GM Fishbowls Coming Soon in HO!

Walthers should be releasing German-made HO scale models of the GM New Look (aka Fishbowl) bus any day now....really looking forward to it since I have one of the GM Old Look buses in HO that was made by the now defunct 'American Precision Models'.

I believe they're imports of models made by Busch.

"Any day now" has been about two years in the making. I heard Busch was putting off production in favor of other projects. Where did you get your info from?

I have seen the item listed on various web sites as "due late 2005."



Offered in Red, Green, Blue, and Los Angeles RTS. I'm excited to see these models too! http://www.busch-model.com/katalog/e/ar ... 502-h0.htm

-otto-

It would be nice to see those finally! Some of those tomato buses lasted up to the last decade or so in the Twin Cities.

Now if they would put out some modern ones like the RTS line or Gillig Phantom buses that would be really terrific. Those are so common it seems most every transit company has some of those or very close to that these days. And they can easily span two decades on layouts since they were introduced in the 80's.

It would also be nice to see some artics in model form, with such a large fleet of them in the Twin Cities on MetroTransit and the other transit agencies it would be great to have models of those too... I remember seeing RTS-4 models from Pirate at one point but at $70 that was a bit steep for my budget for a bus!

And the smart way for a manufacturer to offer an RTS model would be in the form of a modular kit, just like the prototypes! That way it could easily be assembled in different lengths and with varying end/door pieces to represent the many versions found in cities around the country. This was a really neat system of manufacture, since it allowed for easy repair of buses damaged in accidents - there's a photo essay somewhere about a heavily damaged MBTA bus that received an entirely new front-end module and was returned to service good as new.

I agree that American buses have definitely been overlooked by the (mass-production) manufacturers. Maybe this will change once Busch finally releases their Fishbowl...

Busch has listed the "Fishbowl" buses, probably not for the first time, in their latest German-language New Items catalog.

I still think of these as "modern" buses, because I remember when they first went into service on the Red Arrow Lines outside Philadelphia, sometime close to 1960. I rode the Chester bus between 69th Street Terminal and Swarthmore every week for my cello lesson, and that line was probably the first to get the new buses -- probably because it was so long. I liked them, except for the tinted windows, which distorted the colors of everything outdoors. (For many years, on both local and long distance buses, I've tried to sit near the front so I can look out the windshield, which has less tinting if any.)

I'm sorry the initial selection of colors (dark green and red) will be so limited. The Red Arrow's buses were a light mint green -- unlike any of their other equipment.

Actually, if I'm not mistaken the RTS is (was?) available from Pirate Models in metal-kit form in both HO and N scales.

I do hope Busch releases the Fishbowl. I'm sure it will sell well and I would hope that it would prompt Busch into doing other American buses. I'd love to see the 40 foot GM 'Buffalo' bus, an MCI MC-5, MC-8, and MC-9, and an Eagle Model 5 or 10 all done in ready-to-run plastic. What would make it even better would be if they were done in both HO AND N. That way I could add the HO's to the collection and N's to my layout.

Athearn has taken a great step forward with their Ford C trucks and the soon-to-be released Mack Model R's. Let's hope Busch takes the cue!

Joe P

Actually, if I'm not mistaken the RTS is (was?) available from Pirate Models in metal-kit form in both HO and N scales.

Take a closer look at M630's post. The point he was making is that the Pirate models, being in the $65-70 range, are not really a viable choice for someone wanting to add a fleet of RTS buses to their layout. Additionally, while they do have two versions of the RTS available (so-called Mark III and Mark IV, if I remember correctly), there are actually many different configurations of these buses in service around the country.

For example, while I believe all of the Boston MBTA's 800-odd RTS buses are part of the Mark III line, there are quite a few detail variations among the fleet. Paul Revere Transportation, a private operator also in Boston, uses nearly-identical buses that have a different style of doors. I'm not suggesting that there should be a series of kits allowing me to replicate every detail difference between each group of buses, since after all we primarily model trains, but the point is that the Pirate model would require a lot of re-working, if I could even afford one. It would just be much nicer to have a multi-piece plastic or resin kit that could be custom-assembled following a certain prototype.

There is actually a German company called MEK that has an extensive line of HO scale buses, including the MC-5C, MC-8 and MC-9. One each of the latter two was up on eBay last week, and they appear to be highly-detailed resin kits that include Greyhound decals. They're listed at 34 Euros on MEK's site, provided you can find your way to the price list (Preisliste), but I've heard that it's difficult to order those kits from here in the US. From the looks of it they'd be the most likely company to eventually offer more modern American city buses. Unfortunately, these still aren't the mass-produced plastic models we'd love to see.

Well, Otto, I got my information from the source....the Walthers website (I see you linked to it). I had no idea they had been 'advertised' as 'soon to be released' for a good while.

In any event, I own both a Pirate Models RTS and a Fishbowl. I haven't tackled putting together either of them, as I was always waiting for (1) someone to release them as fully-built diecast or at least finished plastic (a la American Precision Models nice GM Old Look bus); and (2) the time to build them. The Pirate Models are not only expensive, but a BITCH to assemble. The nice thing PM did with their RTS was to make the body one solid piece. The Fishbowl is a NIGHTMARE to assemble with sides, ends, and roof being all separate pieces. (I'll likely get around to it when I retire ).

BTW, Athearn would be wise to get on the bus bandwagon as that is an area of the HO hobby that is lacking and ripe for profits (Corgi has already mastered the GM bus in O gauge).

Doug

astrosa wrote:It would just be much nicer to have a multi-piece plastic or resin kit that could be custom-assembled following a certain prototype.

That would be nice - there could ceratinly be the typical ones [40', etc.] but the ability to customize it would be nice. Here at the U there are a few RTS buses in the U Transit fleet [plus new low floor artics and low floor 40' Gilligs and a bunch of beater Bluebird transit buses]. The doors, etc. are different on the different RTS buses, two could be side by side and not quite the same. Of course, part of that comes from the fact that they all are second [or third or...] hand.

The same goes for the typical Gillig bus, they look almost the same in the 30, 35, and 40 foot versions but could certainly be modular in model form to help modelers customize.

And it would be a good move for someone like Athearn to get into the bus market, esp since they seem to be doing well in the truck one with their new HO ones. A mass produced set of plastic modern buses would be great, and at a mass-produced price we could get a fleet rolling rather than the lonely one on the corner...

Athearn has an agreement with MACK for the B series and R series truck (could a MACK Fire Truck be next in line?). Maybe Athearn will get an OK to produce the MACK C45, C49/C50 bus.

I dont want everything on my layout be all GM (locomotive, cars, trucks, and buses.

I'd love to see the Mack B's and R's done with fire apparatus bodies, we can keep hoping. While we're dreaming, how about someone redoing the Busch/Praline American LaFrance pumpers and aerials. I have several of each, they are nice models but are lacking some basic details. Looking at the Athearn pumpers, with all the detail they come with right off the blister card, it wouldn't be too hard. My chief complaint with the ALF models is that there is way too much chrome plating and lack of a hose load on the pumpers.

As for the Mack buses, were they as popular as the GM's were? I've lived in several different parts of Northeast PA and NJ and the only buses I've ever seen were GM's and White's. When I moved to NJ it was GM's, Flxible's, and later, MCI's.

Well, it's nice to see that companies are starting to listen to their customers and producing some previously unavailable 60-70's era commercial vehicles. Now....if only Athearn started doing 60-70's American passenger vehicles..........

Joe P