The Big Horn! 3D printed 1973 Dodge Big Horn Texas hauler

[RoninUtah]

Among old-truck nerds, the Dodge Big Horn has a special mystique. I don’t mean the trim package on the Ram pickup, I mean the big one: The last (and least successful) semi tractor that Dodge built. It was in production for only three years (1973-75) and only 261 units were ever built. A surprising number survive today, and they are much sought-after by truck collectors.

They looked odd indeed, with a tiny ‘50s Dodge pickup cab mounted high above an enormous hood and grille, making the whole rig look even more massive than it really was. I’ve always wanted to do a model of it, but the only cast resin conversion kit I’ve seen wasn’t very authentically detailed and the proportions looked off, so I passed. 

One of my favorite 3D Truck designers goes by the handle Ditimaso147 on Cults, AKA Nahuel Customs.  I’ve printed and built three of his designs so far, although the others were small in scale compared to this one. When I saw he had designed a Big Horn, It wasn’t a hard decision to try it out. I downloaded the files and printed them; after a few issues with warpage he agreed to reinforce the back of the grille, and I was happy with the result. Like most 3D designs, the interior is pretty basic, but it seems accurate, which is good enough for me. 

For a donor, I used an incomplete AMT/Ertl GMC General kit that I had gotten for cheap on eBay, along with a smattering of parts-box parts here and there. I used some very thin clear sheet plastic for the windshield, creased to form the wrap-around curves. The plastic clouded a little on the crease lines, but it blends in with the reflection and isn’t so noticeable. The paint scheme is a reference to Dodge’s Big Horn ads of the 70. This is a curbside model with a closed hood and no engine; there are some flaws as you can see, but I’m happy with it and it fills that formerly big hole in my truck collection!

          

[Swamp Dog]

great looking build..ill ck him out..

[cifenet]

Classic looking truck and the red on gold is looking superb.  Good photography also!

[RoninUtah]

15 hours ago, Swamp Dog said:

great looking build..ill ck him out..

Thanks, David!

[RoninUtah]

1 hour ago, cifenet said:

Classic looking truck and the red on gold is looking superb.  Good photography also!

Thanks, Steve!

[Biggu]

Now that is very cool Ron . And perfectly period correct paint , can’t go wrong with using old sales ads for exact details. This is a beauty. And a rare unit and will be great on the shelf. I like this one… very well done. Take a bow !

[leafsprings2]

Looks very big and impressive! Thanks for doing the Big Horn, an important, but short lived, piece of Dodge truck history. Would have been a nice kit if AMT would have covered it back in the 70's. Great color choices. I have found that using larger 22" tires will help fill the gap on larger front fenders. 

[DRIPTROIT 71]

You did a great job making it look like the truck in the adds.

[PappyD340]

Real nice!

[RoninUtah]

On 6/17/2025 at 3:11 PM, Biggu said:

Now that is very cool Ron . And perfectly period correct paint , can’t go wrong with using old sales ads for exact details. This is a beauty. And a rare unit and will be great on the shelf. I like this one… very well done. Take a bow !

Thanks, Jeff, I appreciate it! Now I have to build more shelves...

[RoninUtah]

On 6/18/2025 at 5:54 PM, leafsprings2 said:

Looks very big and impressive! Thanks for doing the Big Horn, an important, but short lived, piece of Dodge truck history. Would have been a nice kit if AMT would have covered it back in the 70's. Great color choices. I have found that using larger 22" tires will help fill the gap on larger front fenders. 

Yeah, the Big Horn is such an iconic American truck, I'm surprised that AMT didn't cover it back in the day. I agree about the tires... 11 X 22s always look better.  My touch-up list for this build includes swapping the wheels out for bigger ones, widening the track of the steer axle, and finding better headlight lenses than those cloudy parts-box ones I found. And when I get done with those, there will be more...

[RoninUtah]

On 6/18/2025 at 5:55 PM, DRIPTROIT 71 said:

You did a great job making it look like the truck in the adds.

Thanks, Brian! When I looked at all the reference photos, that's the one that jumped out at me. That rig actually had a two-tone stripe; orange on top and dark red below, but I decided just to do it all red for simplicity's sake. It actually looks orange against the gold background anyway!

[RoninUtah]

5 hours ago, PappyD340 said:

Real nice!

Thanks, Larry!

[stavanzer]

Man, what an Impressive Beast, both in real life, and Model Form.

That is a Home Run Build for sure. I can see why they are prized today.

Now, I'll have to spend more time looking for videos of them.

 

Good Show.

[89AKurt]

I'm impressed, and 3D printing to the rescue!  I know nothing about trucks, I assume the cab is from the pickup line?

[RoninUtah]

19 minutes ago, stavanzer said:

Man, what an Impressive Beast, both in real life, and Model Form.

That is a Home Run Build for sure. I can see why they are prized today.

Now, I'll have to spend more time looking for videos of them.

 

Good Show.

Thanks, Alan!

[RoninUtah]

3 minutes ago, 89AKurt said:

I'm impressed, and 3D printing to the rescue!  I know nothing about trucks, I assume the cab is from the pickup line?

Yeah, it’s amazing how much 3-D printing has opened up the field. Over the last year, I’ve probably built a dozen models of trucks that I never dreamed that I’d be building… and it feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface! And yes, that cab is basically the 1955 Dodge pickup cab that for some reason, Dodge kept alive in their medium and heavy truck line for a couple of decades afterwards.