It only seems like two minutes ago when the fledgling Oxford Diecast company were the purveyors of a very limited range of vintage vans aping Lledo. I half expected them to disappear but in the space of just over a decade they must now surely rank as one of the most progressive and extensive model manufacturers out there. A continuous amount of fantastic releases mirrors that of Mattel and yet they remain a pretty small company who's products are largely sold in specialist model shops and online. Still no sign of a 1/64 line so for the time being I will have to settle for their more known 1/76 scale stuff.
My latest find is their newly released J4 van which typically and most thoughtfully of Oxford actually comes in a variety of different marque names to reflect the different eras and changes of management these vans witnessed in their long lives. This BMC flavoured example dates from after the merger with Leyland when their light commercials were badged BMC before changing again in the early 70's to Austin Morris.
There is a lot of affection for these cute and cuddly looking vans now even if in reality they were a noisy and slow experience even back then and were quickly outgunned by the far far superior Ford Transit. Large patriotic fleet orders kept this anachronism in production until 1975 when it was finally replaced by the Sherpa, itself only a lightly modified J4 using a lot of its original panel work.
The model itself is of course pure joy, its small scale still reveals a whole host of beautifully crafted detailing with a lot of painted features and accurate looking wheels. Bought recently from 2K Technologies. Mint and boxed.
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