| The model
- this model was first announced on this site in October 2005, but was
in fact available from retail outlets in Sentosa from July 2005.
Although
it appears to be a 'toy' aimed at the souvenir market, the model is in
fact very well detailed, including rear-view mirrors. It carries
'Sentosa
Leisure Group' lettering on the base. The model represents a MAN NL263
although the real buses used are Volvo B7Rs (the photos at the foot of
this
page clearly demonstrate the differences). My thanks to Leslie Chan and
www.hksbp.com
for the photos of the real bus. (For details of a second model
representing a Volvo B7R click here)
Below is an
extract of an e-mail received
from Director of Retail, Sentosa
Leisure
Group, on 2nd November
"We are very
pleased to note that our souvenir
diecast model of the Sentosa Bus is being featured in your
website.
For the interest of your visitors, I am pleased to provide you with
more
information about the bus and Sentosa.
Sentosa is
an resort island in Singapore,
about 10 minutes by car from the city centre. As there are
very few
cars around the island, we have an internal bus system, with the orange
bus being the most prominent - this transports visitors to the various
parts of the island.
The
diecast model of the Sentosa bus (high
quality toy grade) was launched in July 2005 and sold mainly in the
various
shops on the island. This bus is based on the Volvo B7R bus
chassis
and retails at S$ 9.90 (HKD 48.50/USD 6.20) per unit. It is
made in
China.
For those
who are interested in buying them,
we accept mail orders. Your visitors can contact Ms Jaslyn
Neo at
jaslyn_neo@sentosa.com.sg for such orders.
We are now
planning our next model, which
is a Light Rail Transit train model. This LRT train will
start operating
between main Singapore island and Sentosa from Dec 2006. The
die
cast model in 4 colours will be available for sale in Singapore in May
2006.
Best
regards"
|
I have today
received a further update from
the Sentosa Leisure
Group regarding
this bus. This bus has just won the recent IAAPA (International
Association
of Amusement Parks and Attractions, based in Virginia, USA) Souvenir of
The Year Award 2005 for the category of Hard Goods at Facility with
Annual
Attendance Over One Million Visitors. The award was presented to the
Sentosa
Leisure Group on 15th November 2005 at the annual IAAPA conference in
Atlanta,
Georgia, USA.
Members of IAAPA
include most major theme
park operators such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, Six Flags, Europa
Park-Germany, etc. 22nd
November 2005
The bus
- The box gives the following description:-
"The distinctive
orange Sentosa bus meanders
around the sprawling tropical island resort that is home to monitor
lizards,
monkeys, peacocks, cockatoos, parrots and other native fauna and flora.
Singapore's premier island getaway offers a unique blend of leisure and
recreational facilities including family attractions, sea sports, golf,
walking/cycle trails and resort accommodation."
The official Sentosa
website can be found by following the link.
My thanks to
Jacky Ho for providing this
information.
|
