Shite in miniature

[Mash]

There's now a 1/43 diecast model of the 82-86 Mazda 323 by Sapi. They also make some nice Honda Civics. Just do a search on eBay.

 

No GT version yet though Ed.

 

[Mat.T]

Just been browsing yahoo japan auction looking at kits and there's some fantastically dull shite on there. Shame it's a bit pricey getting stuff off there.

 

Tempted by this 323

 

 

i've been looking for one of these 323 kits for a while, hobby linkjapan do them quite cheap.

http://www.hlj.com/product/FUJ18903

The is so much stuff i want on hobbylinkJapan when i do eventually place on order on i will be buying more than one kit

[Ratdat]

There's now a 1/43 diecast model of the 82-86 Mazda 323 by Sapi. They also make some nice Honda Civics. Just do a search on eBay.

 

No GT version yet though Ed.

 

I've looked at those before but somewhow it looks wrong. I think the wheelarches are a bit big. I might have the get one anyway as it's the only diecast of the BD I've seen.

 

Mat, the trouble with HLJ is they never seem to have anything in stock. I've bought loads of stuff from them in the past but somethimes you have to wait months to get it.

[andrewp]

Here is a link to some of the models in my collection, mostly 1/43 scale and a few have been given the tat look! I'm concentrating on Japanese cars at the moment, a couple of 1/43 early '80s Nissan Cedrics due to arrive any day now.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7998523@N08/

 

[Ratdat]

I just won this beauty on yahoo auctions. Kind of an expensive way to get a kit but I don't care because it's a 710 hardtop!

 

 

[mouseflakes]

Here is a link to some of the models in my collection

Looks like the bodywork modifications are not just limited to the cars Andrew?

 

[pogweasel]

Right then.

 

I rarely wander into this toy car thread (*awaits flaming*)...

 

But just wanted to find out what the hype is about these here "pathfinder" models.

 

Here's one currently on the bay...

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PATHFINDER-MODELS ... 0003197208

 

Obviously, such an item would be of interest to me, being a small version of something I have in full-size.

 

But £325? Are they having a giraffe?

There always seems to be one or two on the bay at an one time, so they can't be rare, surely... I mean trying to find Super Minxes or parts on the bay is usually a bit of a chore, but these things are always there.

 

£325. Mad. That's more than I paid for the full-size. EXPLAIN. PLEASE.

[andrewp]

Those sorts of models always seem to go up in price while Santa is ticking off his list, would not want to pay that for it though, I had a quick look at other Pathfinders for sale and I would really have liked to own the A50 in the photo here for £125 which seems fair considering the detail on it and it's identical to my first car (2nd pic) which I bought at the age of 13 in 1977 for £45 (sold for £225). I've already got the Corgi version of the A50 and added some of my own detail....cost £6. That Pathfinder one looks VERY good though..........

 

[Ratdat]

When companies like Ebbro can make amazingly detailed and accurate models for about £20, I cannot see any justification for prices like Pathfinder charge. I've looked at the pathfinder models and they are good models but really no better than any other qualitu 1/43 scale stuff. It seems that "hand made" is usually the excuse for over priced models. Hand made does not always mean it's a brilliant model either. Basically, I see brands like this as having one sole purpose. Seperating fools from their money.

[bigstraight6]

Yep, those Pathfinder models are outrageously expensive, they are the only company to produce a model of my 'ride' MK3 Zodiac, but I just couldn't justify the spend, even though they do appear to be good models....

[pandamonium]

 

Got this for a pound! Just shows ya!

[Mash]

Some of the Pathfinder models are not particularly good. I went through a phase, before I got my own house and had a good bit of spare cash, of buying a few of the nicer ones like the Super Minx and FB Victor when they came out, they were between £50 and £75 back then.I have a few of the 1950s subjects I'm going to move on at (I hope) a substantial profit to finance my full size stuff, but I agree £325 is bloody ridiculous. Good investment for me if someone is prepared to hand over that kind of cash though. The Standard Pennant is gorgeous and should buy me something I'm currently bidding on on eBay!Only 600 of each example was made, 300 in one colour, 300 in another. Thing is, since then (mid 90s) models have moved on so fast and the diecast companies have cottoned on that people actually want mundane saloons so there's a lot of fantastic stuff at affordable prices.The Super Minx is still unique though I'm pretty sure.

[r.welfare]

Back to the plastic, as a former Belmont owner that Academy-Minicraft Opel-Daewood Le Mans kit is giving me the serious horn. All I need is some metallic brown paint and I'm in business!

[mk2_craig]

Apologies for indulging, RegieRitmo alerted me to the existence of this a while back, it's from that series of eighties cars that Spanish sellers seem to be bombarding us UK Ebay buyers with.

 

 

What's the deal with these? Are they a "limited edition" with say 3000 produced then that's it? I would hope there's other colours released (Citrine Yellow was hardly the most common Ford shade).

 

I started a thread on the XRTwo forum about this model after enduring years of posters moaning "why can't someone make a miniature mk2" but predictably most of the responses were "I'm not buying a Ghia, they could at least have done an XR2"

[Mash]

They're nice models overall, though a few are a bit of a dodgy shape. One of the nicest in this 80s cars series is the Talbot Samba. It's about time we had some models of family cars from this period.

[Mr Lobster]

What's the deal with these? Are they a "limited edition" with say 3000 produced then that's it? I would hope there's other colours released

The Altaya part work series of which these are part originally came with the magaziens series issued in Spain and Portugal. However, slowly but surely they are finding their way over here although the '80's stuff has yet to surface.Assuming these carry on in the same manor as the '70's French stuff produced then no they are not limited editions and are invariably available only in one colour.That said, the Altaya version is a cheaper vaersion of a model already produced by IXO so, if Altaya have done a yellow Fiesta there is a fair chance of there being an IXO Fiesta in a different colour. IXO use the Altaya brand for all the partwork series you see)Hope thats useful.

[mk2_craig]

 

It is useful thanks, as usual I'm wondering whether to hang on and see if prices go down, or bite the bullet and buy some before they go the way of Pathfinder models!

 

I'm hoping they'll get round to producing one of these

[Mash]

That said, the Altaya version is a cheaper vaersion of a model already produced by IXO so, if Altaya have done a yellow Fiesta there is a fair chance of there being an IXO Fiesta in a different colour. IXO use the Altaya brand for all the partwork series you see)

That's quite so. Some of the French ones and even the Japanese series that's doing the rounds at the moment are made by Norev. Buy them from someone in Hong Kong off eBay for a fiver with no box, or wait for Norev to release it in their standard range and get a slightly different version, or often a new colour in a nice box for £23.Take your pick.

[Karmann Ghiaman]

Did anyone see The Money Programme on BBC2 recently? It was about the Hornby takeover of Airfix. What a disaster... They were really pleased to get the old moulds back from France (to Margate), then designed a whole lot of Dr Who crap to be made in China (modern youngsters not being interested in such boring stuff as Spitfires & the Bismarck). The programme makers also tried to get some of today's so-called 'children' to make Airfix models instead of playing with something called a Playstation. Idiots! Why don't they just aim at men in their 40s, 50s & 60s? We may not have quite so much money as our grandchildren, but we can still save up from our pensions and buy the odd kit every now & then.

 

But at least they seemed to be working on a decent new model of a Canberra alongside the Dr Whatsit rubbish.

[MrRegieRitmo]

What's an R5 Copa anyone?http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Renault-5-Copa-1-9-8-3-beautiful-n-4-6-7-15-17-20_W0QQitemZ270194789992QQihZ017QQcategoryZ92172QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[MrRegieRitmo]

Anyone for an Orion?http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ford-Orion-GL-1983-n-gama-taunus-granada-escort_W0QQitemZ270187366908QQihZ017QQcategoryZ92164QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Oh cool I've been waiting for that to be released. I got the Cortina Mk5 and Granada Mk2 in the same sereis and they're fab models. It's great that Ixo/Altaya and so on are around now because they're doing loads of 80s stuff that's never been modelled before. Seat Malaga saloon anyone?!

I too splashed out on a MkV Cortina type Taunus model but then regretted steaming in paying I think £13 or £14 when it suddenly went on general release in IXO's sub £10 junior range. So I've held myself back on the MkII Granny one assuming, hoping it will also go on general release if it hasn't already. I hope they will all do at some point, from an ease of locating & price perspective, as prices always stay fairly hot on popular releases of the partwork models because people must have them ASAP instead of biding their time. For instance, the Taunus & Granada, infact any of the blue Oval models like them & the MkIII Capri were reaching £30+ which is just silly. As far as I'm concerned even Minichamps don't cost that much, so if I'm paying that much, I expect at least that level of quality!Yep got the Malaga a few months ago, only model made of it, as is the Ronda, of which I've gotta spare I will bay in the near future.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Zephyr has a Hull registration

Odd that it's not a Hull firm though. They did a Marina taxi too which was Hull registered but from somewhere else

I've got both a Marina & a Consul taxi which are both Leicester based, Swift cars I think is the taxi co

[MrRegieRitmo]

Note that I gave the Escort Chelmsford plates. Hope you like the purple colour; it seems quite authentic.

You've captured how I saw my first car as a 5 yr old!

 

I got a ride in one once identical to that. I was an impressionable 9 yr old on holiday in Cornwall (again!) visiting that model car utopia in Redruth, the Model Car Garage. The owner's wife, I think, drove a purple MkI Escort with the oblong headlights. As a kid, the MkI Escort was always my favourite car, back when they were still seen about & not worth as much as a two bed apartment in Chelsea. So when we scoured the shop looking for MkI Escort models (they weren't easy to come by in the days before collector's models) & told the owner what we were looking for, not only did I leave the shop with a Dinky MkI Escort panda car model (£15 - thanks Mum & Dad! ) but the owner's wife turned up in her real one & gave dad & I a ride round the block in it. I was like the cat that got the cream! What a day! I put my foot in it a little by exclaiming that I preferred the ones with the round headlights, but I don't think she took it to heart, I was just a kid!

[MrRegieRitmo]

Tempted by this 323

Cool, do you get a scale 'Gal' with it complete with skimpy bikini?

[MrRegieRitmo]

There's now a 1/43 diecast model of the 82-86 Mazda 323 by Sapi. They also make some nice Honda Civics. Just do a search on eBay.

 

No GT version yet though Ed.

 

I've got 2 different versions of the CRX MkI & 2 different versions of the Civic MkIII by SAPI. I've got the CRX MkII & the Civic MkIV by Minichamps. I've got 2 different versions of the Civic MkI by Ebbro & 1 of the Accord MkI. But this probably doesn't surprise you.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Pogweasel, ref your Super Minx, the reason I wouldn't go splashing out on a model like that (based on normal hand built prices, i.e. upwards of £50) is because the way things are going it surely wouldn't be long before a mainstream model manufacturer releases one. And also because £325 is much too much for any model really. Why is that particular one so expensive, I thought the handbuilts were on average between £50-150 depending on the manufacturer.....are Pathfinder the best of the best or something?The only hand built model I've ever shelled out for was a Roxley Models Morris Ital police van but I sold it on after a while because I needed the money (made over 50 squid), I never thought it looked very good & lastly it was 1/48 so didn't fit in with my 1/43 collection. Alas the Ital is still not something we have since been offered by a diecast manufacturer so you could still justify the Roxley Model, if you must! (will any manufacturer see the worth in producing an Ital or is it's appeal too narrow even by unexciting old car standards?)

[MrRegieRitmo]

Here is a link to some of the models in my collection,

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7998523@N08/

Impressive pictures, I took note of one in particular!.....

 

I've been trying to get hold of this model, so if you come across another one, please let me know. I've got it in black, but this green one is so damn attractive!

 

 

[MrRegieRitmo]

I thought it may have been mentioned on this thread, but I can't find it. I know Mr Welfare has mentioned them previously, these large scale plastic Saab & Volvo models made in Finland. I had a 245 DL I sold on the bay a couple of years ago, it was knackered but still made a few quid!Well here's a site showing all of them you could get. Click on the link on the left hand side 'Promo cars'.http://www.fintoys.com/

[andrewp]

Glad you liked my photos RegieRitmo, I got my 1/43 16TX from China (ebay) a year or so ago, it's the Universal Hobbies version and has good detail. I saw minichamps now do one, not a TX though; http://cgi.ebay.com/RENAULT-16-GOLD-MET ... otohostingI will keep an eye out for one the same as mine, Norev do one but the interior does not look as good as the UH version in my opinion.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Glad you liked my photos RegieRitmo, I got my 1/43 16TX from China (ebay) a year or so ago, it's the Universal Hobbies version and has good detail. I saw minichamps now do one, not a TX though; http://cgi.ebay.com/RENAULT-16-GOLD-MET ... otohostingI will keep an eye out for one the same as mine, Norev do one but the interior does not look as good as the UH version in my opinion.

Oh you opted for one of the boxless ones nicked off the production line by one of the factory workers! I've got that gold Minichamps one with the dog on the front passenger seat - bad dog! Also got it in white but dogless.I assumed the UH & Norev ones were the same casting shared between them! I have a Norev TX in black. Either way I still hanker for the metallic green TX you have there. Had a chance to buy one a couple of months ago but I hung back & somebody else swiped it. *Note to self - never hang back!*