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"Zombie Deluxe" Defender camper


FridgeFreezer

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I hate this faux tactical look that it seems half of refurbished Defenders are being given. There's a 110 going around with fake armour and those flip down window protectors, the cringe factor is unreal. I would love to hear their justification for fitting this kind of thing (which is not cheap).

Each to their own and all that but it reflects really badly on the "community" when these are seen in public.

It's a huge shame because the conversion looks well done and thought out.

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19 minutes ago, ThreePointFive said:

There's a 110 going around with fake armour and those flip down window protectors,

I think, for some people, it's just so you can leave the windows open when parked up with less chance of it getting stolen!  I guess they would also make it harder to bend over the top of the door to gain access.

Fake armour is another matter!

I wonder if it's a reflection of people feeling less secure generally - Corvid, Brexit, Trump, Populist Governments - and that subconciously being reflected in the choices they make?  Over the last year, I have seen more 'tactical' look vehicles, not just LR than ever before.  Just a thought.  Once this period passes, they will be back to building 'fluffy' overland / off roaders!

It seems you CAN have too many TV's too!

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On the "tacticool" look and blingy campers like this, I just think it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy - if you rock up in a poor rural village in one of these things you may as well spray-paint "I AM VERY RICH PLEASE ROB ME" down the side. If you feel in enough danger to really want those window grills etc. maybe you should not be going there, or maybe you should talk to the locals and arrange somewhere safe to park.

I saw a German overland blog where they were going through African villages in a camper-truck that must've cost 100k with a 5k quad bike mounted on the back and all the usual excess and it just struck me that you may as well have landed from Mars in a solid-gold Rolls Royce for the amount you stick out among the locals.

@monkie I hadn't spotted it but you're right, it does look like it's sagging a few mm in the middle :lol:

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That is a good point on the window protection Simon, hadn't considered that. And it does look like there's a surge in this style of build, though there's always been an undercurrent of waltism.

If you look at actual armoured conversions, they're done to look as close to the original base vehicle as possible so that everyone around you doesn't know someone (or something) of high value is being carried. They deliberately try to blend in. Even the Snatch is meant (however successfully) to look as close as possible to a hard top Wolf.

This style is basically a movie prop.

I'm sorry if the above read as dumping on anyone else's right to build whatever they want, I'm sure my own build will appeal to a minority anyway. 

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See a lot of pictures floating around the internet of that one. My first thought is always how much does it weigh? Add in the aerodynamics and that 3.2Puma is going to drink like even more of a fish than they do already. The one at work in the Ranger auto struggles to manage low 20s even driving like a granny.

I also don't think the build quality is that great... look at the wonky radio/dvd thing in the outside TV locker. Or the wonky bits in the interior electrical panel. As for the TVs.... WTF? there are more there than in our house :lol: 

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Interesting conversion, but I wonder what the GVW comes to - probably enough to max out the ratings of a pair of 110 axles? The long wheelbase and rear overhang will curtail much in the way of off-road exploration, sufficient that it might have been better built on a 4x4 commercial chassis.

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3 hours ago, ThreePointFive said:

This style is basically a movie prop.

I've worked on real armoured cars (proper ones) and movie ones!

Last year (2019) we visited a 'real' Armoured Vehicle Manufacturer in Tbilisi (guess the film) and based on my real experience of armoured 4x4's, I wouldn't have wanted to be under fire in one of theirs.  However, they looked fantastic on the outside!  I suspect it has come full circle and now the armoured vehicle makers are making them look like movie props!

APC - Didgori-2.jpg

Built on an F550 Chassis.

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1 hour ago, DaveSIIA said:

Interesting conversion, but I wonder what the GVW comes to - probably enough to max out the ratings of a pair of 110 axles?

One thing some folks don't realise is the later Puma / Pulse had strengthened chassis ( @miketomcat spotted one on the factory tour) and the 127/130's had heavier Salisburys than standard 110's. That said, this thing looks like it would exceed even the Puma's happy place for weight/size, and huge offset wheels must be torturing the axles/bearings etc.

Quite why he didn't just start with a 7.5 tonner or similar is beyond me.

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It only appeals to those with no comprehension of mechanics, overlanding, camping or off reading.  And I agree with the “tacticool” comments - you’d basically be admitting to be ping an Alex Jones type...

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It could be worse....

 

8150d6fbd7096256db8200c01dbdeedd.jpg

 

The annoying thing is the kit itself is practical and sensible - I found this while looking for something similar to organise the interior for camping gear and address the lack of storage in the interior. I just wish it didn't have to look like you're about to storm the Capitol Building.

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It is difficult to see clearly, but the spare wheel looks like it is for a trailer, certainly not for the, erm, camper/truck/lorry/shed thing.  I do like the look of the integrated street lamp, but I suspect that is just a side effect of where they parked.

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