Ertl 1:18 scale 1978 Dodge Warlock

A few years ago I ran across this truck at a place that sells antiques from vendors that can set up a booth for 30 days to let their items sell on their own.  For roughly the same price I got a cool Dodge truck that I remember seeing plenty of times as a kid at Toys-R-Us in the 1990's that oddly I passed on at each moment.  Now was the perfect time, even though a few months later AutoWorld (which now owns the Ertl tools) re-released the Warlock in the same color.  D'oh, but hey at lease I got this one at a stellar deal.

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The tamer Lil' Red Express

As mentioned previously in the Lil' Red Express post, the Warlock was part of the Dodge 'Adult Toys' Line in the late 1970's.  Unlike the Express, the Warlock had no side exhaust (which allowed it to sell in more states that couldn't allow the sales of the Express due to noise regulations), black, orange, green paint in addition to the red, and wagon wheel spoked wheels in the same gold color.  The truck was offered in two or four-wheel drive and all engines from the D-150 line, from the I-6 to the same Magnum V8 offered in the Lil' Red Express, with the advantage of offering manual along with automatic transmissions.  The design of the Warlock was to inspire customization to young 4x4 buyers.

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Old, but still Truckin'!

This casting has seen better days:  Paint has hair line cracks behind the paint (not cracking through the paint), the attachment of the cab and bed created the banana-bent look of the frame, and the box was displayed close to sunlight creating the yellowing effect on the window of the box, plus I had to use boxing tape to recover since there was a few holes and cracks in the display window.  Otherwise the truck was in great shape.  I love the blacked-out look with gold trimmings and gold wheels.  The front-end is massive huge with square shoulders and fine details.  Plates are from Texas (proper) and nothing is cooler than the white-letter tires!  The stepside bed features Warlock on the tailgate, opening tailgate featuring detailed wooden planks, gas cap on the side (and it's interesting to note that Ertl also made the Lil' Red Express as you can see the holes for the exhaust stacks to rest on the steps of the bed), and slots on the frame rails that allow stakes to be inserted (packaged separately underneath the display tray) to extend the height of the bed and to give the truck the cool farmer look!

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Inside the red interior has the same dash and seats as the D-150 line though it seems plain; wouldn't mind having a floor shifter, a radio, or a CB radio to enhance the functionality of the interior.  Under the hood is the same Magnum V8 with dual snorkel hoses from the front to the air cleaner with '360 Express' on it, and the blue engine block with extensive, if not all, detailing all-around.  Oh and unlike today's low-priced diecast manufacturers, the engine block is a full-piece and not just a tray to show what's only on the top!  The chassis underneath shows the full engine block detail, although again just like the interior it looks plain; at this point it's up to the owner to add the detailing themselves.

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In my opinion I would've liked to have the Lil' Red Express, or just give me the side stacks instead, but otherwise I like the truck.  Just a little more sport and details and this would be one awesome muscle truck!

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