I just bought the Tamiya SAS Pink Panther Land Rover and was wondering could someone tell me some of the operations it took place in. I know it was used for a long time, but maybe some of the big operations.

Hi I built one of these marvellous machines. It's pictures are in my gallery. I belive it was mainly used on SAS ops in Yemen and Oman during the late sixties and early seventies.

It looks like its a good buy only like 12$. Is there anything that is really inaccurate or any thing you recomend doing?

It is a decent kit. The pink plastic is rather unusual. I believe they were actually green/black underneath and the pink was over painted. You could do the chipping effect and let the base color show through where wear would normally occur.

Eduard does a photo etched set for the kit. It is number 35164 and if you can find it, it adds a little something to the kit.

No, its an ok kit really. Eduard (Eduard ED35164) make a PE set for it (available from Hannants), but all I did was add on a .50 cal, a roll bar, ropes, boxes, rucksacks, sandbags, cam nets, spent cases, ammo boxes, seatbelts, maps, and replace the light lenses with the ones from Resicast. I made most of the above or used the usual after market accessories. The thing with Pinkies is that they were very individual vehicles, usually heavily loaded to enable the troops to be independant for a long time (rather like the wartime LRDG trucks were). Use you imagination as though you were an SAS trooper, and go wild!!

I've just uploaded 4 pics to gallery of my Pink Panther. It's supposed to depict an SAS vehicle in Yemen in 1965 or 66 (just before the British left in 1967?). Mostly OOB with some scratchbuilt items added like a water can, extra radio, handset, equipment crate and a Carl Gustav rocket tube (just behind the front passenger seat). This is great little kit (cheap too!) that doesn't show it's age. The fit is top notch and a real fun build. Enjoy the pics and let me know what you think. Hey Kar98K - I hope you have as much fun with it as I did. BTW, I was in Yemen for six moths in 1993 working in Aden for a Canadian oil company and I swore I saw a really beat up pinkie being driven around by a local. The frame was so badly twisted it looked like it was crabbing down the highway sideways as it wizzed past me. He was heading of fNE down the coast highway to Zinjabar or Bir Ali. Anyway, I can't be 100% sure it was an old pinkie 'cause I'm sure the Brits would have taken them all when they left. Maybe it was an old hulk painted up to look like one.

I used this kit to built a mercenary's vehicle :

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/maquette.garden/IMAGES/Maquettes/Land-rover/gkgal.htm

In answer to your question the Pink Panther (or "Pinkie as it's known in "The Regiment") has been used in both the Iraq wars. The SAS have operated in:
Malaya,Mirbat (Oman), Borneo, Falklands. though i don't know if they used the Pinkiein those other countries. The Pinkie is primarily used for long range desert transportation. That is the reason for the colour pink. The Regiment thinks that pink is a better colour instead of the normal light browns and beige for desert camouflage. :-) :-)

Just another interesting note; From 1966 until December 1972 the SASR was active in the Phuoc Tuy Province inside Vietnam performing deep penetration and ambush patrols. Patrols consisted of four and/or five men. i doubt they used the Pinkie obviously due to the dense jungle, but maybe you could do a Dio of an SASR patrol ambushing some VC?


Hope that helps.


Commandosolo.


Merry Christmas (:-) (:-)

It's very doubtful that the Australian or NZ SAS used Pink Panthers in South Vietnam - in fact, I'd be bold enough to say it Never Happened...

The ANZAC forces in Phuoc Tuy province did use Land Rovers for a multitude of tasks, including Road Runner duties - these were typically SWB Series II 'Skippies' armed with an M60 mounted in the rear deck, plus the crew's personal weapons.

I know the NZ Army had LWB Land Rovers fitted with 106mm recoilless rifles at one stage, but I'm not sure if they were used in Vietnam.

The Important Thing to remember with modelling any Landie is the wheels get rusty, the hubs and brake drums can get really rusty, the chassis cops a fair bit of the old ferric oxidation but the body is made of aluminium - it'll stretch and scratch and the paint flakes off like a bad case of dandruff, but those bodies never rust...

Nice mercenary Land Rover that chap - one of my old projects was something similar, but it's been a Long Time since I looked at it and I suspect I'll be disappointed when I do.
Sometimes, y'just gotta move on...

acav out