Tim Kano's latest 1:6 fire Jeep model is based on a CJ-2A Fire Engine and water trailer built by Howe Fire Apparatus Company. The Jeep and trailer together are 36 inches (90cm) long.
Tim says, "I'm a GI Joe collector and wanted something to go withthe new fire fighter sets that are out now, so I did the fire Jeeps to go with my guys.
"The pump on this Jeep is sculpted out of Sculpley clay. The siren was made from one of those animal warning whistles for a car. The light is a simple red dot light I got from Radio Shack."
"The windshield came from another custom job done on a 'Soldiers of the World' Jeep that no longer needed it (WWII SAS Jeep conversion). I made the labels on the hood from Avery Labels printed out on my inkjet printer.
"I hand painted the dash gauges, and the lenses are clear vinyl. I made the dash parts as modular pieces on rectangular sections of styrene plastic and after completing each piece I set it aside till I had painted the Jeep itself. I also hand painted the throttle and choke knobs (hint: a VERY small brush!)"
"I completely scratchbuilt the trailer and had gotten an extra set of wheels from an eBay auction. They come from an old Hasbro 5 Star Jeep that somebody parted out. I used Styrene plastic sheets, tubing and "L" angles for most of the work.
"The coiled up hoses in the storage bin are actually made of about a 20-year supply of white shoe laces! I cleaned out about three Walmarts and two Targets to get that many.
"I tried to stay with the original configuration of the handrails on the back, but I added a pair of rails to make it easier to keep my Joes on the back. I saw this arrangement in a vintage photo of a CJ-3B fire engine at the Willys factory in Toledo (50K JPEG) on CJ3B.info. (The extinguisher on the fender step is also in that photo.)"
"The Jeep itself was an old beat up 5 Star Jeep and I had to fix it up before I started. I repaired a "bite" out of the hood and replaced the missing bumper with two pieces of "L" shaped styrene plastic I glued together and gave it that curved shape with a little applied heat.
"The hoses on the rack are made of automotive heater hose and the ends are made of cut up plumbing caps."
Here's a look at the model in various stages of construction. The original GI Joe Jeep requires some repairs and a new, curved bumper.
After construction of the rear body from styrene, the wheels of the Jeep are masked with foil for painting.
Assembly of the final details begins.
The trailer is also built mainly from styrene sheet and channel.
The trailer ready for painting.
The size of this model allows an impressive level of detail.
The completed Jeep is 22 inches long. With the trailer, the model is 36 inches long overall.
Thanks to Tim Kano for the photos and details. -- Derek Redmond
See the prototype Howe CJ-2A Fire Engine.
See also Tim's previous project, a GI Joe Brushfire Jeep.
See more Fire Service Jeep Toys on CJ3B.info.
Return to the Toy Jeeps Pages.
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