I'm not sure how old my Metz is, it has Nicad batteries and they're still working ok (a bit weedy compared to brand new ones perhaps but it'll rattle off a decent number of exposures). I mainly bought it as a nuclear option when nothing else is powerful enough, the smaller Pentax flashes are a bit less unwieldy for normal use.

I don't know much about this particular Metz unit, but on my K-m with a Metz 45 CL-1 I use M, set shutter speed to 1/180 and aperture/ISO to what the flash expects, then let the flash auto mode do the rest. This also works nicely with Pentax auto flash units. 1/180 is the highest sync speed for the K-m but given I generally use flash to enable hand-held shooting in low light this suits me perfectly.

I like it. One reason I have a handful of scruffy old film bodies is for areas where a DSLR would be a target for muggers. If they swipe my MV1 I'll be more annoyed about the film than the fact they just stole £5 worth of obsolete photographic kit!

I fully intended to try some street photography in Cardiff a while back but didn't really see anything which motivated me to pull the camera out of my coat pocket. Something like an MV or MV1 is ideal for this as they're lightweight and unobtrusive (more so than the chrome-finish bodies), and given how well mono suits most urban landscapes Ilford HP5 is perfect.

The Wiki entry has it that the Beetle design borrowed heavily from pre-war Tatra thinking, but given those are usually written by enthusiasts who knows!

I think this will be more of a burgundy colour, judging by the photo. Amazon seem to stock everything!

I can't help but think this might be another collector...

I do, however, have a use for scruffy but functional M series bodies. Fitted with a similarly cheap lens they're very good for taking into places I don't fancy risking my K-m or one of my nicer condition film bodies.

Meanwhile I paid 99p this morning for a dead ME Super (which may well revive with some lighter fluid flushing/fresh oil). I've found minty, working examples for £30 with a lens before now.

I read that too. My Metz 45 CL-1 was fine, but I've no idea how long it had been sitting around for.

I should probably get it out and power it up in accordance with the instructions.

The clip-on K-xs are still up for grabs - see here, the same seller has another one in a different colour.

The ME Super will be getting another alteration, as I decided the marble effect doesn't really work. I've ordered some wine-coloured leatherette material which should look much better, assuming I can cut it accurately and fix it on with contact adhesive.

The orange one is next on the fix list, after I get some fresh paint. For obvious reasons I don't want to start dismantling before then.