Wiking - 097008 - Vehicle, Bus, Mercedes Benz O 35 - Painted/Unlettered

Specific Item Information: The WIKING model of the Mercedes-Benz O 305 is reminiscent of a change in strategy towards more safety in road traffic - public transportation was supposed to become more eye-catching. In the late seventies, the familiar bus beige slowly but surely gave way to more individual colour schemes that public transportation authorities in many places had chosen for their fleet in a bid to make it stand out and draw more attention. Numerous operators switched to a wide, all-around central belt with a bright colour, while painting the base and the roof part white. With the O 305, Mercedes-Benz managed to introduce a new type of city bus and to quickly make it ubiquitous in Germany’s streetscapes. Before production ended in 1985, a total of 16,000 O 305 buses rolled off the lines. Nearly all major local transit companies successfully operated with the O 305 for many years.

Road Name History: Some items are designed to have their owner add whatever company marking they choose, usually in the form of decals or dry-transfers. These items are painted in a generic prototypical fashion but with all company affiliation deliberately left off.

Brand/Importer Information: Friedrich Karl Peltzer was born on February 5, 1903 in Berlin. As the son of an officer of the Kaiserliche Marine [Imperial German Navy], he encountered seafaring at a very early age. Therefore it is no great surprise that he was soon interested in model shipbuilding. He impressed friends and family with his astounding dexterity and attention to detail. It was the starting point for an aspiring company, whose foundation admittedly still took almost three decades longer.

Friedrich Peltzer is a publisher who issues the magazine “Das Tier” [The Animal]. However, the year 1932 became the year of vocational change for him. Professional model making kicks off in this year. A short time later, Peltzer sells his magazine and book publishing house to concentrate on model making. It was to become the route to success. The profession evolved from Friedrich Karl Peltzer’s beloved hobby develops - WIKING-Modellbau has taken its initial steps, initial ship models using the company’s preferred scale of 1:1250 arise from the first forms. Friedrich Peltzer states the foundation year himself – the young company waited a while before making an entry in the companies register.

Currently, Wiking is located at SIKU//WIKING Modellwelt Schlittenbacher Str. 56a 58511 Lüdenscheid, Germany. They produce plastic vehicle models in various scales of very high quality.