Leyland Atlantean double decker Portuguese Bus (MetOsul nº23)

This is the Leyland Atlantean double decker Portuguese Bus used by "Carris", made in Portugal by MetOsul in the 70´s (diecast)

MetOsul was Portugal's oldest diecast toy manufacturer. The original company was founded in the Atlantic coastal town of Espinho a few miles south of Oporto, in 1931. At its high point it was known for making quality second hand castings of Dinky Toys.

Originally called Luso-Celluloide, the company made toy jewelry, and other trinkets, focusing on celluloid (plastic) objects. Later, the name Osul was created for the production of plastics - this was an anagram of the Luso name. Zamac toys appeared in the 1960s, thus the name Metal Osul or MetOsul (with a capital 'O') was coined. Metosul made various metal objects besides cars including a large assortment of toy tools. The meat of the Metosul name were its line of 1:43 scale cars and trucks. Metosul lasted until about 1990. Other diecast manufacturers like Vitesse and Tropheo appeared during the European Union years, but, apparently, Metosul was not a company that benefited from EU funding, perhaps because it was not a start-up. Zamac metal and also plastic vehicles, usually in 1:43 scale, also appeared under the Luso Toys name during the 1970s and 1980s.

Several MetOsul vehicles were produced from tooling acquired from British or French Dinky Toys. For example, this Atlantean bus is an exact copy of the former Dinky model and produced in yellow, red, and green over cream or white. Most of the cars were produced in 1/43 scale, while buses and trucks were made smaller.