Show us your buses

I believe the Italian Job coach was a Bedford Val. First engines fitted were Leyland 400 I think. Corgi did a 1/50th scale Magical MysteryTour model and I think others are available.

Hi Campaman and Folkwizard.

The minis are available from Oxford Diecast and, I seem to recall, another manufacturer.

The Bedford VAL coach is more difficult. There are diecasts and kits available for some Bedford VAL variations, but none specifically for the Harrington Legionnaire body used in The Italian Job.

Corgi OOC have a Plaxton Panorama bodied VAL, which includes steering front axles. I have built kits for a later Plaxton Panorama Elite body, a Duple Vega Major body and a Duple Viceroy body (still under construction). None of these looks remotely like the Harrington body, unfortunately.

In a larger scale, Corgi released an Italian Job set with a 1:50 scale VAL with Plaxton body and three 1:43 scale minis.

You could also include a LandRover and a Ford Thames minibus in your diorama - suitable LandRovers are in the Oxford Diecast range, while the ancient Matchbox/Lesney Ford Thames minibus can be found in scratched condition for fairly small amounts of money.

Thanks for the info, it was the twin front wheeled coach you posted earlier that reminded me of the Italian job, could also have an E-Type being pushed over the edge by a Caterpillar Bulldozer

Don't forget the Miura in the opening shots. Or the Aston.

Nice bus models and dioramas, Jeff. May I ask what scale you're working in?
Ian

Hi Ian.

The vast majority of my buses are to 1:76 scale and can be used on my OO layout. They include many diecasts (rtr), plus a good many repainted, modified, kit-built or even scratchbuilt vehicles - the latter are now relegated to the drawers as they have become increasingly battered and bruised over the years. There are also a few scratchbuilt vehicles from other builders, so I can't take any credit for those.

My primary ranges are from London Transport/London Country and Southdown (I grew up mostly in Crawley, West Sussex, but also in Cornwall, Essex and Kent (not necessarily in that order!). Crawley was where London Transport's green country buses and Green Line coaches met Southdown's apple green and primrose buses, so those fleets hold the most memories for me.

To a lesser degree, I have some buses and coaches from many fleets to the south of the Thames, including East Kent, Maidstone & District, Hants & Dorset, Wilts & Dorset, Provincial, Aldershot & District, Devon General, Southern National, Western National and Royal Blue.

I do have a small collection of buses in other scales, from 1:148 up to 1:24 but these are really just a small sideline. None of those are used on the layout!!  ;)

Seems to me like excellent work for 1:76, Jeff. I'm impressed with your attention to detail.
Can you describe your technique for painting coachlines, or have I missed that elsewhere in the thread?
Ian

Thanks for the compliments, Ian. 

For the coachlines there are a number of techniques, depending on the model and material involved. I like white metal kits especially for older, more ornate designs as the 'chrome' bits can be created by simply scraping off the paint on the raised mouldings. For resin or plastic kits, these have to be painted or drawn on, or lining transfers used. I use fine paint brushes (0, 00 and 000) for picking out such raised lines, or more recently, paint pens and gel pens in silver, black or white. Some of the black lining on the Godstone STL was done with brush and other bits with a paint pen. I also sometimes use an old ink pen - the type we used to have to dip in the ink well but using paint instead of ink.

For coachlines or stripes that are not on raised or sunken details, I prefer to use transfers.

Going back to the Godstone STL, here it is in finished form (or as near as I'll ever get to finished!). Number plates and destinations were printed on the computer using Word, zoomed in to anything between 250% to 400%, using 2.5, 3, 4 and 5 point text depending on the need.





It is anything but perfect, but it passes muster at normal viewing distance. We'll have to see how well it passes muster at the competition!
I don't like having to use a mixed colour as it then becomes much harder to match for touch-ups. Such was the case with the STL, so a few slips with the black paint remain uncorrected.

I couldn't find any clear shots of the destination screens for 1934, so had to extrapolate from bits and pieces I could see. This means that the screens are almost certainly not fully authentic.

The Wilts & Dorset Bristol LS6G dual purpose vehicle is now finished. I'm not at all happy with the finish I have achieved (or rather, failed to achieve!). The cream paint has dried with a very rough surface and also the odd little bits of dirt and brush bristle have embedded themselves while it was drying. Given more time, I would sand it back a bit, then re-coat, but time is too short, with the competition on Sunday. It doesn't really show in the photo, but the judge(s) will be able to see the faults.

Still, it has achieved the right look from normal viewing distance.

Something a little different, and not intended to appear on my layout: these three 1/76 scale Brisbane City Council (BCC) Leyland Panthers arrived in the mail today. They are resin models from Brisbane's Model Buses, for which I lent a little bit of a hand in getting the liveries and certain body details right (athough I have no commercial connection with the company).

Back in the late 1960s, the BCC ran down its tram and trolleybus networks, with the last trams and trolleybuses running in 1968. The 340 Panthers (plus one more experimental Panther bought in 1966 with a completely different body style) were the replacements, supplementing the existing diesel bus fleet of AECs and Leylands, with a few old Albions and Daimlers still in service at that time as well. The two-tone blue plus cream scheme was also introduced on these buses.

Panther number 440 is in plain livery, while number 598 has adverts for Fourex (XXXX) beer and Suncorp (on the rear), with both being in 1970s-'80s condition.

Note the heavily tapered rear ends, allowing them to depart from the kerb at a sharper angle without ripping out the back ends on the numerous poles and signs near the pavement edges. In my 15 years of living and commuting in Brisbane, I probably rode on most of the 341 Panthers, including number 10, the experimental one.

As always, I can't leave things as they come: I thought the Brisbane Panthers were sitting just a little low on their 'suspensions', so set about raising the ride heights. The chassis are held in by two self-tapping screws, so the bodies and chassis are very easily separated. I used some 40 thou plasticard to create some spacers to insert between body and chassis, to be held in place by the screws. The photos tell the rest of the story.

The first photo shows the before and after, with the rear bus riding subtly higher han the front one.




The next photo shows the separated parts wih the plastic spacers.



And finally, all three Panthers riding higher.

I agree Jeff, they look better to me with a bit more space below the wheel arch.

Marty

I have done a little more fiddling with the Leyland Panthers. All have had their wheel arch interior edges painted black, to hide oversprays and disguise the thickness of the resin body.

One has been raised very slightly more on its "suspension", as the real Panthers did seem to vary a bit in ride height - the air suspension could sag a little with load or age. This one has also been renumbered to 428, although I have not yet corrected the registration number to match. I flooded some very thin black paint into the various panel gaps and engine cooling louvres.

428 also has had its rear track increased slightly by easing the wheels outwards on the axle, and the front wheels were removed to allow the axle ends to be bent to simulate the wheels being steered to one side. A small dob of black-tack secures the wheels in position while still allowing the the effect to be changed to steering the opposite way if I want.

Evocative memories there Jeff, when In between my contracts in Iran I did a spell as a mechanic for Willowbrooks Loughborough, then went to a small coach outfit (Butlers) working on and driving Bedford Vals. Smooth ride but the front spring bushes were always a problem as were the steering ball joints.

Ian

Hi Ian.

I am a member of the Model Bus Association of Australia: we actually looked at a Bedford VAL (with Australian body) for club use. The club Secretary at the time gave it a good going over and rejected it as it was going to cost us twice the cost of just buying it. All the brake cylinders had leaked, meaning it would need all new brake shoes and eight new tyres.

It still handled nicely on the test drive though!

:cheers


Just a quick note: I may not be able to respond to any posts or messages for around 11 days as I'll be in New Zealand. I am not taking a laptop with me but could possibly use my phone on wifi in the hotels.

In other words, if I don't answer any further posts, I'm not deliberately ignoring you. :)

Hi Jeff

I'd forgotten about the brake cylinders but yes they did leak with age. Later on I drove for K Kinch we won the national coach competition 4 years running 1980 +

Have a good trip

Ian

I do like your buses Jeff.  Have you done any West Yorkshire Road Car Co models ?

Enjoy your Kiwi trip. :thumbs