Ogre Obsession, Scale RC Jeep YJ

I love Jeep Wranglers.

My hobby since I was a kid has been building radio controlled cars and trucks. Most of my models are Tamiya 1/10 scale that are heavily modified. Materials used range from brass and steel, styrene sheets and rods or anything that can be found and adapted. There are also companies like RC4WD that make a range of scale aftermarket parts like wheels, tires, axles, transmissions, transfer cases and so on for custom builders like myself.

This is a 1/10 scale replica of a early 90's YJ that I have been working on for over two years and close to 600+ hrs.




I started with a Tamiya ABS resin shell and hacked it all up.

Dash and floor came next.

Lots of details and body work.

My Kind Of Bug

Car shows are all about great automobiles and they certainly are the main attraction, but meeting the people behind the cars is what makes being at the show an experience. 

Walking across the lot full of show cars I spotted this bug and made a beeline towards it. As I made my first trip around the back and saw the keg gas tank I exclaimed "that's so awesome" not knowing the owner was standing behind me. He walked over, introduced himself and started to proudly explain the work he had done on this masterpiece.

This was a labor of love that spanned three generations of a local family that owns Stono Body Works. While working on the project with his father while his young boy watched with anticipation,  they turned a 70's era bug into the slammed and stretched monster that would make any custom car lover drool.

Some the guiding influences for this build were pretty cool and unexpected and I loved hearing them all. One of them was  old Fords of the 30's and 40's and he wanted to incorporate that style into the body. The father spent his time on the body and really showed his skill working metal chopping the roof and taking a single rear window and turning into thar classic split window bug look.

He also told the story of Henry Ford shipping the engines in special crates and the recycling the wood to make the floor boards in the old Fords. The wooden floor pays homage to those cars and looks really great too.

The rear stinger was a faux push bar seen on the old  Bonneville salt flat racers and performs a function, the light for the license plate is hidden in it. The copper tubing was a really nice touch as well and hides all the wiring. 

The mounts for the kegger tank were armor plates off a military Humvee, and were pretty tough to work with from what he was telling me, but the look of them was well worth the effort.

There was also a great little picture book he had made chronicling the entire build. There were a lot of great pictures of the car in all stages and the young  boy around the shop. That brought back memories of being that age and loving it when I would get to hang around mechanical shops where things were being taken apart or put back together.

Unfortunately I had to go back to work and did not get to ask nearly as many questions and forgot most of what he told me. One thing is certain, this was a two year labor of love and he was very proud of what he built, and he should be. This was awesome.   

Lo Glo Orange Bird

I loved this car, I think mostly because it reminded me of Miami. The sun really made this thing come alive and the contrast with the interior was something out of a childhood orange vanilla ice cream fantasy....Awesome!

Period Correct 1938 BMW R71 With Side Car

I love this era of history, sometimes even wishing I had been alive during it. WWII history is fascinating to me, especially the machines of that time.

Let me also state that my grandfather was an Air Force Captain and a historian, he was and still is my hero.I am posting this for it's historic value and not the side it represents,not to mention the fact that it's just a really cool machine. That being sad, I was very impressed how many period accessories the owner had accumulated, and wished I had asked him more questions.