People have been making toy jeeps out of wood almost as long as there have been jeeps. You've probably seen photos of hand-carved versions made by GI's during the war, or by kids in occupied Germany after the war. And there were some quite detailed model kits available even before the end of the war.
This is a 1943 wood and cardboard model kit, number J-125 from J.F. Sanlander Co. of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, sales division of H.F. Auler Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. See the box and the instructions (40K JPEGs).
Mark Randall in The Colony, Texas says he's always wanted a CJ-3B but he hasn't found the right one yet. So meanwhile, he came up with this idea for a high-hood birdhouse. Looks like a good use for those old license plates many of us have lying around.
If you like this kind of project, see also Heinz's CJ-3B grille grill for Oktoberfest, and Derek's CJ-3B Jeep-o-lantern for Halloween.
These wooden toys, apparently early, are stamped "Ralstoy" on the bottom (20K JPEG). More information is needed; are they World War II or postwar vintage?
Keith Hepper scanned these plans for a wooden jeep pull toy, from an old magazine page -- possibly from a late-1940's issue of Popular Science. The complete page (50K JPEG) includes a cutaway perspective drawing of the project. Off-center rear wheels produce a bouncing action as the toy is pulled along, and eccentrics connected to the front axle cause the wooden figures to rock forward and back.
Here's a recent wooden Jeep toy with a difference: a wooden hardtop CJ-5 compatible with BRIO-type wooden railway systems.
Racing Champions Ertl who manufactures the new Hometown Roadway system, signed a licencing agreement with Chrysler in 2002. It's a surprise that one of the first resulting toys is described as a 1977 AMC Jeep. I'm not sure what the significance of 1977 is, except it was the first year for factory air conditioning on CJ's, which fits with the hardtop. Anyway, it's a nicely designed little toy; its magnetic couplers and vaguely steam-engine-like appearance would let it fit in just fine at the head of a BRIO train. Thanks to Dan Fedorko for the photo.
Glenn Byron photographed these boxes, from balsa wood model kits sold in the 1940's. Ace Kit #7R contains a partially-built model of a Jeepster, and is dated 1948. Ace Model #246 is a complete, unbuilt )with instructions) kit for a CJ-2A (with one-piece windshield) dated 1946. There is also an empty box with the instructions for a Mars WWII U.S. Army jeep, undated. The sides of the boxes (50K JPEG) show the scale as 1/2 inch to 1 foot.
See also the Jeepster built and painted (40K JPEG). The grille detail appears to be a decal.
The advertisement on the right is for a Swedish post-WWII wooden model.
By most standards, the best wooden Jeep model we've seen is the YJ Wrangler above, from Woodcycle Art in Indonesia. See more photos of their Wrangler and Willys MB on the Woodcycle web site.
I found that wooden Jeeps were suddenly under the Christmas tree in 1996, in all sizes: Jeeps carved, sawn and routed from a variety of woods. A couple of them looked like they've been around a few years, and a couple of others looked brand new.
The big one needed a bit of repair, including that task so often required of people who buy toy Jeeps at garage sales and flea markets -- replacing a missing windshield. Just a piece of stiff wire can often do the trick, but not in this case. (And I'm pleased to be able to say that it folds down.)
This Jeep is signed on the bottom by the original woodworker:
"L.Ketcheson, Belleville, Ontario."
This somewhat cruder cut-wood toy was made recently in China.
This Willys 1/18 scale jeep replica cut from walnut and maple, is available from T & D Toys and Replicas. The company, located near Toledo, Ohio, also offers a huge variety of other cars and trucks. The windshield pivots and the front wheels turn.
Thanks to Keith Hepper, Glenn Byron and Dan Fedorko for photos. -- Derek Redmond
See various ride-on toys built with plywood in the Pedal-Drive Jeeps section.
Elsewhere on the web, you can purchase plans for building a ten-inch wooden Jeep.
Return to the Toy Jeeps Pages on The CJ3B Page.
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