CONTENTS of the print edition
Model Auto Review 225
Publication 7 September 200804 Cars in colour (captions page 06) 07 Morris Minor John Hanson, UK 08 Fairlane 1966-67 Dave Turner, UK 12 Sunbeam Talbot Chop Chris Derbyshire, UK 13 Oxford in N Scale 14 Euro 2008 Daniel Beck, Switzerland 15 Oxford 1:76 16-17 Cars 18 Letters 19 Competitions • News: Cars 20 Book Reviews 24 A Very Rewarding Exercise 2: Graeme Watt, UK 25 Truckstop 26 News: World Captions to page 29 27 Club News • Chinese MGs Maz Woolley, UK 29 Buses and emergency vehicles in colour
EDITORIAL
by Rod WardTHE CENTURY OF OIL
We depend on oil. Not just to fuel our cars, but to make everything from plastic bags to detergents. Yet the oil industry is only as old as the Ford Model T, which, but for the discovery of Texas oil, would have been fuelled by bio-ethanol. Every quarter century or so there is an oil crisis; the Depression, Suez, OPEC in the 70s and today’s price hysteria. Historians in future may look back on our era as the Century of Oil, when for a relatively short period the world economy depended on one raw material being cheap and plentiful. The same period was the era of the internal combustion engined (ICE) car, an era which may be coming to an end. The last time I refuelled my car it cost £6.00 a gallon; the equivalent of $12.00 for our US friends who think $5 a gallon is expensive! I have just finished the Auto Review book on Electric Vehicles, for publication this Autumn. A century ago there were more makers of electric cars than of ICE cars, until cheap oil was discovered. In future this situation may return to ‘normal’, as oil stays more expensive, and as we become wary of depending upon other countries for strategic supplies of crude oil.
It is probable that many future cars will be hybrid or totally electric-powered, with various energy sources from lithium ion batteries to solar cells and wind turbines. There will still be many dozens of car marques in the years to come, but relatively few of them will only make ICE cars. So there will still be plenty of car designs, some of them electric cars, to reproduce in model form and to collect.
But what will the models themselves be made of? If oil becomes even more expensive, plastic will no longer be cheap, so diecast metal could well be the material of the future...
AUTO REVIEW
The latest Auto Review book is now available, a Triumph Album. So here is yet another appeal for material I can include: Among Auto Review books currently in preparation are Fast Boats (WWSR), Jowett (and other Yorkshire vehicle builders), British motorcycles, Standard, Daimler (plus Lanchester and BSA), Vauxhall, Humber, pedal cycles (including mopeds), Wolseley, Sunbeam (plus Talbot) and others. If you have illustrations (your own photos, adverts, brochures etc) or personal anecdotes, please send them to me as soon as possible for inclusion in these publications.
NOT PETE
Pete Kenna comments on the 1:43 AC Greyhound mentioned on page 224.02. He did get the Greyhound pattern from Henk van Asten, and has modified it for reissue, but he did not make the original master.
BIG RIVER CHEAPER
Big River Models of Australia advise us of a price reduction. Proprietor John Halcrow has advised us of this necessity ‘because of the effect of the strong Australian dollar on exchange rates in the UK and the US which has seen price increases of around 20%, not recoverable by Big River. Revised pricing will be reflected in subsequent advertising’.
OXFORD 1:43 NEWS
Next Oxford 1:43 planned releases:
To follow the Jaguars and Daimlers about to appear, the next new castings will be an MG ZA and a Jensen Interceptor. Many more interesting British classic cars are planned.
Oxford Automobile Company: 1:43 scale DS003 Daimler DS420 Embassy Black/Carlton Grey NOV JAGVII003 Jaguar MkVIIM 1956 Monte Carlo winner NOV MGZ001 MG ZA Magnette Red DEC MGZ002 MG ZB Varitone Steel Blue/Mineral Blue DEC JI001 Jensen Interceptor Fawn Metallic DEC JI002 Jensen Interceptor Yellow DEC MGZ003 MG ZA Magnette Northumberland Constab. JAN JI003 Jensen Interceptor Tangerine JAN Other Oxford 1:43 scale releases VECT002 Vauxhall Vectra BTCC 2008 Giovanardi AUG VECT003 Vauxhall Vectra BTCC 2008 Onslow-Cole AUG VECT004 Vauxhall Vectra BTCC 2008 Neal AUG CA012 Bedford CA Milk Float Express Dairies SEPT ANG032 Ford Anglia Van Southdown OCT MV030 Minivan Castrol OCT HA013 Bedford HA Van Post Office Buzby OCT MIN012 1960s Mini Black/Red OCT CMV031 Minivan Kodak NOV CA019 Bedford CA Ice Cream Luchini's NOV LAN1109003 Land Rover 109” frame Midland Red DEC ANG039 Ford Anglia Ice Cream Di Maschio's DEC
ANOTHER SCALE FOR YOU TO COLLECT?
Another collecting scale? Oxford Diecast have announced a range of British vehicles in 1:148 scale, to go with N scale railway layouts. The full Oxford release list is below.
NOB001 Bedford OB Coach British Rail OCT NRM001 Routemaster Bus London Transport VLT 8 OCT NOB002 Bedford OB Coach Southdown NOV NRM002 Routemaster Bus Shillibeer CUV 191C NOV NFX4001 FX4 Taxi Black NOV NFX4003 FX4 Taxi Maroon NOV NMM030 Morris 1000 Van British Rail Yellow NOV NMM015 Morris 1000 Van Royal Mail NOV NMMT001 Morris Traveller Old English White NOV NSS001 Humber Super Snipe Green NOV NJJ001 Jowett Javelin Turquoise NOV N105001 Ford Anglia Red/Cream NOV NOB003 Bedford OB Coach Grey Green DEC NRM003 Routemaster Bus London Transport Jubilee DEC NMM007 Morris 1000 Van Post Office Telephones DEC NMM050 Morris 1000 Van Pickfords DEC NMMT003 Morris Traveller Maroon DEC NSS005 Humber Super Snipe White/Blue DEC NJJ002 Jowett Javelin Golden Sand Metallic DEC N105003 Ford Anglia Police Panda DECIn conjunction with Base Toys, Bachmann have also announced a range of 1:148 (N scale) vehicles under the Scenecraft title, to include:
Ford Prefect, Anglia, Cortina, Capri, Morris Oxford, Minor, Traveller, 5cwt van, Mini and taxi. The cars will be tiny; buses or trucks might be more interesting in that size, but they are intended primarily for railway layouts.
CLASSIX
CLASSIX make display cases for Classix models, reminiscent of those made for Matchbox display in the 1970s left. Two types; EM76998 holds ten 1:76 trucks (or Classix Jen-Tugs). EM76999 holds 18 cars or small vans.
NEW 1:76 OXFORD MODELS 404
The next 1:76 diecast models from Oxford include a new Nooteboom extendable heavy haulage artic trailer. There is also a Paralanian motor caravan, available in plain or Chipperfields livery. There are also Bedford TK fire appliance, Scammell refuse truck and the Skale Autos Land Rover made for Hornby by Oxford. The full list of Oxford 1:76 planned releases to the end of 2008 will be in MAR 226.
Euro 2008 truck and bus models
By Daniel Beck
(Who lives in one of the host countries)Major sporting events can be quite interesting for model vehicle collectors, as sometimes commemorative models can be found among the piles of promotional merchandise. This was also the case at the UEFA Euro 2008, the European football championship which took place in Switzerland and Austria in June. Three truck and bus models officially licensed by the UEFA were on sale, a 1:87 advertising truck with the logo of the event and drawings of the Euro 2008 mascots Trix and Flix, a similar truck in 1:64 scale, and a team coach also in 1:64 scale. They are made in China for M&S Global International of Waldenhofen, Germany, and distributed by a company named Living Picture. According to the package, all the models were released in 16 different liveries, each representing one of the participating countries. However, there seem to be models for England, whose team didn’t qualify for the Euro 2008, but no models for Russia, who not only participated, but reached the semi finals. Here in Switzerland the red and white trucks and buses of the Swiss team were available in large quantities at many shops. I haven’t seen any models of the other teams on sale here, but some of them now show up on eBay. The truck models come on a blue blister card. The quality is on a par with the inexpensive promotional trucks made for breweries and other companies by manufacturers such as Grell, Hümmer or Top-Style. The cabs are diecast metal, all other parts are plastic. The internet address of the distributor, Living Picture www.livingpicture.com, is stamped on the baseplates of both models. There is no indication of the truck makes on the models, but the 1:87 model looks like a Scania and the 1:64 model seems to be a Mercedes Actros.
The team coach is a generic modern diecast bus with very large wheels and wide tyres. This model comes in a blue window box. The manufacturer indicated on the baseplate is 2B Toys, a Dutch company which usually distributes model cars and buses finished with logos of European football clubs and cycle racing teams. But the models appear to be made by Maisto, who released buses using the same castings some years ago.
In addition to these ‘official’ UEFA models, Rietze of Germany released a detailed 1:87 plastic model of a bus which was actually in service in the Swiss capital during the event: the Oranje Bus, a Mercedes-Benz Citaro operated by the RBS bus company from Bern. The bus is painted in orange, the colour of the Dutch football team, and decorated with football motifs. Organised by RBS and the Dutch embassy in Switzerland after it was confirmed that the Dutch team would play all its first round matches in Bern, the bus was intended as a welcoming gesture for the Dutch football fans coming to the city (and many of them came: about 150,000 Dutch people visited Bern during the matches of their national team). The Rietze model (#66936) has very fine tampo printing and is an accurate copy of the original bus. It was made for the Swiss importer of Rietze, Marcel Weber AG in Pratteln, in limited numbers and was available at larger RBS bus stations as well as at Swiss model shops, where it sold out very quickly.
Book Reviews
REMEMBERING REVELL MODEL KITS by Thomas Graham Revised and expanded third edition, 280mm x 220mm softbound, 176 pages, ISBN 978 0 7643 2992 0. Pub: Schiffer , Atglen PA, USA, distributed in Europe by Bushwood Books, 6 Marksbury Avenue, Kew Gardens, Surrey TW9 4JF. £24.95 post free in UK, plus £5.50 per order in the rest of Europe.
Revell’s box art was widely and rightly admired. This revised and updated book includes almost 550 colour photographs of boxes or original box art from the 1950s to the 1970s. Beautiful representations of cars, trucks, military vehicles, ships and aircraft vie for space with endangered wild animals, comic strip characters and horses. The story runs from the early Gowland & Gowland acrylic kits and sand-box toys to the sophisticated products of the 1970s, bringing back many happy memories for kit builders of all eras. This book is produced to the usual high Schiffer standard, and is well worth its cover price. Rod WardSTOCKPORT CORPORATION Buses by Harry Postlethwaite, Super Prestige series 14, 170mm x 240mm softbound, 176 pages, ISBN 978 1 90530 417 2. Pub: Venture Publications Ltd, 128 Pikes Lane, Glossop, Derbyshire. SK13 8EH UK. £17.95.
The latest book in this series is on the buses of Stockport (near Manchester for our overseas readers). A local horse-drawn tramway company was formed in 1889, taken over by the Corporation in 1905 and electric trams introduced, supplemented by trolleybuses from 1913, but they proved to be unreliable and were withdrawn by 1920, replaced by motor buses. British, a BAT company (later North Western), managed to get licences to operate bus services in the Borough, in spite of opposition from the Council and the Corporation Transport. At a time when other towns were abandoning trams, Stockport benefited by buying up their equipment cheaply. Trams turned out to be an asset in wartime to areas still operating them. Soon after the war, all other tram systems in the North-West were discontinued, Stockport the last to succumb, in 1950. Bus services replaced them, mostly Leylands and Crossleys, whose attractive red and white livery was retained from 1934 until the new SELNEC PTE took over in 1969. This book is filled with fascinating period photos and authoritative text. Highly recommended, and not just for residents of the Stockport area.
Rod WardMuscle Trucks: High Performance Pickups By Mike Mueller. Pub: Iconografix, PO Box 446, Hudson, WI 54016, USA. ISBN 1-58388-197-2. 94 pages, softbound.
There have been many books which mention sporty pickup trucks, but this is one of the first to cover the subject in isolation. All the expected hot pickups are here, sDodge Li'l Red Express Truck, Ford Lightning in both old square shape and the current one, Chevrolet SS454, and so on, too many to list. The only omission I could think of was the late 1990s Dodge Dakota 5.9 R/T. One truck included which isn’t a muscle truck is the 1955 Chevrolet Cameo Carrier; even in the 1950s there was an emerging market for dressy pickups rather than plain old workhorses. My own favourite is covered in detail, the 1965 Dodge Custom Sport Special with the super rare 426 cubic inch (7 litre) engine option. Only about 60 or 70 of these 365 hp rockets were built. Mike Mueller is a great photographer, and writes with authority, in a readable style. Definitely recommended. Robert P GunnARGUS: Evaluation Book 2008-2009 CIJ, by Etienne Flament. Pub: SAFAM Editions, BP 40, 78230 Le Pecq, France. A4 softbound 68 pages, profusely illustrated. Price €29 including p&p. Payment by IMO.
This is the latest Argus publication, a price guide to all CIJ products including wooden and tinplate toys, 1:43 diecast models, plastic toys, Micro Miniatures, planes, new Norev-made CIJ production, and so on. This is a detailed study with all versions (wheels, baseplates, colour variations, boxes and so on). ‘A small difference between two similar models could make a big price difference’ notes Etienne. This publication will be very useful for anyone who has some CIJ models and needs more information on them. Rod WardFrom Kenosha to the World 1904-55: the Rambler, Jeffery and Nash Truck Story by James C Mays. Pub in 2003 by Antique Power Inc., PO Box 838, Yellow Springs, OH 45387, USA. Softbound, 120 pages. ISBN 0-9660751-3-7
Books on Chevrolet Ford and Dodge trucks are fairly plentiful. But the smaller independent makers are not nearly as well served. This book fills a gap where little has been written before. Nash were at one time the biggest truck-making firm in the world, exporting to many countries. The Jeffery Quad was a very early off-road truck. In 1915 it had four wheel drive with differential locks on both axles, four wheel brakes and even four wheel steering! The book is well illustrated, mostly in monochrome, with eight pages of colour, though several illustrations are duplicated on other pages in black and white. Some picture captions are odd, too. A 1911 aerial view of the Rambler factory is described as an aerial photo, but it is an artist's impression. And Thomas Jeffery on his 1897 Rambler is the same photo as Charles Jeffery testing a 1901 Rambler, two pages later! One puzzle I wanted to solve was if Nash made light pickups in the 1950s, using cab sheet metal from their car line. Articles elsewhere mention employees seeing such pickups on the production line. A few prototypes were built, using the cab of the Haul Thrift medium truck, but the pickup never went into series production. An interesting book for all truck fans. Robert P GunnFlugfeld Fahrzeuge (Airfield Vehicles by Klaus Holl, Alexander Franc Storz, Matthias Braun, Published by and available from Motorbuch Verlag, Postfach 10 37 43, 70032 Stuttgart, Germany. German text. 208 pages 235 x 270mm, 358 illustrations. Hardbound ISBN 978-3-613-02874-6. Price €29.90
The airfield vehicle is described in this book, from its beginnings to today. This includes such interesting vehicles as tankers, fire vehicles, airstairs, catering vehicles, aircraft tractors, runway testing vehicles or ‘follow me’ cars, all included in this comprehensive study. Hans-Georg SchmittHIGHLAND Buses by W J Milne, edited by Ian Stubbs, Super Prestige series 15, 170mm x 240mm softbound, 128 pages, ISBN 978 1 90530 418 9. Pub: Venture Publications, 128 Pikes Lane, Glossop, Derbys. SK13 8EH UK. £17.95
Willie Milne’s research on the Highland Transport Company and Highland Omnibuses is nicely assembled by Ian Stubbs to tell this fascinating story, based in the Highlands of Scotland. In 1930 the LMS Railway took a 50% shareholding in Inverness and District Motor Services to form the Highland Transport Co. It expanded considerably and was busy in wartime serving local RAF airfields and Naval stations, and even ran a Gilford HSG fuelled by peat. Under the 1947 Transport Act the LMS shareholding passed to the BTC, and the firm sold the other 50% to the BTC as well, so Highland was totally nationalised as Highland Ominibuses Ltd. Under the 1968 Transport Act, the new Scottish Transport Group included Scottish Bus Group, the Caledonian Steam Packet Co and David MacBrayne Ltd. Most Macbrayne’s services and fleet passed to Highland, as did the Alexander’s Oban-based services. After the 1985 Transport Act, Scottish Bus Group re-structured some divisions, making Highland smaller and perhaps more attractive to a buyer. Some Highland staff left to set up Inverness Traction, which still exists, now part of Stagecoach, who also own the successor firm to Alexander. In 1991 as Highland Bus & Coach, the firm was sold by Scottish Bus Group to Clansman Travel and Rapsons, who mostly used the fleetname Highland Country. Got all that? Good. Due to the local conditions and to the multiplicity of local operators, lots of unusual bus types were seen in this area of Scotland, many pictured here. How often do you see a Halley, a Chevrolet LQ, or a Bedford A series single decker mail bus? Or that peat-fired Gilford? A revelation. Rod Ward
MORE FROM MARSH
By John SimonsWe tried to release the 2008 Le Mans Audi R10 within a week or so of the race, but unfortunately, the postal system managed to lose all the information we sent for the decals causing a delay, but that worked in our favour as there were revisions after test day. The MM144 AJ Foyt Lister Chevy from Daytona 1959 is ready to release, as is MM160 Ford G7A, just awaiting etchings. New test castings include MM171 AVS Shadow test car, MM140 Jarier DN1B and MK10 Sauber Mercedes C9. We have also just received the Ferrari P4 pattern; we will initially model the three LM 1967 closed cars. Work will soon start on the Jaguar XJR-5 and the Ferrari 512Ms from LM 1971.
CLUB NEWS
Collated by Rod WardPocketbond have announced the formation of the Classix Coll-ectors Club for collectors of their 1:76 diecast models. An annual fee of £5.00 will get you four newsletters per year. Write to PO Box 80, Welwyn, Herts AL6 0ND. This follows the success of the Corgi Collector Club, still in being after the Hornby takeover of Corgi, though their address is changing. Also very healthy is the Oxford Diecast Club (PO Box 62 Swansea SA1 4YA), with their popular Globe magazine. The Wessex Model and Toy Collectors’ newsletter Smalltalk is as entertaining as ever, and membership enquiries should be addressed to secretary Doug Male on 01225 755043. The South Hants Model Club (01264 366408) publication is Wheel Nuts, now edited by Sue Leake after the sad loss of her husband Stu. We extend our sympathies to Sue. Wheelspin is published by Coventry Diecast Model Club (email cdmc@ntlworld.com) and has been produced for 33 years without a break, an admirable achievement. Maidenhead Static Model Club (01494 813903) is the oldest club, however, having been founded in 1969. Its newsletter is Wheel Bearings. Outside the UK, Showcase is the magazine of the West Australian Model Collectors Club (9310 1790) and The Cape Model Collector is published by the Cape Model and Toy Club (021 686 2852). Also in South Africa, The Natal Diecast Model Coll-ectors (031 266 3138) are based in Durban, and produce a quarterly newsletter. The final newsletter to hand this month is Miniature Auto, published by the New Zealand Model Vehicle Club (03 488 1048) for 39 years, and edited by the ageless and tireless Ron Ford.
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