Motormax and Welly 1:18 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab

This is part one of three that will look in to the largest-scale Dodge Ram’s out there, leading right to the biggest Ram out there and the biggest diecast model in my collection.  The first look is the two dueling Ram Quad Cab’s from 2002, both 1:18 and each done differently from Motormax and Welly.

The Ram was redesigned in 2002 that was now larger with larger lamps, grille, and interior thanks to the new Quad Cab that has forward-hinged rear doors instead of the rear-hinged half doors of the previous-generation.  The frame has been stiffened up, the interior improved with a cleaner and car-like appearance.  The engines are new as well that start with the 3.7L SOHC V6 from the Jeep Liberty to the new 4.7L SOHC V8 from the Grand Cherokee that produces 235 horsepower.  In 2002 the 5.9L pushrod V8 would carry over, but by 2003 a new 5.7L four-valve pushrod HEMI V8 was introduced and produced 345 horsepower.  The Hemi only comes with a 5-speed automatic transmission, while the 3.7 and 4.7 can have either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission, to either the rear wheels or part-time four-wheel drive with new independent front suspension on 1500 4x4 models.  Heavy duty models were redesigned in 2003 and later on SRT-10 and Power Wagon models were offered.

Motormax was first with this nifty, if somewhat crude Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4 in a base ST trim.  The bumpers and front grille are silver instead of chrome and it sits on the 5-spoke steel wheels of the ST trim trucks.  The front has large headlights and signal lights that are round, a large grille that seems to be bent forward a bit, and a lower bumper with foglights.  The sides show off the four-door look with detailed door handles and rather large and high-stamped Ram 1500 badges on the front doors, while the rear has red taillights that look clear from some angles, Dodge badging, and an opening tailgate to the bed area.  Note that this is a used casting that I picked up: it was dirty and missing the passenger-side rear wiper blade and the Ram plate at the rear finally rubbed off.  After some cleaning and touching up the Ram looks almost good as new.  Check out the level of detailing for such an early Motormax casting inside and out, like the rear window with integrated center brake light, and it features full opening features and that includes all four cab doors.

The exterior mirrors are large and present, the grille has a clear cover with the detailed honeycomb pattern and a Ram head logo on the upper-portion of the grille.  The base shows off the detailed engine, transmission, driveshaft, exhaust system, real full-size spare tire, live rear axle with working suspension front and rear, and steerable front wheels.  The front lower control arms tend to sit lower and are rather visible from the front, the screws from the base mount up front refused to come off so someone dremeled the base off of the stubborn bolts, yet left the screws in the base sticking out past the frame.  Well with pliers and a Vise Grip I was able to get the stubborn base screws out and the remaining plastic along with it to clean up the front frame section below the cab.  Oh, and did I mention this was a 4x4, and if so where’s the transfer case???

There are separate brake rotors on all four wheels, but they are hard to see with the thick 5-spoke wheels.  The hood opens up to show off the 4.7L V8 that is missing the air box that should be sitting on the right-front fender; other than that the detailing is nice from the 3D engine block in silver, large resonator with 4.7 V8 on top, detailed alternator, A/C compressor, and power steering pump, battery, fluid resovoirs, and front grille with A/C condenser off to the side and away from the radiator.  Stepping inside with four opening doors is the tan interior that is covered every square inch that includes the pillars with seatbelts and headliner with center console.  Seating is six with a center front seat that is fixed instead of the folding console unit in the Welly and actual truck and features detailed door panels with map pockets, door handles, and switches.  The rear seat has seat belts and cupholders in the center, while up front is the detailed pedals and transfer case shifter on the floor.  As an added bonus I added a 5-speed manual shifter and a clutch pedal for a unique manual transmission model.  The dashboard has nicely-detailed center stack controls and air vents, while the 4-spoke steering wheel does work the front wheels though on my example it was binding up the front-end so I cut the inside shaft off to free up the front wheels.  Also missing is the gauges that disappeared (they were too small to read anyways) and the column shifter for the transmission that I removed since this is now a manual model, though the ignition and turn signal stalk are still visible.  Despite a few crude areas this is one highly-detailed model from Motormax that you would not expect from them today and probably explains the high-demand for this casting on the secondary marketplace.

On the other side is the Welly example that goes for the SLT trim with 5-spoke alloy wheels that are larger and fill up the wheelwells.  The front has a chrome grille with black inserts, chrome headlights with large clear covers, and lower chrome grille with foglights.  Despite being a proper 4x4 this casting sits lower than the Motormax and along with the detailed mirrors and door handles it also adds lower side trim to the doors.  The rear has full-red taillight covers with a visible mounting clip inside, chrome bumper, and smaller Dodge badging.  The tailgate opens to a bed that is a bit smaller than the Motormax, yet still can haul large loads, the rotors are visible behind the wheels even if they lack calipers, and only the hood, tailgate, and front doors open on this model.  The biggest surprise is how Welly went ahead and installed the 5.7 Hemi V8 instead of the old 5.9 on this 2002 model.  Details are impressive from the intake with HEMI badge to the visible hoses and color-coordinated caps and hey it even has the proper airbox location.  The downside is that the engine is so crowded this is only an engine pan cover not a full 3D engine like the Motormax Ram.

The chassis underneath shows off all the right details from the engine, drivetrain, exhaust systems to the front and rear suspensions that also work.  The details here are crisper and it has the proper transfer case and detailed front suspension that the Motormax casting lacks.  The spare tire goes for the proper stock steel wheel instead of the 5-spoke unit.  Inside the seats have a more premium look with leather that has embossed Ram logo’s up front, a center seat that also has a working console, detailed door panels, seat belts, and rear seat.  The dashboard has better details that include the white lettering on the radio and HVAC controls, 4-spoke steering wheel, larger white-faced gauges, and transmission column shifter.  While it may have the transfer case shifter and pedals, it lacks the headliner and detailed pillars like the Motormax version.  What it may lack in four opening doors and lots of detail, the Welly casting makes up over the Motormax for crisper and proper detailing with a more premium look, but that still won’t deter the popularity of the Motormax casting.