Gift Set 19 Land Rovers may be interesting after all

I really am not a great fan of the Whizzwheels Land Rovers and the final appearance of the Land Rover in '438' form was not my favourite issue by any stretch of the imagination. However, I have to admit that it is surprisingly interesting as I continue to realise that there are several variations.

I have just acquired this complete Gift Set 19 which I originally wanted because it had the spare mounted on the bonnet, a version I had initially thought to be the 'normal' one but now find to be the less common, with most models having no spare. It was the Gift Set 15 Pony Club model where all issues had the wheel on the bonnet. (At least, I believe that's the case and have yet to find one without!)

When this one arrived, however, I noticed the amber beacon and the distinctly amber-tinted windows. This is a first for me. All my other models have had a solid red piece of plastic. This one could well be a single unit with the beacon formed as part of the window unit.

This model also has the later style of interior and the later black hook and a silver base.

So now I have 6 different varieties:

Type 1 seats in red, grey hook, wheel on bonnet, grey base

Type 1 seats in yellow, grey hook, no wheel on bonnet, grey base

Type 1 seats in red, grey hook, no wheel on bonnet, grey base

Type 2 seats, black hook, wheel on bonnet, amber beacon, tinted windows, silver base

Type 2 seats, black hook, no wheel on bonnet, red beacon, grey base

Type 2 seats, black hook, no wheel on bonnet, later style wheels, grey base

I assume that the grey hook models preceded the black hook type, and this seems consistent with the change of interior. The tinted windows and amber beacon, though, and the wheel on the bonnet don't seem to follow any logical time frame. I am also sure there will be a Type 1 interior in yellow with a grey hook and a wheel on the bonnet! That makes at least 7 variations.

The amber-tinted edition really does seem odd with its distinctly different silver base too which I have yet to find on another type.

The plane also comes with white or yellow wings and a similar colour section on the trailer. So far, that seems to be the limit of its varieties!