LONDON BUSES NEW AND OLD

DAVID JEFFERIS REPORTS:

The SMN Crew had a trip to London yesterday, and apart from rides here and there on standard buses, we also saw one of the prototypes of Mayor Boris Johnson’s ‘Boris Bus’, and have to report it looks amazing in the metal.

Diecast Boris Bus

The 1:76 Corgi version (below) is nearly with us, so it's wait-n-see time for this one. Judging from this promo pic, it looks to be an excellent little model, and one we'll definitely have on display ASAP.

Airfix Old Bill bus

The Boris Bus is only the latest type of London bus of course, and was a reminder of the old Airfix 1:32 kit that came in both civilian 1910 B Type and military 1914 ‘Old Bill’ versions. The Old Bill (below) was used for troop carrying and as an ambulance to take war-wounded away from the Front, to field hospitals. Dating from the early 1960s, these kits come up regularly on auction sites and swapmeets, so it’s worth keeping an eye out, as they are both well worth a look. The kits include crew and passengers or troops, as relevant. Gorgeous stuff.

The Airfix B Type kit (above) assembles to make a fine model. The real thing out on the highway (below), with a last-generation classic double-decker behind.

Collectibles site

The Little Wheels Museum site specializes in diecast collectibles, and it’s well worth a visit to see another B Type, the Matchbox diecast model, sold from 1956-61 (link at bottom). It’s a tiny little thing - Little Wheels Museum reckons it’s about 1:100 scale. Not a lot changed during the Matchbox B Type’s five-year production run, though the windows may differ between models. According to Little Wheels Museum: “...the row of small windows at the top of the lower deck side windows. There will be four per side or eight per side.” The four-window version is rarer than the eight-window type, so is worth more.

Routemaster from Revell

And don’t forget the 1:24 scale Revell Routemaster, definitely the best ‘big red bus’ kit on the market. According to Mat Irvine: “...there are a lot of parts, so much so that adding them all up is tricky, but it has to be approaching 400. Part numbering actually goes only to 272 - but you get two sets of four of the 16 runners, and identical parts (such as seats) share the same number - and remember this bus is a double-decker bus with seats for up to 70 people.” And the decal sheet: “...is enormous, and if you were worried about reproducing all those tartan-patterned seats so beloved by London Transport, these are supplied as decals.” As for the bus-side adverts, they include: “the British Museum, Jacob’s Cream Crackers and ‘The Rod Stewart Musical’.”   

Revell Routemaster bus - Mat Irvine’s first look.

Little Wheels Museum here.

Vintage Airfix site here.

Airfix 1:32 scale kits here.

HORNBY GETS GROWN-UP - 2012 AD CAMPAIGNS TARGET ADULTS

SMN market report:

Hornby Hobbies are expanding the company image away from pocket-money-price ‘small boys’ toys’ to moneyed-and-mature ‘big boys’ toys.’ Well, that’s our take on the plan. In advertising marketeer-speak, Hornby has launched: “a long-term brand campaign as part of a big push to introduce adult consumers to its products.” Having said that, Hornby traditional strengths remain, with updates to the rail range that include the 4-4-0 locomotive above, and the ready-weathered 4-6-0 Black 5 shown after the jump.

Movie ads

Cinema and TV ads have already started to show people playing with Hornby train sets through the decades, while featuring the teaser line: “A passion for every generation and the next”. Which sounds a bit “ugh” to SMN, but we get what the ads are trying to do, and heartily approve - anything that takes at least an element of the scale model world up and out of the kidstuff swamp is OK by us. Unsurprisingly, brand logos for Airfix, Corgi, Hornby, Humbrol, and Scalextric, appear at the end of each advert. 

Rising sales
Hornby has previously run its ads during children’s TV shows, so adult ads are a big departure, and campaigns will run throughout 2012. Hornby is doing pretty well at the moment, especially considering the financial upheavals in the Eurozone, and it’s good to see confidence in the future. Hornby saw first-half 2011 UK sales rise by some 4 percent, while Euro-sales ballooned by around 50 percent, though from a much lower base. With this as a track record in difficult economic times, it’s great to see Hornby pushing to be on a rising wave as we (hopefully) come out of recession through 2012 and beyond.

 
Powerful punch for Hornby

Nat Southworth, marketing director at Hornby Hobbies, says showcasing the brands aims to: “emphasise the power” and adds that Hornby is more than one brand these days: “It is a family of brands and each one invokes a passion in the consumer.” SMN says: “Go for it, Nat!”

New Bus for London expected soon
Hornby has also signed a deal to produce models in various scales of the swoopily-designed New Bus for London. There'll be key-ring collectibles as well as 1:76 scale miniatures, sales being aimed at a wide range of buyers, from serious collectors to casual tourists.

More on the New Bus for London bus here.

View Airfix kits here.

View Hornby stuff here.

View Corgi here.

Humbrol here.

Scalextric here

And here's one of the 'generation' ads :

REVELL LONDON BUS KIT MAKING PROGRESS

David Jefferis reports:

Looks like the Revell 1:24 scale London Bus is making good progress. These newly released pix should make any public transport model maker raring to go. It looks good, especially the engine detail under that lift-up cover, plus those seats, and lots of ’em.

Details, details

At the business end, there’s neat detailing to the diesel engine pipework, while the trademark steering wheel looks to be at the correct nearly-flat angle. Upstairs, vertical handrails are included as are the built-in grabrails on every seat back. The step-on step-off open platform at the back is there, complete with waste bin for ticket stubs, and the under-stair hole for storing prams and other paraphernalia.

Ready and waiting

The rear view shows a few problems remaining with fit on the roof, but doubtless these will be sorted before the model is cleared for production. All in all, it looks like a good one, and we can’t wait.

More on the subject here and here.

Have a look at Sun Star’s handsome 1:24 RT double-decker here.

FREE PAPER BUS MODELS FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD

SMN report:

We love paper models, so when we chanced on the neat and simple Paper Bus Connection site, we thought you would like a look too.

Paper Bus Connection is an online repository for dozens of beautifully crafted multi-view drawings of buses around the world, complete with bilingual instructions and simple tabs to glue the parts together.

Choose a scale

Scale can be anything you like, depending on the size you choose to print at, but we reckon that PBC’s drawings would best fit 1:87 or 1:76 scale - and would not look out of place next to a collection of diecast buses.

Unusual choices

The variety of subjects is staggering, even extending to a bus for the fashionista set - a special Louis Vuitton colour scheme applied to a Leyland Victory II. It’s not quite our thing perhaps, but it’s certainly different.

World buses

Buses from PBC fall into three main groups: Hong Kong, China, and the US, with a couple each for Canada and the UK. And best of all, all bus plans are yours to download for free - good on you Paper Bus Connection!  

Visit Paper Bus Connection here.

1:50 SCALE STATESIDE DIECASTS FROM CORGI

SMN report
With the exception of diecast aircraft, a truly international subject, Corgi seems to keep its US models under a bit of a shroud where European buyers are concerned. They are available all right, just not trumpeted much, which is a bit of a shame, because - leaving aside collectibility issues - most of the transportation subjects are at or around 1:50 scale, which is near enough to international-standard 1:48 scale to keep many an aircraft modelmaker happy.

Jet Age Fishbowl
Take the 1:50 scale GM Fishbowl coach, for example. It’s finished in the red-white-and-blue stripes of the 1976 Centennial celebrations, and has decent detailing throughout, though perhaps the glazing is a bit heavy-handed at this size. But importantly, it would look terrific in a diorama featuring a corner of an airport. And you don’t have to leave it in the 1976 scheme either - Fishbowls (aka the ‘New Look bus’, nicknamed for the domed front glazing) were produced from 1959 to 1986, so you could use one in almost any Jet Age era scene, or even today as there are plenty still running around. It’s a biggie model, at some 282 mm (11 in) long.

Birney Safety Car
The 1:48 scale Birney Safety Car is from an earlier age altogether. Introduced in 1919 by the Brill tram company, the Birney was another vehicle used widely down the years, and can still be seen at some transport museums and heritage streetcar collections. The picture shown here is of ‘good old 62’, at Sacramento. The 153 mm (6 in) model is nicely done with a fair attempt at interior detailing.

Population implosion
One common feature is the lack of driver and passengers in these models. It’s true of almost all diecasts of course, and maybe that’s because they are seen as collectible models, rather than toys or model rail subjects. A pity though, as you need to take such models apart if you want to add a bit of life with a driver and some passengers inside. Come on Corgi, let’s see you release some humans for vehicles like these!

For model rail enthusiasts too
For collectors of Bachmann’s delightful On30 model rail ironmongery, the Birney is a possible subject for motorization, or if not, then it could rest in a siding as background detail. Or take the wheels off and stand it on old sleepers to convert it as a fixed bar-restaurant - the possibilities are endless. Whatever you do though, the moment such models are taken from chocolate-box display, they need dulling off with satin varnish, followed by the careful addition of some subtle weathering.

Diecast model pictures, courtesy Corgi.
GM Fishbowl picture taken in 2008, courtesy Adam E. Moreira.
Preserved Birney picture, courtesy Nick Kibre.

Visit Vintage Bus Lines subjects at Corgi here.

Look at a different Birney variation here.

The Fishbowl is available here, again in different busline markings.

Corgi Euro-style buses are available here.

FREE ‘N’ GAUGE MODEL BUS FOR EVERY MC MAGAZINE READER

David Jefferis reports
UK diecast fans have some very good reading matter to slake their thirst for the subject, and this month’s issue of Model Collector magazine is one of the better issues, as it includes a very nifty reader offer: a free N-gauge double-decker London bus.

British scale out of step?
Mind you, that red bus is to British 1:148 scale, which is not the same as the 1:160 commonly used elsewhere. But not to worry - it’s a Britbus that will look great in an appropriate layout. The freebie (you pay post and packing) is from Oxford Diecast, and there are three other offers also on the table from OC: a set each of four buses, five commercial vehicles and five cars. These all feature road transport from the ‘golden age’ 1960s-1970s era. Mind you, this writer prefers the reliability of modern stuff!

Model Bus Manufacture Guide
It’s a solid bus-enthusiast issue, as there’s another free item in this issue of Model Collector. It’s a neat A5-format supplement that contains lots of information on how a diecast bus is conceived, developed, and manufactured. The supplement is of also of general interest, because much of what applies to buses is relevant to other types of diecast model. There’s lots of interesting detail in the 16-page booklet, and the ads aren’t bad either, not least John Ayrey diecast’s page, featuring some delicious Euro-buses from the German firm, Schuco.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1  Model Collector front cover, September 2010 issue.
2  Cover of the free bus supplement.
3  Double-page spread from the guide.
4  Double-page spread from the magazine.
5  Exotic Euro-buses made by Schuco.

Visit Oxford Diecast here.

Visit Model Collector here.

Visit John Ayrey diecast wholesaler here.