thanks for the comments - I always meant to build this years ago but never did.
The kit isn't too bad but there was a lot of flash and some of the parts were pretty rough. The dimensions don't match Tamiya's later jeep kit.
I replaced the sand channels with wine-bottle foil and rebuilt the frames round the jerry cans (the kit parts looked like 4"x4" timber)
The base is coloured plaster with chinchilla dusting powder ( just had it lying around from a long deceased hamster! ) and the rocks
are chalk from the garden (easy to carve).