Škoda LIAZ 101.124 Tanzánec

Product description

"Cult Trucks" magazine featuring the Škoda LIAZ 101.124 "Tanzánec" model in 1:43 scale. The model is packaged in a protective plastic blister.

Its serial production lasted for just under three years (1985–1987), during which several modifications were created. The most famous variant was the 101.124 military flatbed. It earned the nickname "Tanzánec" (The Tanzanian) because the Tanzanian military acquired 527 of the 562 total units produced.

The "Tanzánec" featured all-wheel drive with differential locks on both axles (permanent rear-wheel drive with a rigidly engageable front-wheel drive via a Praga PP100 gearbox) and an MT-series cabin equipped with modified ventilation and a roof hatch. To prepare the truck for water wading, the designers routed the air intake upward behind the cabin, increasing its wading depth to an impressive 1,200 mm. Powered by an M634-6 six-cylinder diesel engine with a displacement of 11,940 cc and a maximum output of 156 kW, the "Tanzánec" could reach a top speed of 72 km/h on flat ground and was capable of tackling climbing gradients of up to 60%.

However, this vehicle was also well known to the citizens of former Czechoslovakia. Exactly 12 units served the People's Militias (Ľudové milície) and the army for various purposes—whether for transporting VB (Verejná bezpečnosť / Public Security) officers, hauling materials, or carrying barriers used during public demonstrations.