British Airborne forces Land Rover

[Rickoshea52]

Did the Parachute Regiment use this type of stripped down Land Rover as produced by Italeri? I know they used a version for the anti-tank platoon’s WOMBAT wagons but I wondered if this version saw service with them, particularly during 3 Para’s BAOR tour in the seventies; contemporary pictures would be most welcome.

 

 

[John Tapsell]

The kit was originally released by Esci as a Paratroop Landrover in the 1970s.

 

Short answer is 'yes'

[viper-30]

Yes they did .. and we did often covered in cam nets or dougle .. the kit builds well .. the wheel hubs are a tad iffy and the radio set up is well it’s supposed to be larkspur . Clansman was different and different wing Attu boxes .. ten minutes on google will find you all the pictures you need I still can’t add pictures on here ..

[Rickoshea52]

“ ten minutes on google will find you all the pictures you need”

 

I have searched high and low on the Internet with no luck at all.  

[Dads203]

The radios are Clansman in the kit but totally in the wrong set up, stacked to high so they would make the Rover unstable cross country.

 

The antenna boxes on the wings look like Clansman TUAAM boxes but larkspur BAEs (Base Antenna Element) they are similar to Clansman but not the same so this kit is a bit of a mixed bag really but nothing that can’t be modified.

 

The radio setup should be the same as a Landrover FFR so google pictures for that to get the layout.  That’s if you are a stickler for detail 

 

Dan 

[Phil Evans]

The radios seem to be UK/VRC 321s and TURF 25W from the photos I've seen online, so they would use an HF antenna base rather than the TUAAM and VHF base.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

[Kingsman]

Yes the radio setup is a complete mess and needs complete replacement.  That would be scratchbuild, I imagine.  Kit Form Services might have something as they specialise in 1/24 British subjects. An HF VRC 321 would be difficult in an open vehicle as it needed the side-mounted antenna base stalks which would be an RF hazard to the crew when operating.  The TURF would sit on top of the set but I don't recall it being that tall.

 

The wing boxes and antenna bases are completely wrong for Clansman VHF TUAAM, and twin boxes implies twin radios.  One of these could have been a VRC353, but probably not both unless it was a command vehicle.  Two 353s would be side by side, not stacked, as would a 353 and a 321.  If 2 VHF radios were fitted I imagine that one would have been a dismountable PRC352 with SURF on a manpack frame in a Clip-In Kit.  Especially for recce and especially for airborne.  There are various boxes and cables needed to connect the radios to the power and antenna systems and for crew headsets if to be used by anyone other than the operator.

 

Googling FFR Land Rover should show you the various setups.

 

The GPMG isn't bad but the ammo box is rubbish and there would be more than 1.  There's no crew stowage, and little available in that scale.  The dash layout is civilian, not GS, and needs a lot of work, particularly as it's fully open to view.  I can't recall if this kit has the fuel tanks in the right place under the seats rather than under the rear.

 

For airborne ops there were a small number of Lightweight SWB Land Rovers built with this same equipment setup.

Edited April 30, 2020 by Das Abteilung
addition

[viper-30]

12 hours ago, Rickoshea52 said:

“ ten minutes on google will find you all the pictures you need”

 

I have searched high and low on the Internet with no luck at all.  

Perhaps you need to re adjust your search .. war wheels . Net have several photos of the series 3 . Try series 3 of series 111 recce Land Rover etc then deeper search the pictures..

however be aware of civi re-enactments they don’t always get it right 

[Dads203]

This gives you a rough idea on a typical radio fit and names the kit.

 

http://armyradio.com/catalog/Clansman-Radios-orderby_0-p-1-c-109.html

 

I spent 12 years in the Signals and the set up is a common setup for a Landrover FFR (fitted for radio) and the above has almost every item of Clansman fitted.

its missing only a few items to make the family complete.

 

As a rule in a Landrover Clansman units shouldn’t be stacked more than two high,

the exception is the 321 as it has the SURF and TURF (HF Tuning units ) we normally binned off the SURF and left it behind as its use was negligible.

 

 

Your build would probably have a single 353 VHF and a PRC320 HF with a clip in kit and battery charger. The DMU would not be fitted, it’s a part of a crypto setup and only really found in higher specialised units as the main cypher unit (brick) was classified as secret. Certainly not issued to a standard Tom in a non Signals unit.

( No friends in Crypto) 

 

 

The pix doesn’t show the 4 or a 3 way LT box for powering the radios and the ARFAT units for tuning the VHF sets but it gives you an idea on a fit. 
 

We regularly used the 321 in an open vehicle so no real RF hazard and many FFR Rovers were canvas backed rather than a hard top. Just don’t hold on to the antenna whilst tuning it up !