if you guessed 'a model' then you're correct!
(alternatively if you also guessed 'an enviro 400' you're also correct)
review incoming
this is cmnl's ukbus 6020, an enviro 400 hybrid model produced in september 2008 (camera cameo in the display case).
operated by metroline travel, this bus is in the 'green leaves' livery. much more appealing than the small "hybrid" lettering written on later production enviro 400h's! note the various logos and messages written around the bus.
1368 models were produced, making this the more common model of the 3 prototype hybrids (the other 2 only had 888 models made).
the real bus, teh915, was one of five buses sent to metroline. teh915 was the first prototype hybrid to enter service in july 2008, with the rest of the prototypes entering service later in december.
there are a few differences between this bus and the later prototypes, one of the big ones being the inclusion of an emergency exit door. this technically makes the bus a 'one of a kind' (perfect for preservation; that is, if anyone knows where it's gone to).
shot of the rear, featuring a little message about the benefits of this bus. i love how cmnl have gone the extra mile and modified the rear glazing to feature the distinct 'moustache' on the vehicle. the rear lights also have a slightly orange tint to them, fairly sure this is intentional as i have another model with the same lights.
and yes, the rear bonnet does open. what makes this feature better is that cmnl have again modified the engine bay to represent the electric generator and such (i can certainly see why these are worth so much now).
the interior is also picked out with blue seating and orange handrails; certainly curious as to why they opted for such a vivid shade of orange, makes it look like a stagecoach vehicle! there is also small bits of glazing for the stairwell and the driver's screen (the latter of which can be seen better in the image below).
full view of the front, with 'hybrid technology' in place of where the operator's logo would be. it is depicted as running on route 16, a route which the hybrids would operate on for most of their time in london.
overall this bus is really quite stunning. the level of detail put into this model is on another level, modifying certain parts to try and further capture the looks of the real things (if it were for example made by a certain company whose name starts with a 'c' and ends with a 'orgi' they'd have probably smacked on the livery over the details and changed the masking of the rear glazing). i do have a couple of takeaways though: the emergency exit door is really just a regular window made shorter in height and a door tampo printed on. the single door models of the enviro 400 do feature properly modelled emergency exit doors, not sure why cmnl would modify the engine bay but not change the glazing slightly. some of the printing is also quite iffy; the offside grille for instance, looks quite weird not being in the usual place, and the vent below? whilst the correct shape is printed, another vent can be seen peeking out behind it. really quite peculiar. apart from those though, fantastic bus.
future plans may be to reblind it, however i am considering leaving it as it is due to how sought after these models are.
that's the end of this very lengthy post, also used this to test out the photo background again, however using different light and editing the pictures later.