Boarding Now! My Home-Made Transcontinental Birthday Bus

 Just in time for the 18th bloggiversary, I thought I'd have a crack at making the superb OK Toys Transcontinental Express Bus, as seen in various Gerry Anderson shows (covered here many times, click on the label below).

Here's an original toy. How I would have adored it as a kid! Did you own one? Do you?

Anyways, as luck would have it I bought some acrylics in Home Bargains and bam! That plastic box they came in spoke to me. 

It said, OK Toys! 

I then remembered an old compartmentalised clear bits box in the greenhouse and that had passenger area written all over it too!

Yep, the project was a go!

I began with some simple cardboard seating.

The passenger part was inserted into the plastic paint box. A front dash was added.

I built up the front with Lego and staples. My Silver paint didn't work well.

The bus's sides were made of coloured card.

Wheels were courtesy of drinks bottle tops I'd stored for a rainy day.

More card for the roof and a shaped raft of kebab skewers covered in foil made a decent side panel. The bottle top tyres were painted black.

The passenger box was re-inserted and the Missus' craft supplies sorted out all the button hubcaps, front and rear jewel lights, top three bell lights and side jewel portals. The front bumper got silver foiled.

And done! 

The bus is now departing from Moonbase. All aboard!

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Here's an original OK Toy

And here's my home-made effort done on a drizzly Friday in the kitchen. 

Status Quo's Dog of Two Head on loud, what fun I had with at that superglue!

A few pics of my Express on its maiden trip. Hope you like it.