Three Shades of Grey...

None of these Land Rovers were made in these colours but I had a few that were in need of repair and this is how they finished up. Just for a change, really.

Pale blue and white

Two items in blue and white arrived this week. The first is quite a remarkable find that I couldn't resist - the 271 Ghia Mangusta De Tomaso with an original aerial. I say original but I haven't actually seen any replacements that look the correct size anyway. And I am not sure they would be that easy to fit. if they were then surely there would be far more for sale with an aerial. As it is, I'd be surprised if there were any - even the nice, new-looking boxed models have more often than not lost it.

It doesn't have a box but it looks very clean and only has tiny marks along its front edge. Otherwise it's great. I would get a reproduction box but the window type required, with its inner display bit, isn't cheap.

The second is a common little car but one that has eluded me for a couple of years.

I've had a few bronze and white Triumph Heralds, one as a boy. I liked the heavy feel and the opening bonnet was fun. I didn't really see the point of the black plastic bit. Was it an oil filler cap or the air filter? Someone actually decided to do that - it makes me smile to imagine what some of those planning meetings must have been like! Finding a blue and white one in decent condition and at a reasonable price has taken a while. There have been plenty to buy but they've all been really quite expensive. Neither colour seems to have been particularly scarce and the cars don't get broken suspension or tired like several others do so many more ought to have survived.

The only problem seems to be the tendency for paint to chip off the many sharp areas - like the headlamp surrounds and rear fins. That does often spoil the appearance of the car.

This one seems to have a bent front bumper. The whole of the lower front area provides the hinge for the bonnet and I remember one breaking when I was trying to put pieces together some time ago. So I am not going to risk trying to straighten that on this one. There are two quite different types of the Triumph Herald, obvious in how the base is fixed and how the bonnet hinges and interacts with the radiator section.

This is, though, a nice condition and original model. Quite a few I've seen have been touched up, especially in the white areas. 

Both are now for sale again and hopefully they'll find someone to give them good homes and I'll be able to afford some of the outstanding variants I still need.

I can't think of many other pale blue and white models. The 273 Rolls Royce is the closest that comes to mind but that is really not white but cream. The Morris Cowley has a much brighter blue. The Citroen DS19 'Le Dandy' Coupe is a metallic blue, as is the Oldsmobile. In fact there is only one other - and that is the Citroen Monte Carlo DS19.

Now that's interesting - another car that suffers from aerial loss!!

The Magnificent Mini

One of June's arrivals is a nice green #334 Mini. These seem to go as fast as they come in and do represent what might have been the peak of the Corgi era. This was December 1968 and the engineering is tremendous. There is a lot going on in this model: doors, tilting seat backs, a sliding roof blind, opening boot and a detailed engine under an opening bonnet. Chrome running all around, just like the strip that real minis had. That is also cleverly moulded into an attractive radiator grill and even has the double bars at the corners.

Add a couple of jewelled headlamps and a consistently excellent paint finish and it looks pretty good for 7/6d, especially as The Monkeemobile, released at the same time and which didn't do anything, cost a shilling more.

The window box they came in tended to get broken easily and thrown away so they're hard to find now and most I see are unboxed. They're probably worth specialising in and getting some decent reproduction boxes for as I can see these being one of the models that will always be in demand.

The base bills it as a BMC Mini Cooper S and the box calls it a Mini 'Manifique'. I don't don't about the 'Manifique' bit but it certainly looks right for the Cooper S.

Even the badge shape is right! Amazing. There weren't that many around in those days.

Oldsmobile to Gjøvik, Norway

A really nice Oldsmobile Super 88 is making its way to Gjøvik in Norway. Nice place - although the roofs look like a certain type of woollen hat that was popular a few years ago.

An Imp in The Old Cricket Mews

I think this Hillman Imp will be at home in somewhere called Old Cricket Mews in Southampton. This was a completely wrecked model but, as a bronze edition having the really scarce jewelled fog lights, it was too interesting to discard. I even repaired the suspension. All the windows were replaced.

I do have another, oddly enough, which is reasonable and will stay intact. No idea yet when or why these came along.

An old lorry, a mini and The Avengers restored

May's additions to the collection ended with an odd mixture but each is quite interesting.

First is this nice red Austin Seven, an early version with the fixed flat wheels and holes in the base. Somehow the steering wheel has become detached from the facia. I may be able to get at it through the wheel arch and the hole where it needs to be pulled back into but I may leave it for someone else if it sells before I get round to that!

The Renault 16 first appeared like this, designated Gift Set 13 with a camera, cameraman and there would also have been a cyclist and bike in the box. This version has the quite rare red decals on the headboard and is in excellent condition.

I had only one or two commercial models in my own collection and it has only been the Bedford CA vans that I've been adding recently. After completing most of the farm models, the next step is to start getting hold of the various lorries and other types of van that were issued. It looks like there were just a few main types, one being the good old ERF lorry that was there almost from day one. This is the flat bed type #457 and only appeared in this colour combination, a quite nice combination of light and mid blue. 

I had almost run out of The Avengers models and along comes this restored set. the box is pretty faded but it is, at least, sturdy and looks reasonably good in the photos or on display. The cars themselves have been really well done and it is really difficult to tell that the Bentley isn't original. The green version with red wheels, despite not being a version that Steed drove, is popular and was one of the less common combinations available in the original sets. This is, therefore, something that might appeal to those who don't appreciate my other combinations .

I do not have a hope of getting an original set when just the cardboard protection piece sells like this!!

James Bond Aston Martin 261 variations

Having just acquired a nice original gold model which someone wants me to sell for them, I thought I had better make sure I described it properly. I had read about there being two types of cast used but I hadn't actually looked very closely at any of my models until now. Now I can see that there are some pretty obvious differences and thought I might also share these with whoever passes by.

So here we go. Let's start with the most obvious one.

Type A with sidelamp, sharper front edge to vent and bumper extends all around wing

Type B no sidelamp, softer vent edge and shorter bumper

Type A better-defined wing vent, angled forward

Type B less well-defined wing vent, angled back

Type A indented centre of rear light cluster, rectangle below plate, square corners to plate

Type B rear light cluster has protruding bottom and centre sections, a curved edge to shape below plate, rounder corners to plate

Type A angled recess for ejector button on base

Type B square recess for ekjector button

Now I am sure there are many other differences but these were the main ones I noticed that seem to be consistent across a batch of models. I don't know which came first. the #218 Aston Martin DB4, on which this is based, had two sidelamps clearly showing so I am inclined to think that Type A was first and they got erased later. Someone will know but I haven't been able to find an answer elsewhere. As and when I do I'll update this.

For those who may be interested here are the items that have just come in and will be appearing for sale on the site soon.

A beautifully clean and original #270 first edition with silver chromework

An excellent #336 Toyota 2000GT with its original box

The 1:36 Lotus Esprit in an original 1977 type box

An excellent and original #261 Type B