Oxford Diecast 1/76 76MK001 Bedford MK REME Recruiting Team
The first release of the brand new Bedford MK in Oxford’s Military series appears as a REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) Recruiting vehicle comprising a cab with a canvas backed trailer section. It is decorated overall in a muted blue with the colour replicated in the wheels. A yellow board runs along each side of the rear of the truck printed with Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in black. Red masking is applied to the cab doors which carry the highly detailed and colourful REME crest. The military number plate reads 01 FH 49.
The Bedford MK/MJ was the 4x4 variant of the TK, which already features strongly as an Oxford Diecast miniature. The MK was deployed as the main medium British Armed Forces truck but was exported to many and other countries as well. It was first introduced in 1970 to replace the Bedford RL. It was very successful with over 50,000 produced. The MK/MJ was produced in many variants. From April 1981, Bedford changed the designation of the MK to MJ as the K multi-fuel engine was superseded by the J diesel engine. It was confirmed in March 2014 that, with the exception of a handful of light recovery vehicles, all British Army Bedford MK/MJ trucks had been disposed of, replaced by RMMV HX60 4x4 trucks. After Bedford's Dunstable factory was sold in 1987 to AWD, the MK restarted production for military purposes only. This ended in 1992 when AWD was placed in receivership.