Datsuncog's Heaps: May 2025 - Corolla vs. Sparkly Stick Action...

[Split_Pin]

Sounds like a plan!

[Zelandeth]

Don't suppose there are any Xantias in amongst that lot are there?  Realise it's a bit modern!

[Datsuncog]

^^^ Daaah!! I do, but I'm hamstrung by this dude's indecision!

[Zelandeth]

^^^ Daaah!! I'm hamstrung by this dude's indecision!

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Yes please!

 

It's even an S1 in the right colour!

 

 

Been looking for one for a while, last attempt got buried in the general for sale/wanted thread I think as I can't keep up with it.

 

Now I'm thinking about it, Lada Riva or Saab (Classic) 900 are also on the wish list - but they're harder to find so unlikely...figure it's worth asking though!

[Datsuncog]

On 4/27/2018 at 2:43 PM, junkyarddog said:

You don't happen to have one of these little Toyota Corolla coupe models lurking in amongst your collection of Tomica,do You?

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Sorry dude - had a look earlier and it turns out the one I had in mind was in fact a Datsun Bluebird. Similar(ish) colour.

Best of luck in finding one, though! I'll certainly keep an eye out at my end.

[Datsuncog]

Right, well - after a bit of prevarication and backwarding and forwarding via WhatsApp over the course of the evening, two positions have emerged:

1. Blokey, aka Fairy Chodfather, is sending a transporter wagon to Casa Datsuncog on Saturday afternoon to collect the Terrible Gooner Twins, and take them away to God-knows-where to do God-knows-what with them. It seems Blokey himself won't be coming down; I'm to give the keys and paperwork to the wagon driver, and watch as they're extracted from my life like a pair of rotten teeth. Interestingly, it transpires he hasn't yet told his wife of his imminent arrivals. I'm sure she'll be thrilled* when the wagon rocks up. No harm to the guy, but I'd rather it's his marriage on the line than mine.
    
2. It appears that the collection of modelshite, or rather my valuation thereof, is a little rich for his blood. Now, I can't say whether he may have been hoping to scoop the lot for tuppence farthing and a lemonade top, but I guess he has to make a living so he's declared himself oot. Now, that's disappointing on several levels, but it does give me the opportunity to try my hand with other avenues. Having looked up a few random samples on Ebay (I know, I know), it appears that I've been undervaluing some of them anyway... and I really do need to make a few sales to repair the hole in the savings account I've created by taking on the Subaru.

So the diecast selection is wide open again... which may be good for some on here.

 

More to follow in the morning; too knackered to type much further tonight.

[Spottedlaurel]

I would certainly be interested in several of those Tomicas. I could select a few from what you've already posted, or are there more?

[Parky]

Maybe get a list put together, whack it up on here for a week to see if there are any takers from this fine forum, and sell the rest via the bay.

 

Yes it is time consuming and the postage will be a nightmare so perhaps spread the load by listing perhaps 30 a week and viewing it as time that would have been spent repairing a Laguna anyway

[beko1987]

Maybe get a list put together, whack it up on here for a week to see if there are any takers from this fine forum, and sell the rest via the bay.

 

Yes it is time consuming and the postage will be a nightmare so perhaps spread the load by listing perhaps 30 a week and viewing it as time that would have been spent swearing at a Laguna anyway

Ftfy

[mk2_craig]

Now I'm thinking about it, Lada Riva or Saab (Classic) 900 are also on the wish list - but they're harder to find so unlikely...figure it's worth asking though!

If DC hasn't got one in stock, I think I still have this 900 FOUR SAIL:

 

 

Its most probably still in my loft with various other mini chod (sorry no Ladas though). I'll have a look later?

[junkyarddog]

Sorry dude - had a look earlier and it turns out the one I had in mind was in fact a Datsun Bluebird. Similar(ish) colour.

 

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Best of luck in finding one, though! I'll certainly keep an eye out at my end.

That's ok.

Thanks for having a look.

I appreciate it.

 

That 120y coupe is great!

[Datsuncog]

On 4/27/2018 at 11:15 PM, Zelandeth said:

Yes please!

It's even an S1 in the right colour!

IMG_20180128_111819.jpg

Been looking for one for a while, last attempt got buried in the general for sale/wanted thread I think as I can't keep up with it.

Now I'm thinking about it, Lada Riva or Saab (Classic) 900 are also on the wish list - but they're harder to find so unlikely...figure it's worth asking though!

Well, that's handy then!

Model is mint; box has a slight crease to the underside where something heavy's been placed on it (more models, probably) but still displays well.

I did have a Saab 900, the same as Mk2_Craig's, but I must have sold that one back in 2013 or so, when I last made a concerted effort to move these lovely, tiny little millstones on.

I don't have a Riva, but do have a Russian-made Lada 1200 in police livery - which is sadly suffering quite badly from metal fatigue and has already come adrift in its box, so I doubt that's much help!

 

If you're interested in the Xantia, could do it for a fiver, posted?

[Datsuncog]

On 4/28/2018 at 7:15 AM, Spottedlaurel said:

I would certainly be interested in several of those Tomicas. I could select a few from what you've already posted, or are there more?

Well, I do indeed have a few more - I was planning on keeping some, but realistically it's not a scale I collect and might be better converting these into cold hard cash...

Here's the ones I was originally planning on selling:

(The boxed ones all appear to be 1970s/80s originals, bar the Honda Element and the Datsun Sunny in racing trim; most of the loose ones are mid-1990s originals except for the 100A Cherry, which is a Chinese reissue)

And here's the ones I was planning on keeping:

^^^^ These four are all Chinese reissues.

 

The taxis are original 1970s/80s; the Isuzu is a reissue I bought in a toyshop in Harajuku back in 2006. The Isuzu also comes with a reprint of the 1974 Tomica catalogue, which is quite nice.

Which brings us to the problem of price.

I'd last looked online a few years ago, and at that point the mint/boxed originals were fetching about £10-20 a piece online.

And when I look now, for example, on a well-known online auction site for a guideline price for my yellow Honda Civic Country (#34)...

Fark me!! What about worldwide?

Lawks-a-mercy.

Now, don't get me wrong - these appear to be highly optimistic Buy It Now prices, so I'm not going to be finger wagging "I know what these is wurf, mate" - but at the same time, this seems to be the way diecast are going (and it's probably why I now can't find boxed Matchbox Superfast for much under £40 these days). There seems to be very few Tomica about, and much as I'd love to let them go to the lovely folk here for £2 posted, I'm aware of the Subaru-shaped hole in the savings account.... *gulp*.

When I was liquidating my vinyl collection, Discogs was a fantastic platform for price-checking and selling items. It was easy to identify rarities (I never suspected my copy of The Smiths' Ask single on 12" would turn out to be a mega-rare Australia-only release, netting me £140) and check how much similar items had actually sold for.

Unfortunately, it seems that no such resource exists for diecast. I signed up for Catawiki a year or three ago as they seemed closest to Discogs for grading and auctioning collectables - but their policies changed just after I joined, so they now only list items worth over $75, rendering it useless for my purposes.

So the dilemma is... do I list them on the shark tank that is Ebay, with all the attendant petty scammery and heartache that will undoubtedly ensue, or simply open them up to offers? I don't want to disappoint anyone; equally I don't want to cut my own throat (skilled as I am in doing that).

Bleh. I'll mull it over while I'm pulling together the paperwork for TAZ and KAZ, prior to the pick-up in a few hours...

[Datsuncog]

Anyhow, back on to Real Cars That Are Inexplicably* Worth Less Than Tiny Cars...

It's a nice day for it.

I'm trusting that Casa Datsuncog's driveway will be 50% less full in 2 hours or so.

Paperwork has been assembled. I hadn't realised that the two wallets had subtly different logos.

Interestingly, for symmetry fans perhaps, it turns out that I acquired KAZ from R9UKE of this parish on 28 April 2014. Four years ago to the day. Weird.

I manage to retrieve the dashcam's power cable from TAZ; in my enthusiasm to do things right on this fine, one-owner French sporting tourer, I'd actually threaded it all through the proper wiring channels somehow. Optimistic fool. I end up having to break the clip to get it off, so I'm still unclear how I managed to thread it through in the first place.

I make a last-ditch effort to retrieve the go-juice from TAZ's tank, but the apparent 'drain plug' turns out to be nothing of the sort. Helpfully, HBOL advises that the best way to go about dealing with fuel in the tank when it needs to be repaired is to make sure you don't have any in there. It also blithely states that any remains can be easily siphoned out, seemingly oblivious to the anti-siphon baffle that seems to be in place at the base of the filler neck, to my chagrin.

I briefly consider pulling the fuel pump out of the tank via the boot floor, and seeing if my magic jiggle pipe can do its stuff (EDIT: actually, that sounds a bit wrong - I'm referring to the Laser jiggle siphon that I wasted my money on a fortnight ago) but the fear of buggering something up and rendering TAZ immobile and doomed to stay on the driveway forever manages to outweigh my miserly nature. Leave it. It doesn't matter anymore.

I do remember to swipe the Halfrauds 100% gen-you-wine leather steering wheel cover, in case Mrs DC might fancy it for the Yaris.

And now... the waiting game begins for the collection wagon.

[Parky]

Somewhere in the distance a lone bugler plays the last post. A deathly silence falls across the neighbourhood.

 

Old ladies emerge from their homes, tears slowly rolling from the corner of their eyes across the paper thin wrinkled skin of their faces. Faces which once were beautiful and never cast a thought to the tragedy that humanity inevitably brings.

 

Old Mr O'Donnell, rarely seen slowly shuffles into his unkempt front garden. He has put on a suit, perhaps one last worn on his wedding day in the fifties which surprisingly still fits his frame. He stands emotionless, his hands behind his back, head tilted slowly downwards as if scanning the ground ahead for pennies as was his want.

 

As Father Sean finishes administering the last rites, those who can see the sad scene instinctively make the sign of the cross. Mothers pull their young children close for comfort. And the Autoshite massive assemble and salute.....

[Datsuncog]

Well... Parky's tribute above couldn't have put it any better. The deed is done. The Terrible Gooner Twins, TAZ & KAZ are gone - their destinies forever tied, it would appear.

The fella on the wagon was VERY surprised that they both started and ran.

He also became VERY surprised at a critical point while loading, because I neglected to warn him sufficiently that KAZ was effectively brakeless.

TAZ's top-end knock was enough to rattle windowframes.

One or other of them was also dribbling an unspecified variety of fluid from somewhere or other.

Hey ho. A chapter ends.

 

Pics and actual video footage of their stately departure from the world of Autoshite to follow, once uploads are complete.

*Sniff*

[MorrisItalSLX]

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

In an ideal world they would be shredded, iron, steel, alloy and plastics separated and actually recycled into something useful rather than sit and rot in another driveway. 

[davehedgehog31]

I've asked Elton John if he'll consider rehashing "candle in the wind" once more.

 

Goodnight sweet princes Kaz and Taz.

[Datsuncog]

On 4/28/2018 at 2:35 PM, The Reverend Bluejeans said:

In an ideal world they would be shredded, iron, steel, alloy and plastics separated and actually recycled into something useful rather than sit and rot in another driveway. 

Oi, these are going to go and rot in a barn, I'll have you know.

In twenty years' time, future-shiters will be screaming with lust as they're unearthed and appear on Googlezonbook for a mere 350,000,000 Yuan or five kidneys.

Or maybe he was just a scrapman with a more lyrical sales patter than most. Either way, No Longer My Concern...

[Datsuncog]

On 4/28/2018 at 2:38 PM, davehedgehog31 said:

I've asked Elton John if he'll consider rehashing "candle in the wind" once more.

"Puddle On The Drive"?

Apt. Very apt.

[bub2006]

It seemed to me you lived your life like a puddle on the drive? Now I'll be singing that to myself! A new chapter awaits. I for one love your anecdotes and look forward to more.

[Guest Hooli]

In an ideal world they would be shredded, iron, steel, alloy and plastics separated and actually recycled into something useful rather than frog shit

 

EFA

[They_all_do_that_sir]

You done the right thing. The forester is a million times better at being a car and a toy especially with the OMGBOOST.

 

Plus the forester isn't far behind the lagunas in terms of rarity, over here at least. So you still have something a bit different.

 

I find some of the roads up around knockagh and beyond to be most excellent for test hoonage without having to venture too far. I imagine the run out to Kells via Doagh and Parkgate would be most enjoyable in said conveyance.

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[Tadhg Tiogar]

You done the right thing. The forester is a million times better at being a car and a toy especially with the OMGBOOST.

 

Plus the forester isn't far behind the lagunas in terms of rarity, over here at least. So you still have something a bit different.....

... and with a towbar fitted, he could find himself towing a horse trailer...

[Zelandeth]

Well, that's handy then!

 

Model is mint; box has a slight crease to the underside where something heavy's been placed on it (more models, probably) but still displays well.

 

I did have a Saab 900, the same as Mk2_Craig's, but I must have sold that one back in 2013 or so, when I last made a concerted effort to move these lovely, tiny little millstones on.

 

I don't have a Riva, but do have a Russian-made Lada 1200 in police livery - which is sadly suffering quite badly from metal fatigue and has already come adrift in its box, so I doubt that's much help!

 

 

If you're interested in the Xantia, could do it for a fiver, posted?

Yes please! Will drop you a PM with address if you don't still have it on file from last time (Xantia dealer brochures...I'm noticing a theme here...).

[Split_Pin]

I wouldn't expect you to have a lot of difficulty shifting the Tomicas on ebay.

 

Offer to buy is still there for your Bluebird though!

[They_all_do_that_sir]

I do have aspirations around building up a collection of models of cars I've owned over the years, preferably in 1:43 scale so I'll be watching your listings with interest although most if not all my cars have been post 1990 so maybe not what you've been collecting.

 

Wifey things the above is extremely sad naturally

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[somewhatfoolish]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4CFmr9mosw

[Zelandeth]

If DC hasn't got one in stock, I think I still have this 900 FOUR SAIL:

 

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Its most probably still in my loft with various other mini chod (sorry no Ladas though). I'll have a look later?

 

Missed this one (was on my phone earlier), if that's still available I'd definitely like it.  Saab's the car I've had the second longest of any in my fleet (the 107 excepted, though that was bought new, so was a bit different), but I've never come across a miniature of it so far.  Drop me a PM and I'm sure we can come to a deal.