Land Rovers

406 Land Rover Series I

August 1957 - 1963

Available in blue or yellow, neither with a canopy. 

There are two main types: with or without small 'steps or handles', at the rear. Wheels are always fixed but may be smooth or, on later models, shaped. 

The smooth wheel models will usually have the 'handles' but variations are known without them. All shaped wheel editions seem to have no 'handles'.

On a separate reference page I am collecting images to look more closely at the models.

406 Land Rover Series 1

February 1958 - 1962

Gift Set 2 had a green Land Rover with a tan tin canopy.

Both types and both wheel styles can be seen.


406S Land Rover Series II

April 1962- 1962

The first Series II Land Rover with suspension and a red interior. It is believed to have been issued around April, initially in red for the Chipperfields Gift Set 19 which had a Series II edition and then a Farm green one would have been required in September 1962 for the Agricultural Gift Set 22.

The individual boxed models, however, appear all to have been bright yellow.


438 Land Rover Series II

December 1962 - 1976

As 406S but with new colours and number, available in a series of colours:


Dark green and dark bluish-green editions have shaped wheels and a cream or grey plastic canopy

Metallic turquoise editions can have shaped wheels with a tin or grey plastic hook, cast or Whizzwheels with a grey plastic hook. They initially had a cream plastic canopy, later issues with grey or a bottle green colour.

Metallic bright green editions were issued with either a bottle green or orange canopy with two types of black hook.

Black plastic hook models had a solid yellow interior.

From Gift Set 22 is the mid-green colour Land Rover

Available for a short period in 1962 before being replaced by the deeper green shades.

Illustrated below are the Farm mid-green, dark green and bluish green colours.

Colour and roof plate variation

The 438 model can be found in two distinct shades: a dark bluish-green and the deep green. These two colours are not easy to distinguish for individual models but, side by side, they are quite clearly different.

Some Series II models have a sort of 'plate' on the roof providing the three roof bars. The very earliest 1963 issues didn't have this but it seems to appear in 1964, varying between being a very obvious addition to less distinct, more sunken in to the roof. None of the later metallic green or blue models have this feature.

Amongst those with a 'plate' some have a further variation with obviously shorter bars as illustrated here too. So far this variation is known for the 357, 438, Gift Set 2 fawn and red Gift Set 17/19 models.

See the Commercial Vehicles section for:

See the Military Vehicles section for:

Land Rovers in Gift Sets

 Gift Set 2

February 1958 issued with a green 406 with a tan tin canopy and a 102 Pony Trailer. This is the only issue of the green 406 and with a canopy. From 1960 issued with fixed shaped wheels.

In 1962 the 406 is replaced by a deep green 438 model with a cream canopy. Later that year the set gets a fawn edition, only issued with GS2, with a cream canopy and a matching 102 Pony trailer.

Gift Set 19 / 23 Chipperfields

April 1962 has a red 438 with a blue tin canopy towing a trailer with Elephant Cage. At a later date, probably early 1963 the tin canopy is replaced by a blue plastic type. 

September 1962 a larger set also ahs the same red 438 with a tin canopy, later replaced by a plastic canopy.

Gift Set 22 Agricultural Set

September 1962 the set contains a 'Farm green' edition of the 438 with no canopy. this is a distinctly lighter shade, similar to the shade of the 406 in GS2. At a later date, probably from the end of 1962 the deep green 438 is included, again without a a canopy.

Gift Set 17 Ferrari Racing Set

March 1963 issued with a red 438 with cream canopy and Ferrari on a trailer. Always with shaped wheels.

Gift Set 7 / 14 Daktari

November 1967 issued in bright green with camouflage stripes. This had a post on the bonnet supporting a tiger and came with a set of characters from the TV series. Early editions had shaped wheels, then cast wheels and finally Whizzwheels.

May 1969 in the larger Daktari set with more vehicles and animals. Known only with shaped or cast wheels in this set. This set has the elephant from Chipperfields Gift Set 19 plus a baby one in a dark blue-grey shade. It is the only source of this baby elephant. There are two giraffes in the revised edition of 503 in shades of brown and cream.

Gift Set 5 Agricultural Set

October 1967 contains a 438 in deep green without a canopy. Later versions of the set have a metallic turquoise edition, again without a canopy and this may have shaped wheels or cast wheels, a tin hook or a grey plastic hook.

Gift Set 8 Lions of Longleat

July 1968 issued in white with camouflage stripes with a yellow frame at the back and issued with a range of other components. There is a hole in the roof for a warden or hunter to stand in. This model can be found with or without a tin hook (but not a grey plastic type), and with shaped, cast or Whizzwheels.

Gift Set 15 Corgi Pony Club

November 1968 issued in blue with a white canopy. The canopy bears a sticker in early editions. In later editions it is moved to the side of the model. This can be found with shaped wheels, cast and Whizzwheels. The interior is lemon (or rare red) thin plastic with late models getting a solid yellow interior. early editions have a tin hook, replaced by a grey plastic type, turning black for the later Whizzwheels edition. The Land Rover pulls a new 112 Double Pony trailer.

Gift Set 19 Corgi Flying Club

October 1972 issued with a darker bright blue Whizzwheels edition. This can have a lemon (or scarce red) thin plastic interior or yellow solid plastic type. Early editions had a spare wheel on the bonnet, removed for most issues probably in early 1973. In the later 1970s a later style of Whizzwheel is fitted. The beacon is usually red but an amber version is known, illustrated above, with amber-tinted windows.

There are also a number of Military Gift sets featuring the standard 357 issue.