After a very hectic summer, I have finally been able to get back to the bench and do some work.

My latest piece is a unique jeep that is not often seen. The Willys M606 was the military version of the CJ3B.

A little history:

The CJ3B was an improved version of the WWII Willys MB, which had the civilian designation of CJ3A. In the early '50s, Willys offered an updated jeep wth the taller F-head engine in the form of the CJ-3B, a CJ-3A body with a taller hood. This was quickly turned into the M606 jeep by equipping it with the available heavy-duty options such as larger tires and springs, and by adding black-out lighting, olive drab paint, and a tow pintle. The Willys M606 and CJ3B also had a tailgate on the rear as opposed to the earlier solid rear plate of the MB series. The CJ3B/M606 was also license built around the world and was built by Majindra of India up until the late '90s.




I first was inspired to build the M606 after seeing Jim "Gunny" Lewis' build of one on his site, Guntruck Studios. Jim used the Okuno Mitsubishi CJ3B J4A toy and a Skybow M38A1 to build a Mitsubishi CJ3B model. You can see Jim's awesome build here.

I wanted to build mine as the original Willys version.
From my research, the Willys M606 Military version of the CJ3B was described in a four-page Service Manual Supplement (SM-1018 R1) to the Universal Jeep Service Manual (SM-1002-R5) which describes and illustrates "special equipment items as installed on Jeep model M606 (CJ-3B modified)." They are as follows:

Blackout Driving Light: According to the Supplement, a blackout light was installed on the left fender only.

Magnetic Drain Plugs: Intended to attract small bits of metal so they can be removed when fluids are changed, these plugs were installed in oil pan, transmission and transfer case.

Trailer Coupling Electrical Receptacle: A 12-pin metal connector covered by a spring-loaded door.

Stop and Tail Lights: Body-mounted reflectors, and blackout covers for the tail lights.

Pintle Hook: Trailer towing hitch. A picture also shows rear "bumperettes" on either side of the hitch.

Tires and Tubes: 700 x 16 (4 ply) nylon tires, with low inflation pressures recommended, ranging from 10 - 25 lbs. depending on conditions.

Headlight Brush Guard: Only a single brush bar over the headlights.

Some do not have the pioneer tool cutouts on the right side as well, while some do.

To start, I got a spare Okuno CJ3B from Gunny and used the running gear (sprue A) from a Skybow/AFV Club M38A1.

The Okuno toy is really very nice. It is believed to have been molded by Skybow and the body scales out perfectly to 1/35 and the detail is right on par with the Skybow M38A1. The frame and wheels are toylike and unusable though.



For the Willys specific changes, I modified the rear of the Okuno jeep by using the tailgate out of the Accurate Armour CJ5 conversion and cut the opening out of an M38A1 rear panel.

The M38A1 frame is almost a perfect fit for the CJ3B body. However, the CJ3B body is about 2mm shorter just in front of the rear axle. I matched up the front shock cutouts on the CJ3B body and the M38A1 frame, then shortened the frame as needed. I also filled in the hollows under the seats.

I made various other changes that can be seen in the pictures. The brighter green color body parts and black parts are from the Okuno kit. The OD parts are from the M38A1 kit. Everything else is scratch built by me.

Here are the pictures, enjoy.





As always, all comments are welcomed.

well what can i Gino,great build so far.

Thanks Roy. It's been fun so far.

Hi Gino
Great looking model you have got there. As usual excellent attention to details. Its a great inspiration for me especially just before starting the Jeep campaign
Thanks for sharing and Have a Great Day
Mukund

Thanks Mukund. Good luck on the Jeep campaign.

I like the look of that jeep...maybe because its all clean and shiny in the reference picture- it looks brand new! The Indian one's made by Mahindra are quite interesting too.


The build is coming along real nice, very clean- you'd hardly notice it was actually kitbashed- the fitting looks pretty much perfect. Have you any painting or weathering plans yet?

Thanks Karl. The Okuno jeep is really nice and this conversion isn't too bad to do. I plan on painting it as a US vehicle in OD Green. I haven't decided if it will be a US Army or USMC jeep yet. I'll keep you posted though.

Looks great so far Gino.

I like it as I have recently acquired the need to build a JEEP myself.

Nice work!







~ Jeff

Dave and Jeff: Thanks for the encouraging words.

I have continued progress on the M606 / CJ3B. I have painted it and added decals. I also added covered chain retaining loops for the rear tail gate. All that is left is to do some weathering and add some gear in the back.

Here it is so far.






I also used the M38A1 engine (which was introduced in the CJ3B) and engine compartment parts with a few mods such as shortening the radiator shroud, adding a battery, rerouting the upper radiator hose, and rerouting the air cleaner and its hose. I also plumed and wired everything as well; to include wires for the starter, battery, spark plugs distributor, lights, horn, windshield wipers, fuel lines, and a few others thrown in for good measure.





Here it is with a WWII Willys MB to compare the stance and size differences.





As always, all comments welcomed.

Gino - what a neat project. It is always fun to do the strange stuff. Love the engine work. Nice work with the under hood decals.Dash looks good too. Are we going to attempt the canvas or are we leaving it open??

Rounds Complete!!

Thanks Mike. It has been a fun build so far. I think I will be a bit risque and leave her topless!

great work Gino,love the motor work.

Go topless...that engine deserves to be shown off! The side by side shot with the Willys MB is very interesting- I would say from a distance they look very similar but close up there are quite a few differences- the stance is quite a bit higher which is interesting. Are you going to display them side-by-side?

Gino,

I just started on an M38A1 project of my own. Seeing your M606 is definitely inspiring. There need to be more variations of "jeep" kits out there. Being limited just to GPW/MBs and MUTTS don't give the breed it's due.

Working on a 1:1 scale GPW has given me a new appreciation of these awesome little vehicles!

Jon

Good job on finishing this one. I think that tailgate should've been left down to show off it's feature but the spare tire on the side and the good work on the chains do stand it apart. Congrats on a very nice model!

Thanks guys. I am glad you like it. It has been a fun conversion so far.

Roy: I really like the motor too. It is very detailed oob and just screamed for some extra details to bring it to life.

Karl: I too like the look of it and was surprised how different it was from the MB. They will not necessarily be in the same dio/dispplay, but they will be near eachother on the sheves.

Jon: I agree that there should be more jeep models. However, we do have all the basic versions in kit form to make the less common ones off of. With the MB, M38A1/A1C, and both M151A1/A1C1 and A2/A2C (TOW) versions, you can get conversion sets for the others. Limes models does a set that includes a laser cut welded grill and Willys script rear plate for an early MB. There was a Ford GPW converstion set a while agi that included the rounded front frame member and Ford script rear plate; I think it is OOP though. Accurate Armour makes a CJ5 conversion for the M38A1 that includes the Willys tailgate I used. I'm sure there are other sets out there too. Many of the earlier evolution vehicles were simple change stoo; like the suspension, rear wheel opening, NATO turn signals, and windshield changes from the M151A1 to A2. With a little work, all can be made.

By the way --- I would love to be able to work on a 1/1 Willys. One of my dreams is to get an old Army jeep and restore it. Someday....

Greg: Thanks, I like the look of it too.

Gino,

I just started on a 48th M38A1 and M101A1 howitzer that came with the old Revell CH-53 kit. Both are decent in shape, and with some serious work, they can be turned into accurate representations of the real thing. Been focusing on the howitzer first, but I figure with some donor parts from a Tamiya MB/GPW, it should come together nicely. Of course, this is after I finish the four 48th Shermans I'm building.

The 1:1 project is coming along well. I'm amazed at how many little Ford "Fs"are on this thing. Literally every part is F-marked and about 90% of the bolts are. I've got it about 90% disassembled now, and I'm just having issues with four stuck pistons. Got em soaking in transmission fluid and PB Blaster right now and hopefully they'll come loose soon.

You've got your details backwards though. The Willys MB had the round cross member, the Ford GPW has a rectangular one. I'm probably going to do a model of my jeep in 48th at some point, just for giggles. She was with the recon platoon of the 47th tank battalion. Pretty cool.

Jon

I knew that didn't sound righ to me. I should have remembered that. I had a CPT who worked for me at Ft Hood and in Iraq who was restoring a Ford GPW. He would lament about all the "F" marked bolts and part too. He had lots of success getting NOS "F" parts on eBay and through G503, but you probably already know about them.

Good luck with it.