EFE 1/76 PARAMOUNT 3500 - GREENLINE INVICTA

Perhaps the most interesting of the Paramount release so far is this Green Line-liveried model in Maidstone & District's Invicta branding for the Maidstone to London Express service.

The colourful London Greenline coach services livery sets off the rather formal lines of the Paramount well, and in fact the liverly could have been designed specially for the Paramount, so cleverly does it pick up on that characteristic plunging side window.

The front grille is to a slightly different pattern than the previous versions.

One of the neatest touches is the appearance of the small Plaxton badges front and rear, while the Invicta prancing white horse logo in its red triangle is a gem. A characterful latter day Greenline coach from EFE. See more

CORGI 1/76 MINI VAN 'CORGI TOYS'

A new tool for 2008 the 1:76 scale Mini Van modelled here depicts the retro styling of the Corgi Toys of yesteryear. Like today’s Multi-Purpose Vehicle’s or MPV’s the original Minivan (1962-1969) was designed for maximum interior room and was introduced during the 1950s coinciding with the emergence of Corgi Toys. This model celebrates the decade that also saw Mettoy Playcraft Ltd launch Corgi Toys as its new toy range of die-cast model cars. They were the only toy cars on the market at that time so were a huge hit. See more

IXO 1/43 NISSAN R390 GTI 'JOMO' 1998 LE MANS

The model in the IXO ‘Le Mans Legend’ is the Nissan R390 GTI raced at the 1998 Le Mans 24-Hours race.

The car sponsored by ‘Jomo’ and ‘Sports Graphic Number’ was driven to a third overall finishing position in the hands of its three Japanese drivers Motoyama/Kageyama/Kurosawa. Carrying racing number 33, the car carries the goodwill wishes of the sponsoring magazine’s readers on the top of each of its rear wheel arches.

The model shows the complete racing interior through the windows, which includes racing fire extinguisher. See more

VANGUARDS 1/43 MINI VAN ENFIELD BRAKE AND CLUTCH SERVICE YELLOW

During the design of the original Mini saloon, Alec Issigonis had shown great devotion to the packaging of the car. The ten-inch wheels placed at the very corners of the vehicle, external body seams, beautifully packaged drive-train and compact suspension system all helped the Mini to have a ground breaking passenger space to vehicle size ratio. Those very same features meant the load bay of the Minivan was flatter and bigger than you had any right to expect in a van only ten inches longer than its tenfoot long saloon cousin.

MATCHBOX: JEEP GLADIATOR

In January the first release for the year appeared in the form of a Jeep Gladiator Pick-up (71b) with suspension. This was the first of many Jeeps to be included in the miniature range and was obviously to boost sales in the US, although it was not the most appealing of models. It was paintd red all over and had opening doors with either a plastic or metal door spring.
It had black wheels and a black base which came with and without a patent number. A green interior was fairly common in Europe but soon all models had white interiors. The early European versions with green interiors are quite sought after in the US.

MAISTO 1/18 SCALE - MERCEDES CLK-GTR

Following the release of the 1977 ‘works’ AMG and Person Motorsports models of the Mercedes CLK-GTR, the 1998 Champions, gained by victory a the last race, were Klaus Ludwig and Ricardo Zonta, who beat the favourites Bernd Schneider and Mark Webber to the title. The car shown is the Schneider/webber car with racing number 1. When first raced at Le Mans, the car was a dismal failure, retiring early after a fast start; the decision to race at the French circuit proved to be an error.The model has opening doors and removable rear bodywork. The interior of the driver’s cockpit reveals plenty of detail, including all the knobs and dials. The rear body shows engine internals, full suspension detail and engine wiring, which, for a model of this size and cost, represents good value for money. The car carries ‘D2’ and ‘Warsteiner’ sponsorship. See more.

VANGUARDS 1/43 FORD ANGLIA - ROAD SERVICE

The models being offered this time by Vanguards in AA livery are joined by the Ford Anglia van in the familiar yellow. The sides, rear and headboard are all inscribed 'Road Service', the model being pleasingly finished, with relevant features picked out in silver, and the various lights suitably featured.