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.
Ken Perry scanned these plans for a wooden jeep pull toy, from the Complete Home Workshop Cyclopedia published in 1945 by Popular Science. 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. The top half of the page includes the plan drawings (370K JPEG) and the bottom half includes a cutaway perspective drawing (400K JPEG) of the project.
The advertisement on the left is for a Swedish post-WWII wooden model.
Here's 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 also the box and the instructions (40K JPEGs).
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?
Glenn Byron photographed the boxes from several 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.
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."
The windshield pivots and the front wheels turn on this 10-inch wooden Jeep built from plans available for $6.95 from Gatto Plan Supply.
If you're not the handy type, a similar finished model handcrafted from walnut and maple, is available for $150.00 from T & D Toys and Replicas near Toledo, Ohio.
The most elaborate wooden Jeep model I've seen is the YJ Wrangler from Valkiarra in Indonesia. See also their Willys MB on the Valkiarra website.
Here's a wooden Jeep toy with a difference: a wooden hardtop CJ-5 compatible with BRIO-type wooden railway systems.
Racing Champions Ertl, who manufactured the short-lived "Hometown Roadway" system, signed a licencing agreement with Chrysler in 2002. One of the first resulting toys was described as a 1977 AMC Jeep. I'm not sure what the significance of 1977 was, 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.
This basic cut-wood toy was made in China.
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.
Thanks also to Keith Hepper, Glenn Byron and Dan Fedorko. -- Derek Redmond
See various ride-on toys built with plywood in the Pedal-Drive Jeeps section.
Return to the Toy Jeeps Pages on The CJ3B Page.
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