Second of the four miltary models in the Benbros TV Series was No.13 Austin Champ. This was based on a 4x4 vehicle powered by a Rolls Royce engine which the British Army developed during the 1940's to replace wartime Jeeps. It was in use until the 1960's. 

 

The Benbros model was a detailed and accurate casting of the original Champ and had good play value. It was an all-in-one casting without a base and like the Scout Car had a separate driver which fitted into a hole in the driver's seat (right-hand drive) although he did not have a steering wheel! The large metal wheels, which were shared with the Scout Car, had 'Benbros' and 'Made in England' cast underneath. The length of the model was 55mm.

 

The Austin Champ was normally painted all-over including the wheels and the driver but some of the second variation models had unpainted undersides. There was no added silver trim.

 

The first issue was a glossy olive-green and was sold in a TV Series box with a large number on each picture (TV3). Then, at about the time when Benbros introduced the Mighty Midget range, the colour was changed to matt dark-green including the separate driver.

 

As the little driver was easily lost, Benbros eventually upgraded the Champ to have a cast-in driver but the result was a poor representation and detracted from the otherwise high quality of the model. The cast-in driver, who this time was given a steering wheel, was on the left side (left-hand drive) because the models were primarily made for the Australian and other overeas markets.

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The two variations with cast-in drivers were given two different colours, the first a matt dark-green similar to the earlier model with the separate driver (v2), and finally a bright green variation which matched several of the other late Benbros military models.

 

Being a popular toy at the time, there is not much difficulty in finding examples of the Austin Champ today but they are often playworn. The two models with the cast-in driver, especially the bright green variation, are quite rare, and the TV box is also hard to find.