The Land Rover Of Trenxcoatl – The Off-Road Vehicle For Trenxcoatl – Model Car – 29957 – Le Tout-Terrain Pour Trenxcoatl – 1/24 Scale – Second Edition

Author: Hergé & Editions Moulinsart
Price: £95.00
Manufacturer: Editions Moulinsart
Format: Original pictorial wrappers with car on plinth in perspex case
Condition: New. In excellent condition. Model car and book are both unopened
Edition: Second edition
Date: 2025

Description:

The second edition of this model, dated 2025 in the booklet. Size: 20.5cm x 7cm x 7cm. From ‘Tintin And The Picaros’. Material: Painted metal with resin and plastic. Comes in a perspex case in an outer box with accompanying brochure in French and English. Brand new. Mint condition. UPC: 29957

The Land Rover In Tintin and The Picaros: A Brief Account

In Tintin and the Picaros (1976), the Land Rover appears as a rugged, practical workhorse — perfectly chosen by Hergé for the South American jungle setting of San Theodoros. Its inclusion is entirely in keeping with Tintin’s world: whenever the terrain becomes difficult and the conditions unpredictable, the Land Rover is the natural vehicle of choice.

Hergé draws it with his usual technical accuracy and clean-line precision, and it becomes an important visual element in the story’s depiction of military rule, guerrilla warfare, and remote landscapes.

Context and Role in the Story

The Land Rover is used primarily by General Alcazar’s rebel group, the Picaros, during Tintin, Haddock, and Calculus’s time in the jungle. In these scenes, the vehicle helps establish the tactical and geographical reality of Alcazar’s camp:

• The Picaros operate deep in dense rain forest and rough terrain, where ordinary vehicles would fail.
• The Land Rover — with its high ground clearance, modular body, and mechanical simplicity — fits the setting perfectly.
• It helps convey a sense of resourcefulness, as Alcazar’s ragtag guerrilla army relies on hard-wearing machinery rather than modern or luxurious equipment.

Although the Land Rover does not play a dramatic, spotlight-grabbing role (as do other vehicles in earlier Tintin albums), its presence adds realism to the depiction of jungle logistics and guerrilla life.

Model and Appearance

Hergé illustrates a Series II or Series IIA Land Rover (late 1950s to late 1960s era), one of the most recognisable models in the brand’s history. It features:

• Angular aluminium body panels
• Flat, upright windscreen
• Exposed hinges
• Rugged tyres suited to muddy tropical tracks
• A practical, military-like paint scheme, likely khaki or dusty olive in colour
• Roof rack and minimal fittings, matching the utilitarian needs of the Picaros

Hergé’s depiction reflects his reliance on photographic reference; he kept files of vehicles to ensure accuracy. The Land Rover is rendered with clear lines and exact proportions, reflecting his respect for real-world engineering.

Symbolism and Narrative Purpose

The Land Rover’s presence is more than decorative:

1. Real-world credibility

By the 1970s, Land Rovers were ubiquitous in:

• South American rural regions
• Oil exploration zones
• Jungle borders
• Colonial and post-colonial territories

Their inclusion strengthens the realism of the political and geographical environment.

2. Tone of the album

Tintin and the Picaros is a more grounded, politically aware album. The Land Rover fits this tone:

• no glamorous cars,
• no fantastical machines,
• everything is functional and plausible.

3. The state of Alcazar’s guerrillas

The vehicle reinforces the idea that Alcazar’s Picaros rely on practical, recycled machinery rather than advanced military hardware — a subtle critique of revolutionary romanticism.

Hergé’s Artistic Treatment

Hergé’s ligne claire style lends itself brilliantly to boxy, functional vehicles. The Land Rover appears:

• crisply drawn,
• instantly recognisable,
• placed in believable jungle compositions.

He captures not only its shape but its attitude: solid, dependable, slightly battered, and very much a tool rather than a showpiece.

Conclusion

The Land Rover in Tintin and the Picaros is a quiet but significant presence. It embodies the real-world practicality of jungle insurgency, reinforces the mature political atmosphere of the album, and demonstrates Hergé’s eye for authentic detail.

Though it never takes centre stage, it enhances the realism and tone of Tintin’s final completed adventure — a story rooted not in glamour, but in the gritty, ambiguous realities of modern political upheaval.

Tintin And The Picaros: A Brief Overview

Tintin and the Picaros (Tintin et les Picaros, first published in book form in 1976) is the final completed adventure in The Adventures of Tintin. It is a mature, reflective, and at times melancholic work, shaped by the political turbulence of the late twentieth century and by Hergé’s own weariness with ideological extremes.

Rather than presenting a simple tale of good versus evil, this album examines revolution, corruption, propaganda, and disillusionment, making it the most overtly political and morally complex Tintin story.

Context and Significance

By the mid-1970s, Hergé was no longer the young artist of the 1930s and 1940s. He had witnessed:

• dictatorships rise and fall in Latin America,
• the Vietnam War,
• the Cuban Revolution,
• shifting attitudes towards colonialism and intervention.

These global themes, coupled with his personal desire to avoid black-and-white moral messages, shaped Tintin and the Picaros into a more nuanced, almost cynical meditation on political change.

It is also the last full Tintin book he completed, and its tone reflects an artist summing up — and gently subverting — the tropes he had created.

Plot Summary

The Problem in San Theodoros

Tintin is drawn back into the affairs of San Theodoros, the fictional South American nation that first appeared in The Broken Ear. Bianca Castafiore and her entourage have been arrested there, accused of plotting against the regime of General Tapioca.

Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Calculus travel to the country, where they discover that Castafiore is being used as political theatre by the corrupt Tapioca government.

Enter the Picaros

In the jungle, Tintin and his companions encounter the Picaros, a guerrilla band led by the flamboyant and rum-loving General Alcazar, a long-standing Tintin character. Alcazar dreams of overthrowing Tapioca, but his army is demoralised, disorganised, and easily manipulated.

Tintin’s Moral Dilemma

Tintin’s attitude here is strikingly different from earlier books. He refuses to take sides automatically, distrusts both sets of leaders, and initially tries to stay detached from political games. This marks an evolution of his character from idealistic reporter to sceptical observer of world affairs.

The Plan

Calculus, with typical eccentric brilliance, invents a food additive that eliminates drunkenness — a humorous but pointed critique of how easily armies and populations can be manipulated.

With their sobriety restored, the Picaros regain discipline. Tintin helps negotiate a bloodless coup in which Alcazar replaces Tapioca. Crucially, Tintin ensures:

• no one is killed,
• no revenge executions take place,
• Castafiore and her entourage are freed,
  but he also recognises that little will truly change.

The Ending

The new regime is almost indistinguishable from the old. Alcazar immediately becomes entangled in the same habits of vanity, propaganda, and corruption. Tintin recognises the circular nature of power and walks away without triumph.

The final image — Tintin on a motorbike, wearing jeans instead of his signature plus-fours — subtly communicates that the world has changed, and so has he.

Themes

1. Political Cynicism and Realism

Hergé was acutely aware of how revolutions often replace one elite with another. The album offers no glorification of guerrillas or juntas. Instead, it presents a sober view:
power changes hands more easily than the systems that sustain it.

2. Media and Manipulation

Propaganda is everywhere:

• staged parades,
• forced television broadcasts,
• manipulated arrests,
• and competing personality cults.

The story satirises how dictatorships — and rebels — rely on spectacle to maintain influence.

3. Tintin’s Moral Independence

Tintin’s refusal to endorse either side marks a shift in his character. He stands for peace and human dignity, not political victory. His only allegiance is to protecting lives and preventing harm.

4. Satire of Revolution

The Picaros themselves are comic and deeply human:

• Alcazar’s temper,
• the quarrelling entertainers,
• the reliance on rum —
  all poke fun at the romanticised image of guerrilla fighters.

Tone and Artistic Style

Visually, the book is refined and clean, with:

• bright colour palettes,
• confident linework,
• detailed jungle environments,
• and lively depictions of crowds and carnivals.

The Carnival of San Theodoros, a central backdrop, adds vibrancy while emphasising the theme of politics as performance.

The mood is more reflective than exhilarating: the action is muted, the dialogue more political, the tension more psychological than physical.

Connections to Earlier Tintin Lore

Tintin and the Picaros revisits numerous characters and threads:

• Alcazar and Tapioca’s rivalry from The Broken Ear
• Bianca Castafiore
• Thompson and Thomson
• Colonel Sponsz from The Calculus Affair, now in Tapioca’s service
• The South American military satire Hergé had been refining since the 1930s

This creates a sense of continuity and closure within the Tintin universe.

Legacy

While some readers initially found the tone subdued compared with earlier adventures, modern analysis recognises the album as:

• a sophisticated, reflective political satire,
• a realistic critique of Cold War ideologies,
• and a fitting, mature close to Tintin’s canonical journeys.

Many scholars see it as a deeply humanistic statement: Tintin refuses to be a pawn in ideological battles, choosing instead to remain an ethical witness in a flawed world.

Conclusion

Tintin and the Picaros is a thoughtful, incisive finale to The Adventures of Tintin — a story that replaces swashbuckling escapade with political insight and moral clarity. It stands apart for its realism and its acknowledgement that, in the world of coups and revolutions, the true victory is ensuring that no blood is shed.

Quietly humorous, visually rich, and intellectually sharp, it offers a fitting farewell to Tintin: the steadfast moral compass navigating an imperfect and perpetually changing world.

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Cataloguer: Daniel Hornsey

Daniel Hornsey has specialised in fine and rare books, ephemera, and collectors’ editions for over thirty years. As a long-standing member of the antiquarian book trade, he has advised private collectors, curated catalogues, and sourced works for leading dealers, libraries and institutions across the world.

Hornseys’ exhibit regularly at book and map fairs in London and throughout the UK and are members of the Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association, the PBFA.

His fascination with Hergé’s work — especially ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ — began in childhood. Daniel recalls reading Tintin in original European editions and quickly recognising that these were not merely children’s books, but finely illustrated narratives crafted with artistic depth and wit.

As noted by the Musée Hergé in Louvain-la-Neuve, Hergé’s ‘ligne claire’ style has influenced generations of European comic artists and his original drawings and paintings command very high prices with his painting of ‘The Blue Lotus’ jar fetching £2.8m at auction in 2021.

By presenting these works through Hornseys’, he hopes to contribute to the continued appreciation of one of the 20th century’s most influential illustrators, helping new generations discover the artistry and legacy of Hergé.