Diecastmolester's Dinky Molestation

[Tinman]

A cheaper postal service would be nice hey Joe?

After the current government plunges usa into further darkness, I am hoping for that "emerging nation status" like China has so we can mail stuff half way around the world dirt cheap.

[misterpop]

Way hay!!Boom boom..






For those outside the UK.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz5ZCu25hVg

[Diecastmolester]

Aaand...Boom!















The "before" and "during" bits:











Two of them are 40Hs, one is an early 254. Note the tooling change of the baseplates.
I don't notice any modification to the body tool, however, it was noticeably more worn when the 254 was cast.

[Squid]

I am hoping for that "emerging nation status" like China has so we can mail stuff half way around the world dirt cheap.

That partially explains how the Chinese list items on eBay with free shipping. I'm still not sure how they can justify their fire-sale prices, though.

Aaand...Boom!

They look really good, as usual. Having been born in the 1970s and never visited Britain, I must ask: were London raxis ever painted colors other than black?

[Diecastmolester]

There never was a rule that London Taxis must be black.
However, most of them were, for some inexplicable reason, with the odd other depressingly dark colour strewn in.
This changed drastically in the 1980s, when - at last - it occurred to Londonish taxi operators, that additional revenue could be raked in by allowing companies to advertise on taxis.
An astonishing strike of genius, decades after it became commonplace everywhere else in the World. Londoners, you know. That London, an obscure World City near England.
What happened then was the complete antidote to black taxis, as if a reciprocal swing of the pendulum had happened. Most of them were wrapped in the most astonishing liveries all over, it really was a sight to behold.

[Diecastmolester]

never visited Britain

Well, it's about time then, I suggest.

[Squid]

A trip across the pond isn't feasible right now, but I'll have to consider it if I ever get bucks-up again. Of course, I'd plan to visit when a big toy fair/show or three were scheduled.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

The FX 3 was the first standardised TAXI in the UK and was made black just because it was a natural colour for many vehicles from the 1940's, so more 'Black Cabs' were around than any other colour so is more of a lucky coincidence than anything else.

Great set of models by the way.

Ghosthunter.

[Tinman]

Wow, impressive job on all three (I want one! ).

[Tinman]

I'm still not sure how they can justify their fire-sale prices, though.

I recently wanted to buy a mini food chopper to replace one that gave up the ghost.  I looked at several online sources and the prices varied from $23.00 to $35.00 (U.S) with Amazon having the cheapest price.  Then, while shopping at my local Dollar General Market (which is a regular Dollar General general merchandise store combined with a neighborhood grocery market) I see the exact same mini chopper on the shelf for $10.00. I went back on Veterans Day and bought it using the 20% discount they offered to Veterans on that day.

I asked a friend of mine, that has a business importing similar stuff from China, how Dollar General can sell the same item for the discounted price of $8.00?  His answer: They start with buying the product in bulk. their cost is about $2.00 a unit at the port.  The other retailers are just seeking a much higher mark-up and that the listed price of $10.00 was a fair price for seller and buyer. In other words, they mass produce the stuff with cheap labor and cheap shipping and have a huge volume in sales.