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[Larry S.]

Hello everyone!

Since there is a model making thread going about now, thought I'd share my latest find - a W. Britains Military Land Rover.

I fell in love with Rovers as a tyke growing up watching 'Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom', but didn't know what they were called until I saw the W. Britains toy Military Land Rover at a toy store back in '76.  Back then my father thought toy soldiers were a waste, especially those as expensive as W. Britains. Unfortunately it was a bit out of my childhood budget.

A few years back I decided to hunt one down.  Have you seen the crazy money these things sell for!?!?  I finally found one at a price I was willing to pay. 

Made me feel like a kid again when it arrived!  I was so tempted to remove the locking tabs so I could play with it, but that didn't happen.  If I can figure out how to remove them with out damage though... you better believe I will!!!

Only bad thing about is that it's a SIII instead of a IIa.

[22900013A]

Britains did previously do a lwb IIA which is generally shockingly expensive.

[Ironchicken64]

I recall looking on Ebay(in the USA) some years ago at toy and model Land Rovers from the sixties and seventies. The prices for some of them were stupid money, some not even in the original boxes and battered. The Daktari model was really daft money. I wonder if that is still the case today or whether the interest has waned.   

[Craig T]

I never got the Britain's military one you have there but I have a lovely blue one with a matching horsebox on the back. Has the name of a stables on the side I think. Edit, Just remembered it, Pine Lodge stables.
Seem to remember they did a black and white zebra striped one too.

The model I always remember as a kid though was the one below made by Polistil. It's a 1/24 scale 109 series III and my dad had one sitting on the shelf as a display model. Being a kid of course, I was fascinated with it and took it off the shelf whenever I could. Gradually bits fell off the roof rack, the mirrors came off, steps got broken etc then the stickers started to peel so I pulled them off!

A couple of years ago I was looking on ebay for something completely different and one of these still in the box popped up as "you may also be interested in...."
I grabbed it while I could and now it sits on my shelf. Think I paid about £30 but well worth it I thought.
Dad was very happy to see it too when I showed him as he remembered it well.

Craig.

[Alan Drover]

The epitome of toy Land Rovers has to be the Dinky Toy version from the 1950's. At one time I had 9 each with a matching trailer (1 Land Rover was boxed as were 5 trailers) until I sent my entire collection of die-casts to auction a couple of years ago.

[Porkscratching]

I had a Britains LWB land rover as a kid, I think it may have come with a couple of soldiers. A few mates had the Daktari tiger striped LRs.
The only toy LR I have now is this...

[GHOBHW]

had a few old land rover toys as a kid, usually matchbox. used to build my own out of lego too...still got them in a box somewhere...

[Porkscratching]

Here's my entire "fleet" 

[jkhackney]

I found one like this (in green and yellow) in a flea market and my kids played it to death.  It was the perfect size for Playmobile figures and a set of wooden safari animals we had. I think it's a convertible now, and there's a tupperware tub somewhere full of the bits that broke off.

...

The model I always remember as a kid though was the one below made by Polistil. It's a 1/24 scale 109 series III and my dad had one sitting on the shelf as a display model. Being a kid of course, I was fascinated with it and took it off the shelf whenever I could. Gradually bits fell off the roof rack, the mirrors came off, steps got broken etc then the stickers started to peel so I pulled them off!

A couple of years ago I was looking on ebay for something completely different and one of these still in the box popped up as "you may also be interested in...."
I grabbed it while I could and now it sits on my shelf. Think I paid about £30 but well worth it I thought.
Dad was very happy to see it too when I showed him as he remembered it well.

Craig.

[Larry S.]

Britains did previously do a lwb IIA which is generally shockingly expensive.

Yup, for some reason I've only seen the LWB in the II/IIa configuration.

[Exile]

The only toy LR I have now is this...

Love that 80".

Nice patina. 

[Larry S.]

I recall looking on Ebay(in the USA) some years ago at toy and model Land Rovers from the sixties and seventies. The prices for some of them were stupid money, some not even in the original boxes and battered. The Daktari model was really daft money. I wonder if that is still the case today or whether the interest has waned.

Oh yeah... still very pricey here in the States, that's why it took so long to find this one.

BUT - it's not just the US market that tries to get those high prices, just look at the following two from eBay UK.

https://www.ebay.com/p/653104259

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175575416290

The Daktari ones are rather pricey here as well.

I do have my eye on the W. Britains zebra striped Rover - depicted on the box of the one I got.  It tends to be pricey too, but not as much.  The one I'm looking at is in very good condition, but doesn't have the box, but, it's part of a large boxed playset that included animals, fencing and such.  Most of the pieces are there, but not all.  I remember seeing the playset as a kid, but I'd have to dig my Britains guide book out of deep storage to see it.  There is also a 109 version playset, but it's not even close to this size.

[Larry S.]

I never got the Britain's military one you have there but I have a lovely blue one with a matching horsebox on the back. Has the name of a stables on the side I think. Edit, Just remembered it, Pine Lodge stables.
Seem to remember they did a black and white zebra striped one too.

The model I always remember as a kid though was the one below made by Polistil. It's a 1/24 scale 109 series III and my dad had one sitting on the shelf as a display model. Being a kid of course, I was fascinated with it and took it off the shelf whenever I could. Gradually bits fell off the roof rack, the mirrors came off, steps got broken etc then the stickers started to peel so I pulled them off!

A couple of years ago I was looking on ebay for something completely different and one of these still in the box popped up as "you may also be interested in...."
I grabbed it while I could and now it sits on my shelf. Think I paid about £30 but well worth it I thought.
Dad was very happy to see it too when I showed him as he remembered it well.

Craig.

I don't have the blue one you mention, but I have a gren knockoff version that was sold in a feed store here, it's also twice the size.

[Genem]

It might be worthwhile doing an archaeological dig at the end of my childhood garden. A lot of Dinky/Britains/Airfix ended up underground...

Any metal detectorists around ?   

[The Shed]

Great to see these models, I recall having a Series 1 Pick up in blue and a white Series 3 Recovery truck. Both Dinky.
Your right about those prices, even battered Matchbox cars are silly money.
But I keep looking.