help it all stay in focus but taking a shot where some beads are closer to the lens than others could look a bit 'arty', as the depth of field makes the further away beads fuzzier.

 

Now I've upgraded to a Samsung Edge 4 phone, or some such thing - basically a phone that favours it being robust, over the best possible camera contained within. Was probably 150 quid or so a couple of years ago, so not worth much now, I imagine. Seen here are two very small plastic cars - the Porsche is a Micro Machines from about 30 years ago, so probably about 3-4cm long. Again, taken handheld but a steady hand can really help. Or rest the phone on something, to steady it avoid camera shake and shifting focus.

This phone has a manual mode where you can play around with stuff to help make a better image but this was just on standard mode, although likely zoomed in. On many devices, the 'macro' setting for close-up photography is depicted with the flower symbol. Newer phones with multiple lenses probably have a dedicated 'close-up' lens but I'm really not sure.

 

 Big Guns time now:

Another Matchbox casting but one that's very careworn. That said, 1960's Matchbox castings were incredibly detailed for their size and pocket money price. This time, I'm using my DSLR Canon 6D camera body and a 24-105mm Canon lens (the lens they throw in if you buy the body and lens package). I've had it 7 years, it wasn't cheap but it's old tech now. That said, value is likely around 600 quid for body and lens, 2nd hand.

 

And here it is in action. The lens is on maximum zoom (the 105mm bit of the 24-105mm lens), which is an optical zoom, not a digital one; digital zoom is rather like you zooming in on a phone screen with finger and thumb, where you're seeing the same image closer up but at the same file size, so it gets more pixelated. Optical zoom allows you to zoom/jump in closer but keep a large file size - which will offer better detail, so long as you've got sharp focus!

Notice I'm using a tripod, to steady the camera. I've used a setting which allows me to have a greater depth of field (more bits in focus) but that means my exposure time for the photo is now seconds long, so a rock steady camera is essential. As a side note, this photo was shot by my iPhone 4 - look how fuzzy our cat looks. Black (or low light) is a hard shade for digital cameras to deal with, let alone ones with an iris the size of a pinhole, as seen on phone cameras.

 

Now check out the number plate and rear door handle on this 50+ year old Land Rover and how sharp I've managed to get them, using a stabilised DSLR, even in low-ish light (to emulate the backdrop), versus the front number plate of that DAF in the first photo above.  Having the ability to manually focus the lens really helps, too. Jabbing a focus dot on a phone screen can be very frustrating to achieve a nice sharp photo - but then digital images are plentiful and you can just take more shots until you get a better one.

 

So, the advantage you have is that you're photographing a still object. A phone can deal with that but might struggle to focus, due to lens limitations. One major benefactor though is a good source of light - digital images are largely crap with too little light. I lit the Land Rover above with an LED torch. If it gives out too much light, 'diffuse' it with anything that will soften it - pair of tights, scrap of net curtain, shower curtain, thin white foam packaging - whatever works!

I won't tell you what device will work for you as your budget will dictate that. But don't underestimate the value of stablising your camera and good light. These two things will work wonders. Practice makes perfect with a phone but a cheap DSLR will ultimately give the best results. I had a Panasonic Lumix digital camera about 15 years ago that had a good optical zoom and a manual focus ring, so something like that could be handy and would presumably be pretty worthless now.

Have a play about with what you've already got to hand and post up some results! I'm sure many of us could offer some constructive feedback.

 

[bunglebus]

I had a lovely Nikon D50 that did ace Macro shots. Think I had something like a 55-300 lens

Of course my ex wife declined to return it to me. Now I have a D3300 with DX 18-55 and 55-200 lenses. It's not as good (or I'm not as good at using it), despite being newer, lighter and higher resolution. The old one did ace long exposure shots too

Most of my pics are taken using my Samsung Galaxy, which does a few tricks like selective focus for blurred backgrounds, but doesn't have a macro mode or any apparent way to alter the depth of field, so it's hard to keep a whole diecast in focus doing 3/4 shots

Only other thing at my disposal is a cheap set of clip on lenses that fit smartphones which can be good for showing small details

My main enemy is lighting or lack of it. Often I use the bedroom, and despite windows in two walls, main light and two dressing table lights, there's not enough or I cast annoying shadows. I have a clip on selfie light which is OK but can cause circular reflections, no good for cars still in the blister either.

Outside on the glass table isn't bad but 9 times out of ten I capture stuff in the background I don't want like the hose or garden furniture. No good when the weather's bad either. Kitchen light isn't great and black worktops/white tiles mess with the phone's light level detection, and the outhouse has nice light to work in but isn't bright enough for pictures

[junkyarddog]

A recent find is this Solido Peugeot J7 minibus. 

I'm guessing it dates from the 80's.

Paid the princely sum of €5.00 for it which I guess wasn't so bad for a older boxed diecast.

 

[Bren]

16 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

Bastards! 😝

That's my whole childhood being culturally appropriated*, right there, etc

Packaging ought to be applauded, though ! 😎  

A bit.

The gits!

At least the mustang is a period colour

[flat4alfa]

Toner Gam was a 1970s series of public works vehicles.  The base code looks like it's from 1976 ?

That Air Inter logo didn't last past the mid-eighties

Bargain

[Frogchod]

One more for my reverse rake window collection. 

It's a Corvette Rondine. 

Still waiting for the Goldvarg Breezeways 😩

Also just got this Ami Super 😁

[Jon]

6 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I had a lovely Nikon D50 that did ace Macro shots. Think I had something like a 55-300 lens

Of course my ex wife declined to return it to me. Now I have a D3300 with DX 18-55 and 55-200 lenses. It's not as good (or I'm not as good at using it), despite being newer, lighter and higher resolution. The old one did ace long exposure shots too

Most of my pics are taken using my Samsung Galaxy, which does a few tricks like selective focus for blurred backgrounds, but doesn't have a macro mode or any apparent way to alter the depth of field, so it's hard to keep a whole diecast in focus doing 3/4 shots

Only other thing at my disposal is a cheap set of clip on lenses that fit smartphones which can be good for showing small details

My main enemy is lighting or lack of it. Often I use the bedroom, and despite windows in two walls, main light and two dressing table lights, there's not enough or I cast annoying shadows. I have a clip on selfie light which is OK but can cause circular reflections, no good for cars still in the blister either.

Outside on the glass table isn't bad but 9 times out of ten I capture stuff in the background I don't want like the hose or garden furniture. No good when the weather's bad either. Kitchen light isn't great and black worktops/white tiles mess with the phone's light level detection, and the outhouse has nice light to work in but isn't bright enough for pictures

Those clip on lenses for close-up details seem like a good bit of kit - never used them before. Again, they're optically magnifying the image, not digitally zooming in, so the file size is of better quality.  That said, you can see how shallow the depth of field is on that Matchbox VW 1500 image, as the number plate is in focus but the bonnet badge is soft(er) and the tail lights very soft! I've had next to no experience with actual macro photography, so only imagine that you could get slightly better results but the cost wouldn't really be worth it.

 

Here's a couple of images shot on my (not very good) phone camera, all naturally lit:

I think the reflection helps draw the eye from hot spots along the top half of the ute's side flanks. Neutral background to allow you to focus on the subject.

 

And here's how I did it - as you can see, I didn't even wipe down all of the hob top, just the bit I needed! Worktop veggie peelings bin was used as I could reach it without even moving.

 

Kitchen worktop found in a hotel room (quite common in NZ). Nice afternoon lighting and mottled worktop gave an interesting result. Car in background just because I thought it looked quite good blurry.

 

Same room had a table lamp which had what must've been a multi-layered surface, giving this double reflection. Again, flank lighting a bit harsh but overall, nice and moody. 'Dutch' angle because I'm incredibly arty.

 

Some period material for period castings is a good way of hiding stuff in the background. Think I used a book as a plinth, to raise the Escort up and not obscure it.

 

Likewise, Corgi Minis. The bump that angles the van is a door ledge, which allowed me to use a strong light source; too strong for the reflection in the windscreen, if I'm being picky. I'm sure you could find scraps of material in the same charity shops you pick up your miniature bargains from!

 

Another dead simple one - a yoga mat! A solid colour which doesn't fold too badly when it bends, means you can create an 'infinity wall' behind the subject - i.e. you don't know where the flor ends and the wall begins, since it doesn't create a harsh shadow down a fold. You can actually see the curve just below the front bumper but it's a very acceptable effect.

 

And yoga mats are big enough to shoot larger subjects on, too. Shooting from above here and using an SLR on a tripod help you fiddle about with the positioning more easily, for framing.

 

Super-advanced skills now - TWO yoga mats, one as floor and one as backdrop, to accentuate the wheel articulation of this Siku trailer and 5th wheel.

 

And now, I'll reveal my go-to light source:

 

An LED torch that uses a drill battery. Relatively cheap but also really useful in general life, so a good investment. Only issue is, it creates a noticeable circle of bright light when up close - which means some bits are way too bright and the other bits of the shot are unlit, so very dark. A stark contrast which isn't very nice.
So I diffuse the light with anything that works, that I can lay my hands on; tissue paper, thin flexible foam from packaging etc. If it needs more diffusing, fold the material a few times. Even some plastic packaging sanded down would likely work - I made a filter for my bedside lamp years ago, which is basically the lid of a plastic takeaway tub, cut to shape and sanded to be opaque. Works really well! You could also experiment with different coloured plastics, too.

 

Here I used the torch, dangled by hand at the correct angle, hopefully emulating the shadows of the cars in the backdrop.

 

And another one, with light coming in from the left of frame, to make similar highlights and shadows as the backdrop. Left the car slightly soft in focus, to match the lower quality printing of the backdrop.

Mucking about with light is a lot easier if you have free hands, so using your DSLR on a tripod will be best. Use the timer if needed, to steady things up and reduce blur. And then while you're at it, put your camera in the highest F stop setting possible, which will give you a much longer focal length (i.e. more is in focus). Higher F stop means more light required (makes the iris hole smaller - like squinting to see something far away) and a much longer exposure time, so these can get a bit slow to achieve. You could make the ISO rate higher but my mantra is "gain=grain" - i.e. larger number=less detail.

I'd say that the best place for you to take easy photos might be your outhouse, or even a loft, as you can control light better when there's less natural light to leak. A bit of polystyrene makes an excellent source of soft lighting, as you angle your light to it and 'bounce' the light from it to your subject.

Anyway, that's likely way too much information and I honestly wish I knew more about lighting, as it's the real key to any good photography.

 

 

[bunglebus]

I'm usually too excited about my latest purchase/finished project to put a lot of effort into the photography. One of the best accidental places I found was on a big sheet of translucent perspex in a shop I was ripping out at the time

I've seen some nice ones on FB with the car on a suspended sheet of glass, looked like it was floating. My little mirrored turntable needs more use too

 

[sheffcortinacentre]

On 10/30/2021 at 2:47 PM, bunglebus said:

I like the manager in my local Entertainer. If he spots me knocking all the Hot Wheels off the pegs he asks if I want to look through their overstock boxes. Yes, yes I do 

Would like a galaxie & F150 lightning but no chance round here.

[flat4alfa]

On 10/28/2021 at 10:35 AM, flat4alfa said:

Any ideas what this is off?

Found

Matchbox King Size, Claas Combine Harvester, K-9

[Datsuncog]

On 10/30/2021 at 9:02 PM, flat4alfa said:

Matchbox Super Kings releases in 2005

What do we know about them?  Clearly US market only.  But why and how and where were the castings sourced?

Well, a little digging reveals that these handsome devils...

... are actually Matchbox Models of Yesteryear castings!

I know, shocked gasps all round.

Seems that these MoYs were released as the American Muscle Car collection through the mail-order 'Matchbox Collectables' line in the mid/late 90s, in two separate batches.

The first lot comprised these, released in 1996 and 1997

YMC01 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle, in red;

YMC02 1971 Plymouth Barracuda 440 6-Pack, in yellow;

YMC03 1967 Pontiac GTO, in blue;

YMC04 1970 Plymouth Road Runner, Hemi in green;

YMC05 1970 Ford Boss Mustang, in yellow; and

YMC06 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396, in black.

Then the second batch was released in 1998:

YMC07 1970 Plymouth GTX, in green;

YMC08 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396, in maroon;

YMC09 1966 Ford Fairlane 500XL, in black;

YMC10 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, in red;

YMC11 1970 Oldsmobile 442 convertible, in white; and

YMC12 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T, in purple.

They're very lovely-looking things, maybe not as detailed as some more recent offerings, but pretty decent for 1/43 models from 25 years ago, no?

I'm not 100% sure these MoYs were ever offered in the UK - and I'm damn certain those fantastic Classic Super Kings weren't - but I think someone on here has at least part of the MoY Muscle Car Collection in their cabinet? The Challenger R/T seems very familiar...

[flat4alfa]

I too have spent some of today falling down the MoY and Collectibles ranges...

https://www.mbxforum.com/ME-Catalog/jnmMCsmenu4.php

https://www.hobbydb.com/marketplaces/hobbydb/subjects/matchbox-collectibles-series

https://www.bamca.org/cgi-bin/sets.cgi?page=coll43&set=1996

https://www.bamca.org/cgi-bin/sets.cgi?page=coll43&set=1998

And have that very same Olds 442 in white watchlisted!

The oddball I've not found previously released is the K-206 El Camino

 

[Bren]

45 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Well, a little digging reveals that these handsome devils...

... are actually Matchbox Models of Yesteryear castings!

I know, shocked gasps all round.

Seems that these MoYs were released as the American Muscle Car collection through the mail-order 'Matchbox Collectables' line in the mid/late 90s, in two separate batches.

The first lot comprised these, released in 1996 and 1997

YMC01 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle, in red;

YMC02 1971 Plymouth Barracuda 440 6-Pack, in yellow;

YMC03 1967 Pontiac GTO, in blue;

YMC04 1970 Plymouth Road Runner, Hemi in green;

YMC05 1970 Ford Boss Mustang, in yellow; and

YMC06 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396, in black.

Then the second batch was released in 1998:

YMC07 1970 Plymouth GTX, in green;

YMC08 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396, in maroon;

YMC09 1966 Ford Fairlane 500XL, in black;

YMC10 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, in red;

YMC11 1970 Oldsmobile 442 convertible, in white; and

YMC12 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T, in purple.

They're very lovely-looking things, maybe not as detailed as some more recent offerings, but pretty decent for 1/43 models from 25 years ago, no?

I'm not 100% sure these MoYs were ever offered in the UK - and I'm damn certain those fantastic Classic Super Kings weren't - but I think someone on here has at least part of the MoY Muscle Car Collection in their cabinet? The Challenger R/T seems very familiar...

I have the second batch. The challenger is my favourite.

[bunglebus]

Finally, some MoY worth having! 

[Schaefft]

In case someone wants another ULEZ bargain BMW:

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1396332