The vehicle

“The Ferret armoured car, also commonly called the Ferret scout car, is a British armoured fighting vehicle designed and built for reconnaissance purposes. The Ferret was produced between 1952 and 1971 by the UK company Daimler. It was widely used by regiments in the British Army, as well as the RAF Regiment and Commonwealth countries throughout the period.” [1]

The kit

Airfix 1/35 kit [2].

I had been waiting to do this one since it was announced. My Dad used to drive these, so it was important to me to do a good job. Looking at the decal choices, I decided to build it as the one based in Berlin in 1961 (as shown on the box). However, I found it curious that there were no unit markings for it. Asking Dad to investigate he used contacts on Facebook and the service of the Tank Museum, Bovington to find out that the vehicle in question – 02DA63 – was “delivered into service” in February 1961. Thereafter, it appears to have been held in reserve in Germany until 1967, after which it was issued to a variety of units in the British Army of the Rhine until presumably its retirement. I think it is now in private hands.

I will assume it is in use sometime in the 1960s in the West Berlin sector, which will affect how weathered it will be. I will probably do at least one more in the future, in alternative markings, which will be more dirty looking. I might wait for any third party upgrades for that one though – resin wheels, photo etch set, maybe even an engine.

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferret_armoured_car

2. https://uk.airfix.com/products/ferret-scout-car-mk2-a1379