If you followed this series in the past, you'll recall reviews of 15mm M10 tank destroyers, M4 Sherman tanks, M3 halftracks and M8 and M20 armored cars. Since I'm rapidly running out of U.S. equipment to review, we move on to yet another common figure in our collections - the Jeep.

In World War II jeeps were everywhere! Over 630,000 were produced between 1940 and 1945. This 1/4 ton truck was phenomenal -- superb cross-country mobility, easy to maintain, and strap on some empty 55-gallon barrels and a Jeep would even float! Such a common piece of hardware will definitely show up in your games, so I've taken the time to review the various Jeeps I have in my collection to determine which manufacturer produces the most "Jeep-like" casting. Though my personal tastes are obviously going to play a role, the castings are held to the objective standard of the O'Leary standard, brought forth by Brian O'Leary in The Herald #25. I won't reproduce the details here, but suffice it so say that according to the O'Leary standard a "true" 15mm vehicle will scale out at 1/108. Each kit is reviewed for scale accuracy, level of detail and "character." Now, on to the figures!

An actual Willy's jeep measures 11' long by 5'2" wide and 4' 6" high. Height is 6' with the canvas top and windscreen up.

Battlefront Miniatures

Battlefront (or Military Miniatures, as they used to be known) has brought a degree of realism to many of their castings with their policy of casting random stowage -- tarps, crates and the like -- on many of their castings. The Battlefront jeep casting is no exception, with the two I purchased each differing in the quantity and location of the stowage. The casting measures 1.3" long, 0.6" wide and 0.35" high. This converts to 106% of length, 105% of width and 70% of height. The jeep itself doesn't look bad, but this thing looks like the shocks have been driven right through the floorboards. In two words--it's flat! It's a darn shame too, as these are otherwise excellent castings for the tabletop.

Assembly is a snap. The kit comes in a total of four pieces: the chassis, the windshield, the machinegun, and the machinegun's vehicle mounting post. A little epoxy, some paint and your are off to the front lines.

If there is one thing Battlefront is known for, it is the unique character they impart to their castings. This jeep is no exception. In addition to the near universal inclusion of the spare tire and gas can, the two Battlefront jeeps are littered with stowage -- tarps, netting and backpacks. These jeep castings look like someone is living out of the back seat -- exactly the look we want to add to the tabletop battlefield. For that 'Rat Patrol' look, the Battlefront jeeps come with the standard Battle Front vehicle HMG. If I have one complaint about the Battlefront kits in general, it is that the HMG barrels are awfully fragile for gaming pieces. Still the design allows you to mount the post, but not the machinegun, creating yet another unique look for your jeeps on the tabletop.

The Battlefront jeeps come with three crewmen. The figures are big, chunky and look like they were linebackers for the "Da' Bears" before they being drafted by Uncle Sam. They work great as scouts or MP's.

Overall grade: B-

Quality Castings

The QC jeep measures in at 1 3/8" long by 1/16" wide and 1/2" high. Using the O'Leary scale as the standard, this works out to a variance of 112% actual length, 119% of width and 100% height. This yields a jeep that's a little longer and wider than it should be, but hey, they got the height dead on!

This kit comes in six pieces - the chassis, steering wheel and four wheels. Assembly was not difficult, however the holes in the wheels and the dashboard need to be cleaned out. No machinegun, driver or soft-top is provided. Detail is okay with the tools, tarp, jerry can, gear shift (gear shift!) and spare tire included. The windshield is cast in the folded down position. The casting is markedly wider and longer than both the Battlefront and the Old Glory jeep with the width being especially noticeable.

Overall grade: C+

Old Glory

Old Glory is a strong competitor in the Jeep category, selling a bag of six jeeps. I liken Old Glory to the Sam's Club value pack of jeeps. You get good castings, but you get a lot of them, all at once. Now, six jeeps might seem like a lot, but odds are that you are going to use them pretty quickly. It's hard to go wrong with these Jeeps. The general appearance of the Old Glory jeeps is of a good scale copy of a World War II Willy's jeep.

The Old Glory jeep measures in at 1.3" long, 0.55" wide and 0.45" tall. This corresponds to 106% longer than scale, 96% of the scale width and 90% of the scale height. This is fairly close to scale, with the exception of the height. Even so, the Old Glory jeeps don't appear stunted -- likely due to the fact that the soft top is missing and windscreens are a minor part of the casting.

The level of detail is good. The casting is generally clean and includes a minimum of gear. The details are a little rough around the bottom back edge, but few folks look at that part of the Jeep when it's on the table. A spare gas can, a spare tire, the tire jack, a shovel and a heavy machinegun are the extent of the stowage. This stowage is present on each and every Jeep casting. Also cast is the metal frame for the soft top, cast in the top down position. The Old Glory Jeep castings do come with vehicle machineguns. These are the ubiquitous Old Glory HMG strips. With these machineguns, you too can turn your everyday Jeeps into a 15mm version of the "Rat Patrol".

Assembly is a snap. At most you have two pieces to add - a windshield and a machinegun. The rest of the jeep is one easy to paint casting.

Old Glory turns out a really nice, plain vanilla casting of the Jeep. They look like they were just driven off the LST from Toledo, but they look good. Each set from Old Glory includes Jeeps with the windshield cast in the down position and several with windshields that can be attached either up or down.

The Old Glory jeeps lack crews, but this is remedied with the purchase of pack CDAC-06 Jeep Crew. This additional expense will provide not just jeep drivers, but also a variety of passengers to pile in the seats of the jeeps. When you are done crewing the jeeps, you will have left over figures to add to the other vehicles in your collection. As an option, mix in some Quality Castings vehicle crews for additional flavor.

Overall grade: A-

So where does that leave us, Moon Doggy? While all three manufacturers produce solid, game quality jeeps, the Old Glory casting comes through as the winner for quality and cost. Battlefront gives you a pretty jeep - albeit a jeep that looks smashed. Quality Castings suffers mostly from being an oversized (on the O'Leary scale), overly complex casting. Other manufacturers that are out there -- which I don't own -- include Peter Pig and QRF. If anyone owns one, how 'bout sending your comments in to The Herald? I'd like to hear what you think.

Bibliography

Military Transport of World War II, by Chris Ellis and Denis Bishop, Macmillan, New York, NY 1971

More Reviews: Armorer's Forge

15mm WWII Jeeps Review.
Silicone Rubber Molds Review.
15mm Russian Napoleonics Review.