24 June 2021
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Brekina 1967 AEC Routemaster London Transport Bus - neutral livery
PRICE: £32.99
REF: BRE 61109
SCALE: 1/87
Now here's a model to surely create some possibly heated discussions amongst us collectors. Brekina has been making plastic replicas in mainly 1/87 scale for many years, aimed mainly at the HO gauge continental model railway market. Since the company was acquired by the prolific Model Car World in 2018, it has begun to manufacture subjects that will be of great interest to collectors of UK buses.
This is not its first rodeo in terms of the Routemaster, as this is several releases down the line already. It has been on my radar for some time, but 1/87 is not one of my usual scales. What stands out for me with this release is that it comes in what Brekina describe as "neutral livery", which of course lends itself perfectly for the aftermarket decals industry to create a potentially seemingly endless run of registrations, fleet numbers, routes, destinations and advertisements front, back and side. A little judicious painting to the grille area could also add variety with black as an option here too.
The interior, moulded in plastic too, of course, doesn't carry the moquette fabric detail. But at this scale you really have to look very closely indeed to notice that, and it doesn't detract from the finished model at all.
Running on authentically-treaded tyres, the shape is excellent, with some very good detailing indeed, particularly for this diminutive scale.
Thumbs up from me!