1970's road vehicles

busman · October 15, 2012, 10:23:40 AM

My current layout is set in the 1970's (or thereabouts) and I am looking for some suitable cars (and a limited number of commercial vehicles). What I have in mind are British Leyland products such as Austin/Morris 11/1300, Austin Allegro, Morris Marina, Triumph Toledo/Dolomite/2000 and maybe even the odd Ford (Cortina, Escort)or Vauxhall (Viva, Victor) and foreign imports such as BMW, Fiat and Renault. From my investigations this seems to be a somewhat negleted period.
I'm aware of a limited range from Oxford Diecast (soon to include a Mini and VW Beetle) which includes some buses (also the well detailed but undersized buses from Graham Farish), however, I cannot find any lorries such as the Bedford TK either.
Other than solid cast whitemetal offerings does anyone have any suggestions? What is the Ford Transit van made by R.Parker like?
Thanks in advance for your help.

Sprintex · October 15, 2012, 11:59:01 AM

Welcome to the N gauge black hole :'(

Plenty of 60's cars, quite a few 90's and beyond cars, but next-to-nothing inbetween if you don't want to go the rubbish blob of metal route

I've been slowly accumulating Wiking and Herpa plastic cars when they come up on ebay, and so far it's taken three years just to get a modest selection! Even then they are slightly underscale at 1:160 and the detail isn't great, but with a little paint and some ingenuity hopefully I can get them up to a similar standard to the excellent (but limited) 1:150 Tomytec offerings

Paul

AndyGif · October 15, 2012, 12:03:09 PM

Quote from: busman on October 15, 2012, 10:23:40 AM
What is the Ford Transit van made by R.Parker like?

theres a pic on here of the trannie, on this thread on the OTHER place.......
http://rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=43384#p662981

BernardTPM · October 15, 2012, 02:46:42 PM

Even in the early 1980s it wasn't easy getting N gauge British vehicles for the 1970s. Wiking did a Mk.1 Capri, Airfix did a clear 'block' Vanden Plas 1100 (in their 1:144 SRN4 hovercraft kit!) but the rest of what was available was either German or (to a much lesser extent) American. I resorted to some conversions - Opel Rekord fastback rebuilt to a Marina Van (in Post Office livery), a Chevrolet Malibu to a Vauxhall Cresta PC, NSU Ro80 to Mk.3 Cortina (not easy) and a Fleischmann Opel Rekord to a Vauxhall Carlton (OK, very late 1970s that one).

The Fleicshmann range had some useful, albeit German, cars from the mid to late 70s - VW, BMW, Audi, Opel. Not sure if it's still available though.
Tomytec do a very nice mid-70s Toyota Corolla estate.

BernardTPM · October 15, 2012, 02:50:11 PM

Two of those mentioned above and a couple more 1980s period conversions:

Sprintex · October 15, 2012, 06:40:42 PM

Excellent

Did that Sierra start life as the Wiking one?

Paul

BernardTPM · October 15, 2012, 06:54:18 PM

Yes - luckily the XR4i shares the small rear window of the normal 5-door hatch, though I needed to lower the top edge of the window too as well as rearrange for the extra doors.

weave · October 15, 2012, 07:05:36 PM

Hi,

You might have seen and I mention them often but DM Toys (Germany) do loads of vehicles.

http://www.en.dm-toys.de/liste/kategorie_en/fahrzeuge_en.html

Don't know much about cars but my dad had a camper van in the 70's. Think there are others of interest but apologise if waste of time.

Cheers Weave

upnick · October 15, 2012, 08:27:51 PM

Some Fleischmann cars here on buy it now

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/N-FLEISCHMANN-3-x-CARS-SeePic-REF-NC-3-/221130131959?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item337c6209f7

H · October 15, 2012, 08:44:20 PM

The Parker cars are correct 1:148 N Gauge scale;

(The taxis are ODC models and the rest are Parker kits)

H.

longbridge · October 15, 2012, 09:01:13 PM

We are pretty lucky with British cars but I have big problems buying American Cars for a Yankee layout, that is one of the reasons I model Heritage Railways in the present day as there is heaps of modern cars around.

H · October 15, 2012, 10:18:04 PM

Quote from: oldrailbug on October 15, 2012, 09:01:13 PM
We are pretty lucky with British cars but I have big problems buying American Cars for a Yankee layout, that is one of the reasons I model Heritage Railways in the present day as there is heaps of modern cars around.

Not so sure about that. As American N scale is 1:160 there are more manufacturers producing vehicles and more Yankie outline cars from all eras than there are available decent British outline cars in 1:148 N Gauge, especially the 70s and 80s. As the OP states there are very few common cars from that period. For example missing are;

Ford Fiestas, Escorts, Capris, Cortinas, Orions, Sierras, Granadas, etc
Vauxhall Novas, Chevettes, Cavaliers, Vectras, Carltons, etc
British Leyland Minis, Marinas, Maxis, Allegros, etc
etc. . . . .

H.

BernardTPM · October 15, 2012, 10:44:17 PM

I would think that the availability of US 1970s & 80s cars are about on a par with UK ones - or French for that matter. If you go back to 1950s/60s stuff there's rather more US vehicles made*. Really it's only German and Japanese 1970s/80s stuff that's available (or been available) in any great variety, largely because that's where Wiking, Fleischmann, Busch, Herpa, etc. and Tomy/Tomix and Kato are based.

*Classic Metal Works springs to mind.

Calnefoxile · October 15, 2012, 10:53:45 PM

Quote from: BernardTPM on October 15, 2012, 10:44:17 PM
I would think that the availability of US 1970s & 80s cars are about on a par with UK ones - or French for that matter. If you go back to 1950s/60s stuff there's rather more US vehicles made*. Really it's only German and Japanese 1970s/80s stuff that's available (or been available) in any great variety, largely because that's where Wiking, Fleischmann, Busch, Herpa, etc. and Tomy/Tomix and Kato are based.

*Classic Metal Works springs to mind.

Bernard,

Whilst I agree with you about the Continental manufacturers, why haven't the British manufacturers made British vehicles from that era??. As Grahame states, there are a shed load of vehicles missing from any range.

I mean, why haven't Oxford made 70's/80's vehicles, Cararama - has anyone approached them to shrink their vehicles?? We know that BachFar attempted it and got it horribly wrong with their buses and there is no way on this planet that anyone can say their vehicles look remotely like anything I ever saw on the road as a kid

The 70's/80's era seems to be the forgotten era where vehicles are concerned.

I'll get off me soapbox now.

Regards

Neal.

P.S. Grahame - Have you got any contact details for Mr Parker???

Sprintex · October 15, 2012, 10:57:28 PM

Quote from: Calnefoxile on October 15, 2012, 10:53:45 PM
. . . there is no way on this planet that anyone can say their vehicles look remotely like anything I ever saw on the road as a kid

Got to agree there, the Bachmann cars are absolutely dreadful in both proportion and decoration

These Minis for example:-

Bonnet is WAY too long, door is too short, back end too flat, and looks like it was painted with a stick by a 5 year old, especially bad front end detail

Paul