ATM 17: 1918 Atkinson Steam Wagon "Cockerell's Coles"

[francipe]

I also found a couple of limited editions in the auction listings in the last few issues of the MICA Magazines.

ATM01 Fidalgo Island 1/10 guide price £90

ATM10 Michelin 1/14 guide price £70

[Tinman]

I'm guessing, from the published pricing shown, that these models did not bring in much (if any) profit for the club. They must have been luxury items for those fans of Code 2 models (as well as others who desired to continue adding to their collection as YY production dried up).

[francipe]

I'm guessing, from the published pricing shown, that these models did not bring in much (if any) profit for the club. They must have been luxury items for those fans of Code 2 models (as well as others who desired to continue adding to their collection as YY production dried up).

Hi Tinman,
I'm not sure how professional the production line was for the Matchbox Club/MICA Code 2 models. They had good contacts within Mattel so getting donor models probably wasn't expensive. I'd always imagined the process being a garden shed type operation. Drill out a rivet or two, possibly remove the wheels, wipe the original tampo print and reach for a spray can. Judging by the amount of paint on some of these models I don't think they were stripped back to bare metal, just oversprayed.
There's a seller on eBay who has recently started selling 'home produced' limited edition Code 3 models. Here's a few photos.

I think it's safe to say he's not making a loss on these

[Tinman]

Interesting, perhaps I should start calling all my models "Re-manufactured" and things like "limited edition." Everything made in my garage would now be "Re-manufactured limited edition models made to the highest quality standards in our state of the art Facility." I can follow that up with:  "These high quality limited edition highly collectible models are exclusively available from The Tinman Historic Model Restoration Society.  Act now as availability is extremely limited. All funds benefit the Tinman Historic Model Restoration Society."