Diecast and resin model new releases

Mike Neale takes a look at recently-released diecast and resin models of road locos, ambulances, vans, milk floats and trucks.

Oxford Diecast re-wrapped their 1/76 scale Aveling & Porter road roller and tar spreader, No. 11520 Crusader, in Great Dorset Steam Fair special packaging as the show model for 2022. Price is £26.95. The model first appeared in 2020 in the same colours, the light green and black of Robert Bate of Wolverhampton with the matching Coleman Flapper tar spreader. We’ll have to wait until 2024 for the next GDSF model I suppose.

In the meantime, Oxford have issued their 1/76 Fowler B6 road locomotive in the original black livery of haulage company Norman E Box Ltd of Manchester, No. 16263 Talisman. RRP is £19.95. Five Fowler B6 locos were made for this company, including Talisman, up until 1931. Recently, however, Cumbrian engineer Alex Sharphouse, who had always wanted a Fowler road loco, set out to recreate Talisman from scratch, which took six years. Amazingly, whilst the project was underway, he managed to buy a collection of the original Talisman parts from the family of a late collector in the New Forest to incorporate in the build, allowing it to be registered as Talisman, NE 2834.

Possibly the archetypal ambulance of the 1960s was the Bedford J1 Lomas. Oxford’s 1/76 scale model has been around for a while now, with the off-white City of Birmingham version now available again after selling out quickly originally. Price is £7.45. As ever, there is a fine level of detail, and the shape and feel has been captured well.

Also in 1/76 scale is Oxford’s Morris J Type ice cream van which has been released in the maroon and cream livery of D Di Mascio’s, which really suits the model. The radiator grille is nicely detailed. The RRP is £7.45. The Morris J was always popular as an ice cream van, although there almost seem to be more about now than in the 1960s, as a number of vans have been converted.

Moving from ice cream to milk, we have Oxford Diecast’s 1/76 scale Wales & Edward Standard milk float available again in a smart cream and dark blue Express Dairy livery, selling for £7.45. The headboard celebrates the company’s centenary year in 1964. Wales & Edward began as an agent for Morris and Wolseley cars in Harlescott, Shrewsbury. In 1951, they began building three-wheel milk floats to United Dairies’ specification, the first ones steered by a tiller, and later supplied them to other customers. From 1955 a front cowl was fitted, made of a fibreglass reinforced polyester resin called Glaspol, and later a complete cab of Glaspol. The firm was sold to Smith’s Electric Vehicles in 1989.

Sticking with three-wheelers, and perhaps the one that most people first think of, Oxford’s 1/76 Reliant Regal Supervan III is now available in blue [6], proving that not all of these were yellow and driven by camel-coated future millionaires. The number plate, GRA 26K, is from the van driven by an unknown driver in the Mr Bean series. The Supervan III was built from 1968-73, evolved from the original 5cwt Supervan of 1963 and Supervan II of 1967, but fitted with a new 701cc engine. The model retails at £7.45.

The models illustrated can be found online and at various model shops, such as Hattons and Sheffield Transport Models.

This feature comes from the latest issue of Old Glory, and you can get a money-saving subscription to this magazine simply by clicking HERE