The World War two US Army military 4x4 Willys-Overland Jeep

In 1939 the US Army issued a list of requirements for a new general purpose military vehicle to America’s car manufacturers. This new vehicle must have a load capacity of 600 pounds. The wheelbase must be under 75 inches The height must be under 36 inches. The engine must run smoothly from three to fifty miles per hour . It must have a rectangular shaped body . It must have a two speed transfer case with four wheel drive . It must have a windshield that folds down . It must include three bucket seats. It must have blackout and driving lights. Gross vehicle weight must be under 1200 pounds.

Out of the one hundred and thirty five companies sent an invitation to make a prototype only three of them were interested, Ford Motor company, Willys-Overland, and American Bantam Car Company. Bantam had their vehicle’s blueprints in Washington D.C. in five days. Bantam was given the initial contract for 70 jeeps but their model failed the US army quartermaster testing. Prototypes from Ford and Willy’s were also tested. World War II had already broken out in Europe at this stage. Willy’s quarter ton truck carried too much weight to meet the army specifications so Willys stripped their car to get it within the correct weight. Willys won the contract and Ford agreed to build some of Willys' jeeps while Bantam built jeep trailers.

The standard abbreviation for a general purpose vehicle is ‘GP’ for short. When slurred together it sounds like "jeep”. There are other ideas on how the jeep got its name but this I believe is the most realistic. Willys registered the word `Jeep' as it’s trademark after World War II, The trademark was passed down when Willys was sold to the Kaiser corporation. The same happened when American Motors took over the company in 1970 and again in 1987 with the current owner Chrysler.

Britain purchased some of the first jeeps and they were used in the UK before America entered World War II. The Jeep’s performance in WW2 was excellent. It could operate without engine strain from 3 to 60 miles per hour. It could handle a forty degree slope, turn in a thirty foot circle, and tilt left or right on a fifty degree angle without tipping over. Willys managed to produce one jeep per one and a half minutes. In 1981 the US Army changed from jeeps to a new GP, the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Hummer)

Model Armored Tanks, Assault Guns, Tank Destroyers & AFV 

There are many companies that now make model kits of Armored Tanks, Assault Guns, Tank Destroyers, AFV & Military Vehicles in various scales. Here are a few of them. Fujimi 1/76 plastic kit, Hinchliffe Skytrex in 1/76 scale, RAFM, AIRFIX model, Revell, MILICAST, Bandai, Academy model kits, Boford models, combat group dynamix, corgi, doyusha, 1/35 scale, 1/144 micro scale, 1/72 scale, Minichamps military diecast vehicles, Marui shooting tanks, Popy, modles, Revel, Solido, Takara, Tamiay, Tamiya, F-toys, Forces of Valour, Trumpeter, Franklin mint, Wartanks, resin, diecast, Furuta, Gaincorps, Dioramas, verlinden decals, Dragon, armour, ICM models, Italeri, Haasegwa, Testor, AFV club