| Model Bus Zone News September & October 2020 |
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| August 2020 | Model Bus Zone News Index | |
| Click the links to view the further details related to the News item. |
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| Filter Content: Britbus Kits Northcord OOC Oxford Other |
Sunday 25 October |
| New Bus Kit Announced For MBF Members |
| Model Bus Federation Press Release The Model Bus Federation is delighted to announce their latest resin kit in the MBF2K series. MBF2K-10 will be a resin model kit of the Temsa Avenue service bus, with bonded glazing. We are delighted to have acquired the rights and master for this prototype, which was operated by Arriva in the UK. Whilst it might have had a slightly chequered existence in real life, it is a modern service bus that will also appeal to fictional fleet operators. Printed glazing, white metal wheels, plus etched brass mirrors and wipers complete this highly detailed and authentic model kit. As the windscreen is flat, it is an ideal kit for the novice who would like to try their hand at resin kit building. Casting will be in Q4 2020, so the kit should be available in early 2021. Pictures show various angles, including detailed interior and glazing.
Like other MBF2K kits, the Temsa Avenue will be available exclusively to MBF members only. To join the MBF, visit www.model-bus-federation-org.uk or see our Facebook Page.     Click to enlarge |
Friday 23 October |
| Peter Harrison's 1/76th Scale Model Lists Updated |
Peter Harrison has kindly supplied fully updated data for all of his comprehensive 1/76th scale model & kit lists. Almost 6500 bus & coach models are now listed, along with nearly 2500 bus & tram kits, the Oxford Diecast list now runs to 2379 models, an increase of 642 over the last update posted in January 2017. The lists cover both UK & Hong Kong models with new dedicated lists for Apec Co, Automodel, & KMB. The Model 1 list has also been expanded by over 200 models. New model bus releases in the years 2017-2019 & 2020 to Oct have also been added. Finally for those interested in particular fleets, the operators list provides a full over view of the models issued by each manufacturer, the operators are further broken down into pre NBC, NBC & post NBC were applicable. Thanks are extended to Peter for continuing to share the lists with me & the effort he puts into maintaining them. The lack of updates since Jan 2017 is very much down to me and not Peter. I will endeavor to update the lists on a more regular basis going forward. The lists can be can be viewed HERE. |
Wednesday 21 October |
| Brekina Routemaster Models Due November |
Ace Model Buses has advised me that wholesaler John Ayrey Diecast will be importing this first pair of Brekina plastic 1/87th scale models which are scheduled to be released during November. There are two versions of the model available which are both based on the same tooling of a AEC Routemaster RM Class vehicle. The Greenline version depicts an RMC type vehicle but these of cause had twin head lamps & platform doors which haven't been modeled by Brekina. The UK RRP is £32.99 for these models. 61100 London Transport Red (RM652 WLT652 / Route 15 Tower Hill) - AEC Routemaster RM Class Bus (1-87th Scale) 61101 London Transport Greenline (RMC1432 482 CLT / Route 721 London (Aldgate)) - AEC Routemaster RM Class Bus (1-87th Scale) There is also a planned open-top version of the model which has been commissioned by German model retailer www.stadtimmodell.de. |
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Wednesday 7 October & Update 11 October |
| Confirmed Britbus Release |
Chris Cotton's commissioned Britbus Go London Scania Omnidekka models are now being posted out. I've added some photographs of my ES2-04A model recieved today to the model page. I will post a full review of the model in the next few days. Click thumbnail to view photographs The model are still available to order from Chris with a choice of two different route 425 destinations. ES2-04A Go London Dockland Buses (425 Clapton Nightingale Road) - Scania Omnidekka Double Deck Bus ES2-04B Go London Dockland Buses (425 Stratford) - Scania Omnidekka Double Deck Bus Update 11 October The Omnidekka Models Facebook page has posted that there are still around 80 model orders to be processed, due to work commitments Chris will be unable to process these orders between the 10 & 21 October. He will send email confirmations once the models are dispatched. He is also now accepting pre-orders for the Corgi OOC Optare Solo models in Epsom Coaches Quality Line livery which are due in mid 2021. These are priced £25.00 for one model or £48.00 for both destination versions. For further details or to order, please visit Chris Cotton's online store at omnidekkamodels.com. |
Tuesday 6 October |
| Citibus Models Kits Update |
| Citibus Models now have new stock of the following kit. |
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CM012 | Mercedes Benz 0C500LE MCV Evolution | In Stock £45.00 |
Below are the other Citibus kits currently in stock. Please check the Citibus Models page for details of future new kits and full contact details. |
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CM002 | Wright Streetlight Lite Max Short wheelbase 10.2m | In Stock £43.00 |
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CM003 | ADL Enviro 400MMC 10.9m Nat Exp Spec Coach | First Run Sold Out Second Run In Stock £46.50 |
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CM006 | Mercedes Benz Mellor Minibus | In Stock £35.00 |
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CM010 | ADL Enviro 400MMC 10.5M as operated by Arriva | In Stock £46.50 |
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CM014 | Volvo B10B-58 Alexander Strider | In Stock £43.00 |
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CM032 | Leyland Atlantean PDR1 East Lancs with split windscreen (as operated by Bolton , SELNEC , GMT) |
In Stock £49.00 |
Sunday 27 September |
| TiNY Kits Update |
| TiNY has announced a number of new kits for which pre-orders are being accepted. Two of the CIE school bus kits announced previously have now sold out, but pre-orders are being invited which if sufficient may result in a second run of both kits. The third CIE school bus is still available, although very limited. You can find full details of all the currently available and planned kits on the TiNY kits page along with full contact information. |
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 TK73C |
NEW Leyland Royal Tiger/Saro B44C | Reserve now |
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TK73F |
NEW Leyland Royal Tiger/Saro B44F | Reserve now |
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TK75D |
NEW CIE Royal Tiger U class dual entrance | Reserve now |
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TK75F |
NEW CIE Royal Tiger U class front entrance | Reserve now |
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TK75R |
NEW CIE Royal Tiger U class rear entrance | Reserve now |
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TK76S |
NEW CIE SS Bedford VAS School Bus | Very Limited |
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TK77L |
NEW CIE SS Bedford SB School Bus | Sorry, sold out Reserve for possible re-run |
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TK78 |
NEW UTA 1951 Leyland Royal Tiger - B42F | Reserve now |
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TK79V |
NEW Bus Eireann SS Bedford Van Hool McArdle | Sorry, sold out Reserve for possible re-run |
Sunday 27 September |
| Another Roden Old Bill Bus Kit |
Roden have announced a further version of their Old Bill B type kit, this follows the previous WW1 troop carrier & civilian London General versions released last year. A small number of London omnibuses were converted to Motor Mobile Lofts and used to transport carrier pigeons in the First World War. With imperfections in the new means of communication at the time, such as the trench wireless telegraph, the birds were a fast and effective way of delivering important messages from command headquarters directly to military units in combat areas. Each Motor Mobile Loft could transport 60 to 75 birds in specially installed coops on the upper deck, which could be folded flat for travel. The lower saloon contained stores for feed and an office. Carrier pigeons were used almost until the final days of the war, and with the B Type buses played a very important role which helped save the lives of many soldiers of the Entente. Markings for two Pigeon Lofts: (1) No.2229 ex-B2132, Western Front 1916; (2) No.2257 ex-B2125, Western Front 1918.The 1/72nd scale kit is due to be released during October & has a UK RRP of £17.99.   Roden ROD737 WW1 Old Bill Bus "Pigeon Loft" 1/72nd scale plastic kit - Due Oct 2020 |
Tuesday 22 September |
| Confirmed Oxford Release |
Ace Model Buses has confirmed the release of the following Oxford Diecast model, note this item isn't currently listed among the latest batch of releases on the Oxford Diecast website. 76SB006 Trent Motor Traction - Saro Single Deck Bus |
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Tuesday 22 September |
| Confirmed Corgi OOC Release |
| The following OOC models have now been released to retailers in the UK. The Corgi online store has sold all of their stock of these models & Ace Model Buses who sent me details of these release has also sold all of his stock allocation on pre-orders.  OM46624A Arriva London (Release The Kraken livery / Route 38 Hackney Central) - New Routemaster Bus  OM46624B Arriva London (Release The Kraken livery / Route 38 Victoria) - New Routemaster Bus |
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Sunday 20 September |
| Go London Scania Omnidekka Models Shipping This Week |
| Chris Cotton has now taken delivery of his pair of commissioned Britbus Scania Omnidekka models in Go London Docklands Buses livery. He will start posting out orders to customers from Monday 21 September & has still tock of both models available should anyone wish to place an order. ES2-04A Go London Dockland Buses (425 Clapton Nightingale Road) - Scania Omnidekka Double Deck Bus ES2-04B Go London Dockland Buses (425 Stratford) - Scania Omnidekka Double Deck Bus For further details or to place an order, please visit Chris Cotton's online store at omnidekkamodels.com. |
Wednesday 16 September |
| Dublin Bus Rail Link Models Released |
Irish Railway Models has released a pair of commissioned Britbus Alexander RH Volvo Olympian models in Dublin Bus Rail Link livery. Each model is limited 252 pieces and they are priced €59.99 each. IRM1200-517-90 Dublin Bus Rail Link Livery (RV517 / 99-D-517 / Route 90 Connolly Station) - Volvo Olympian Alexander RH Dual Door Double Deck Bus  IRM1201-520-91 Dublin Bus Rail Link Livery (RV520 / 99-D-520 / Route 91 Heuston Station) - Volvo Olympian Alexander RH Dual Door Double Deck Bus For further details & model photographs please visit the Irish Railway Models online store. |
Monday 14 September |
| Commissioned OOC Model For 2021 |
| Chris Cotton has now placed an order with Corgi to produce a pair of commissioned Optare Solo models in Epsom Coaches Quality Line line livery on route K5. There will be two different destination available either Ham or Morden and 500 of each version with be produced with the models due in May or June 2021. Chris is still awaiting confirmation of the Corgi stock codes for the models and the final price which he expects to be around £25 for one model, or £48 for both destination versions. Below is the final design cell for the models (click to enlarge).  |
Monday 14 September |
| MBF Announce New Kit For Members |
| I've recieved the following press announcement from the Model Bus Federation and also added a new page for the Model Bus Federation which includes membership information and a list the other member exclusive model kits. NEW Model Bus Federation resin kit The Model Bus Federation has announced their latest MBF2K resin kit. MBF2K-09 will be a resin model of the Alexander Enviro E300, with gasket glazing. The MBF is delighted to have acquired the master for this prototype, which had/has wide operator appeal, as well as being a great service bus for fictional model fleet operators. It is hoped that several chassis/engine combinations can be offered using the same master, giving modellers a number of model choices. Printed glazing, white metal wheels, plus etched brass mirrors and wipers complete this highly detailed and authentic kit. Casting will be in Q4 2020, so the kit should be available in early 2021. Pictures show various angles of the master, including detailed interior. The kit will be available exclusively to MBF members only. For details on how to become a member of the MBF, please visit their website at www.model-bus-federation.org.uk. You can download a FREE sample copy of the MBF Journal on the website, or request a FREE sample copy by post from the MBF Publicity Officer, 21 Plough Close, Aylesbury, Bucks HP21 9AD    Click to enlarge |
Thursday 10 September |
| Some Unusual Models |
| Here's something a little different! KK Scale are producing a 1/18th scale Ford Transit MK I minibus, the model according to wholesaler John Ayrey Diecast it is due to be released later this month and will be available in three different colours, grey, green or red. Unfortunately all three depict left-hand drive versions of this iconic vehicle. The UK RRP for the models is £88.99. KK Scale is more usually assoicated with models of sports cars, although they have previouly produced a several VW & Mercedes minibuses in the same large scale.   KK Scale DC180461 Ford Transit Mk I Minibus (LHD - Light Grey)   KK Scale DC180462 Ford Transit Mk I Minibus (LHD - Green)   KK Scale DC180463 Ford Transit Mk I Minibus (LHD - Red) Post Bus collectors might be interested in this 1/64th scale model from the Truescale Mini GT range which is due for release in Q4/2020 and has a more affordable UK RRP of £14.99.  Truescale MGT00152-R Land Rover Defender 110 UK Royal Mail Post Bus (RHD) |
Tuesday 8 September |
| Confirmed UK Northcord Model Release |
The following Northcord model has now been released to UK retailers. UKBUS1502 Stagecoach North West (The White Lady) - Open Top Alexander ALX400 Dennis Trident |
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Thursday 3 September |
| Go London Scania Omnidekka Update |
Chris Cotton has provided photographs showing a pair of the final production models which he has commissioned Britbus to produce.        Click thumbnails to view full size photographs The model are currently being shipped by DHL with Chris expecting delivery on the 18 September. There are now 74 of each version left. ES2-04A Go London Dockland Buses (425 Clapton Nightingale Road) - Scania Omnidekka Double Deck Bus ES2-04B Go London Dockland Buses (425 Stratford) - Scania Omnidekka Double Deck Bus For further details or to pre-order, please visit Chris Cotton's online store at omnidekkamodels.com. |
Wednesday 2 September |
| Oxford September to January 2021 Catalogue |
| Oxford Diecast has published its latest catalogue which covers the period September 2020 to January 2021. Due to the lockdown there was no May to September catalogue this year. There are still several bus & coach models outstanding from previous catalogues which hopefully explains why latest catalogue only contains the single new bus related item shown below. In general the number of new models seems lower across all the ranges compared with previous recent catalogues. There are just two new OO toolings, a Aveling & Porter Steam Road Roller & a Ford Transit Custom van. OO Scale Bus Models  76SB007 East Midlands Motor Services R325 (ORR 325) Route tbc - Saunders Roe Bus - Due Q1/2021 There's also no mention of the Airlinks Scania Irizar i6 coach (76IR6006) which was teased at trade events earlier this year as a model for the next catalogue. N Scale There are no new bus of coach models listed & only 5 new liveries for the existing N scale range. A full list of all the new models planned across the various different scales has been posted on the Oxford Diecast site. |
| August 2020 | Model Bus Zone News Index | |