| Archive for silversurfers.myfreeforum.org The Premier Forum for the Over Fifties! |
| Sandie Seward |
Diecast Collecting.One of my main interests is the hobby of Diecast Models. I have an extensive collection of Dinky Toys, Corgi Toys, Vanguards, and many other manufacturers. My favourite scale is 1/43, and in this scale I have many British, European, and American cars.I do not worry about them being 'Mint and Boxed', (MIB), if they are interesting and 'playworn', they find a place among my collection. Here are just a few of them. Hope you like them. 
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| Sandie Seward |
Here's some more of my Diecast Collection.
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| Sandie Seward |
My latest Dinky.
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| Maywalk |
Super models Admin.
Have you one of the Ford Classic four door saloon 315. 
We had one of these cars for 38 years and she was still in pristine condition when we had to part with her even though she was used every day. She had more rub ups than I ever did.   
We used to go to all the car shows and many youngsters used to come and ask us if we wanted to sell her. When we did finally let her go my son had the number plate 31 BJU and has it put on any new car he buys. |
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| Sandie Seward |
Sorry, Maywalk, the nearest I've got to that is a two-door Ford Capri, (the early Capri, not the later Mustang models). It has the same front end styling as the Classic though! 
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| Maywalk |
I have one in my unit of a Classic 315.
If I can get my granddaughter to take a photo of it I will put it on here. The boot was massive on the Classic. Never seen a car since with a boot that big. We have not got a car now because hubby has osteo arthritis in his feet and legs which is why we had to part with Betsy (the car). 
I could not drive. The only thing that I could drive was my hubby up the wall.
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| Sandie Seward |
Two 'Classic' Photos.
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| Maywalk |
Thats the model Admin.
Many a tale to tell about Betsy.
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| Sandie Seward |
Whilst i'm in the process of updating all the pics on here, I have included some of my latest Russian models. Most of them have been purchased directly from Russia.
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| Ken R |
It certainly looks the business Admin and you won't see many of them around here either ! 
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| marieann |
you must have an awful lot admin. I don't understand about the hearse, was it originally an ambulance and you decided you wanted it changed? Is it just the paintwork that has been altered and is it an old model? | ||
| Sandie Seward |
Marieann, to date I have around 700 various Diecast models. I have to pack some of them away now due to running out of display space.
Yes, the hearse was originally an old 'playworn' Corgi Ambulance that I picked up at a bootsale for £1. It was, however complete with good wheels and tyres and fully glazed. Then my friend in America posted a picture on our Diecast Forum of a similar model that he had converted into a hearse, so I sent him an e.mail and he offered to convert my model for me. He has made a really good job of it, and he returned it about a fortnight ago. The conversion took him about a month, between his other jobs. (He restores and sells model cars.) It's like the picture of the six-wheeled Morris Minor van in one of my earlier posts, that was also a conversion from two separate models. That particular one, (the pride of my collection), was hand built and featured in the Diecast Collector magazine last August. I remember seeing a photo of it and thinking, "Wow, that's great. Wish it was mine." Well almost four months later, (in December) I was browsing through eBay (as I do quite often), and to my great suprise, there it was, up for sale by auction. So I kept track of it, (the auction ended on Christmas Morning), and it still had no bids on it . I logged in on Xmas Morning and it was still there with only a few minutes to run, it had a 'starting bid' of £9.99 so I placed a bid of £29.99 on it thinking that I'd have no chance of winning it . When I logged back in after lunch, lo and behold! Mine had been the only bid, and I had won the auction and got the model for just over a tenner.! Believe me, I was so pleased, it made my Xmas. I later exchanged messages with the seller who said that he was very disapointed that it had gone for so little, however he was pleased for me. I wrote back to him saying that he could rest assured that it was going to a good home with someone to look after it.
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| marieann |
Do you catalogue them admin 700 is a huge amount even though they aren't bulky. Do you recycle them every now and then the way I do with my china? Put one lot in a box and put another lot out for display. It would be lovely to have room to display everything. | ||
| Sandie Seward |
 I know that I should catalogue them, Marie, but it's a very time-consuming piece of work to do so. Yes, I do 're-cycle' them from time to time, I also have a box of 'scrapyard' models that are beyond display status, some are complete but very playworn or damaged, and some are quite literally in bits. But I keep them 'just in case' someone needs a spare part.
I also have a few that I've attempted to 'restore', but I'm not very skilled at restoration work. My eyes are not really up to working with the small components, plus, I do not really have anywhere at home to use as a restoration bench. 
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| Ken R |
Cataloguing your collection is a nightmare I have started that many times but never seem to be able to catch up. At the moment, I think my buying is outstripping the cataloguing by a factor of about 2 to 1
All my models are scattered around the house, I couldn't bear ro have nay of them under cover anywhere The dusting can be a bit of a nightmare too, but only if you dust Just clean the cobwebs off the cranes now and then and all is hunky dory
Collecting models of earthmovers and diggers is a big help when it comes to dust lying around, it kind of gives them some ambience, you can leave tire and track marks in the dust so that every window sill and shelf looks like a building site
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| Ken R |
I like the group of 4 routemasters Admin, very colourful and they certainly make a change from just seeing them in London Transport livery.
You must be very proud of having your own personal Routemanster as well, it looks really good in the two tone blue livery
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| Ken R |
The green 1800 is just like one I owned when I was married, a brilliant car to drive. I also had an A40 when I was first in the forces, mine was battleship grey lower body with a Dulux Gloss Black roof (all my own work ) The A40 bit the dust one Sunday night in North Yorkshire as I was returning to camp down south, I don't know exactly what was wrong with it, but it seemed terminally broken I removed the number plates and pushed it off the old A1 into a field and hitch hiked backto camp, I never saw or heard anything about this car ever again 
Happy Days
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| marieann |
I do enjoy looking at these admin. I don't know one car from another. I really like the red one is it a jaguar or is that just the blue one.
Tony drove Routemasters he always told me that there was only London and the Northern General Transport had them. They did a limited number model of a Northern bus about twenty years ago for an anniversary and I bought him one. |
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| Ken R |
I remember seeing the Northern buses when I visited Newcastle as a kid, they were always in the Haymarket and Gallowgate bus stations. I do remember the Northern routemasters as well. My dad used to drive buses for Tynemouth and District, the first ones he drove were Guy Arabs and the last ones he was on were the brand new Leyland Atlanteans, the frist rear engined bus I ever saw
Happy Days
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| Sandie Seward |
Marie, the red one is a rare Dinky Toy Alfa Romeo 'Tipo' . Dinky did not make too many of these, nor in actual fact did Alfa themselves!
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| Sandie Seward |
Great Stuff! I had a 'result' earlier today, my 'little gem' (the Dinky Lorry) sold on eBay for over four times what I paid for it! (Must be doing something right.)
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| Sandie Seward |
Some more recent pics of just the tip of my collection.Hope you like them.
[ More to come, but I don't want to saturate the Forum, just yet...
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| marieann |
I know a little boy who would come and live with you and those models Ken. Whether you wanted him to or not.
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| Ken R |
Some might say that there is already a "little boy" living with these models Marie
And yes, I do play with them, to me, models are not just for looking at, they need to be handled a played with as well, that's what I did as as a kid and thats what I do now
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| Sandie Seward |
I remember you mentioning that model before, Ken. It is a stunner! Ron Dennis seems to be a really nice man, and you were very lucky to meet him and to do work for them. Did you get to meet any of the McClaren drivers? | ||
| Ken R |
You are right about Ron Dennis Admin, he is really nice and very down to earth when you talk to him. I've also met Frank Williams and he is pretty
much the same. When I did some work for McLarens, I got to meet Ayton Senna on a number of occasions and also Gerhard Berger, also at that time, I met their test driver who was Dr Jonathan Palmer. |
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| marieann |
I am trying to remember McClaren being that colour and I think it was before I got really interested and was a Williams fan.
It is a lovely model Ken I bet you treasure it.
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| Ken R |
Hi Marie, yes, the model is in the old Honda Marlboro McLaren colours of the 90s, the red and white being the "house" colours of Marlboro cigarettes.
The model is special to me as it was presented to me when I signed a contract with McLaren on behalf of an American company I worked for at that time. |
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| sheriff |
Here are a few of my collection of Emergency vehicles, on show at the Elgin Model Engineering Exhibition a couple of years ago.
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| Ken R |
very nice collection Sheriff, there's one or two there I recognise from my time spent living in the USA
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| Sandie Seward |
A stunning collection, Sherrif, many thanks for sharing them with us. They make an interesting display.
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| Ken R |
I reckon you'd get another nice Yankee hearse out of the bottom one Admin, or are you going to keep it as it is ?, it does look in quite good condition. | ||
| Sandie Seward |
This ones staying 'original', Ken. Don't want too many hearses, not Yank ones anyway. I'm looking for a couple of British ones now.
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| Ken R |
I don't think I've ever seen an original model of a British hearse, I think the toymakers of the day thought it a tad too sombre a subject for a kiddies toy ! Good luck with your quest though
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| Sandie Seward |
That's the thing, Ken. I doubt very much if there is such a model. It will have to be a Code Three I think. I'm running a search on both eBay and Specialist Auctions for one even as we speak.
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| Sandie Seward |
[color=blue]Some 'further additions' to my collection.
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| Ken R |
That camper van brings back memories Admin, I bought one with my birthday loot just after they came out, if I remember rightly , it was around 7/6p ! I loved it as it had sponge bench seats in the back !! | ||
| Sandie Seward |
A Rare Diecast indeed.Struck gold this afternoon, whilst visiting the little Arts & Crafts Units at my local Country Park.A very rare Politoys Osi Bisiluro! (Silver Fox) From the early 70's, and only 50pence from a box of old toys inside a shop there.Mine is painted silver, and Made in Italy. Apparantly, this model was a 'Concept' car that never actually went into production, and the minitures now command high prices. My Price? Fifty Pence!
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| Ken R |
You certainly seem to find some unusual cars Admin I personally think it looks really cool, it's a pity they never made it into production.
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| Sandie Seward |
Ken, it never ceases to amaze me, this hobby of collecting Diecasts. I've been doing some online research into this vehicle, and apparently it was concieved in 1973 and built around the 'catamaran' principle of having a double hull! It was powered by a French (Alpine) engine, and built in Italy to take part in the Le Mans 24 hr race. It's an extremely rare model, and I was lucky to find one, even luckier that the seller had absolutly no idea about it's value to a collector!
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| Ken R |
I must admit Admin, I have never seen anything like it ina ll my years collcting, but in my defence, I'm not really into cars as such. It's a great little model and you were really lucky to come across it at such an unbelievable price as well, well done you
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| Sandie Seward |
I noticed that a lot of my early pictures have disapeared, so let's hope these two don't go the same way.
These are two "Oxford Diecast" models that only arrived this weekend. They are both Paralanian Camper Vans, based on the Austin and Morris J2 Chassis. I am over the moon with them, quite honestly, the pictures don't do them proper justice, as they look even better in the flesh, so to speak. The brown one is the Morris, and the blue and cream one is the Austin. Although they both look very similar at first glance, if you look closer you will see that their are subtle differences between them. The front grills are different, as are the headlights. 
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| Sandie Seward |
Just a quick "heads up" on this Board. I noticed earlier today that a lot of the original pictures had somehow gone missing, so I spent a little time refreshing this subject. I have deleted a few of the unimportant posts, and put up new pictures of some more recent additions to my collection.
So if some of the posts read a bit strange, and the pics showing the particular models have gone, don't worry. Hope you enjoy the new photos. |
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| JoJo |
They do look in excellent condition, we only have the thomas the tank engine ones the grandchildren play with,but if they keep them in good condition they might well be collecters items in years to come. | ||
| Sandie Seward |
Always try to keep the boxes, they are always worth more that way. In the case of some of the older Dinky and Corgi models, sometimes the empty box is worth more than it's contents.
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| Sandie Seward |
The latest addition to my collection of British cars, is this Vanguard model of the Triumph Stag.
One of the more desirable British sports cars. I was fortunate enough to get the chance to drive one, from Coventry back to Oxford. There was I, spinning through the Summer Countryside in this beautiful car, top down, and feeling a million dollars. Only problem was, it wasn't mine, but belonged to a customer of the firm I was working for at the time.
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| JoJo |
Bet you felt very posh Sandie, nice model too
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| bluebedouin |
If you haven't got the boxes,there is a seller on eBid who actually makes them as reproductions.
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| Sandie Seward |
I can get repro boxes from somebody on the Diecast Drive-in Forum, Blue, but I don't ever bother, about the boxes.
If the model comes with one, fine, if not, it's not a big issue as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, though.
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