AEC Routemaster

Quite chuffed with the "rusted pipe*" look I managed on the left hand (AEC, original) engine.
(Made both engine options for the hell of it.)

* Not a euphemism. 

That is every clamp and peg I have in the Secret Bat Cave! This is a big bugger.
(Painted the gear box metallic blue per photo in my Haynes guide, generally tried to make the underside more interesting than the plain aluminium that the instructions ask for.) 

Having lavished all that attention on the engine, I'm not hiding it behind a sheet of plastic: out with the Dremel, and in with some chicken wire mesh I had from who-knows-where. 

More Dremeling on the main front grille, also replaced with an actual grille. Hopefully it'll look OK at the end. 

Bottom deck flooring added to chassis, engine fitted, hacked radiator grille in, wheels done too. 

The grille - painted with Semple Blackest Black 2.0 to minimise reflections. Grille's a bit on the proverbial at the moment, but there's enough slack to straighten it when the surround goes in. 

Controls and dash sorted. Tried to scuff/weather a bit. 

And somewhere for the driver to sit. And the first of many, many windows fitted, to keep the driver safe from hoi polloi.
Moquette is a decal, not hand painted 😉 

Definitely a whiff of bus there - colour and typeface. 

One of my favourite bits so far - tiny little fire extinguisher that you won't even be able to see soon, I suspect. Went brass on the handles and nozzle for nostalgia reasons. 

This is giving me "tube train" vibes, specifically Metropolitan... 

The G-Men (and -Women) have arrived... ordered some G-scale people to go in the bus (as if I didn't have enough to do on this kit already). 

Passengers and driver coming along - really happy with some of them (e.g. bloke with flat-cap) where I've done my first shading and used a wet palette for the first time
 

Hmm, I don't think the second batch of people I ordered off eBay are 1:24... they're making Richard Osman, Robert Wadlow and Peter Crouch look short. 

Measured him up - at 1:24 he's about 2.5 metres tall ?
They're going in the spares box... beware the dangers of Flea Bay.