Monday 21 February 2011

Job Lot

Picked up this lot at a back-street autojumble in Bristol on Sunday for a measly 4 quid.Alf Hagon smoking his record breaking JAP sprinter - 1/24 scale MADE IN HONG KONG plastic.Same bike, same rider, but 1/35 scale Britains die-cast metal. (The seller also had a pristine one in a box with a white plastic nose-cone fairing, but I'm no obsessed collector).Bastard love child of the same bike?! this time a 1/72 Whizz Wheels. This one was also later badge engineered as a Spiderman bike (I had it as a key-fob for my XS650 chop).Funky 2-stroke Bultaco - don't know what model it's based on, 1/35 French Majorette I think (they used to sell these in petrol stations in France and Spain)1/35 die-cast Britains Speedway riders x2. The detailing is brilliant.1/72 Christmas cracker quality Oriental plastic JAP - a rip-off of the bigger Britains bikes above. Love vintage bikes with 70's mag wheels. Matt black on chrome even better. A real life-size one of these would pretty much be my ultimate bike.1/72 Matchbox die-cast metal. I had this set as a kid but it got nicked in the playground, so I was over-joyed to find this. I cant remember what the hauler was - or if it even came with one? Mystery 1/30 Suzuki? MX stroker. The modeling is all out of proportion but it handles well in kitchen table enduros. I'd love to see how it does in carrot cake. BP

UP DATE:And just when I though buying some dinky toys was going to be the highlight of a grey Sunday, Conrad turns up from London followed by various very important beards from opposite ends of the country, some old friends, others of whom I've met in blogland but never in the flesh. Closed Mondays Gavin, Tommy 9/16ths the Mook, Huggy, Tosh, and Greasy Kulture Guy. (and not shown), Eat The Rich Pete Stansfield, and Steve Stokers (his own blog) (+ speed shop blog), who builds very tidy Triumphs and was at the Verona show in January. 23 Bricks' Jimmy and Renshaw. Good to meet you all.
Luckily I just happened to be wearing my Carhart overalls so I was allowed to tag along with the vintage canvas posse for the day, eat curry and drink cider. BP

10 comments:

Nick said...

Well you had to buy them, if i'd been there would have snapped them up myself, love'em

peterfromhungary said...

Hi Guys,
i have the pink Honda. She haven't a hauler, i love her. But i have a blue Matra Simca Bagheera, that's my hauler

P

Anthony Brown said...

Those tyres look to worn for carrot cake enduro! Someone has given that bike a hammering across a battenburg sometime in a prevoius life!
Or maybe it has seen previous action in a rock cake hare and hounds!

Pete Stansfield said...

So there were some bargains to be had ! nice one Ben and good to meet you..Pete

23bricks said...

Ditto, good to meet you, eat vindaloo and drink apple juice.
My kind of swap meet, I hate those ones crammed with amazing parts.

Captain Highside said...

The elusive Randal Thomas has just that "airstream" trailer to haul his XR750 around on.

Guy@GK said...

Unfortunately I am an obsessive Britains collector and am peeved I missed the only purchase-worthy items there. Good to meet you Ben and nice to hear tales from another wanderer.

Steve@funkyflipflop said...

Good to meet you Ben...

Anonymous said...

if only id know as a boy how valuable those speedway bikes were!!.
had fun wiping em out thou!.

Unknown said...

I found the plastic dragbike and Alf in a 50 p box on Accrington fleamarket today. I recognised it instantly. Missing the nosecone and the clutch lever which Alf only used to put it on the launching stand. The engine has a flywheel motor driven by 2 outrigger wheels.