Corgi's 2020 vision

A Happy New Year and Happy New Decade to all my readers. As has become customary, I'm starting 2020 with a review of Corgi's recently-announced bus models for this year, which were revealed on Monday. There are at least some OOC buses among the 118 announcements so that is an improvement over 2019's tally of zero, but they are once again an uninspiring crop so I won't be buying any of them, and needless to say there are still no new castings.

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...

Maxi model repaint

It should come as no surprise that as soon as Oxford Diecast released their model of the Austin Maxi I embarked on a repaint to represent my actual car. Read on to discover the trials and tribulations of what should have been a simple repaint project, and see if the finished product looks anything like the real thing...

Smaller wheels make a big difference, but will it look like the real one?

Maxi model review

Oxford Diecast 76MX001 - 1/76 scale Austin Maxi in Tara Green

Regular readers may remember that almost a year ago I expressed my delight that Oxford Diecast had announced a model of the Austin Maxi. It was due for release in the fourth quarter of 2018 so I predicted I would have one in my collection by the end of the year, but Christmas came and went and nothing further was heard about it.

There's a good reason for that: the model has suffered a long delay and has only just been released last week, shortly after the real Maxi's 50th birthday. I was hoping to do this review sooner as I placed my order last Wednesday but a system glitch at the supplier meant I had to wait another week for it to arrive, so at long last and much later than expected I finally have an Oxford Diecast Maxi in my hands for a review. Was it worth the wait?

Not a bad representation of the Maxi

A Maxi model

It's been far too long since my last blog as I've been very busy and going through some tough times at work. There has been some very good news amongst all of this though: my prayers for a 1/76 scale model of the Austin Maxi have finally been answered by Oxford Diecast so I am looking forward to adding one to my collection soon. The Maxi has been overlooked by the model manufacturers for far too long and has been requested countless times, not just by me, so the news of its addition to their programme has been received with much enthusiasm and I'm sure it will be a good seller.

At long last, an affordable model Maxi

Molotow Liquid Chrome

I have a new favourite thing in my modelmaking toolkit. I can't be the only modeller to have spent years searching for the holy grail of a convincing chrome effect that can be applied by hand, and I've tried all sorts of different things but never been satisfied with the results. Until now that is - the Molotow Liquid Chrome paint pens seem to be the answer to my prayers and I was so impressed I just had to share my feelings.

The magic silver bullet

The end of Atlas Editions

Back in 2016, I wrote about Atlas Editions and their strange business practices. Since then things have carried on in much the same way and they have continued to supply subscribers with new models, albeit sometimes erratically and not always to their satisfaction. Now however, with effect from May 2018 and confirming speculation that had been rife for a while, the Atlas Editions brand is officially being phased out. All of the once omnipresent advertising has disappeared and the Atlas website now states that while existing subscriptions will be honoured, no new customers are being accepted, with visitors directed to the 'Model Space' website of Atlas's parent company De Agostini.instead. So what has led to this drastic decision being made?

Originally issued in mainland Europe, then the UK coach series and now widely available

Corgi buses for 2018

I've been meaning to write this for several weeks now but the announcement coincided with my busiest period at work and life has just got in the way since then, so better late than never, here at last is my review of Corgi's model bus release schedule for January to June of this year, revealed exactly a month ago. I didn't even bother reviewing the models from the second half of 2017 as there were only two of them and neither were worthy of note: yet another Borismaster and a second Harry Potter Gemini very similar to the one released the previous year. Things are slightly better this time around, with four all-new liveries, each available with a choice of two destinations. There are still no new castings though (unsurprising given the company's poor finances) and nothing of interest to me.

Wright Gemini, Brighton & Hove, Pride - all themes Corgi have already done recently

The mysterious MilMod

I hope my readers had a good Christmas and got the gifts they wanted. I'm a difficult person to buy for so the majority of my presents were model kits from myself to add to my ever-growing stash, including a couple that are particularly unusual and not at all well documented. I thought it was worth writing something to shed a little more light on the mysterious little-known firm of MilMod, whose approach to kit production is rather individual to say the least. 

The model kit market in 1/76 scale just hasn't been the same since the demise of BW Models on proprietor Barry Wright's well-deserved retirement a few years ago. The moulds for the huge range were sold in batches to various other firms and while some former BW kits have reappeared, others have yet to emerge and their fate currently remains unknown. Thanks to a bit of detective work, some have now been traced to MilMod, with several already available and others scheduled for release next year. I had never heard of MilMod before and they seem to keep a very low profile, so who are they and what are their kits like?

Modelling the holy grey grille

Bringing the Hornby Sierra up to scratch

I haven't written about model vehicles on this blog for some time, so here's the story of a recent project that has kept me busy for a few hours and turned a piece of rubbish that most people wouldn't give a second glance into an accurate scale model. I work exclusively in 1/76 scale, the same as OO gauge model railways, which is well-served for bus and lorry models but not so much for cars until recently, and the subject of this piece may be nostalgic for those who modelled modern-image railways in the 1990s.

The old plastic Ford Sierra made by Hornby was just about all you could get at the time but doesn't seem to have much potential to make a decent model from first impressions and is now all but ignored as it is so inferior to the model cars now available. Don't write it off completely though: with a bit of hard work, as I have proved here, it can be transformed into something that wouldn't look out of place alongside the new generation of diecast cars. The car I have chosen to model is well-known in certain circles and its fascinating story has already been told here, so read on to find out how I replicated it in this small scale... 

A Hornby Sierra that actually looks like a Sierra, and the all-important grey grille is in place

New year, new model buses?

It's the beginning of a new year and a good time to look at what may be in store for 1/76 scale model bus collectors such as myself in the near future. Apart from the noble exception of Oxford Diecast, 2016 was a disappointing year for diecasts, with Northcord and Britbus virtually invisible, Corgi suffering financial problems and the near-loss of EFE. I bought no more than two or three new diecast releases during the entire year and the majority of my new additions were resin kits from the growing band of cottage industry producers who have a very different business model but seem far more willing to invest in new products. So far it looks like 2017 won't be much better, with Brexit having had an adverse effect on production costs in China, but I'm still hoping I might be proved wrong and something exciting will unexpectedly appear.

The plague of disintegrating diecasts

There seems to be a growing epidemic in recent years of diecast models simply crumbling to dust for no apparent reason, leaving many collectors perplexed and upset at the loss of a model through no fault of their own. Known variously as 'metal fatigue', 'zinc rot' or 'zinc pest', this is caused by impurities of lead and other metals in the zinc alloy used in diecasting and should be avoidable with modern production methods, but sadly it seems even expensive high-end models are not immune from it and there is no cure once it has taken hold.

The Greatest Show on Earth

Atlas Editions 'Greatest Show on Earth' series review

 

I have previously written about Atlas Editions, so you should be familiar with their business model of offering subscriptions to collections of items. One such collection, announced in 2014, was 'The Greatest Show on Earth', a range of fairground and circus models in 1/76 scale, and as a collector of fairground vehicles in this scale I naturally subscribed to this series. Although I have not received any confirmation that the collection is complete and no further models will be sent, it has been over six months since anyone received a new model and I have exactly thirty so it seems as if it has indeed come to an end and thus I can do a review of the entire collection.

A new beginning for EFE?

They say a week is a long time in politics. It seems a week (or two) is also a long time in the model bus industry, as much has happened since I published my last piece on the demise of Exclusive First Editions just a week ago. Bachmann Europe have recently issued a press release announcing their acquisition of the range, a very welcome development considering how uncertain EFE's future looked just a short time before. Bachmann have reportedly purchased the EFE name, tooling and stock, but not the Gilbow Holdings company itself, and it is too early to tell what the future holds for EFE but collectors breathed a sigh of relief at the news that the business had been saved and production is expected to continue.

Thanks to Bachmann it looks like there will be more from EFE for our collections in the future

The end of EFE?

The model bus world has been left reeling by the weekend's announcement that Gilbow Holdings, the parent company of Exclusive First Editions, has gone into liquidation and ceased trading. While not entirely unexpected as it had been obvious for some time that all was not well, it still came as a great shock when it happened. EFE will be missed as they were the pioneers of diecast model buses in 1/76 scale and revolutionised the hobby with their widely-available, ready-made and well-detailed models, as until then all you could get were white metal kits and the occasional toy from Dinky or Corgi. On a personal note, it was the products of EFE that introduced me to collecting in 1/76 scale around twenty years ago and I now own dozens of them, so I have much to thank them for.

EFE made many different versions of the Leyland National. This is one of the infamous overprints.

The collectability paradox

One question I am often asked is why I buy collectable models only to destroy their originality by repainting or converting them, as surely that is a waste of a rare and valuable collectors' item and I'm losing a large sum of my hard-earned money in the process. I approach my collecting with a healthy dose of realism so I justify it purely as an interest that makes me happy and not one that makes me money, and it is taking a common mass-produced model and creating something personal and unique from it that gives me most pleasure. Sadly for those who believe the hype, logic dictates it is very rarely the case that something advertised as a 'collectors' item' will ever actually become collectable, and buying these models as an investment is extremely unlikely to pay off.

Corgi disappoint again

Six months ago I bemoaned how disappointing Corgi's release schedule for the first half of this year was, and predicted that the Original Omnibus Company models to be released in the second half would be little better. The full release schedule is due to be announced tomorrow but the list of OOC releases was made available by another website today and it gives me no pleasure to say I was right and the first words that came to mind on viewing the list were 'dismal' and 'pathetic'. I was hoping this was incomplete and there would be more to follow, but nothing was omitted so there is even less variety than last time and this batch of releases is far worse than I imagined it could ever be. If you don't like modern Wrightbuses then there is nothing here for you.

Only Connect

A tale of three four Transits...

It's the curse of modelmakers. You have a great idea to make something unique that isn't available commercially and spend hours working on it, but no sooner is it finished than a manufacturer announces something very similar that can be bought off the shelf and would have saved all that effort. I'm sure we've all suffered from this curse at one time or another, but it's managed to strike me no less than three times in a short period while modelling Ford Transit Connect vans! Here's the story of this run of bad luck...

A burning issue

Please don't set fire to your models!

Something I've noticed recently that is spreading among the younger members of the model bus community is a trend towards depicting a burnt out vehicle by setting fire to it. For many reasons this really isn't a good idea at all so I cannot condone such behaviour and I feel I must write something to warn of the dangers and hopefully put an end to this idiotic practice before someone gets hurt.

This makes me cringe. So dangerous and not even realistic.