Dragon 1/35 SAS 1/4 ton 4x4 Patrol Car

The famed Special Air Service (SAS) of the British Army was formed in July 1941 by David Stirling. It was a commando force designed to operate deep behind enemy lines, something it did very successfully. Specially adapted vehicles were used in North Africa, including the famous 4x4 ¼-ton Truck, though heavily modified for its behind-the-lines role. The vehicle began appearing in July 1942. They were generally stripped down to save weight and, for operations in the hot climate, the grill was removed and a water condenser fitted. Weapons such as Lewis and Vickers K machine guns were mounted for use against ground or aerial targets. 

This is not the first boxing of Dragon's Jeep nor is it the first time they have done an SAS Jeep. However, this version is a bit different from the previous ones in that it does not appear to have all the armor plating of the earlier version and it seems to have more storage items in terms of jerry cans than the earlier kit. What's more, it comes with crew members.

Things that are the same are the multi-layer tires, the full engine, the detailed suspension and the large number of machine guns; in this case three Lewis and one .50 calibre. It also has a nice photo etch set that is mostly used for the racks and the sand ramps that help get the vehicles unstuck. Below is a complete listing of features:

- Authentic Patrol Car w/excellent rendering detail 
- Realistic Vickers K machine guns w/superb details 
- Realistic produced .50 cal and Vickers 'K' MGs w/photo-etched parts 
- Condenser and modified front grille accurately replicated 
- Detailed dashboard and driver's compartment 
- Well-defined engine grille 
- Complex engine represented by multiple parts 
- Slide-molded upper and lower body tubs 
- Well-detailed seats w/realistic cloth pattern 
- Compartment sides rendered w/rivets and fine details 
- Finely detailed steering mechanism and suspension system 
- Highly detailed chassis 
- Photo-etched channels on rear of the Patrol Car 
- Detachable jerrycans w/photo-etched straps 
- Well-detailed wheels produced w/authentic tire tread pattern 
- 2 realistic 1/35 scale figures include

The instructions are well drawn and provide detail placement drawings where needed. The decal sheet is pretty generic for these vehicles and has not only instruments and placards, but also decals for the jerry cans. Three camouflage options are provided, all in North Africa during 1942/43 ranging from overall tan to light yellow with either green blotches or green and red brown blotches.  

At 250 parts it is probably one of the more detailed Jeep kits on the market. The SAS version seems to be one of the cooler modifications done to these vehicles and will look great on your shelf.

Dragon USA

August 2013

Thanks towww.dragonmodelsusa.com for the preview kit. You can find this one at your favorite hobby shop or on-line retailer.

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