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Scale I Build

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  1. Now that the six Trick Trikes are done, I thought I'd do the obligatory "Family Photo" and post them here. My favorites in order are Cobra Chopper, Tiki Trike, Torque Trike, Mail Box Chopper, Milk Trike, and last but not least - the Taco Trike. I'm curious what others think of this order. Which ones were most popular and which least in your circles? These builds all started because I found the Tiki Trike for $11 in my Walmart Clearance aisle. It looked cool, but I had no idea what I was looking at. A little bit of research later, I had all six for around the same price and was off and building. I also found out some really cool stuff about these trikes that I wanted to share here. None of what I'm posting is gospel, so feel free to clarify as you see fit. It's just the best information I was able to find. 1) TIKI TRIKE As best as I can find, the MPC "Digger" Trike came out in 1972. It was later rereleased as the Tiki Trike in 2005 and 2020. The concept was the result of a custom build named the "T'rantula" Trike by a gentleman named Dennis Johnson who showed it in national competition and won Best-of-Show in 1970. MPC took note and bought the design, as well as two others from Dennis - although for some reason his name never got billing on the boxes as some others did. As you'll note in the article below, Dennis is also the creator of what later became the "Zingers" series of scale models. Here is his custom build of the "T'rantula" Trike as of 2019. (Apparently it toured quite a bit, and got some cracks in the body along the way) The article above refers to the body of Dennis' trike coming from the "T'Rantula Digger" dragster designed by Tom Daniel and released in 1973 (?). The family resemblance is unmistakable, and the names are an obvious dead giveaway that these two are related. 2) Taco Trike The "Wedge Chopper" appears to have been released in 1971, and is the second of Dennis Johnson's designs sold to MPC. It was later rereleased as the Taco Trike in 2005 and 2020 (I think). Here is a fairly recent pic of Dennis' concept build. 3) Milk Trike The third of Johnson's designs was known as the "T" Trike, and came out in 1971. It was rereleased as the Milk Trike in 2005 and 2020. Here is a photo of Dennis' model for comparison. Again, there is an obvious relation to the "Milk Truck" designed and built by Bob Reisner (of "Invader" fame) in the 60's as a show car and reduced to a scale model by Doyusha in 1969. I'm guessing Mr. Johnson saw this vehicle and drew inspiration for his build, but whether he used this kit in some fashion I couldn't say. And why MPC didn't release it right off the bat as the "Milk Trike" is probably a whole other conversation. Here is the show car. Here it is in scale from Doyusha in 1976 (it was released again in the 1980's, and also has been produced under the name Eldon). If you are interested in more about Dennis "Denny" Johnson, check out "Tim Nolan's Ratdaddy Studios" and search for Denny Johnson (I tried to put a link here, but it just wouldn't work). His stuff is truly wild! 4) Torque Trike This one came out in 1973 as the "Black Max" Trike penned by the famous designer Harry Bradley. It was rereleased around 2021 as the Torque Trike (apparently to the delight of many who loved its shape). For me, the whole German cross theme in the decal sheet made a lot more sense when I realized this model's roots. 5) Mail Box Trike I'm not knowledgeable about the "Rat Fink" vibe, but for fans, the Mail Box Trike is all about Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and his show trike by that name. It appears to have been somewhat loosely captured in scale in the 1970's (?) by MPC, and carries his name. A reissue in the 2010's (?) has the new artwork, including a decal sheet with tons of Rat Fink stuff. There are some references to a relationship between this trike and the "Mail Truck" of George Barris, but whether one exists is anyone's guess. Perhaps someone on this forum could shed some light. 6) Cobra Chopper And finally, we have the Cobra Chopper originally released in 1973, and rereleased in 2021. Try as I might, I never did get a bead on who designed this one. It might have been Harry Bradley, but doesn't really look like his work. I do wonder though whether Denny Johnson's three-seater trike was of some influence, as the timing would be about right. I hope this was fun reading, and might even spur on more conversation on these classic trikes. Perhaps we might even hear from those who were directly involved in their development, who knows? Could definitely use input from @tim boyd who I believe is quite knowledgeable on this topic.
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