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.