Steel Monsters Enforcer

       

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Original Kit:
Jeep
Made By:
Revell
Scale:
1/25
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Enforcer from Tonka's Steel Monsters
Steel Monsters Enforcer hood detail Steel Monsters Enforcer front detail Steel Monsters Enforcer interior Steel Monsters Enforcer roof Steel Monsters Enforcer side detail Steel Monsters Enforcer rear

 
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Steel Monsters was Tonka's attempt to cash in on the Mad Max craze of the early/mid 1980s, taking some of their existing toys and refitting them with weapons and plate armor befitting a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Each of the large vehicles included a G.I. Joe-sized figure and mini comic, and was aligned with either the heroic "Survivors" or evil "Marauders." There were also smaller vehicles and carded figures, giving lots of options right out of the gate. But alas, it was not to be: after the first wave of vehicles, the series was cancelled and the planned second wave never made it past the few prototypes that were photographed for catalogs.

It may have been short lived, but I still remember the series and wanted to give it a nod in scale model form. I figured my build ought to be one of the leaders' trucks, and while the Marauder vehicles were arguably cooler I decided to go for the Enforcer. This was in part because it was such a poster child of the series, but it didn't hurt that I happened across a badly broken Revell Jeep at a flea market for 75¢. This wasn't the CJ-7 that's been repopped so many times over the years, but a snap-together kit released back in 1980. It had a lot less detail than the glue kit, but even with that and the broken parts it would work just fine for this. So I disassembled everything and got to work rebuilding it.

Most of it came apart easily, but the plastic was very brittle and I managed to break the firewall and one seat mount. Once it was apart I gave everything a good washing, removing years of neglect and the few partial decals still hanging on. I drilled out the headlights - cracking the grille in the process - and sanded off all the small details except for the two "Jeep" logos on the sides. The tailgate was filled in with some Bondo 2-part glazing putty and sanded smooth to recreate the look of the toy.

To give it a more appropriate ride height, I cut apart the suspension, then mounted the axles to the undersides of the springs and added short lift blocks to the frame. This gave me enough clearance so that I could mount a set of Mickey Thompson Baja Belted tires from Fireball Modelworks. The turbine wheels are resin parts I had picked up a while back, and while the tire centers were orginally too small for them, a little work with the Dremel and a lot of size checks made for a good fit. The new ride height also meant that the driveshafts had to be rebuilt, but some coffee stir straws worked just fine to get the lengths I needed.

Most of the armor plating was built using styrene stock: flat for the bumper, sides, windshield, and rear; corrugated for the roof; and Z channel for the side steps. These were supplemented with smaller scraps of plastic, and mounted over a roll cage made from 0.080" round stock. The turret was part of a semi truck wheel I found in my parts box, and the forward guns were more scrap bits and aluminum tubing for the barrels. The gas can and container on the rear were more pieces from my parts box, and the headlight screens were fine mesh circles shaped into domes.

Paint is mostly Model Master Desrt Sand with Krylon gray primer for the plating. The chassis, grille, and other details were painted satin black. The markings are a combination of custom decals and hand lettering, sealed with Dullcote. I then finished it with a light weathering, trying for a middle ground between the clean toy and grimier finish that would be expected on a post-apocalyptic ride.

 

 

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