The SAS jeeps used in North Africa are widely known, less is known of the jeeps they used in Europe in 1944-45. This kit by Italeri seeks to represent one of those jeeps, although it could also be used as a desert raider.
Based on the Italeri “1/4 ton 4×4 Truck” which is what you call a Willys jeep when you can’t use the name on your kits ( just like using “Commando Car instead of “SAS Jeep” ) this is actually quite a nice kit and an improvement on earlier Italeri offerings. Whilst some of the detail is a little simplified the sprues are well moulded with no flash, minimal mould seams and discrete injector marks.
Gone from the base jeep are the radio, wire cutter and .50cal pedestal mounted MG and what you get in their place is five Vickers K Guns, one pair mounted at the rear, one pair mounted for the front passenger and a single gun for the driver. Both the forward pair and drivers gun get the glass shields though the frame moulding on these is a little heavy ( it can be easily thinned down ). You also get two long range fuel tanks in the rear, a Bren gun, an MP40, spare Vickers drum mags and a variety of soft stowage.
You’ll also end up with a few spare parts used in the base jeep but not in this version including the Garand vehicle mounted holder, the rear seat, the rear mounted jerry can, windscreen and the radio aerial. There’s also a driver figure included who comes from the original Italeri Jeep and is presumably supposed to be american coming as he does with three US helmets. But the detail on him is so bad he is best binned.
The wheels and tyres are one piece parts with good detail and there is a reasonable representation of an engine. The dash however lacks any detail at all. The radiator grille has had all the vertical bars removed, a technique the SAS used in the desert to improve the airflow to the radiator.
To make this truly accurate will require a few tweaks. The main thing being the long range tanks are too wide, they should be square in profile, and the petrol tank under the passenger seat is missing. This should look the same as the tank under the driver’s seat with two straps under it that come up and attach to the sides of the body. The first SAS jeeps in europe were also the Airborne style of jeep designed to fit into gliders and to make them narrower the running boards were removed as were the grab handles on the sides. The tools were also either rmoved or relocated, usually to the rear or to the bonnet.
Other than the figure mentioned above there are no other figures included though there is at least one resin set available specifically for this kit.
In all this makes up into a very nice kit that can be enhanced a great deal with some fine detailing and better tyres. It would make a very good acompaniment to the Tamiya SAS jeep in a desert setting or equally on it’s own somewhere behind the lines in 1944 Europe.
Click on thumnails for larger image.
Some comments on this kit:
* Research would show you that commando jeeps in WW2 must be air transportable hence all non-essential items like tools and features are either reduced or removed like spade, axe, shortened front bumpers, rear bumpers, remove the driver and passenger step board
* The kit’s extra fuel tanks are way too big. better scatchbuild them
* The steering wheel must be modified to be removable (for transport)
* Actual SAS jeeps have extra fuel tank underneath the passenger side seat hence the exhaust is relocated at the back
Minor is working on a PE update set to do an accurate NWE SAS Jeep and is looking for help on nailing down all the details so if you have anything on measurements, photos etc drop him a line minor via his site minor-web.com