Ertl 1:25 1988 Chevrolet C-1500 pickup

Pickup trucks today tend to go out to the max: crew cab, leather seats, large wheels and tires, yet the little guys known as the 'work trucks' get left out.  These are trucks that have room for only two or three people, lots of bed space, and no-frills content ranging from no carpeting to manual crank windows and door locks.  With many diecast manufacturers who made the new for 1988 Chevy and GMC C/K pickups tended to go for the more higher-end Silverado trim with stepside bed and four-wheel drive, this Ertl version goes the other way.

1988 saw the biggest change of the C/K line since 1973 with styling that was still familiar, yet more aerodynamic and modern.  The split-bar grille was introduced earlier in the 1980's, but was now more prominent in the grille with the signal lights and headlights larger than before.  Note the lack of screw heads for the front bumper mount as they are cleverly hidden and the rounded edges of the truck.  The interior still has that driver-oriented control layout, but with a more modern look that now includes digital gauges as an option.  The frame is beefed up and the fuel tank is relocated to the left-side inside the frame after controversey of the prior generation's side saddle fuel tank that was mounted outside of the frame.  Fuel injection was added to the 5.7L V8 that produces 210 horsepower through a 5-speed manual transmission.  And just like the previous generation the new C/K pickups would continue to generate positive reviews and stay the same until the next-generation arrived at the end of the century.

Painted in maroon color this Ertl promotional model is all-plastic and sold at GM dealerships back then.  Despite the plastic construction the model is much sturdier than skill level 2 model kits that would have more detailed and opening parts at the cost of longetivity.  Ertl also released later promotional models of the 1991 stepside regular cab, 1992 extended cab fleetside bed, and 1993 extended cab 3500 dually.  This one was one of the earlier models that also has the 5-speed manual shifter in chrome inside an interior that matches the exterior color.  The front seats are buckets that lack headrests, a center console with cupholders, detailed door panels with map pockets, 4-spoke steering wheel with Chevrolet engraved in the center, and a center gauge pod that not only houses the detailed gauges but also the radio and HVAC controls to the right and light controls to the left.  Oddly the casette player is mounted in the center stack next to the optional audio optimizer controls.

From the exterior standpoint you can tell this is no 4x4 wanna-be seen on today's trucks as it sits low like a proper rear-wheel drive truck should.  The front has a chrome grille with eggcrate center, split bar with bowtie emblem, signal lights below (where I had to add the amber color), and quad halogen units commonly found on earlier C/K pickups before finally adopting the flush composite units later on all models except for the Cheyenne trim level.  Speaking of which this is the Cheyenne trim level on this model, right?  Yes, but in later models the halogen headlights were combined into one large square unit that breaks up the split bar grille design.  As a nod to aerodynamics the front chin spoiler is clearly visible, as are the chrome steel wheels on rubber tires.  From the sides it's very clean with detailed beltline trim and Cheyenne badges on the B-pillars, and adding black to them helps them stand out more.  At the rear are taller taillights, CHEVROLET across the tailgate in silver, and an opening tailgate that reveals a large cargo area thanks to the long bed design.  Finally the base shows off the detailed lower control arms up front, rear live axle, spare tire, drivetrain, exhaust, and fuel tank locations.  It's a very nice model that serves up the earlier C/K pickups of this generation in lower trim form, something that other diecast manufacturers never get close to.