ADVANCED BUILD
Nick Shuttleworth takes a road test with Kit Form Services’ 1/24 Truck ¾ Ton SAS ‘Pink Panther’.
The Special Air Service’s (SAS) ‘Pink Panther’ Land Rover is one of the most distinctive versions of the type to serve with the British Army. Land Rovers have been used by the British armed forces for more than 70 years, serving as ambulances, artillery tractors, radio trucks, helicopter support vehicles and mounts for MILAN anti-tank guided missile systems... and even 120mm recoilless rifles. The ‘Pink Panther’ was based on a Series 2A long wheel base (LWB) or 109in wheel base Land Rover, which were modified in the late 1960s by Marshalls of Cambridge for use by the SAS.
Among the modifications were the fitting of mounts for general purpose machine guns (GPMG), large auxiliary fuel tanks in the rear body, smoke dischargers and sundials. The vehicles were still in use in 1984 and were employed in Oman and Yemen. Their distinctive camouflage that earned them their nickname came about due to how effective the colour pink was in disguising the vehicle against a desert backdrop. Although replaced by the Land Rover 110 in the mid-1980s, modified vehicles used by the SAS are still often referred to as ‘Pinkies’ by troopers…
