WM Fleetline and Guy Arab Buses - 00 Gauge

[rapidoandy]

Rapido’s Birmingham City Transport ‘New Look’ bus broke new ground for 1:76 scale road vehicles when it landed last year. Highly detailed with rubber tyres and flush glazed throughout, its innovative features included poseable front wheels, working headlamps, etched stanchions and internal lighting. But this bus wasn’t a flash in the pan…

 

We are adding further UK-outline buses to the Rapido Trains UK range to the same high standards as the BCT ‘New Look’ to delight the modeller and collector alike.

 

First out of the Rapido ‘garage’ is the 1:76 scale Leyland ‘West Midlands’ Fleetline. This bus was originally designed by Daimler and adopted the Leyland name in the 1970s as both Daimler and Leyland had become part of British Leyland.

 

 

As West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive was Britain’s second-largest Fleetline owner, our new model will be offered with a choice of 20 different registration numbers and destinations. We are producing both the original and the rebuilt front headlamp/indicator arrangements.

 

In addition, we are producing a new run of our ‘New Look’ Guy Arab Birminghams. Coming soon are 11 new BCT liveries with different, previously unreleased registration numbers and destinations.

 

 

For the full list of what ‘New Looks’ and Fleetlines we’re making, go to www.rapidotrains.co.uk Both buses are due spring/summer 2021. RRP is £54.95.

 

We have a long list of exciting bus plans. To stay updated, keep an eye out on our website, through our social media channels, in the model press and by signing up to our new UK newsletter.

 

Specification

• 100% accurate proportions based on field measurements of the real thing
• Injection-moulded plastic and metal construction
• All body weld lines, extrusions and screwheads/rivets accurately rendered
• Full, multi-coloured interior with no large posts blocking aisles
• Separate etched-metal interior grab poles
• Steerable front wheels with rubber tyres
• Flush-fitting windows
• Accurate, even paint finish that does not obscure the details
• Several routes/destinations available
• Working headlamps & interior lighting
• Requires a 12V 500mA DC power supply (not included)

['CHARD]

Oh that these were being produced 20-odd years ago, when my sights were set on recreating a Black Country Eighties vibe centred on Wednesbury Town.  

 

Look great and a fantastic specification too.

 

 

[AY Mod]

Jason goes full-on bus-****** and tells us why they're doing the Fleetline.

 

 

[Mike Harvey]

@Rapidoandy  That looks great Andy. Not to mention Jason's fashion sense in the video. You even got the Brummie pronunciation of buses into the heading. :-)

[rapidoandy]

Just now, Mike Harvey said:

@Rapidoandy  That looks great Andy. Not to mention Jason's fashion sense in the video. You even got the Brummie pronunciation of buses into the heading. :-)

 

I could claim to have done that deliberately but suspect my fingers are just fat!

[Covkid]

Very impressed with the plan for West Mids Fleetlines, and will certainly have as many blue and cream WMPTE ones as I can afford. Also would like if Rapido are considering using the same bodyshell and chassis to produce the Bristol VR which the North Division had two hundred of.  The only real difference was the Bristol radiator panel under the windscreens, and the Bristol bustle instead of the Leyland / Daimler bustle on the rear.

 This really useful Flickr image shows two rows of VRs parked up, but with a fleetline infiltrator in the right hand row.  Can you spot it ?

 

The image is courtesy of Claire Pendrous on Flickr who was a WMPTE employee at this time, and who has a wealth of images on her Flickr site.

Edited December 2, 2020 by Covkid
Add l info

[37114]

6 hours ago, Covkid said:

Very impressed with the plan for West Mids Fleetlines, and will certainly have as many blue and cream WMPTE ones as I can afford. Also would like if Rapido are considering using the same bodyshell and chassis to produce the Bristol VR which the North Division had two hundred of.  The only real difference was the Bristol radiator panel under the windscreens, and the Bristol bustle instead of the Leyland / Daimler bustle on the rear.

 This really useful Flickr image shows two rows of VRs parked up, but with a fleetline infiltrator in the right hand row.  Can you spot it ?

 

The image is courtesy of Claire Pendrous on Flickr who was a WMPTE employee at this time, and who has a wealth of images on her Flickr site.

3rd bus along is the infiltrator. Also last bus on the left hand row is not a VR but looks to be an earlier Fleetline.

 

Have to say the price is excellent for the spec, the Fleetline is a great choice of vehicle to do.

['CHARD]

Remember the VRs very well.  In the days when the 113 still ran from Streetly Hardwick Arms to City, using Ailsa-Volvo or ex-midland red Fleetlines, the 377 was the other working along the Chester Road (North), and the Walsall VRs were omnipresent.  They were subtly different to us kids, and I think rather more starkly different to the garages allocated them!

[Covkid]

17 hours ago, 37114 said:

3rd bus along is the infiltrator. Also last bus on the left hand row is not a VR but looks to be an earlier Fleetline.

 

Have to say the price is excellent for the spec, the Fleetline is a great choice of vehicle to do.

 

You are right.  I reckon it is either a "Walsall" Fleetline or a Northern Counties bodied "Jumbo" down there on the left.   

[rhnrhn]

@Rapidoandy,

Looking forward to ordering one or several more Fleetlines, they look great.

Regarding the revised head light versions, will they also feature the side indicators that were mounted just above the front wheel arches? 

Regards,

Richard

[rapidoandy]

For all of those whoa re waiting - they are nearly here.

 

Until then here is a little picture to whet your appetite...

 

[AY Mod]

4 hours ago, rapidoandy said:

For all of those whoa re waiting - they are nearly here.

 

I hope your driver's got a better sense of direction than the one on the 115.

 

He may need this to find his way back from Smelly Oak.

 

 

 

['CHARD]

City to Sutton Coldfield via Erdington and Walmley, my bus to work for a while. The 115 no longer runs, but when it did, it was certainly round the houses, so to speak; although you had a great view of the old Penns station site from the bridge in Penns Lane!

[ColinK]

I wonder if the Guy Arab and Fleetline will be produced in different versions in due course?  The Brum ones look great but would be out of place on my layout even with Rule 1.  LUT versions are what I would like.

[Covkid]

21 hours ago, rapidoandy said:

For all of those whoa re waiting - they are nearly here.

 

Until then here is a little picture to whet your appetite...

 

Thanks very much for that Andy.  Very appealing, although the TWM beast in the foreground needs some toning down !!!

 

As a matter of interest, is this a diorama or a layout ?  Looks great. 

BTW  I didn't reply to you about the unpainted versions.  I have decided to stick with my three with a view to possibly taking the scalpel to one of them for a VR convert, rather than liverying a wholoe bus.

 

I will need

A lot of dutch courage

Colour match paints of the blue and the cream

Some suitable transfers

A Bristol radiator grille front and rear

Some plasticard

 

 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Covkid

[Legend]

16 hours ago, ColinK said:

I wonder if the Guy Arab and Fleetline will be produced in different versions in due course?  The Brum ones look great but would be out of place on my layout even with Rule 1.  LUT versions are what I would like.

 

An SBG "D" type body fleetline would be great . But even though its a Fleetline the body is completely different .  Would go down well though .

[64F]

19 hours ago, ColinK said:

I wonder if the Guy Arab and Fleetline will be produced in different versions in due course?  The Brum ones look great but would be out of place on my layout even with Rule 1.  LUT versions are what I would like.

 

Do we know how much variation the Fleetline tooling allows for? (e.g. different front panels/windscreens/destination panels?)  My impression is that the model is specifically a WMPTE one and the only variation is between the early and late versions with different front indicator positions, but few if any other operators took this specific style new.  Plenty of other companies operated secondhand former WMPTE examples in the deregulation era through.  It would seem unlikely that Rapido would invest in the tooling for such a high quality model and then confine their releases to one fleet only.  That said, it seems like a brave strategy to release all those WMPTE/WMT-liveried ones in one go - anyone who collects that fleet is faced with over £1000 if they want them all!  I'd have thought it would make more sense to spread the West Midlands releases over a couple of batches mixed in with some other operators mixed in. (Western Scottish for me please!)

 

2 hours ago, Legend said:

 

An SBG "D" type body fleetline would be great . But even though its a Fleetline the body is completely different .  Would go down well though .

 

I seem to recall that about ten years ago EFE announced they were developing a D/AD-type, but nothing more was heard of it unfortunately.  They were delivered to several BET Group and independent fleets as well as being one of the main SBG types, and were all much the same in appearance apart from updating of the front panel over the years, so fingers-crossed someone will do one eventually.

Edited October 5, 2021 by 64F

[47475]

Out of interest, would any of these models be compatible with buses that were operated by Darlington Transport Corporation? I know they had single deck Fleetlines until their demise in the mid-late 1990s, but I also know dome double deck models were operated at certain times too.

['CHARD]

47 minutes ago, 47475 said:

Out of interest, would any of these models be compatible with buses that were operated by Darlington Transport Corporation? I know they had single deck Fleetlines until their demise in the mid-late 1990s, but I also know dome double deck models were operated at certain times too.

 

[Covkid]

Well done "Chard".  It is legitimately Darlington and he wouldn't need to repaint it either !!

 

The West Midlands fleetlines - more specifically the West Mids design of route indicator display was unique with a very subtle angling. .  Apart from sales of the fleet I don't know of any other operators who took the design. Several ex West Bristol VRs (same basic body) disappeared off to other operators

Clare Pendrous aka Lady Wulfrun on Flickr has a fantastic resource of images on her Flickr site - some from the time she was on the buses in Wolverhampton - hence her Wulfrun handle.

Here is ex WMPTE fleetline 4560 in an incomplete livery state in Yorkshire

 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Covkid

[Covkid]

Ex WMPTE Bristol VR sold for further work in Swansea.  Although it is not technically a Fleetline, only the Bristol radiator grille and rear engine bustle distinguish it from the Daimler chassis.  A very useful model for collectors of South Wales buses - hint hint !!!!

 

 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Covkid

[Covkid]

Another interesting piccie of the same batch of ex WMPTE VRs.  This bus entered service in South Wales retaing the majority of it's WMPTE livery until repainted red. 

 

 

[Covkid]

Back on topic - ex WMPTE6426 working in Sheffield

 

[Covkid]

Had the request from Rapido to cough up arrive this morning. Great news.

[rapidoandy]

This is keeping me busy…