CORGI 1/76 LEYLAND PD3 QUEEN MARY OPEN TOP BUS - PEOPLE'S PROVINCIAL

This is Leyland PD3 Queen Mary Open Top Bus - People's Provincial, registration WOW 993T, fleet number 202, route 99C Solent Sea-Line (HMS Alliance, Stokes Bay, Lee on Solent, Bridgemary, Elson, Gosport Ferry). The neat open top Queen Mary casting looks good in the Gosport based fleet's 80's livery. Shop here

CORGI 1/50 MAN TGA FELDBINDER - JOHN MICHELL GRANGEMOUTH ROAD TRANSPORT

John Mitchell started the business in 1956 with one vehicle operating from Grangemouth in central Scotland. The business expanded over the years and in 1973 moved to a purpose built 3 acre haulage depot with new offices workshop and storage facilities at Earls Road in Grangemouth. Continued growth saw the acquisition of an additional site in Grangemouth in 1990 this is the Thornbridge Depot - a 26-acre site with 150000 sq ft of covered warehousing and storage capacity for over one thousand freight containers. The haulage fleet also expanded over the years and now stands at around 100 vehicles. The haulage operation is still based at Earls Road and a further seven acres of adjacent land was purchased recently for container storage. The Company is still family owned and managed by Iain Mitchell - Managing Director and his sister Catherine Weir - Company Secretary. Shop here

CORGI OOC - PLAXTON EXCALIBUR OXFORD LONDON EXPRESS COACH

The Volvo B10M Plaxton Excalibur is a striking coach, and it looks very impressive in Oxford CityLink livery.

Corgi has gone to a lot of trouble to reproduce the complex livery. There's an enormous of detail in the tampo printing. As well as the 'E' emblem and obvious Oxford London Express livery, the Oxford Bus Company logo is well done. And you can even read the details of the Five Star luxury Coach: 'double glazed windows, full air conditioning'

With the exception of a bit of a white smudge on the passenger door, this is certainly one of the most intricate and best executed liveries we've seen. Shop here

HOT WHEELS - STREET ROADDER

This was a small, simple, but very typical, model of a stripped-down and hotted-up 1932 Ford. It was nicely made and well finished, with a white body and a flame tampo in red and orange on each side. It had a metal chassis, grey plastic interior, windscreen and grille, plus a huge engine in chromed plastic.

HOT WHEELS - FORMULA P.A.C.K.

The formula racing car was the bizarrely named Formula P.A.C.K. It was finished in black, with attractive orange and light green tampos, and an unpainted base, engine and interior. The model was deleted in 1978, but revived in 1982 under the name of ‘Malibu Grand Prix’ with the lovely Real Rider wheels. It was again re-release in 1984 in yellow and called ‘Lightning Gold’, but by then, this type of racing car was looking pretty dated.

SIKU 1/55 MERCEDES BENZ ACTROS

In the big 1/55th scale series we can expect a nine-axle extending boom mobile crane, which should complement the two earlier lattic mast outfits released over the last couple of years. To complete the heavy haulage side there is a Mercedes Benz Actros tractor hauling a new five axle draw-bar low loader with O&K bucket loader for cargo. Shop here

CORGI 1/50 DAIMLER GREEN LINE UTILITY

The Daimler CW is released in Green Line livery. It's as well moulded and detailed a body as any from OOC so far. Nice details include the noticeable ribbing between panels characteristic of the Utilities, the moulded battery box at the front and some careful detailing around the driver's door. It's plastic detail that makes the model, however. The interior seat moulding capture quite nicely the slatted seats that made such an impression (on their behinds) to war-time and post-war travellers.

The handsome Daimler fluted radiator is sadly black rather than gleaming metal this is totally authentic of course, the bus being delivered in 1945 when austerity measures were in full effect. The bus modelled is a CWD6 with a Duple body and smooth Daimler engine, rather than the Gardener engine of the earliest batch. Particularly to be commended is the tampo printing. The Green Line symbols are very nice done. Shop here

DAIMLER 1929 KING GEORGE V (SANDINGHAM)

  
This magnificent detailed Royal Daimler purchased by King George V and delivered in August 1929 was for his personal use and only two were made - the second was for his wife Queen Mary. Painted in the Royal colours of black and maroon, the car also carried the appropriate heraldic decoration. The Royal 'identification' lamp was fitted on the canopy and the crowning glory has to be the mascot on the bonnet depicting Britannia sitting on the Globe and the Royal Standard features proudly above the front windscreen. Model is presented on a removable plinth with a removable hard plastic cover. Shop here

BBURAGO 1/18 NEW BEETLE

1998 Volkswagen New Beetle Coupe Yellow 1/18 Diecast Model Car by Bburago  

One of model is the Bburago, here in yellow. Bburago has produced a real winner with this model, complete with opening bonnet with detailed engine (yes,it's in the front), opening doors and hatchback (though it looks like the rear of the 'classic' Beetle, the curvy rear features a cleverly concealed hatch).

It's difficult to know where to start on the praise for this excellent model - one of Bburago's best. Interior details include the tiny moulded indicator stalks, 'glass' in the rear view mirror, grab handles. The distinctive and attractive hubs are very well captured, the wide tyres, all the lights are glazed (there's even orange glazing in the combined side lights and indicators) and the VW badge is as prominent as it on the new car.

MOTORMAX 1/18 CHEVROLET CORVETTE OF 1958

1958 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Diecast Model Red 1/18 Die Cast Car By Motormax


A 1/18th scale model is certain to look impressive in the display cabinet, and that certainly is the case with the Chevrolet Corvette of 1958 as modelled by Motormax. This open version looks stunning in its red and white, with plenty of chrome trim. This trim extends to such areas as the interior of the car, with the instrument panels neatly shown.

The bonnet opens to reveal a highly detailed engine, while the boot like wise opens. The front wheels steer, and have suspension, while the doors also open.

Fortunately all the opening features are a good fit, so do not detract from the overall appearance of this fine model.

MINICHAMPS 1/43 FORD MONDEO IN ESTATE VERSIONS

The model of Minichamp's Ford cars is the Mondeo estate. In Ghia form, this is still a handsome car, and the model features the chrome grille surround and rear door pillar badges to mark it as the top of the range car. The interior is nicely moulded, as are the wheels and grille. Perhaps the roof rack is a tiny bit over-scale. All in all, though, an attractive model. Shop here

CORGI 1/36 BMW MINI COOPER S St ANDREWS FLAG HYPER BLUE METALLIC

As the New BMW Mini Cooper has grown in popularity so have the options available to the consumer and one of the popular area of accessorizing is in the choice of roof graphics.Ranging from pattern designs to novelty illustrations one of the favourite choices has been the national colours and this model shows the Scottish design on a Hyper Blue Cooper S  Shop here

CORGI 1/50 DAF 95 CURTAINSIDE McAULIFFE

McAuliffe Trucking Company is one of the largest carriers in Ireland and is located in Castleisland, Co. Kerry in a state-of-the-art facility. McAuliffe Trucking Company provides distribution services to leading Irish companies, with over 50 years of combined experience in the haulage and distribution industry. This DAF 95 is called ‘Children of Lir’ after a well-known story about a King called Lir whose children were turned into swans for 900 years by their evil step-mother. After finding out about this, Lir turned his wife into an ugly moth. It took the ringing of a Christian bell by a monk (some say St. Patrick himself) to turn them human again. Hauliers of Renown is the flagship of Corgi’s road transport range of die-cast models - amazingly detailed, each model is a tabletop replica of a truck from the UK's most famous haulage fleets. Every model, is recreated in superb 1:50 scale and includes a numbered, Limited Edition 'Tachograph' Certificate and customised presentation packaging. The range includes both modern and classic cabs and trailers from some of the best known British hauliers. Shop here

CORGI 1/76 VAN HOOL ALIZEE - GREENLINE

Arrival the Shires 4063 is a DAF SB3000 with a Van Hool Alizee body new to the private charter fleet of Grey Green Coaches at Stamford Hill on 1 August, 1994. Four identical coaches were transferred to ‘the Shires’ in 1998 for use on Green Line 758 between Hemel Hempstead and London, Victoria. The model is presented in the latest Green Line livery by Best Impressions which 4063 received in 2006. Registered M943 LYR, 4063 was one of the last coaches delivered to Grey Green before the business completed its switch to London contracted bus operation and was subsequently absorbed into Arriva London; ending a sequence of Grey Green registration numbers which began with SJJ 300, a Leyland Tiger Cub/ Harrington, in 1956. Smooth-riding and solidly-built, 4063 is likely to receive enhancements which will enable it to continue to run into London after July, 2008, when unmodified Euro 1 vehicles will be excluded from the London Low Emission Zone. Shop here