Desert Rats Universal Carrier Patrols (Plastic x 9)

includes nine plastic Universal Carriers, three plastic Crew sprues, one decal sheet and three Unit cards.

Each motor company includes a scout platoon of Universal Carriers. This versatile vehicle is commonly called a Bren Gun Carrier, which was the first variant developed, even though it has since evolved into a more general-purpose vehicle. Their usual job is scouting No Man's Land to reconnoitre enemy positions. They are also good for protecting the flanks as a mobile reserve, delivering extra firepower where it is most needed.

The scout platoon's carriers give them the mobility they need to roam far out into No-Man's-Land, and their humble armour protection is hopefully enough to let them survive contact with the enemy and report back.

The Universal Carrier is meant for reconnaissance and transport, not to be used as an assault vehicle. It is not built for up-close engagements. Its unprotected top makes a tempting target for a hand grenade or spray of submachine-gun fire.

The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier from the light machine gun armament, is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies.

The vehicle was used widely by British Commonwealth forces during the Second World War. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms. With some 113,000 built by 1960 in the United Kingdom and abroad, it is the most produced armoured fighting vehicle in history.

The carrier put the driver and commander at the front sitting side-by-side; the driver to the right. The hull in front of the commander's position jutted forward to give room for the Bren gun (or other armament) to fire through a simple slit. To either side of the engine were two areas in which passengers could ride or stores could be carried.

The Bren was a licensed version of the Czechoslovak ZGB 33 light machine gun, which in turn, was a modified version of ZB vz. 26, which British Army officials had tested during a firearms service competition in the 1930s. The later Bren featured a distinctive top-mounted curved box magazine, conical flash hider, and quick change barrel. The name Bren was derived from Brno, Moravia, the Czechoslovak city where the Zb vz. 26 was originally designed (in the Zbrojovka Brno Factory), and Enfield, site of the British Royal Small Arms Factory.

The Bren was considered a reliable and effective light machine gun, though in North Africa it was reported to jam regularly unless kept very clean and free of sand or dirt. It was popular with British troops, who respected the Bren for its reliability and combat effectiveness.