Diecast Car collectables & other diecast toys

Diecast Cat

During one of the COVID-19 lockdowns I wanted a project to work on with my daughter. She likes websites and toy cars so Diecast Cat was born. 

We bought a few job lots of diecast toys and models from Facebook Marketplace and set about cataloguing them and building an online store using Wordpress and Woocommerce. I wanted my daughter to see that making money can be fun, but there are concepts that need to be understood.

Screenshot of our diecast collectables website

The diecastcat.shop website ran for a couple of years and sold a few cars, but didn't exactly revolutionise the world of diecast collectables. The website has now been shut down but I wanted to create an archive of some of the work myself and my daughter put into this. So this blog post is an archive.

Diecast Cat homepage text

Probably the worlds largest online shop for collectable toy cars and other diecast models. All items are available for sale right now, there are no auctions. The price you see is the price you pay, plus shipping!

Welcome to Diecast Cat. We hunt the world for collectable diecast models and toys. We are here to bring you not only the rare and the collectable, but also the interesting, the obscure and the occasional bargain.

We are currently focussing on building our car collection, but we also source and supply a number of other diecast models. Diecast toy models online

We have the largest selection of diecast toy cars for sale. Our collection includes classic, vintage and modern models from all over the world. Whether you’re looking to add a new car to your collection or start one from scratch, we have something for everyone!

We’ve scoured the world to bring you this interesting collection of pre-loved diecast toy models. You can find all kinds of rare and unique items, like vintage Matchbox cars from the 1960s, Hot Wheels from the 1970s, or even some modern-day collectables that are hard to find in stores today. This is your one-stop-shop for everything related to diecast toys!

Are you a diecast toy model collector?

If you’re looking for something specific, we have an advanced search feature that allows you to filter by brand name, year released, and more. Our easy-to-use website makes it simple for anyone looking to add new pieces to their collection or start a new collection.

About page

Diecast Cat was started by Andrew Laws, who after a lifetime of being fascinated by diecast toy and models decided to make it a bigger part of his life.

Andrew’s daughter Issy (who was nine at the time) helped set up the business and continues to be involved in a genuine way with business decisions and operations. That’s why the logo looks the way it does; that was part of her contribution. Issy receives a percentage of the profit from each sale based on her level of participation in the business.

We are really proud of what we have achieved with Diecast Cat, but if you have any suggestions that might help us improve any aspect of what we do and how we operate please get in touch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where to buy diecast cars?

You can buy new diecast cars in many online stores, including the very large store that was named after a large river. There is also a large online auction where you can bid on collectable diecast cars that are not brand new. We recommend Diecast Cat (of course we do!).

But the world of diecast cars is about more than what’s available on the Internet. If you keeps your eyes peeled you’ll be amazed at the places diecast collectables of all types start to pop up!

How to display diecast cars?

This is eternal debate. If your diecast car is collectable and / or valuable should it be on display at all? We think it should. Unless your diecast collectable is super-super valuable we also think that it should be played with. So therefore perhaps the best place to display diecast cars is upside down on a carpet in your house, surrounded by toys and other items of delight. If that documentary ‘Toy Story’ taught us anything it’s that toys like to be played with, and need the company of other toys.

What diecast cars are worth money?

All diecast cars are worth ‘some’ money, even if it is only a few pennies. Some collectable diecast cars are worth a whole wodge of money. Figuring out which cars are worth money is a big challenge. There’s a very big online auction site you may have heard of where people sell diecast models and toys that they believe are particularly valuable. Our recommendation is to search for completed and sold items, because some of the prices for items currently for sale (so unsold!) can be a bit optimistic.

Andrew Laws Associates Ltd is now Yeseo

 I have been working in SEO for many years. I would say too many years to count, but that's not true. I started in 1998. Over the years I have used several brand names but if I'm honest none of them have ever felt quite right. Until now.

From 2013 until 2022 I used the name Andrew Laws Associates Ltd, but the name was problematic. A lot of people I met thought I was a lawyer. The brand also didn't reflect what my SEO Agency does, or what it is like to work with us.

At the start of 2022 I started an intensive re-branding exercise with the brilliant designer Jack Hagley. The process of choosing a new brand name was more challenging than I could have imagined, but was also a lot of fun. For a while I nearly choose the name Qabe, but decided that this name was also problematic because nobody knew how to pronounce it. Then a friend (who is also a client) suggested Yeseo. 

So here we are. Andrew Laws Associates Ltd is still the registered company name, but from now on we will be trading under the name Yeseo.

Say hello to SEO at https://yeseo.io/

Andrew Laws Associates Ltd is now Yeseo

DPD app set to porch - DANGER!

Public service announcement about the DPD app!

If you have the DPD app make sure what you have set as your 'safe place'. I had a £430 package stolen from my doorstep a few weeks ago. DPD pointed out that I had 'porch' set as the 'safe place' in the DPD app on my phone. 

There is flat-out no way I would have ever chosen 'porch' as my safe place. DPD won't be drawn on whether 'porch' is the default safe place, but if you have the DPD app I recommend you check.

So why do I know I did not set 'porch' as my safe place?

Not only do I not have a front porch or a front garden, having lived on my street for 20 years I also know that the people who travel through my street will nick anything that's not screwed down. Or in the case of the brass numbers that were stolen from my front door, actually being screwed down is no deterrent.

I contacted DPD and asked what they tell their drivers to do if the safe place is set to porch, but the driver arrives and there is no porch. The answer is they leave the parcel in the street. If it gets nicked, then tough shit, DPD consider themselves to have done their part of the job.

Please don't reply to this post offering advice, believe me, I have tried everything. My only option at the moment is that the thief gets arrested and I am compensated by the thief via a conviction / the courts. The same person who stole my package stole £50 worth of food from our doorstep a few days later.

TL:DR Check what your DPD app has declared as your safe place. If it is set to a part of your property that does not exist (like your porch) then you could find yourself losing out in a big way.

Google Meet can't find camera but I can see it

 Here's a fun thing. I can see myself when using Google Meet but nobody else can see me. I can see myself in the top right hand corner during Google Meet sessions. But a Google meet error is telling me that I have no camera connected. 

I can test my camera settings in Google Meet, but after the recording test (during which I can see myself) I am shown the error message 'Recording isn't available. Turn on your microphone and camera.

Here are the things I have checked:

1. Does the camera work? Yes, all software can see and use the camera. Google Meet can see the camera but will not broadcast the image to other meeting participants.
2. Is another bit of software using the camera and blocking Google Meet from using it? No. I have even rebooted several times and checked running processes to ensure no other software is using the camera
3. Is the camera disconnected? I have two cameras, one is USB, the other is a part of the screen on my Macbook pro. The cameras are definitely there (see point 2 above)
4. Are the security settings in Google Chrome blocking the camera? No. I have checked in the Chrome settings and the fact I can see the camera image prove the camera is not blocked
5. Is the camera blocked in Mac OS (Big Sur) settings? No it is not.
6. Has anything changed since the Google Meet could last use the camera properly? Yes, I had to install Microsoft Teams. I have since uninstalled Microsoft teams.

For now I'm abandoning Google Meet and will use Zoom instead. This is far from ideal.

I'll post again when I fix this.

How to FIX Action required: There’s an issue with your Trello account

The Trello / Atlassian one email, two accounts problem

I received a notification alerting me that my email address was being used for two different Trello accounts, warning me that I will lose data if I don't take action, but taking action appeared to be challenging.

Like a lot of people I have been using Trello for years. When Atlassian bought Trello they wanted to everyone to migrate their Trello account to be an Atlassian account. Somewhere in this process I ended up with two accounts. One was empty, one was not.

On the 15th January I received an email with the title 'Action required: There’s an issue with your Trello account'.

"You or an organization admin changed your Atlassian + Trello account email to (redacted business Google workplace email address). This email address is already in use by a different Trello account that is not linked to Atlassian. This means there are now two separate Trello accounts that use the same email address to log in.

This situation can cause account access and content permission problems. To prevent these issues, you can do a few things:

• Change the email address associated with either your Atlassian or Trello account
• Transfer your Trello boards from one account to the other
• Delete either account, if you no longer intent to use it

If no action is taken, the email address of the Trello account that is not linked to Atlassian will change, which could result in possible loss of access. For help with logging in or other questions, visit our help page."

The problem

If I tried to log in using my Google-linked workplace Google Workplace business domain I got through to all my Trello boards (via Atlassian).

If I tried to log into my 'other' Atlassian account with the same email address so I could merge accounts, I was shown an error message stating 'This account doesn't have a password set - perhaps you normally log in with Google or SSO? If you're stuck, choose 'Can't log in?'

The problem I faced was figuring out how to log in using my Google-linked workplace Google Workplace business domain email address when it was linked to my active Trello account.

The fix

I opened a different browser that wasn't logged into my workplace Google account and tried to log in at https://trello.com 

I entered my email address but no password and clicked the login button. It's important to note that I did not follow the 'log in with a Google account' prompt that popped up.

The login failed because I didn't enter a password. This failure is a part of the process. So I clicked the 'can't log in' link and was taken to a password reset page. Here I again ignored the 'sign in with Google' prompt and entered my email address.

When the password reset email arrived I copied the link and went to another new browser. I pasted in the link and was prompted to enter a new password, which I did. After I logged in with the new password I went straight to account settings and changed the email address on the account.

This appears to have fixed the problem. So I still have two Trello accounts, but will ignore one of them.

This solution works well because it is a bad idea to delete the secondary account in case any permissions or card features rely on it. These kind of work arounds can be a bit of a nightmare, so I hope I've helped with this blog post.

Buy me a pint (please!)

If this fix helped then you are more than welcome to buy me a pint!

To buy me a pint (£4.30) click the PayPal button below.

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Bitcoin tips

Alternatively you can thank me with a little bit of Bitcoin (it's the future!)
Please send whatever you feel like sending to the following address:
1CFYZ61cxCr2dBUGSMK1o1mdXG2XqRJEzY

Or use this handy QR code:

 

Diecast Cars - introducing Diecast Cat!

 My nine year old daughter and I both LOVE Diecast Cars, and all miniature diecast toys, so we have launched our first ever joint project - diecastcat.shop

Our Diecast Cars online store

We have been collecting, sorting and cataloging diecast cars for some time now, so it feels good to get the site up and running! Go take a look, we think it's cool!

https://diecastcat.shop/

Epomaker Skyloong SK64S Mechanical Keyboard manual in English

 Following on from my previous post about the Epomaker Skyloong SK64S Mechanical Keyboard I decided it might be useful to post the English version of the manual. It's pretty slim; just a small single sheet of paper, but it does contain some key combinations that are essential to getting started.

Click the images of of the manual to view the larger versions.

The entirety of the side of the 'manual' that is printed in English (sort of)

A closer look at the bottom half of the English SK64S manual

A closeup of some more of the essential keyboard shortcuts you'll need to use this great little keyboard

If you found this blog post helpful please consider buying me a pint...