Willys MB Fire Jeep Toys

Gary Urbanowicz spotted this unique model for sale on eBay in early 2008. It's a customized 1/25-scale MPC model kit with scratchbuilt parts added, including hose, nozzle and deck gun. It's apparently based on a unit used at the Chicago municipal airport in the 1950's, and has a "Chicago Fire and Rescue" Civil Defense logo on the hood. The front view (50K JPEG) shows the identifier "Jeep Chemical Unit No. 12" on the side, although the model has a front-mount water pump rather than a foam tank.

See also a view with the hood up (50K JPEG). Anybody know who built this model?

This 1942 Willys MB fire truck is a 1/18 model released in 2000 by the French toy firm Solido. A specific prototype is not identified, but fire service conversions of the MB were common in Europe after World War II. See also a rear view photo (70K JPEG). Thanks to J-L Martin for the photos.

This 1/35 kit from Heller has a colorful but unlikely "National Park Fire Dept." livery, and a nice illustration on the box. Jarek Skonieczny passed along this information: "Based on Heller's Jeep and Trailer kit #791, the jeep is molded in red and comes with paint, glue and a brush. Since the original kit included soldiers, one of the sprues in this fire kit comes with arms and legs mixed in with the jeep parts."

Italeri kit This 1:24 Fire Jeep by Italeri (#722) is a late-1970's Italian-made kit depicting a European fire jeep conversion. The instructions state: "In the Forties and Fifties a large number of US Army Willys Jeeps remained in Europe. These were the basis of fire fighting and rescue vehicles which are all individually equipped units. The Willys Jeep was used as the basis because it had the sturdiest and simplest four-wheel-drive vehicle design of its time." Paul Seabury notes that the kit comes with decals for fire departments in Switzerland, France and Monaco.

Thanks to Jarek Skonieczny for the scan of the box. See also photos of this kit built and painted by Mauricio Alvarez: a front view and rear view (80K JPEGs).

These 1/43 scale (Dinky Toys size) diecast MB's were part of an earlier series of fire apparatus by Solido. The model marked "S.D.I. DU VAR Cogolin" (Service Des Incendies) features a folding windshield, and a plastic hose reel and gasoline-powered pump mounted above a water tank in the rear. It has a fairly detailed plastic frame and drive train, and carries the number 1322 and the date 07/82 on the bottom. The MB with ladder and Bantam trailer, is based on a slightly less-sharp version of the same casting, but with a rear seat, and plastic windshield and ladder frame added. The number 1322 has been removed from the frame.

See also a larger photo of the S.D.I. MB (40K JPEG) and a left-side photo of the MB with trailer (40K JPEG).

A third variation of Solido No. 1322 was a plain MB with no extra equipment. See a photo including two versions marked "Ville de Paris" and "Sapeurs Pompiers", with the Solido packaging (50K JPEG).

In 2001, Solido re-released the casting (30K JPEG) with the rear-mounted pump, and included a water trailer. Sister company Verem also included similar Willys fire jeeps in their 2001 catalogue. See New French Diecast for 2001.

See more French fire jeeps on the Early Jeep Toys Made in France page.

Thanks to Pete, Jarek and J-C Guerry for the photos. -- Derek Redmond

See prototype WWII Jeeps as Fire Engines on The CJ3B Page.