Jeep in a Crate for $50!!!!... Done!

After WWII, there were multiple scams claiming to sell a surplus US Army jeep still in the crate for $50.  There were two basic scams.  One was where you would go to a dock or warehouse where a couple jeeps in crates were opened for display and there were a bunch of empty crates closed up, presumably more jeeps.  You would pay for the crated Jeep and then have to come back the next day to claim it, presumably due to longshoreman's union rules.  Of course, the next day, the scam artist who sold it to you is nowhere to be found.   The second was an ad in boys mags and Popular Science, etc. that had you sent off your money to get instructions on how to buy them.  Basically, they sent you a US Government publication guide on Surplus Sales and where they are located.  Again, you have no jeep and they have your money.  You can read more about the scams here.

Jeeps were sent overseas in crates though, so that part is correct.  They were shipped as individual jeeps (SUPs - Single Unit Packs) and by twos in TUPs (Twin Unit Packs).

Here are some pictures of actual jeeps in SUPs from WWII.

And a reconstructed one, with too much stuff installed on it, but it gives you an idea.

I had heard of these scams and also seen pics of jeeps in crates and thought it would always be interesting to build one.  A while ago, I found a laser-cut wooden crate for a jeep on eBay.   It is made by GC Laser Products.  It contains the laser-cut wooden pieces for the crate and small parts boxes, resin brake drums and wheel hubs, laser-cut paper for tie down straps, and a nice instruction sheet that tells you how to modify either the Tamiya Willys MB or Italeri jeep kits and how to assemble the crates.

Here is how it looks.

I used the Tamiya Willys MB, part of an Aber PE set for it, and the GC Laser kit.

So far I have the jeep and the crate done.  Here they are so far.

Next up is to paint the jeep and make some decals for the crate.  I will be trying out a do-it-yourself dry transfer kit from Papilio Art Supply on the wooden crate since water slide decals won't work on it.  We will see how that works out since I have never made my own dry transfers.

On the jeep, I am pretty sure they were shipped with only the serial numbers on the hood in blue drab, as on the Tamiya decal sheet. I don't think any other markings were on them when shipped, such as the hood star.  I believe all other markings were applied at the unit level.  Does anyone have any other info on markings on them?

As always, all comments are welcomed.