As I was writing some earlier articles, and crossing the subjects off my ‘to-do list’, it occurred to me that I needed to write something about the dedicated offroad vehicles. Not AWD cars, but 4WD trucks and trucklets, intended for the rough stuff. Every now and then I see a kit that takes my fancy. The Jeep’s an obvious starting place, and we can go through to more modern-day Jeep equivalents, picking up on a few pickups, both large and small, along the way.
Arguably, it all began with the wartime Jeep, though Marmon-Herrington was offering 4WD conversions for selected pickups and wagons about that time too. Designed to be small, light and manoeuvrable, and capable of going just about anywhere, the Jeep brought the possibilities afforded by all-wheel-drive to wider public awareness. It took a while, but once war surplus Jeeps became available, and Willys-Overland got back into production of Jeeps and Jeep-derived vehicles after the war, they became popular for farm use.
Engineering was simple and rugged, as befits a military vehicle. No nonsense, repairable under pressure in the field. This was an old AMT kit which could be built as a WW2 Jeep, as a fictitious ‘Hogan’s Heroes’ Jeep (as if!), or as a resort buggy. The model is actually a Korean War era Jeep, which could pass as a CJ-2, so I’m told. I built mine without unit markings or weapons, though a .50 cal and a recoilless rifle are included.
The basic design continued for quite a while. This seventies kit of a CJ7 shows the carryover basic design, but with upgraded interior and powertrain. Monogram did two versions of this kit, a more standard Jeep with the optional hardtop, and this ‘offroad’ version. I think a later release included both in the one kit.
As we see here, the engine is the AMC V8. I gave mine the Levi’s interior. It seems appropriate wear for the outdoors.
Toyota produced a broadly similar vehicle in the first Land Cruiser. Using a six from their truck line gave added power. A closed body was also available in both LWB and SWB form, or this open SWB. There are several Japanese kits of later Cruiser wagons, but I don’t have them.
Cruisers rapidly became popular in the Outback and the Asia-Pacific region. This Philippines ‘Jeepney’ is a seventies ESCI kit, reflecting a love of colour and ornamentation. I had read a magazine article about these years before, and just had to get the kit.
Meanwhile in Britain, there was the Land Rover. Developed by Rover in response to a lack of ‘Jeep-like’ vehicles available in Britain after the war, it came to represent something of a gold standard for sheer offroad ability. It had been developed as something of a tractor as well, with all sorts of power take-offs and implements for the early ones, though few seemed to use it as such. Very popular here as a farm workhorse before the quality and reliability of Toyota Land Cruisers became widely known.
Here’s a LWB Land Rover station wagon with the Safari roof. These models both represent the Series 3 of 1971-85. The SWB is an old Monogram kit from the eighties, this LWB is a new one from Revell.
Mercedes-Benz got into the offroad market too, with the Puch-developed G-wagen, on sale since 1979, and continually developed since. This ESCI 230G kit from the early eighties was originally a German Feuerwehr vehicle; I turned the pumps and hoses to another, fictional, purpose…
Meanwhile in America, 4WD was becoming an increasingly common option for pickups, as on this F250 from the mid-seventies. This one’s an AMT kit based on their Ford Camper Special kit with the proportionally-odd but correct LWB/Bobtail bed look. No doubt someone will know whether the Camper Special really was available with 4WD – it wouldn’t be the first time AMT has modelled a fictional vehicle configuration. Let us know in the comments.
With the new-generation Ford came new-generation graphics. This 1980 F150 is a Monogram kit built about ’81 or ’82.
This Chevy ‘Sport’ pickup, also by Monogram, shows off the bright colours and loud graphics felt essential at the time.
Then there were the Japanese ‘mini-trucks’. I remember laughing out loud the first time I saw a 4WD Toyota Hilux; it looked so weird sitting up so high in the air – on much skinnier tyres than these. This one’s a Japanese Nichimo kit (another name long gone) which is motorized, with a working 4WD system. In a neat twist, batteries for the motor are carried in a ‘bottle crate’ in the bed; lift the lid of the crate to change the batteries. I think I test-ran mine with batteries once.
Nissan got into the act also, with this 1979-86 Datsun (later Nissan) 720. This Monogram kit has been re-released many times, with several liveries and graphic designs, and most recently under the Revell brand.
Here’s an equivalent from Mitsubishi. Sold to you guys as a Dodge D50, this kit was an annual issue (updated yearly) by MPC. Has the D50 badges on the side, so I added Mitsubishi branding to the tailgate.
Suzuki scaled down the whole Jeep concept to near kei-car dimensions with 360/550 or 800cc engines. This is a first-gen (1970-81) Suzuki Jimny. These were quite popular little farm runabouts here, which you still see occasionally. Daihatsu had a similar vehicle too. The model is motorized with a working 4WD system.
Here’s another Land Rover, come to get me out of here. Just in case I’d dug myself into a hole, I guess. See you next time!
You always present some great modeling, but (imo) this is certainly a category where you are very much in your element. Neat stuff. The Korean-war CJ (clever, the way you applied the “mud”), the jeepney and the Rover series are my faves. Thanks, and best wishes, Mr. W.
Thank you, that’s a bit surprising, actually. Although I’m a country boy and used to a bit of rough country and mud, I’ve never been into off-roading in the 4WD sense. As a kid, one of my ‘treasures’ was a Land Rover brochure, and I remember thinking how machine-like (nowadays I’d say ‘industrial’) the whole design was – the very opposite of the cars I used to draw.
The mud and scraped metal on the Jeep is just paint. Hardest part is thinking where the mud would build up, where scrapes and gouges would occur. Compared to what military vehicle modellers do, this is pretty basic. But satisfying.
Very nice work! My favorite is the green 40 Series Land Cruiser. Just the right amount of dirt, looking used but not neglected. The Army Jeep is nice too.
Thanks dman. When I was in high school one of my teachers was a volunteer for what’s now the State Emergency Service. Occasionally he’d get called out of school for a serious rescue (like the day the Westgate Bridge collapsed). He had a Nissan Patrol, which got used very seriously, so I kind of based the green Cruiser on my memory of that. I would’ve been not long out of high school what I built that one.
I thought a spotlessly clean army Jeep would be a work of fiction. I’m sure Sarge would insist on it being clean topside, but not underneath – unless you were really in trouble!
I actually built that Ford Camper special though I went with two tone green and white. And then did a 4X4 conversion later. Always makes me smile to see these models Peter and the skill you have shown
Thanks JOGRAD. I kind of thought these might be up your alley. I do have a green Camper Special as well, a 2wd without the white though. That was about the time Ford started selling dressy pickups here with the extra chrome and two tone paint. Prior to that I think they only sold the base work truck here. I remember one of the magazines wrote up the Ranger XLT with a derisory ‘Who would buy it?’. A bit ahead of the market for my country then; dressy trucks are everywhere now.
I hesitated to upload this since my model-building skills are nowhere close to Peter’s, but here’s an attempt at replicating my own 80 Series Land Cruiser using a Tamiya kit, which I built about 30 years ago. Probably the last model I’ve built.
Very nice , and you’ve even muddied it up a bit.
Fantastic selection as always Peter. The Landies are my favourites, especially the yellow one 🙂
Thanks Scott. Landies mean business – or used to do back in those days. The yellow one? I have vague memories of a special edition one Leyland Australia cooked up in those colours with white spoke wheels, and based the model on a memory of a photo. Not much good for hiding in the scrub though.