The G van solution

Yesterday I was disappointed to find out that Oxford Diecast's supposedly OO scale Citroen H van was in fact HO and far too small to fit in my collection, and suggested OO modellers should avoid buying this model. I'm pleased to now report that I've found a potential solution for those who have already bought one and may be regretting it that possibly allows its use on an OO layout after all, as long as you're not hung up on historical accuracy.

H for HO

What scale is Oxford Diecast's Citroen H van supposed to be?

Here's a brief word of warning to my model-making friends - don't always believe the scale a model is claimed to be! You're probably all familiar with Oxford Diecast's large and ever-growing range of mostly excellent 1/76 OO scale models, but I've discovered to my cost that one recent addition is not actually anywhere near this scale at all...

Invacar involvement part 2: the return of TP

It's now been over a year since I had the privilege of driving TWC, the famous HubNut Invacar. You might think that would have been my last encounter with such a rare car but you'd be wrong and I'm proud to have been involved in an awful lot that has happened on the Invacar front in the last 12 months. When I first wrote about them way back in 2015 and expressed a vague hope that one day I might happen to see one, I never would have believed how things would turn out: I have seen no fewer than three other Invacars at close quarters over the last couple of months and spent so much time around them that they're almost becoming unremarkable. Here's the story behind the first of them...

No, it's not TWC but another Model 70!

An Unexceptional weekend

It's already been a month since the unique spectacle of Hagerty's Festival of the Unexceptional so it's about time I did a proper report on the event to supplement my top ten choices from the concours and classic parking. After three years at Whittlebury and two at Stowe, the FOTU moved to another nearby National Trust property this time: Claydon House, between Buckingham and Winslow. Tickets for the classic parking area quickly sold out and a high-quality selection of cars were entered for consideration in the Concours de l'Ordinaire, so once again it promised to be an amazing event and certainly delivered on that promise. Without further ado, here's my round up of the weekend's activities...

What other show would give prizes to cars like these?

FOTU 2019: Classic Parking Top Ten

Last time I looked at the cars in the Concours de l'Ordinaire, which may be the centrepiece of the Festival of the Unexceptional but the classic parking area is even more of a treasure trove and an incredible show in its own right. With several hundred cars here and things that would make you go 'wow' at any other show almost seeming unremarkable in this company it was even more difficult to choose only ten favourites, but here are my final selections...  

FOTU 2019: Concours Top Ten

Regular readers will know by now that the Festival of the Unexceptional is undoubtedly my favourite event of the year and there is nothing else that compares to its celebration of the mundane everyday transport of yesterday. A couple of weeks ago it returned for a sixth year at another new venue, still near Buckingham but now at Claydon House, and the 50-odd hand-picked cars in the Concours de l'Ordinaire maintained the usual high standards. New this year in addition was an Anniversary Class for vehicles celebrating significant milestones that was also included in the judging. After a lot of difficult deliberation I've finally managed to select my top ten cars from the judged classes...