London Bus type B, 1912 - Roden 1/72nd

[wombat]

There’s a guy called babelcolour on Twitter who, among other things, links to very early colour footage. Including some of this kind of London bus from c1920.

[general melchett]

Quote

I am told the food has improved lately. But that's just @general melchett opinion, and who knows what he eats (high iron-content medals to avoid anemia?)

I was getting concerned that my name hadn't been taken in vain for a while...I don't partake at these fast-food joints Moa, having everything delivered by Claridge's carrier pigeon service these days, most doesn't get here for obvious reasons but it's the effort that counts. Must agree about the state of the communal bogs gracing our fair capital, I'm talking 1920's here, though, thanks largely to the foresight of Victorian plumbers and distinct lack of any forward planning or investment we don't seem to have progressed any since. Most are uninhabitable with any stay lasting longer than four minutes requiring an NBC suit, 24 hour oxygen therapy, blood test, PTSD counselling with round the clock surveillance.

 

Nice to see you having at one of these old jalopies. The height of tech in my day, of course, 'one and six' to Piccalilly Circus and a tickle at the terminus. Hopefully Roden/ICM will see fit to releasing a few more commercials of yesteryear in the future venturing into the 1950's if possible. Hope you recover soon old chap, in the immortal words of Lord Kitchener (well Alfred Leete really) ''your modelling bench needs you''. 

[Brandy]

Nice!

I picked up the military version at Telford last year and am looking forward to putting it together. (My grandfather was a driver with the Army Service Corps in WWI).

 

Ian

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

9 hours ago, square said:

Occre has this bus as a kit. Maybe you can take some color information from there.

 

https://www.occre.com/various/model-vintage-vehicles/aec-bus-b-type.html

Dead link, it seems.

Besides, I tend not to trust secondary sources.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

37 minutes ago, limeypilot said:

I picked up the military version at Telford last year

Oh, Ian, what will I do with you.

You seem beyond redemption.

 

 

[wombat]

I have the reissue Airfix 1/35(?) kit. It’s one I remember my dad having on his shelf. However they’ve not reissued the Dennis fire engine lately, which is big money on eBay.

[Brandy]

1 hour ago, Moa said:

Oh, Ian, what will I do with you.

You seem beyond redemption.

 

 

Totally.

I build military not to glamourise, but to remember.

 

Ian

[square]

2 hours ago, Moa said:

Dead link, it seems.

Hmmm strange, it works from my location.

 

 

Edited March 20, 2020 by square

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Eight years ago on a fleeting visit to the London Transport Museum I took these very poor photos with a very bad camera (one that I wouldn't have minded stolen or lost during the trip) as I had no more than a passing interest at the time in roadable types:

 

 

 

Fortunately, the Internet has plenty of images of now and then of this bus, but I was surprised in finding these photos today browsing our trip to England album, as to how much my modeling interests have shifted in some ways, broaden in others, and narrowed (focused) in some fields. 

 

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Managed to do a very quick -and well protected- session with the airbrush. The first coat of primer is laid on some of the assemblies:

 

[Roy vd M.]

Ha it seems this bus is becoming a popular subject of modelling! 

 

As announced, today I started the build. See here the build report. 

 

Regarding photos, there are a lot on Flickr regarding the recent restoration. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many restoration pics too. It seems they did a lot of research, so as for my own build I'll confide in their choices. Have a look at their photo stream: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ltmuseum/

 

[Yorkshire man]

This is the NH detail p/h https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/NHM72043

and rear of box painting details....https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10644302/60/1

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

A word of caution: Those side rails have attachment points that curve 90 degrees and go into the chassis (in those holes that the instructions ask you to drill, they are marked in the plastic).

Problem is, the side rails are attached to the sprue via gates that are fused with said curvy bits, rendering them the poorest technical solution in this kit. Besides the flash and chunkiness of these parts already mentioned above.

Separating them from the sprue is a challenge, and the attachment points will require cleaning, sanding, shaping, etc., but alas, they are very small and weak, and crap will most certainly ensue.

You are warned.

[Brandy]

Here are my pics from the IWM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope some of those are useful!

 

Ian

[Selwyn]

I love this kit as a because  1, I am a modeller and 2, I am a bus enthusiast!

 

I have a special interest in the B type as it was really the first vehicle that  was specifically designed as a bus, although a lot of the chassis were completed with lorry bodies for London General.

Because of this i thought i would put  a few notes together for my fellow modellers.

 

In the first decade of the 20th century the London General company purchased several independent operators in the London area to become the main bus operator in north London.  General were mainly a horsebus operator and came late to engined vehicles but inherited many different types from the takeovers. Most of these were very unreliable in service, so to get the reliable  bus they wanted they surveyed the existing vehicles and worked out what were the most reliable bits of each type. They had inherited a bus building facility from one of the takeovers and decided to produce an experimental batch of buses  which featured these reliable components. This was the X type. This proved to be a success in service, and with a few minor changes began production as the B type. London General created a seperate manufacturing company to build these buses, it was called "The Associated Equipment Company" or as we all know it "AEC" which in latter days as an independent company was still producing buses for London into the 1960's the last being the Routemasters.

The first  B type buses entered service in 1910  painted overall in a dark red colour  and without lifeguards between the wheels or headlights. In fact when London General wanted to fit headlights the London vehicle  regulatory body who were the Metropolitan police refused to let them fit them as "the bus could be clearly seen from the bus internal carbide  lighting and they might blind other road users!"

As it was over the lifetime of the vehicle these items were slowly introduced,  but the police still held sway until the late 20,s when regulation  became a national policy. in fact London buses were not allowed to have  roofs on the top deck or windscreens due to the MET until then.

The colour scheme changed around 1913/14 to the lighter red and white. 

The Roden kit has the original type of body. If anyone has the Airfix kit the body is the type 7 or 3 panel (side panels below the lower windows )as it was known which although first produced in 1914 was not used until  1918 as all these buses had them removed and stored and replaced with lorry bodies when they were taken over by the army  at the start of WW1. So the Airfix kit which is sold as the 1910 bus is actually a 1919 bus and not the correct design for the "old Bill" buses used as troop transports! It is admittedly an easy fix as you just have to sand off the three panels and square off the tops of the side windows to  lose the arch effect.

If you are into conversions  there is the conversion to a lorry, several different body styles were used check your references. There was also three different styles of single deck body, and three different  size wheelbases ,(distance between wheel centres) used on these buses. This surprisingly is an easy conversion as the wooden chassis rails did not change in length  they just remounted the rear axle in a different place. Some buses were seen with the original mounting holes visible on the side! Its then just a matter of lengthening the propshaft.

 

I have just got the 1/35 ICM B type kit which is my next project so if you are into bus modelling  i can tell you that this is a fantastic kit!

 

hope you have found this of interest,

 

Selwyn

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

Some small bits are glued at this time as they don't hinder painting:

 

 

 

 

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

The last small parts are removed from the sprues. These are really cute, and you can tell the master-maker has put some good care here. Still, the plastic used  makes then somewhat crumbly, and their mechanical resistance is nihil, like bad resin parts. I don't think I am a clumsy modeler, yet a few just broke in my fingers as I was trying to clean the ever-present mold lines and little flash. I re-glued the affected parts, but I guess clean up will not go much further.
Many times I just discard these parts and make my own, but I am a bit lazy due to the passing illness, so they will have to do, as well as the side rails (photos show some buses without them, so they may go to the trash can, but I have to do more research):

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

I will do well here with my home-made lights:

[Roy vd M.]

4 hours ago, Selwyn said:

I have just got the 1/35 ICM B type kit which is my next project so if you are into bus modelling  i can tell you that this is a fantastic kit!

You mean the Miniart kit? Or do you mean the FWD B-type truck? 

 

 

Moa, progress is looking good! Unfortunately this topic is still in the Aircraft section, best to send a PM to Mike, he'll surely move it. 

[Selwyn]

Just now, Roy vd M. said:

You mean the Miniart kit? Or do you mean the FWD B-type truck? 

 

 

Moa, progress is looking good! Unfortunately this topic is still in the Aircraft section, best to send a PM to Mike, he'll surely move it. 

Sorry miniart!

 

Selwyn

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

8 minutes ago, Roy vd M. said:

Unfortunately this topic is still in the Aircraft section, best to send a PM to Mike, he'll surely move it. 

I sent a PM to Julien as soon as I posted it, but no reply.

I also sent a message (not related) using the contact option, no reply.

I will try Mike.

Cheers

[Bengalensis]

8 hours ago, Moa said:

I sent a PM to Julien as soon as I posted it, but no reply.

I also sent a message (not related) using the contact option, no reply.

I will try Mike.

The easiest option might be to use the "Report Post" link in the first post and report your own thread, writing in the report you want it moved. Then anyone in the team can see it and act.

[Julien]

Topic moved. If you wish a topic moved just hit the report button, there is no need to write in the header in massive red text, thats just rude.

 

Julien

[Terry1954]

What a great find down here in the vehicle section Moa! An interesting subject which I will follow with interest. 

 

Also, discovering that the man who has become my go to source for Cold War era munitions @Selwyn, who helped me get my F-5E load out as accurate as possible, is a bus enthusiast too! I share for your delectation the very secret part of my stash that was collected many years ago........

 

 

I had made a start on the Thomas Tilling ST and the Bristol MW - ECW before they all had to go into long term storage, due to one of life's many disruptions. They are all back safe with me know, and when I have made my way through a few more aviation and other types, I am sure I will get some of these underway. Now I know there are bus enthusiasts here, I could even do a WIP perhaps!

 

Tilling:

 

And the Bristol

 

I am also very tempted by that 1/35 Old Bill recently produced by Miniart.

 

Apologies for the slight thread drift Moa!

 

Terry

[Selwyn]

1 hour ago, Terry1954 said:

What a great find down here in the vehicle section Moa! An interesting subject which I will follow with interest. 

 

Also, discovering that the man who has become my go to source for Cold War era munitions @Selwyn, who helped me get my F-5E load out as accurate as possible, is a bus enthusiast too! I share for your delectation the very secret part of my stash that was collected many years ago........

 

 

I had made a start on the Thomas Tilling ST and the Bristol MW - ECW before they all had to go into long term storage, due to one of life's many disruptions. They are all back safe with me know, and when I have made my way through a few more aviation and other types, I am sure I will get some of these underway. Now I know there are bus enthusiasts here, I could even do a WIP perhaps!

 

Tilling:

 

And the Bristol

 

I am also very tempted by that 1/35 Old Bill recently produced by Miniart.

 

Apologies for the slight thread drift Moa!

 

Terry

Going a bit modern at the moment building This.

 

Selwyn