Rev up your engines! There’s a new plastic transport on the block, and it’s an absolute classic. Rolling off the production lines and onto the tabletop is the Bedford QLT, a legend of British military transportation, in glorious plastic, and packed with loads of options. Let’s get a look under the bonnet (and inside the box)!
The Bedford QL series of trucks (‘lorries’ in British parlance) was the standard base for a wide variety of vehicles throughout the war, having been designed at the outbreak of the Second World War, and entering series production in March 1941. A roughly 3-ton vehicle with four-wheel drive and a 6-cylinder petrol engine, it proved a rugged, reliable, and adaptable platform – the perfect base for a troop transport!
Entering service in August 1941, over 3,300 QLTs would be produced before the end of the war, seeing service virtually everywhere British soldiers could be found. Capable of carrying up to 29 troops and their personal equipment when in personnel transport configuration (where it was nicknamed the ‘Trooper’ or ‘Drooper’), with a removable canvas back to keep out the elements, the dependable Bedford served to deliver men and materiel to the frontlines and provide a great deal more strategic mobility than simply marching!
While definitely unarmoured and not designed to get right into the thick of the fighting, consideration was given to protecting the QLT from air attack and providing a modicum of fire support in an emergency. To this end, an anti-aircraft mounting was provided for a Bren gun to be attached (usually the one carried by the men being transported!), complete with opening in the rain cover. While not the most potent anti-aircraft weapon, the firepower of an entire column of Bedfords would certainly be enough to give an attacking pilot at least some pause, potentially allowing the men to scramble out of their trucks to safety!
On the Table
In Bolt Action: Third Edition, you’ll want to use your Bedfords wisely, keeping them out of harm’s way until it’s time for them to dart in and drop off their troopers where they’re needed most. Used well, this can be a devastating tactic, but watch out – get caught in the enemy’s sights, and your soft-skinned lorries are liable to get turned into scrap!
The sprues for the new plastic Bedford are absolutely packed with detail, turning this humble transport into a fantastic painting and modelling opportunity. With options to have the canvas back raised, lowered, or entirely absent, you can tailor your truck to match the theme of your force, and the panelwork lends itself to a variety of iconic colour schemes, from desert yellow (complete with large RAF recognition roundel on the roof) to North-West Europe green and black camouflage. Fully detailed chassis and suspension components ensure that those of us who like to make sure every inch of the model is given an equal amount of love will be happy, and the brand-new British passenger frame included in the kit allow you to pack the troop compartment with a section of Tommies, who are no doubt incredibly glad not to be walking into battle!
The new passenger sprue is a great addition to the British range – while it’s designed specifically with the Bedford in mind, with a little bit of careful cutting it can be used to fill out your Universal Carriers, Kangaroos, half-tracks, or indeed add tank-riding infantry to pretty much any British armoured vehicle!
No British Bolt Action collection is complete without a Bedford or two. Grab yours today, and save your troops’ legs for battle – trust us, they’ll show their gratitude on the tabletop!
3 comments
I am a little bit surprised! 29?!?!? Are I sure?
“Capable of carrying up to 29 troops and their personal equipment when in personnel transport configuration (where it was nicknamed the ‘Trooper’ or ‘Drooper’), with a removable canvas back to keep out the elements, the dependable Bedford served to deliver men and materiel to the frontlines and provide a great deal more strategic mobility than simply marching!”
I think the limit of 29 is the Bolt Action’s designers way of making it difficult to carry a full platoon in one lorry. The real thing could carry 20 men (two sections) with ease, and a full 40 man platoon if the men tied their haversacks to the tilt frame. I’ve heard them called ‘droops’ or ‘droop snoots’, and even TCVs (troop carrying vehicle), but not ‘troopers’.
Will there be a West African version with troops in shorts?