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In-Box Review
135
Series III Land Rover
Series III Land Rover 109 Long Wheel Base
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by: Darren Baker [ CMOT ]

Introduction

The Land Rover in its various guises has seen service with many military forces and is often the vehicle of choice for those individuals who want to explore places that do not have roads. Revell of Germany has released a 1/35th scale Land Rover. The model itself is the Italeri offering with the addition of Revell of Germany decals and finishing options.

The following is the introduction supplied by Revell of Germany for this release.
The Land Rover was initially produced in 1948. It was extensively tested and shortly thereafter introduced as Series I into the British Army. Series I and Series II vehicles (built from 1958) and were gradually superseded by the Series III Land Rover built between 1971 and 1983. The Land Rover was also purchased for use by other armies throughout the world and very quickly acquired a legendary reputation as a robust and reliable vehicle that in addition to a permanent rear wheel drive also possessed a selectable four-wheel drive transmission. In addition to the short 88 inch (2235 mm) wheelbase a long 109 inch (2769 mm) wheelbase model was also available.

Contents

This model is packaged in the typical end opening box that Revell of Germany use, inside the box you will find a single plastic bag containing the parts for the model. The parts break down as follows:
4 light grey sprues
1 clear sprue
A loose leafed instruction book
A decal sheet.

Review

First impressions
An examination of the sprues finds quite a few ejector pin marks, both raised and recessed; however most of these ejector pin marks will be hidden on the finished model. The sprue gates are of a reasonable size and placement, and so the removal of the various parts should not cause any major issues. I did find a mould misalignment which affects the indicator stalk only, on the driving column. Flash is not an issue with this model, but there are signs of wear just starting to creep in and this indicates that the moulds are coming up for remedial work.

Chassis, Suspension and Wheels
The chassis is for the most part a single piece moulding and so there is no fear of the chassis not being square. There is no engine detail provided with the model, but there is space for one if you wish to look at the after-market items that may be available. The axles and drive shafts present are nicely detailed and so at least some good detail can be seen under the vehicle. A few other items with reasonable detail are the leaf spring suspension mouldings and the exhaust, the exhaust however will benefit from the end being drilled a little. Another nice touch is that the front wheels are steerable and I feel this makes for a model that looks better with the front wheels turned. Moving onto the wheels which have acceptable hub detail and even the tyres have ‘AVON WRANGLER’ in raised lettering, I cannot however vouch for the accuracy of this brand and tyre name as regards use on this vehicle type.

Interior
The interior detail is a little sparse, but then again the Land Rover was never supposed to be full of creature comforts. Starting with the rear bed there is a reasonable level of detail should you decide or opt for not having the canvas installed, but there are a few ejector pin marks that will need to be taken care off if that is what you decide. The dashboard and front firewall are again nicely detailed and with the exception of the moulding fault mentioned earlier on the indicator stalk should look the part. The only other areas where I would have liked to see some more detail is the door interiors which are very poor and while these are supplied as separate parts they will need some work if you want to display them open. Other detail could be aded via scratch work or after-market parts to lift the area up to current standards.

Exterior
The exterior of the model is quite good considering the moulds are not new. All of the detail present look reasonable and reproduces the iconic shape of the Land Rover quite well, sure there is room for improvement, but it should meet the requirements of the majority of modellers out there in plastic land. One of the nice touches here is the canvas which has a nice texture imparted on it and with careful painting should look quite realistic.

Conclusion

So this is not a new model but with it being released by Revell of Germany it is cheaper to purchase and that is always a good thing. I would have liked to see an all new kit of the Land Rover, but this offering meets with my approval as it is reasonably accurate and affordable when compared to the Italeri offering. There are a few areas that could do with improving or depending on your ability be improved, but for most I am sure it will meet expectations.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For details visit www.revell.de/en, @RevellGermany or facebook.com/Revell
SUMMARY
Highs: It is good to have another or alternate outlet for the Land Rover fan.
Lows: Some ejector pins that will need work and a slight moulding misalignment.
Verdict: I would have liked to see what Revell of Germany could have managed with a new moulding, but this is an affordable offering.
  Scale: 1:35
  Mfg. ID: 03246
  Suggested Retail: £17.99
  PUBLISHED: Mar 09, 2015
  NATIONALITY: United Kingdom
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 87.04%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 83.55%

Our Thanks to Revell of Germany!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Darren Baker (CMOT)
FROM: ENGLAND - SOUTH WEST, UNITED KINGDOM

I have been building model kits since the early 70’s starting with Airfix kits of mostly aircraft, then progressing to the point I am at now building predominantly armour kits from all countries and time periods. Living in the middle of Salisbury plain since the 70’s, I have had lots of opportunitie...

Copyright ©2021 text by Darren Baker [ CMOT ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Hisham, it is very simple to cut apart to dash bard and swap sides for a right hand drive version. Also easy to swap the pedals.
MAR 09, 2015 - 04:54 AM
And still with the six wheel nuts !,,,,,,,,!,,,,,
MAR 09, 2015 - 05:44 AM
Yup, the wheels/tires are horrible and should be replaced with an AM set. DEF Model and Accurate Armour both have nice sets.
MAR 09, 2015 - 06:02 AM
Tried that once with a Fujimi 1/32 scale truck, but the re-grouping just didn't look very clean.. and the Land Rover will be an open-top vehicle where everything will be obvious Thing is, it would be very simple to just put the two dashboards in the kit, like Tamiya used to do with all their car kits! Hisham
MAR 09, 2015 - 10:00 AM
LOL
MAR 09, 2015 - 04:56 PM
All hope is not lost Hisham . From time to time you can stumble across the old Italeri kit #321 (or the Testors reboxing) on eBay : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TESTORS-ITALERI-859-1-35-LANDROVER-MODEL-KIT-/381153489422?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58be84b20e H.P.
MAR 09, 2015 - 07:48 PM
It's based on the old Italeri/Testors kit although it lacks the extra civilian Land Rover parts. Before the appearance of the Meng pickup trucks it was the only more or less modern civilian 1/35th scale automotive kits available. Also the modified re-issue of the kit would have been improved with the addition of split sliding windows on the doors. Also it would be great if Trumpeter or another kit manufacturer would come out with a new tool 50s-70s Land Rover.
MAR 09, 2015 - 08:39 PM
Thanks for the link, Henri-Pierre! That would be like a dream come true for me, especially the short wheelbase variant.. I had some hopes in MENG or TAKOM since they've already done some small vehicles, but I don't know... Hisham
MAR 09, 2015 - 10:18 PM
It would be brilliant if we could get a new tool of the series landies, and maybe some updates from def or the other makers. Regards Jason
MAR 13, 2015 - 01:59 AM
   
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