Radio Shack 4x4 Pickup Custom RestoMod
The first real high quality construction from the workshop, this covers almost the entire process. All logos used are property of their respective rights holders and no endorsement is implied nor is this item for sale.
Meet the Truck
As one of my first non-Lamborghini finds on ShopGoodwill.com I knew this particular version from back in the day. Probably around Elementary School age, this Radio Shack 4x4 was about the best thing stores carried. Most auction offerings are listed “AS IS” and untested — in turn, my philosophy is to assume what I’m buying is in need of repairs. The extent to be determined, but that’s the adventure.
When possible I will share the timing and the pricing for the items that have become part of my projects. This was picked up in August 2021 for an auction price of $46, plus handling, shipping, and tax which puts it just under $75. That’s a good amount of money to me and still my most expensive RC purchase from Goodwill Online.
The packing was excellent, the shipping via FedEx enabled tracking, and as you can see from the box picture, I was excited to open it up!
As for the truck itself, it’s a model that is before Radio Shack and other companies embraced rechargeable battery packs for top tier models. That means it takes 6 C Cell batteries to power the motors and vehicle, and one 9V battery to power the RC system to the remote. Because of those batteries, when loaded up, the truck weighs quite a bit and feels neat to hold — like it’s not so much a toy as a miniature vehicle, if that makes any sense.
The Truck Lives — Time to Customize!
Okay so here’s where Intellectual Property law versus my creativity desires come into conflict. I know for a fact the Bigfoot organization licensed their product and likeness to Traxxas for a really cool truck. Go buy one! Go buy like 3 of them! Go buy tickets to Monster Jam!
Anyway, I have to be up front that I know I made a tribute for my personal collection, but I am wanting to show it to the world. They had no say in this and might not like it — it’s a bridge I’ll have to cross and hopefully they understand the situation. This isn’t for sale, and the best justification I can give for this whole thing is that I’m sharing for educational purposes first and foremost.
There is a less than zero chance I get rich or even break even from doing RCRestoMods so let’s just all have fun, cool?
Thanks to a lot of image searching, work in MS Paint, and trying to maximize sheets of high quality sticker paper or waterslide decal paper, by the time I made these decals I was pretty good. One of the keys to the system has been to hit the finished printed paper with a few coats of clear. In 2022 however I’ve got a vinyl type of gloss paper for decals and might change things up.
Overall I’m really happy with how it turned out visually. It’s still a basic RC Truck in the grand scheme of things — not really fast, eats batteries, no progressive steering — it’s not bad but it’s nothing compared to the new kits. This was a nostalgia trip, a learning experience, and most of all, fun!
