29h and 282 Duple Roadmaster Coach (1952-60)

Latindinkyfan09 wrote: 'Hi Bruce: In the 1955 US issue catalog, there is a color example of the 282 two-tone bus in color with the rare red hubs. Check the photo of the cover from the DTCA archives. Cheers, Jose.' Hello Jose Just goes to show that one should check out the data in this website!! I had completely forgotten about the US issued catalogues, so I dug out mine, and here it is! Although it is interesting that H Hudson Dobson used the first plate image of the 29h which was done on a trial model with the picture they used of the model on page 18. The wheels are lower than on the actual model. Kind regards Bruce (150) #654 10 June 2015

Bruce, Your old light blue Duple Roadmaster is still here, it made the return trip from Australia a few years ago. Anybody wants it, please make an offer. Jacques.

Jacques So the little fellow is still with you? Coming up to seven years ownership. It is apparent that the light blue Duple Roadmaster is the rarest 282. A quick check through Vectis auctions from 2006 has revealed that only four models have sold of which one was sold twice, so only three have seen the light of a Vectis auction in that time. (Another reason to pull out my old print Vectis catalogues from 1994!) I have not been a constant visitor to eBay so I have no idea how many have appeared for auction on that website. So keep the little fellow Jacques, at least for the time being! Kind regards Bruce (150) #658 17 June 2015

Here are the color shades on my blue items. Medium and Royal blue . Richard

The buses company here under :

Now the differences : 1)smooth inside roof 2)smooth inside roof + central reinforcement 3)diamond-shaped squaring inside roof + central reinforcement + striated tyres 4)29h baseplate without reference number and 282 with reference number and an another letters shape That's all folks ......... for today ! Kind regards Richard

Bruce and Jan-- A very nice writeup on the Duple Roadmaster bus, and its various configurations. I always thought it a handsome bus, and only wish I had acquired a few more of them. My only model is the later yellow with red flashes. I attempted to try and find out more abut this color, but found very little after looking in the usual places. I re-looked through my U.S. catalogs, which I have through 1959, and did not see the yellow version ever shown. Most of the references seem to say it was a late color issue, but no dates are given. Most of the sources both show and state that it came with white tires, and some of the pictures show white treaded tires, of the sort seen around 1958-1959. The one I have, with photos below, is apparently an early yellow version, as it has smooth black tires. I am not sure if the last versions had the glossy baseplate, but mine is the usual 'mottled' color from earlier. I can not find record of when or who I purchase this from, but it is over 15 years ago. It did come with a box, but I cannot be sure that it is the original one, and I tend to doubt that it is. It is a dual numbered 29h/282 box, yellow, with picture, and Dinky Toys in small lettering, which would seem to indicate around 1954-1955. There is no black oval with 282 on it near the image of the bus. It also does not show the yellow color, only the red and blue versions, and there is no color spot. In fact, I don't ever remember seeing a box showing the yellow one. Seems that I also noticed that some seemed to indicate this was possibly an export only model. Any comment on that would be welcomed! Possibly others can add more, as the other colors seem well documented. Regards, Terry


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Some additional remarks, data and pictures now, mainly regarding the yellow coach with red and silver detailing. The Amended Colour schemes memo of the 5th February 1957 shows that of the two current, regular colour schemes (red and blue) the blue one is to be replaced by the yellow colour scheme. And this should be executed as soon as new appropriate boxes are available. That box is obviously the one showing the yellow example illustrated on one side and the remaining red one on the other side. The illustration on the box seems to be the only known picture of the yellow coach indeed. I have made a detailed scan showing this illustration. Terrys yellow example with smooth tyres demonstrates that early examples must have been produced before the general tyre change of August 1957, so, in spring or summer of 1957 at last. Only the red one was illustrated in the catalogues and relating publicity. Later models of the yellow one were also packed in the yellow/red boxes without illustrations, so 1959-1960. Subsequent later boxes are not known as Jacques confirms. Moreover, in 1961 the red Duple Roadmaster Coach has disappeared from the catalogues and these present the new American no. 949 Wayne School Bus, in the same colour scheme, apparently a more realistic large scale replacement for the yellow Duple Roadmaster (which may in reality never have seen the American roads). So the time span of official availability would be about mid 1957 and well into 1960. Shop stock will understandably have remained much longer. The market aimed at must mainly have been the USA. The scheme far below is from Model Collector, the June-July issue of 1989 (page 38). It was included in the Dinky Toys review of the Duple Roadmaster Coach One of the more attractive Dinky Toys was the Duple Roadmaster coach, both for its looks and colour schemes. Of course it is very old, thirty years now, and a lot more has come to light as Dinkies is concerned, but it still has its merits. These are some remarks I can make: 1. To the green/cream version (1-2) the red hubs variant should be added. 2. As Richard demonstrates above the later red version (7) is also spotted with black block tread tyres and with inside roof hatching. 3. The yellow one ( also comes with smooth black tyres and black block tyres. Please, comment if corrections or adjustments should be added to this. Kind regards, Jan












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Dear Jan. I just had a look on my few catalogues and I found that for you : a blue Duple roadmaster bus in an UK catalogue of 1956. Kind regards. Richard

Thank you, Richard! As the blue one was replaced in 1957 this must be the last time it was advertised in the Dinky catalogues. Kind regards, Jan