Monday 2 September 2013

Imperial Rover: QRF 15mm Landrover Series II review

Way back when I was a wee lad (well, actually it was more like ten years ago), I bought some QRF 15mm LWB Landrovers which had formerly been part of the Denzil Skinner range and a while back I enquired as to whether this model which had disappeared from the QRF website was still available for purchase as I fancied adding a quartet of them to my (very) slowly growing Imperial Twilight in Africa forces.

After rummaging through what I presume are mountains of moulds in QRF GHQ, they managed to find the ex-DS mould, pop it into the casting machine and include them in my next order which is great testimony to the excellent customer service from Chas and Geoff.

Unlike QRF's PBS10 and Peter Pig's model which are 1970s versions, this long wheelbase Land Rover is a Series II or IIA vehicle (with the headlights on the front grille rather than on the front wings as in the later Series III) as produced from 1958 to 1969 and thus more suitable for the Congo, Rhodesia and Portugal's waning colonial empire.

The model is made up of five parts: two wheel assemblies, body, windscreen and spare wheel. There is a rather prominent mould line along the body's side which need cleaning up but it is otherwise nicely detailed. This is definitely my favourite 15mm model of the Land Rover not least because it has a hollow windscreen, unlike the Peter Pig version. 

Conversion potential is obviously huge and for flexibility's sake I've countersunk rare earth magnets into the bed to accomodate MG gunners, recoilless guns, rocket launchers or a passenger block as needed.

The model still isn't listed in QRF's online catalogue though I suppose it should be possible to obtain it if you ask nicely. Note that the original DS model came with five separate wheels of a slightly different type but these have apparently been mislaid and the model was supplied with the wheels from PBS10. The battered blue Landrover at the bottom is the original model. Oh, and before the more anal retentive among you point out that aluminium bodies do not rust, that is primer showing through. ;-)

   
 
   

1 comment:

  1. Risaldar, Thanks for the tip. They'll be a nice addition to my Portuguese Colonial War collection.

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