Mac and Me Power Wheels Truck

       

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Original Kit:
Bronco 4-Wheeler
Made By:
Hot Wheels
Scale:
1/64
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Power Wheels Truck from the movie Mac and Me
Mac and Me Power Wheels Truck top Mac and Me Power Wheels Truck front Mac and Me Power Wheels Truck rear

 
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Mac and Me is just as terrible as you'd expect from a 99-minute McDonald's commercial trying to rip off E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. But it's also one of the funniest unintentional comedies ever put to celluloid, and the scene where they crammed a puppet into a Power Wheels and sent it careening down a hill was less "exciting" than "holy cow, they really did that." So of course I had to build myself a tribute to the movie.

Hot Wheels' old Bronco diecast seemed like a good starting point, as it was essentially the right shape and was small enough to work as a toy truck in 1/24 scale. It was disassembled and stripped, the roof was cut off, then the windshield/side windows and filler panels were made from flat sheet styrene. This got it nearly there, but even for a Power Wheels it was a bit too slab-sided. So I added some fender flares made from triangular styrene stock. Better.

I had originally planned to simply reuse the Bronco's chassis and wheels, but Hot Wheels' design is a little too distinctive, so instead I used a set from an old Micro Machines monster truck. These were much closer to what I had been looking for, but wouldn't fit the chassis. Out came the saw again, this time to remove the grille and rear bumper so they could be used separately. A new chassis was made from strip styrene, just high enough to get the new tires to clear the body.

Finishing touches included a scratch built roll bar and light bar, a supercharger and steering wheel from my parts box, and custom decals. While it's nowhere near my finest or most accurate model, it was an enjoyable project. That seems strangely fitting for a tribute to Mac and Me.

 

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