Jim s-w's road vehicles thread

[Hesperus]

I'd say that the worst bit of that bay window is the front windscreen, It's too narrow, the bottom corners have too large a radius and the top looks a mess. That and the fact that they've modelled an early pre 72 model. It will require extra work to model my 74 camper

 

If you want any photos from odd angles to detail to your usual standard do say, with mine you can see all the places that they go rusty

 

Rich

[eetype3]

Rich is spot-on; pre-'72 Bays have flat sides. '72-on models have flared rear wheelarches (and for a short while,small flare lips around the front wheelarches - later phased-out). Hence the Oxford Bay can only carry registrations from 1967-72: G to L.

 

There were a plethora of tweaks made to the post-'67 T2 over the next few years; front bumper/cab steps, front indicator position, deletion of front wheelarch lips, engine bay door, introduction of disc front brakes with corresponding ventilated steel wheels... It's a minefield, especially since some of the mods were phased-in. Photo reference essential...

[yellowvanman]

Great thread this .. I`m after doing a model of my van which is a 79`westie bay so to many mods needed on the oxford model including havin to chop the roof and turn it around and would be nice to have a camper interia instead of the basic three rows of seats like EEtype3 says its a minefield...! so maybe wait and see if they do a later version ..cheers yellowvanman (not red like me pic)..

[PhilJ W]

Great thread this .. I`m after doing a model of my van which is a 79`westie bay so to many mods needed on the oxford model including havin to chop the roof and turn it around and would be nice to have a camper interia instead of the basic three rows of seats like EEtype3 says its a minefield...! so maybe wait and see if they do a later version ..cheers yellowvanman (not red like me pic)..

For some reason the Oxford T2 microbus has a camper interior! As they are screwed together a swap would be dead easy.

[PhilJ W]

If you are looking for Japanese cars of the 70's and 80's check out those made by 'Real-X'. They are slightly over scale at 1/72 but the amount of detail is amazing. They are often advertised on E-bay, just go into diecast models and enter 'real-x' into the search box.

[eetype3]

As a postscript to the VW T2 info, Schuco have added a T2a (flared rear wheelarches, disc brakes/ventilated steel rims, late front bumper, late decklid) to their range this year. It's a LHD Westfalia camper with side-hinged roof pod. It's beautifully rendered; it throws the shortcomings of the Oxford model into sharp relief. Damn shame that the Schuco model is 1:87th scale, really.

 

Note that all Westies were LHD; the Westfalia conversion was never sold in the UK, Devon handling most of "ours". However, being a T2, there's bound to be an exception to that rule somewhere!

[yellowvanman]

your right ..mines a RHD westie

[Guest jim s-w]

Thanks for the info on campers chaps!

 

Been building lorries again!

 

 

This is built from a Doug Roseman engineering kit and despite it being as old as the ark its a superb little kit! Really enjoyed putting this one together!

 

Cheers

 

Jim

[BernardTPM]

Nice to see it built at last, Jim. I've acquired a Ford D from the same parentage (Mi-Kits or M1-kits?) which is therefore old enough to fit my 4mm scale 1972 period, much nicer than the Base Toys version.

[Guest jim s-w]

Thanks Bernard

 

You dont know what happened to them do you and what other vehicles they produced? Based on this one I would love to build some more of their stuff

 

Cheers

 

Jim

[Merfyn Jones]

Thanks Bernard

 

You dont know what happened to them do you and what other vehicles they produced? Based on this one I would love to build some more of their stuff

 

Cheers

 

Jim

 

Jim

I have the ERF B like yours unbuilt, also built a ERF A type (different to the Corgi version) and a Ford DA mini artic with the BR 5ton van trailer. I recall that was also done with a flat trailer. I can't remember what else they did, but good quality in their day and very thin on the ground now.

Merf.

[BernardTPM]

Those are the ones I know of. There might be something in old 'Contructors'. I'll sniff around next time I'm browsing them!

[RANGERS]

Mi-Kits were around from about 1980 to about 88, the range then passed to Motorway Models and subsequently some ended up with Doug Rosemann and The Model Bus Co.

 

AFIK the range was :

 

ERF B Series - Four wheel tractor, Day and sleeper cab versions.

 

Foden S40 - Four wheel tractor, cab was suitable for four/ six wheel rigid versions, the eight wheel could be built with new wheelarch panels

 

Both of these ended up with Doug Rosemann via Motorway Models but were produced by a third party for him. I enquired a year or so back if they would re-appear but Doug was no longer in touch with the folks who had the moulds and they'd no desire to do any more after his last batch.

 

ERF A Series - Similar too but not the same as the LV which Corgi do. Produced as a four wheel tractor or flatbed

 

Scammell Crusader - Civi' version in four and six wheel versions, very rare and possibly never released.

 

Ford DA tractor - NCL style, passed to MBC via Motorway and is now with ABS and still available fairly recently

 

Tasker single axle parcels trailer - as the DA tractor

 

Tasker single axle flat - as the DA tractor

 

Frauhauf 40' two axle step frame trailer

 

Frauhauf 40' two axle flat trailer

 

There was talk of them doing a Leyland Lynx tractor and a Leyland T45 in Mi-Kits days but I don't think any of this came to fruition. They may also have done more trailers than this, a York Freightmaster sticks in my mind, which together with the Lynx was also produced by Trux Models in the late 70s.

 

They appear from time to time on e.bay, the B Series and the Crusader being the scarcest usually fetch £30- £40 unbuilt, the others £20- £30.

[Merfyn Jones]

Jim

To give you an idea what they look like, my Ford DA, ERF A and Foden S80 (I forgot that one)

All would suit your late 80s period.

Merf.

[BernardTPM]

I'd forgotten about the Foden too; ironic since I've got one... I had thought Mi-kits were a little earlier than 1980, but I may be wrong. Certainly MRC reviewed the ERF 'B'. I picked up a Trux Ergo and a couple of the trailer kits from 'Kings Cross', possibly around the time they closed. I'm guessing they must be somewhere 'deeper' in the pile. I had intended to backdate the Ergo, but since the EFE one came out that was a bit pointless; it might now be better for someone who wants the later version.

 

P.S. That 'flagship' Freightliner livery looks great on the S80, Merfyn!

[James]

Hi All

 

A quick view of the flat etch I did for my fleetline conversion

 

 

That's rather nice Jim!

 

When you get to Metrobuses will you be doing a similar etch?

['CHARD]

That's rather nice Jim!

 

When you get to Metrobuses will you be doing a similar etch?

 

Metrobuses! Who mentioned our local Metros?

 

One week left for TWM's last THREE survivors* (2832, 2903, 2988). Services 220/221 to Stratford College every afternoon this week, but redundant after next weekend.

 

 

* three remain from a fleet once 1130 strong. That's a chilling lesson in nostalgia, from a vehicle we all took for granted.

[SRman]

Re the Metrobuses, if it is of any help, Bernard Taylor (TPM) has a very nice stainless steel etch for the mark 1 grille.

 

Jim, I don't have any use for the Birmingham bits in your etch but I can see a much wider market for the door etch, engine grilles and window hopper vents.

[RANGERS]

I'd forgotten about the Foden too; ironic since I've got one... I had thought Mi-kits were a little earlier than 1980, but I may be wrong. Certainly MRC reviewed the ERF 'B'. I picked up a Trux Ergo and a couple of the trailer kits from 'Kings Cross', possibly around the time they closed. I'm guessing they must be somewhere 'deeper' in the pile. I had intended to backdate the Ergo, but since the EFE one came out that was a bit pointless; it might now be better for someone who wants the later version.

 

P.S. That 'flagship' Freightliner livery looks great on the S80, Merfyn!

 

You're right on the intro date, the B Series I have says 1977 on the instructions and the Motorway B Series has 1987 so they clearly changed hands sometime before that. 'Not sure if the Sleeper cab version was a Motorway development or if Mi-Kits did this.

[ringo]

Only three MCWs greatest busses left in WMPTE land.......

 

Thats tragic, I worked for British Railways Board as a on site resident engineer at Met Cam, and came accross some old Metro Bus badges in the former A shop where they were built, (this was 1993 to 1996), we had those on the wall in our office until we left and went back to the RTC at Derby.

 

Being Birmingham born and bread, I remember when they introduced the first two protoype Metrobusses in Brum with the Titans, alas though I dont live in Birmingham any more, and miss (even more so now) the lovely sound of the Gardner engine (the Rolls Royce ones didnt sound as nice in my opinion) and the singing voith transmissions.......loveley!

 

Oh for the want of a truely good model of a Wumpty Metrobus in orginal livery.....

 

Cheers

 

R

['CHARD]

Sounds like it's time for the hardcore Metro crew to mobilise! I'll PM you the links to the movers and shakers who are working to give the last few survivors a proper send-off.

 

I was in daily contact with your York counterpart a few short years before your stint at Leigh Road, we always prided ourselves on never leaving anything for our Res Eng to snag at Holgate Road, of course!

 

Now back on topic...

[ringo]

Chard,

 

There was always a rivalry between us Midland REs and those Northern types.....all good humoured though, they had some good Res in the York office, especially the one who had his traction engine hidden round the back..........

 

 

We still meet up with some of them, at the yearly Birmingham REs dinner at Christmas, which some of the York gang turn up as well, always good to see them.

 

Its hard to think I left the Res eng section over 12 years ago!

 

Still some things dont change, today Ive been in Frankfurt (Oder), examining a Class 66.....and in the true tradition of the Res Engineers......failed it!

 

Good old days!

 

R

[eetype3]

Picking up on the ERF LV versus A-Series info...

 

The A-Series had the cab datum moved forward (look at the steps in front of the wheelarches, and the shape of the door) and a much larger rectangular grille installed, presumably to allow room and airflow for the bigger cooling packages required for more powerful engines.

 

There were two cab datum heights on the A-Series; the relative position and shape of the cab door and the wheelarch are the giveaway.

 

If anyone still has the tooling for the ERF B-Series high-datum daycab and the Foden S80 (a personal favourite), PLEASE put them back into production as they both look superb. The chassis on the B-Series is pretty good too; certainly much better than anything currently available in the ready-to-plant ranges.

 

I reckon a WMPTE Daimler/Leyland Fleetline would sell quite well, too. I'd buy one for nostalgia's sake. I still remember them grinding up Jiggins Lane and vibrating the alloy-framed secondary glazing of my folks' house!

[Robert Searle]

More info on Motorway Model Kits. They did produce a Scammell Crusader 6x4 sleeper cab. I bought a pre production kit, all parts in a plastic bag and no instructions. was being sold at a Classic Commercial show at Yeovilton back in the late 80's early 90's. I also have somewhere an illustrated catalogue, (very basic).

[Guest jim s-w]

That's rather nice Jim!

 

When you get to Metrobuses will you be doing a similar etch?

 

Thanks James

 

TBH I dont know - I haven't really looked at Metrobuses yet so I am unsure how much fixing I need to do.

 

Funny you mention the fleetline etch though - Here is a comparison between the Paragon kit, suitably improved and the Britbus Atlantean I posted earlier.

 

 

 

You can just make out on the rear that I etched the recess for the outline on the engine cover in the wrong place - thus its filled and the rectangle fitted higher up - I will fix this on the proper etch.

 

Comparing the models with prototype pics - I am pretty convinced that the larger windows of the Britbus one are closer to the real thing than the kit - must get down Wythall to do more measuring - Funny the obvious stuff you don't measure when you are focusing on the details!

 

Cheers

 

Jim