Monday, January 4, 2021

Rat Patrol

I know some of you are fans of the 60's TV show.. 'The Rat Patrol'. This was a for fun project proposed by a friend of mine who still watches the re-runs. It forced me to watch old episodes on U Tube to study details, errors and inconsistencies from show to show.

I did my best to reproduce the consistent details and depict the generic scene of the jeep powering over a sand dune. The jeep itself was a combination of Tamiya and Italeri parts sprues. These seemed to be the same kit but I didn't have either as a complete set. It didn't matter as I had to compile lots of extra stowage to throw in.


The main challenge was to cut and paste the figures available in my spares to fit and modify the details as best I could... like making the hat from putty.

The details of the jeeps changed from episode to episode and sometimes even the model of the jeep changed, as seen in differences in the grill and headlights etc. This can be attributed to repairs or motor pool availability. Some of the details were due to actual filming restrictions as to do the stunts they performed, required that the windshield be secured or it would get busted up too often as well as cause glare from the glass. Also the drivers mirror was often removed for similar reasons.

This was a lot of fun and will probably be sent to my friend who proposed the challenge. 

Vince B.  1-4-21

 

4 comments:

Mike Stucker said...

"Let's shake it!"

Don Schulte said...

another great job, Vince!!

Werner said...

Rat Patrol...kool.

Cam said...

Congratulations! What a BEAUTIFUL model and scene! As a youngster, I loved "The Rat Patrol." It was only later in life that i learned of some of the historical inconsistencies with the series. Keeping those in mind, I still loave the show. All my searching has shown that in real life, the Long Range Desert Groups (as well as the newly-formed S.A.S.) did not use jeeps of this type. Their vechicles were larger, heavier Chevrolets. I would be most grateful if anyone can let me know if these smaller Willys-type jeeps were used the the L.R.D.G. please. Thank you for reading this, and best wishes.