OXFORD 1/76 Bedford RL 58 Company RASC Cyprus OXFORD

OXFORD 1/76 BEDFORD RL 58 COMPANY RASC CYPRUS

Oxford Bedford RL military truck is deployed on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus under the auspices of 58 Company, Royal Army Service Corps.

The Bedford RL is decorated in a desert scheme of light stone with the canvas cover moulded in a slightly darker beige while the interior is light green with black steering wheel. A roof hatch has also been added to this release. Registered 43 CL 72, the vehicle has a yellow bridge plate on the front with the number 9 printed on it – a military indication to control the weight when crossing bridges and the like, hence the name. The 58th Company formation badge is printed in blue and yellow on both the front and the back of the truck and the blue/yellow shield with two lions on the front identifies it as being deployed in Cyprus.

Bedford built the RL from the mid 1950s to the early 1970s. Like many Bedford vehicles, its main use was with the British military. Bedford based the RL on the civilian Bedford S truck, so it was used in a civilian capacity too. With a split windscreen and the signature Bedford radiator grille, the truck had all-wheel drive and bigger wheels for optimum ground clearance. Originally a 3-tonner, it was increased to 4 tons to facilitate its cross country payload requirements. During its lifetime, over 74,000 rolled off the production line and many of these survived in civilian use well into the 1990s.