Hollywood comes calling for Murchison’s military rigs

It’s a plot twist owner and local collector Jim Robinson didn’t see coming, having received the call before Christmas and initially thinking it was a scam.

That is, until those who usually walk the red carpet walked up to his door.

“I don’t really know how social media works — it’s not my era — but I’d put photos of the trucks in a few military groups, so if people type in the model name, a photo must come up,” Mr Robertson said.

“The producer and the people who source all the vehicles turned up, said, ‘We want to see them.’

“I was reluctant, but as long as I’m getting them back, because I’m pretty attached to them.”

The trucks in question are a rare sight on Australian soil, and Mr Robinson estimates there may be only 22 of their kind in the country.

One is a Kaiser M816 “Kaiser Mac” tip truck; the other, an AM General command vehicle once used as a mobile workshop and field command centre.

The interiors are sparse and uncompromising — built for grit, not glamour.

Security is equally no-frills.

Neither requires a key to start, so a heavy chain and padlock looped through a wheel serve as the anti-theft system.

Not that anyone would be game enough to try.

“I took both of them to Dookie in October, and it cost $700 in fuel,” Mr Robinson said.

At the time of writing, fuel was no longer a concern, as the trucks had already been transported to set in Queensland.

And while their destination is known, the finer details remain under wraps.

“I don’t know what you class as a Hollywood movie … but it is a Hollywood actor — I can’t say who,” a tight-lipped Mr Robinson said.

What he can say is this:

“A bit of Murchison is going to be on the big screen.”