Stage 1 V8

Does anyone know if any of the toy manufacturers produced a toy or model of the Stage 1 V8 in period?

Kind regards,
George

I remember seeing a photograph of, IIRC, a station wagon. Or it might have been a ute cab.

I have been looking for one for years, without success. I even tried to persuade Oxford Diecast to make one, frustrated by their producing it seems every other conceivable variant of Land Rover in every known livery but stubbornly ignoring the Stage One. But they seem to have taken no notice of my efforts to promote this rarest of production Land Rovers in all its bright and beautiful original new colours (like Java Green! )

The closest thing I possess is a zebra striped plastic lwb pickup with just 'Made in China' on it - it's all wrong (like a lot of Chinese models): non-split windscreen (but not higher like the 110), side lights and indicators over the headlights instead of beside them, fat tyres but no wheel arch eyebrows like a 110, rear of the cab flat like a Series 1, bonnet slightly too short (bit like a Santana) but definitely a flat front end and grille like a Stage 1 (though the grille is slightly too wide) etc. Nevertheless it looks more like a Stage 1 to me than any other known model of Land Rover, perhaps only accidentally. I can't remember where I bought this rare beast but I know it was only for pennies, from a charity shop or junk fair I'm sure some several years ago now. It's slightly over 3 1/2 inches long with bumper and rear towing hook. They must have been mass produced but I've never seen another one. There are a couple of small holes on either side of the rear tub just behind the cab, suggesting something was fitted there but I don't know what (there's no spare wheel, but doesn't look like they're for that)

If you can't find any models, you just have to collect the real thing you know

It's a long shot, but I have submitted the product idea to Corgi.

Good luck! I even sent Oxford Diecast a link to google images of the colourful variety of Stage One models around the world and offered to help find more. Nothing. Well, this:

"Dear Geoff

Many thanks for your E Mail.

I will add this to our wish list for future consideration. I have looked at this before but apart from a couple of fire brigades, could not find many operators of this type.

Kind regards, Adrienne Fuller
Product Manager, Oxford Diecast Ltd"

I only emailed them because some long while ago I got on their mailing list by responding to a free model offer that came with one of the Landy mags, and I was sick of receiving their catalogues with all the usual Land Rovers in them in every livery ever but never, ever a single Stage One!!

Clearly, they have not looked at the military uses of the Stage 1 then.

My second and last email to them:

"Hi

Thanks for replying. Very many Stage Ones were exported, particularly to the Middle East I believe, although the New Zealand army were also a big purchaser, but the civilian model was produced in a quite striking new (at the time - for Land Rover) range of colours which might be fun to reproduce. Sandringham also produced a 6x6 version, which were used by Southern Electric among others - see here:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1673&p=11647&hilit= ... 6x6#p11647"

My first email:

"Hi

I regularly receive your catalogue in the post, usually containing a number of Land Rover models, in what appears to be a desperate attempt to produce an ever greater variety of these, and yet I never see the only Land Rover model I would be interested in purchasing. Have you never heard of the Land Rover 109 V8, usually referred to as the 'Stage One' Land Rover, produced in thousands between 1979 and 1983, and regarded by many Land Rover enthusiasts like myself as the best Land Rover ever made? To my knowledge, no model of this Land Rover has ever been produced anywhere in the world - I have been looking for one for years - so there would appear to be a distinct gap in the market for you. Google it. There is no shortage of variety in this model, as with every Land Rover model.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Stage ... 66&bih=647"

What more could I say? I've no intention of making a nuisance of myself and, at the end of the day, how much do I care? I'm much more interested in the real things. Models are just a bit of fun. I'd actually be more interested in a Corgi than Oxford Diecast model anyway; their catalogue just irritated me! So, anyway, as I said, good luck to anyone else in their attempts/searches. Be interested to hear though.

Bug4029 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 28, 2019 11:30 am It's a long shot, but I have submitted the product idea to Corgi.

One very small step closer.

’Dear George

Thank you for your email.

I will be happy to pass your suggestion onto the ..... Marketing and Development team, they do appreciate all suggestions and take these on board when planning future ranges.’