1969 Land Rover Series IIA “Air-Portable”
This is a 1969 Land Rover Series IIA “Air-Portable” and if you’ve never seen one before, they tend to stop you in your tracks. Often referred to as the Land Rover 1/2 Ton Lightweight it…
Military
1943 M3 Half-Track
When it comes to a weekend off-roader, I’m at a loss to think of anything cooler than a World War II era M3 Half-Track. The M3 pictured here is an original 1943 unit, it’s been fully restored and is now listed as being parade ready, but I say to hell with that. It’d be a sin to own this and not get it at least a little muddy.
Triumph Scrambler
The Triumph Scrambler is rapidly becoming an even more popular target for customisation than it’s brother, the Bonneville. That’s not something I thought I’d ever say just a few short years ago when the Cafe-Racer-Renaissance kicked off, but we’re seeing more and more dual sport customs coming through the Silodrome newsroom and I’m a huge fan of the burgeoning genre.
Japan’s War in Colour
“Japan’s War in Colour” is a fascinating look at World War II from the Japanese perspective, the film picks up just before the war begins and shows the build up to war, the invasion of China, followed by Pearl Harbour and the escalation of violence between Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
Submariner Sunglasses by Randolph Engineering
Submariner-style frames were first created for the US Navy, they were used as prescription frames for personnel aboard submarines and are still being worn by crews on submarines today.
USAF Posters by Nicholas Anderson
These fantastic art deco Air Force posters are the brain child of Nicholas Anderson – a serving USAF officer and a very talented digital artist. Nick sells them for $20 – $25 a pop and then donates $5 of the proceeds to his squadron’s Booster Club.
Spitfire Wallpaper
This beautiful image shows a WWII era Spitfire starting its V-12, 27-litre (1,650 cubic inch) Merlin engine. The Merlin was (arguably) the most successful aircraft engine of World War II…
1944 Norton Model 16H Military
I’m sometimes dumbfounded by the relatively inexpensive nature of some of the historic motorcycles that come up for auction, this bike is a 1944 Norton 490cc Model 16H Military and its estimated sale price is just $6,200 to $7,700 USD – which I think is pretty damn reasonable.
Rothco Special Ops Tactical Softshell Jacket
The Rothco Special Ops Tactical Softshell Jacket is the sort of thing you want on you when the weather is being deliberately difficult, and can’t make up its mind between winter and summer mode.
US Army Field Manuals (Set of 3)
US Army Field Manuals are well-known and highly respected by campers, soldiers, survivalists, hikers and “preppers” – there are over 600 different books in total so the team at Best Made collected the top 3 and created a set that can be bought via their website for $22 USD. That seems like a pretty good deal considering the fact that if you ever find yourself actually needing them, money will likely only be useful to you as kindling.
The Beaching of Submarine SM U-118
These extraordinary images were taken in 1919 on the beach at Hastings in Surrey, the submarine is a WWI model designated SM U-118 – she was being towed to France to be scrapped when the tow cable snapped during a storm.
Motorcycle-Mounted Machine Gun
When I saw this remarkable WWI era photograph showing a chap from the 39th Tomsk Infantry Regiment with his motorcycle-mounted machine gun I immediately decided that I wanted one. Preferably without the million or so angry Germans on the other end of it.