Site navigation

[diecast models] - covers all diecast model buses - many of the earlier models were issued in the UK as well as Hong Kong, but more recently, the models are only issued in Hong Kong

[home] - the 'front' page of the site which features both a 'Search the Site' and ' Site Map' facility

[information] - a guide to the site and its various sections, an explanation on how to navigate the site, it's background, acknowledgments and contributions, the legal bit and a currency converter

[links] - simple enough, a page of links to other related websites and photo galleries

[news] - will take you to the current month's News - a separate news page exists for each month

[plastic models] - covers all plastic model buses

[resin models] - covers all resin model buses, most of which are only issued in Hong Kong 

[trams] - covers all model trams

[xtra] - covers topical items on the real bus scene plus a look at other models, books and souvenirs

As mentioned above, clicking on the [news] link at the top or bottom of a page will take you to the current month's News. To access the previous month's News, click the left facing spinning arrow. To access the next month's News, click the right facing spinning arrow.

The [diecast models], [plastic models], [resin models] and [trams] pages use different colour page backgrounds and are divided into several categories, listing by Operator, Vehicle type, etc. Once you have reached the required Model page, clicking the left spinning arrow will take you to the previous model in the same vehicle type, clicking the right spinning arrow will take you to the next model of the same vehicle type, or the next vehicle type.

A click of a left facing spinning arrow will take you to either:-

the previous model of the same vehicle type or that vehicle's summary page
the previous book
the previous month's News

A click of a right facing spinning arrow will take you to either:-

the next model of the same vehicle type or the summary page of the next vehicle type
the next book
the next month's News

Clicking on the   button will always take you to the top of that particular page.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following for their kind co-operation in providing news, reviews, photographs and information :-

ABC Models, Bus Fan World, Philip Chan, Citybus, the late Don Craggs, Stuart Dobie, Mr Kwok of 80M Bus Model Shop, Gakei, Edward Hong, Jacky Ho, Gareth Jones, Jotus Model Depot, Grant Ng Kwok Kuen, Jacky Lau, Dennis Law, Lee Tin Yau, Donald MacRae, New World First Bus, Peter Owens, Andrew Shirley, Terry Stapley, Chelton Tsze, Alan Wong and Keith Wood.

Visitor's own Model Reviews are always most welcome, as is any other information or photographs of the models or the prototype vehicles.

Site background

This site is designed using basic HTML, the aim being to keep it simple, thus enabling pages to be loaded quickly.  It is best viewed at 1024 x 768, true colour or above. With IE4 or above, ensure that your text size on the 'View' menu bar is set to medium.

The site went live on 5th November 1998, the counter being added on 28th December 1998.

The site was created and is maintained solely by me in my spare time, and is NOT my full time occupation!!   I do not sell models, and it is not run for financial gain, but as an aid to fellow collectors in providing the latest news, information and photographs.

Site statistics

418 hits were recorded for the month of January 1999 - the 100,000th hit was recorded on 28th August 2000, with August 2000 also being the first month since the site was set up to receive in excess of 10,000 hits. The 200,000th hit was received on 24 June 2001.

June 2012 saw the highest number of visits for the 'Home' page at 24,812.
May 2012 saw the highest number of visits for the 'News' page at 39,300. 
3rd November 2010 saw the highest number of visits in a day for the 'News' page at 2,746.

Currently the daily average for the 'News' page is over 1,000 visits a day. Comprehensive statistics can be viewed by clicking on the icon at the foot of the 'Home' or 'News' pages. The tables below give an overview for both.

I welcome any news, information and photographs relating to the contents of the site. Generally, the maximum size photograph I use on the site is 1024 x 768, with a file size of about 130Kb. The copyright of all photographs submitted should rest with the sender and they should not be taken or copied from any other source. Photographs will be acknowledged and if requested, a copyright watermark applied.
 

The availability of models can depend on who commissions the model, who produces it and obviously how many are made. Corgi really started the interest in Hong Kong buses when it issued it's three-axle Leyland Olympians in 1997 for the various Hong Kong Bus operators, to celebrate the Handover of Hong Kong to China. Many of these were produced in large numbers, generally over 10,000, and whilst being initially difficult to get hold of here in the UK, the operators had agreements with Corgi which has seen most of stocks of unsold models being returned to Corgi, and appearing at considerably reduced prices several years, or sometimes months, later. Collector's Model releases were generally available at 'normal' prices both in Hong Kong and here in the UK. EFE has issued a handful of Hong Kong models, most of which had been released previously in Hong Kong by other manufacturers, MBE, Drumwell, etc. The number of model manufacturers has decreased over the years and now the majority of KMB models are either issued by Cars Workshop, Drumwell or 80M Bus Model Shop. The other bus operators have greatly reduced the number of models released. Resin models have become more popular over recent years. Models issued in Hong Kong for say HK$290, are imported into the UK by model specialists, and are then sold for premium prices (£35-40), which covers their carriage, import and VAT duties.

Three Hong Kong bus model specialists, based in Hong Kong but with English websites are:-

Jotus Model Depot who specialise in mail order, accepting credit cards through a secure site

80m Bus Model Shop  who have several shops in Hong Kong, all of which are well worth a visit. Also offer a mail order service.

Network Shuttle again specialise in mail order, accepting PayPal or major credit cards through a secure site

In addition, there is

Concorde Hobby Shop who have a shop in Hong Kong, at 331, Lai Chi Kok Road, Kowloon.
 

All the above regularly provide this site with news and photographs of new models. Should you decide to use any of them, please mention this site.

If you are experiencing difficulty in obtaining a particular model, please e-mail me, and I will try and help you find it.

I have attempted to seek the appropriate permissions to use the various photographs on the site, however, if your photograph appears, for which I have not sought your permission for its use, please e-mail me and it will be removed immediately.

All the information included on this site is provided in good faith and I cannot therefore accept any responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions.

All photographs are copyright of Oriental Model Buses unless acknowledged to another source. You are NOT welcome to use any material or photographs without prior written permission from the owner.

The following are some of eBay's copyright guidelines:-

eBay Guideline: Contrary to popular belief, the fact that material is posted on the world wide web does not mean it is in the "public domain" or otherwise free to be taken, copied or used by others. Creators of web content probably have copyright, trademark and other rights in the material they create. Copying, modifying and possibly linking to content created by others could expose you to legal liability.

eBay Guideline: No Copying Allowed! When you prepare your auction listings you generally should use only material (text, photographs, etc.) and trademarks/names that you created or own yourself or licensed from the owners.

eBay Guideline: No Unauthorised Linking to Photos! You cannot link to somebody else's picture (so it appears in your auction) without the owner's permission.

Please bear in mind that all postal packages arriving in the UK from outside the EC are examined by Customs Officers who determine whether import duty and VAT are payable.

Most goods arriving in the UK from outside the EC are liable to any or all these charges: Customs Duty, Excise Duty (alcohol, tobacco etc.) and VAT. These must be paid whether:

-  you purchase the goods or receive them as a gift
-  the goods are new or used
-  the goods are for your own private use or for sale

-  have an intrinsic value of £18 or less, although this particular relief does not
    include alcohol, tobacco, etc.
-  are gifts worth £40 or less

The Post Office may also charge for clearing a package through Customs. They, if required, open and re-pack the package for Customs Officers.

All the above charges are collected by the Post Office on delivery.

For full details visit 'A guide for international post users' which can be found on the HM Revenue and Customs website.

[diecast models] - [home] - [information] - [links] - [news] - [plastic models] - [resin models] - [trams] - [xtra]

This page last updated Wednesday, 6th March 2013

© Oriental Model Buses