Out on the trail, this little Forward Control pickup does exactly what a vintage Jeep work truck should. It climbs dirt trails, mossy berms, steep slopes and rock piles, and it even crosses a small bridge made from tree branches. The multi-link suspension and drive axles articulate through all of it, keeping the truck planted over ground that would stall a stiffer rig. It is genuinely fun to watch a scale machine this old still performing like this.
The way it was put together deserves attention. Headquake137 scratch built the entire body from Komacel PVC sheet, then set it on an SCX10 Honcho chassis running droop suspension. The truck was finished back in May 2012, and the only mechanical change since then is a brushed motor swapped out this year, the first replacement in the whole life of the build. That kind of longevity says a lot about the quality of the original work.
The details stand out too. The cab-over body wears weathered red paint with white grille accents, and the drop-down tailgate carries an embossed logo over a weathered wood-slat floor. Clear windows, side mirrors and a miniature driver figurine fill out the cab, while the bed holds a small tool case and a wrench for cargo. Little touches like that sell the whole scene.
One open question remains: with only the motor replaced since 2012, it is hard to know what part might wear out next, or how much of the original truck is still exactly as first assembled. The maker notes it remains in mostly the same condition as when it was built, which after more than a decade of trail use seems remarkable to me.
Project by Headquake137. Watch it on their YouTube channel: