Safari Truck and Models

MAN Truck and models made for Overlander

Last model given to Overlander by MAN Australia

Greetings. Africans are very entrepreneurial lot- use what ever they can to fashion something of interest to visitors so they can earn a few bob, The wicker-work models were made by a 'Fundi' at a curio market near Cape McLear in Malawi- used to pull up there for the fans to go shopping and the Fundi just made a sketch on some re-cycled paper and a few days later on my way out of the National Park I'd pick up the finished product- i think each model cost me US$10. I asked Paul to post a photo of my truck- The Dirty Cow so there is a comparison that can be made. Lang, you'll be able to look up the model of M A N from your military vehicle handbooks, I'm pretty sure it was a '62 build year. I reckon the Fundi's did a pretty good job for not having a photo to work from. They will make anything you want. The cooking oil tin model was made by a fella named Moosa in Chalinze Tanzania- Chalinze is a bus stop/interchange town a few hours out from Dar Es Salaam. I gave Moosa a photo to work from on my way south on safari and picked it up a couple months later on my way back to Kenya, Moosa was a tough cookie to negotiate with and that one cost me US$20. The plastic model M A N was given to me by M A N Aust soon after T&BT mag printed a photo of the M A N belonging to Rob Henderson that I'd sent in. Got cuff links and a tie bar as well. About the photo of myself reversing Dirty Cow onto the ferry- ferry fees were 20 litres of diesel and when you got to the Zaire side before beaching the captain had me reverse back to the edge of the ferry to lift the front a bit and then he'd flatten it up onto the churned up soft sandy beach and on his signal I'd gun the truck in 4wd and launch into the soft shit and plough my way through to the hard standing and then load up the fans. I bought the wicker work models home as hand luggage and then declare at customs- blokes were more interested in taxing me for being over quota on cartons of Zimbabwe smokes than worry about any bugs that may have been living in the wicker work. I had a lot of fun in that truck. Thanks for posting Paul.