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 or dark bluish-green with lemon (or scarce red) interior 1962 - 1967
metallic turquoise with lemon interior 1967 - 1972
bright metallic light green with yellow interior 1972 - 1973
metallic mid green with yellow interior 1973 - 1976
mid-green, red, fawn, bright blue and darker blue models were issued in Gift sets as listed below.
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.
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:
416 and 416S RAC Radio Rescue Land Rover
417, 417S and 477 Breakdown Service Land Rover
472 and 487 Public Address Land Rovers
See the Military Vehicles section for:
351 and 351S RAF Land Rover
357 and 500 US Army Land Rover / Weapons Carrier
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.