This project was half a year in the making...
During the summer in July, while working at the museum, I found a 1/48th scale Bandai Willys Jeep model kit in the gift shop. I never really built any armor (or even vehicles for that matter!) but since my father and I operate a 42 MB, I thought: "That'd be a pretty neat gift for the ole' man!"
So I set about recreating our actual "FrankenJeep". Which is made up of a MB frame, Ford GPW Engine & Transmission, along with a new tub. But hey... from the outside, she's our Jeep! A Jeep called: "For Pete's Sake!" in honor of my grandfather Peter Soltis, who was in the Jolly Rogers 90th BG, 320th SQ.
Here are some shots of the real Jeep from last year:
When we purchased her in 2013, she was a "drivable" bare bones blank canvas of a project.
We've added every detail you can see. We're especially proud of our 41 Columbia USAAF Bicycle on the back.
So I had to set about replicating every little detail, because the customer in the end owned the real thing! The big obstacle was the bike of course.
Through some internet searching I came across: https://www.battlegroundmodels.com
Which mostly deals with military related accessories for dioramas in the larger scales. But I saw he made a Huffman G519 US Army Bicycle in 1/18th scale. I found it to be very close to the Columbia style and inquired if he would offer a 1/48th scale version. To my delight he did! Not only did he fulfill my request, but he also went over his 3D model and thickened the model to ensure that it wouldn't warp or have any missing pieces.
After carefully clipping the bike out of its tree, I couldn't help myself but to prop it up next to the Jeep.
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The Jeep overall went together fairly easily. I wish I had only attached MORE to the body like the handles, brackets, etc. before hitting it with the rattle can OD spray paint that we use on the actual Jeep. I found that the kit wasn't complete, and I was actually missing the rear axel. After a little magic, the M-100 trailer axel vanished! But at least the Jeep had a rear axel now. The Canvas top was decent, but to match our repro top, the rear window had to be filled in and made smaller.
A large original US Army Air Corps wool blanket sits on the rear seat when guests aren't riding in her. I recreated the blanket with a little water / Elmers glue mixture and some rolling papers. I ended up doing the same thing for the messenger bag located on the back of the bike. The kit came with a few figures and rifles as well. One rifle had extra sheet styrene added to mimic the standard rifle rack located behind the wheel above the dashboard. The other had a little putty added to resemble a long rifle saddle holster on the side. Utilizing some "I" channel styrene stock, I also built the bike rack. A small vintage metal black box sits between the driver and passenger seats. It's used as a catch all and drink holder. Well of course I had to make that. We also have a second side mirror on the passenger side (which wasn't standard in WWII) but we find it useful on today's roads. So I had to make that too. The original glass that came with the model was fairly bulky, and I ended up putting a nice mark on one. So I cut new clear acetate windows and glued them in.
Other details included designing, scaling, printing, and applying decals for the front and rear license plates, front windscreen emblems, 5th Airforce emblem above the rear window, and flags. This also included the foot locker.
All the stars and lettering on the hood, bumper, and rear "bumperettes" were individual white decal letters & numbers. And they were a pain in the ass...
After I finally assembled and finished the Jeep, I made the base. Nothing fancy, just some gravel and a small curved curb and grass. The scene was meant to recreate the "round" at the Sikorsky Memorial Airport; adjacent to the Windsock Bar & Grille, one of our favorite places to go for a drink! It also happens to have been the original airport manager's house from the 20s-30s, and then the Corsair test pilot's flight office during WWII! It also is equally adjacent to the Curtiss Hangar, the Connecticut Air & Space Center's new publicly accessible location.
When it was all said and done, I felt like something was missing... We've taken the ole' gal to a few shows, and in that time we put together a footlocker of what a typical USAAC airmen would have had in the Pacific campaign. While far from complete its a work in progress as we slowly buy, trade, or discover pieces to put in it. Well I figured I might as well make that too. So it was a very straightforward scratch build. Just styrene plastic glued, sanded and spray painted. Added a few decals here and there. I also cut off a man's feet and torso for the boots and shirt. Some other things int he foot locker include a small box of Hershey's Chocolate, a glove and bat, a helmet, and two ammo cans.
The only other thing not shown in these original shots I took back in July is that I added a small plaque on the base to tie the whole thing together. This was my second "gift" model (my father also receiving the Corsair / Dinah Diorama) but it won't be my last. After waiting for SIX MONTHS I finally gave him the model on Christmas. Needless to say he was blown away and still is passing by the showcase to take a peek at it. I have a few more gift models in the works (let alone museum projects) so stay tuned.
