Willy MB Royal Navy

Willy MB Royal Navy

A great little military jeep to the 1:76 scale series, based on the Willys ¼ ton 4 x 4 army truck produced between 1941 and 1945 against a US Army need for a light, cross-country reconnaissance vehicle with a specification for a crew of three, a fold-down windshield, a weight of no more than 590 kg and a track no more than 47 inches, amongst other demands. The first vehicles were made by Bantam who could not keep up with the 75 vehicles a day production, so both Willys and Ford entered into their manufacture. Willys reduced the weight of the vehicle, naming it Willys MA (Military model A). Later that year, the US War Department decided to award the production contract to a single company and Willys Overland were successful in their bid. Some of the competitors’ refinements were incorporated into the MB (Military model B) and the name has stuck. Nearly 370,000 Willy’s MB Jeeps were produced in the four years of manufacture, most of which were used by the US military with a small number being sold on.