Airsoft Action 02 - Nov 2011 | Page 39

LAND ROVERS Buying an ex-military Land Summary Rover Ex-military Land Rovers are probably There are many resource sites, specialist magazines and clubs to help you in purchasing the Land Rover of your choice. The Ex-Military Land Rover Association is probably the biggest such organisation. As with buying any vehicle, don’t buy the first one you see. Do your research and have a good look around to get a feel of what is out there for your budget. Big MoD disposal companies, such as Witham’s, always have fresh stock arriving, but sites like www. milweb.net have a wider variety of classified ads. Parts are plentiful and cheap and Land Rovers are fairly easy to work on, so make a great project vehicle for learning about maintenance and mechanics. Insurance can be relatively cheap, and can be discounted further if you are a member of an organisation such as Military Vehicle Trust (MVT) or The ExMilitary Land Rover Association. the best project for new starters to undertake, and they have the added advantage of being the most useful of all military vehicles available. For airsoft use it means you can pack all of your kit and the rest of your team to save cost, and it doesn’t matter if the skirmish site is in the middle of nowhere as a Landie will get you there. The Defender series makes a sensible choice as an everyday vehicle with the added bonus that, with recent winters being what they have been, you will have a vehicle that will still get you from A to B. For a specific vehicle type to be in service with the forces for over 50 years is a testament to its durability and effectiveness as a multi- role vehicle. As the adverts say: The best 4x4 by far! Ex-military vehicles can be bought from a number of sources, including: ■ www.milweb.net – a good variety of equipment and loads of Classifieds ■ www.mod-sales.com – Witham Specialist Vehicles – MoD Sales Agent ■ www.ljacksonandco.com – Ex-MoD and NATO disposal company A quick search on Google will find many more companies but, as with all vehicles, make sure you do your research and have good look over (and test drive) any vehicle before you buy. Many thanks to Bill Hayfield (www.paintman.co.uk) and Adrian, from Adrian’s Tomcat (www.adrianstomcat.co.uk) for the Land Rover pictures used in this article. www.airsoftactionmagazine.com 039