Dragon 1/72 SAS Raider 4x4 Truck

At the end of WWII, Dwight Eisenhower named five things that he considered to be part of the reason that the Allies were victorious. Surprisingly, most of them were not offensive weapons at all and one of them was the Jeep. WWII was a perfect example of the importance of supply and reconnaissance. If you have them, then you will be able to carry on the fight. Often times an army outran its supply line and what was a sterling rout of the enemy, turned into a defensive battle while awaiting more supplies.

Anyway, the Jeep is as synonymous with Americans in WWII and Korea as anything else. Though the actual vehicles used for what was the jeep's original mission have changed, the concept is basically the same. A relatively small four wheel drive vehicle for transporting men and priority supplies as well as being used for light recce. Its ability to travel and relatively high speeds on prepared surfaces and yet go off road with little problem made the Jeep the icon of the war that it became. Armed Jeeps were used by most Allies for a variety of purposes.

While the US used Jeeps with armor plating on the front and for forward protection, the British used their a bit differently. Rather than armor protection, they loaded up their Jeeps with fore and aft twin Lewis machine gun positions and had room just forward of the driver for what I think is a Bren gun. The Lewis mounts were behind a small armored shield with an armored glass section. A similar fixed set up was provided for the driver.

Dragon also modified the body by removing several of the slats. Another difference is that there is a rather large carrying rack on the back next to the spare tire. Other that this (which is actually quite a lot), the rest of the kit is very much like its earlier Jeep kits in this scale. One thing this kit does not have is photo etch, which some will like and others will miss. Here is a listing of all the features from the Dragon PR folks:

- Authentic SAS 4x4 Truck newly produced
- Newly installed stowage boxes
- Delicate gun shields w/screens newly produced
- Delicate grab handles molded on either side
- Slide-molded upper and lower body tubs
- Well-detailed seats w/realistic cloth pattern
- Delicate dashboard & driver's compartment
- Cutaway slats on radiator grille
- Realistic Vickers K machine guns
- Delicate British Bren Gun w/magazines produced
- Fully detailed steering mechanism and transmission
- Slide-molded chassis
- Realistic spare wheel included
- Delicate wheels w/authentic tire tread pattern
- Petrol cans in rack are placed on rear

As you would expect, the detailing on the chassis and the body is superb. It also includes the Jerry can and spare that you would find on any Jeep. Of course, it is not called a Jeep so that they do not have to pay licensing fees, but we know it is. The lone option is an unmarked version in two shades of OD/Green.

I am sure that we will see other variants of this neat little vehicle done in the future. While not the only Jeep made in this scale, it is a very nice one.

January 2013

Thanks to www.dragonmodelsusa.com for the preview kit. Get yours today at your local shop or retailer.

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