My take on the Dec 1987 RCCA Project Optima truck

[AscotConversion]

This is bizarre. I started the same project a few weeks ago.

That being said, awesome job!!

[ZED32]

do you have a link where I could find the body? I was looking on mcallisters webiste but couldn't find it? Am I looking in the wrong place?

[ahenderl]

do you have a link where I could find the body? I was looking on mcallisters webiste but couldn't find it? Am I looking in the wrong place?

Here's the McCallister body I used:

https://mcallisterracing.com/sr5-racing-pickup/

I've studied the crap out of it and am convinced it's the same body but with a roll bar. Every line appears to be the exact same, plus it doesn't hurt that it looks better with the roll bar...at least in my opinion. I'm betting it was either updated along the way simply for looks or it was beefed up to reinforce where the body met the bed.

I wrote McCallister's new owner asking if he knew about the history of that particular body. He said he was unsure...following was his response:

Hey Adam,

I am not sure on the change to the mold, but I imagine that it was remade at some point with the roll bars. Unfortunately, Gary McAllister would be the one to ask, and he retired about 7 years ago. Your replica is beautiful, you did it right!

Thank you for keeping the hobby alive,
Ross

I appreciate the fact he wrote me back, and quick. Also, fwiw, the body is very nice quality. It is thick and seems as though it will be very durable. I bought two and plan to make a 2nd truck. It will be a tribute to a Walker Evans fielded truck driven by Al Unser Jr in the 80's. The old-school race-trucks from back in the day that were built off of a real truck kind of trip my trigger. So...we still don't know how the Datsun became a Toyota...and I still prefer it as a Comanche

[ahenderl]

So, tonight my Turbo Optima truck took it's rightful place on my Kyosho shelf:

I noticed something I never thought of before in almost 40 years of lusting over this truck.

Nothing was said in the original article, but I think the RCCA truck's paint scheme was an attempt to pay homage to the Optima itself. The use of yellow, blue, black and white give it the same livery. Aside from that, the decals on the truck were all pretty much all stock Optima...except for the RCCA logo, the Project Optima decal, the Top Color decal and the All American sticker on the front bumper that I would still love to replicate.

...just can't make it out. Looks like "All American" in red. One of the pics I feel like I almost see what looks like a star drop-shadow below the A from "All"

Screenshot 2025-03-11 233046.png (39.08 KiB) Viewed 231 times

Screenshot 2025-03-11 233046.png (39.08 KiB) Viewed 231 times

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Screenshot 2025-03-11 232920.png (36.1 KiB) Viewed 231 times

Screenshot 2025-03-11 232825.png (71.15 KiB) Viewed 231 times

Screenshot 2025-03-11 232825.png (71.15 KiB) Viewed 231 times

[ahenderl]

This is bizarre. I started the same project a few weeks ago.

They say great minds think alike...and so do you and I !