Hot Wheels 1970 and Greenlight 2017 Dodge Ram Power Wagon's

At long last my Holy Grail of a few castings has finally been obtained: the Hot Wheels 1970 Dodge Power Wagon.  The casting was introduced in the 2011 Garage line and was very limited and popular, so hard-to-find and since then it's been used as a convention model, driving the value and prices higher.  The more common model was one that I used to saw when it was out and couldn't get it: this orange version from the Garage series.  Why?  Because you have to buy the whole entire set of Garage cars just to get that Power Wagon.  Finally I found one that was under $20 bucks on Ebay (a rarety for this model), and not only that proper timing also led this truck to join its newest successor from Greenlight: the 2017 Ram Power Wagon.

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When you hear the name Power Wagon you instantly recognize the World War II 4x4 pickups that helped allies carry them and their gear through many different terrains.  After the war, and like the Jeep, the Power Wagon was very popular with G.I.'s and that prompt Dodge to sell the truck to customers.  This truck ran unchanged until 1963 when the Power Wagon was replaced with a more refined version based on the Dodge D-series pickups.  By then standard pickups have finally adopted 4x4 as standard right out of the factory, so it was obvious the Power Wagon would shift to the D-series trucks.  Still, the Power Wagon was versatile with live front and rear axles, locking differentials, two-speed transfer case, large knobby tires, and a 383 CID Hemi V8 producing est. 350 horsepower through a 4-speed manual transmission.  The Power Wagon line continued until 1980 when the Ram line replaced the Power Wagon as the 4x4 models became the same line as the two-wheel drive versions.  In 2005 Dodge revived the Power Wagon name as a more capable version of the 2500 Quad Cab 4x4 trucks.  For 2017 the Power Wagon receives an update with styling borrowed from the Ram Rebel trim.  The ground clearance is 2.3 inches higher than the standard 2500 crew cab Ram with electronically-disconnecting sway bars, Bilstein shocks, locking front and rear differentials, 33 inch Goodyear Wrangler tires, skid plates, and a front-mounted winch integrated into the front bumper.  Powertrain is the 6.4L Hemi V8 from the SRT line that produces 410 horsepower and 429 Ib-ft of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission.

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First is the Hot Wheels 1970 Power Wagon looking aggressive with the lift kit and knobby rubber tires on orange 5-spoke wheels.  The base shows off the front and rear axles, driveshafts, and dual exhaust that exit out to the sides.  The orange paint is joined with black side decals, HEMI badges, and a flat black hood scoop.  The front is standard D-series with round headlights along a grille with center gate grille and foglights mounted on the bumper.  The sides show the v-shaped character line along the sides, door handles, gas cap, and the slight upkick on the doors.  The rear has oval taillights, lower reverse lamps, smooth rollpan where the bumper used to be, and HEMI on the tailgate.  The bed area is mostly metal, capable for any cargo, and the front part has a rollbar with driving lamps.  The interior has the typical dashboard layout with controls mounted toward the driver.  The dual bucket seats have racing harness in them and the shifter is mounted on the floor.  It''s simple, but effective and it looks cool anywhere it goes.

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The new Greenlight Power Wagon deserves some special attention as it introduces the new and first Heavy Duty pickup to the Greenlight truck line.  The Ram 2500 looks like the same crew cab truck as the Ram 1500, but there are some major differences between the two.  The interior with the dashboard layout, five passenger seating is the same as the 1500 save for a column shifter for the transmission over the 1500's knob for the eight-speed.  The base is also the same as the 1500 with the dual exhaust and drivetrain layout; the Power Wagon adds the lifted axles from the All-Terrain series to give the Power Wagon the much needed lift, sitting on those awesome black multi-spoke wheels with deep-treaded Goodyear tires.  The look of the Power Wagon in red with black Power Wagon graphics is too cool and really makes this Ram pop out at you.  The front-end is changed with the hood now one-piece (the same vented hood bulge for all 2500 Ram's) with Power Wagon flat black hood decal, headlights that are now better fitted to the uniform hood, and a new grille in black with the RAM letters in the middle (that grille is part of the bumper, allowing future 2500 with gate grille and winchless front bumper).  Oh, and don't forget about the detailed cable and hook for the integrated winch in the bumper!

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The sides are similar to the 1500 with a slightly larger cab and roof-mounted antenna and clearance lights.  The lower black stripe, Ram door badges, and vertical Power Wagon graphics complete the look.  At the rear the taillights and rear bumper carry-over from the 1500, with added RAM Power Wagon tailgate decals, and a versatile bed area that is now narrower.  The reason lies between the RamBox storage areas now integrated along the bedsides.  They are thick and have RamBox stamped on them, though the stamped RamBox name is a bit too small to the larger stamped in metal name.  The performance with the new V8 is quicker despite two less gears in the transmission, the truck feels  more stronger, and the added lift makes the Ram more capable off-road.  Also in future variants the new 2500 will also be offered with the Cummins turbodiesel I-6 along with the new 6.4 V8.

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If the hobby-only red Power Wagon isn't enough then take a look at the blue MOPAR version from the all-terrain series.  While not labeled as a Power Wagon it has the look.  It has the same wheels and lower black trim as the Power Wagon, but removes the vertical bed stripe for MOPAR along the lower doors.  The hood is completely painted in flat black, while the winch in the front bumper still remains.  The silly Ram Box silver name stamp is removed so you can see the stamped in Ram Box letters better, while the tailgate gets the Mopar badge and typical Ram and 4x4 badges.  A new feature in the bed area is a new tonneau cover designed for the narrower Ram Box bed.  It has the Mopar badge on the cover and it is removable.  It looks good, but the tonneau cover can come off easily (it is packaged with a piece of tape that holds the tonneau down in the package.)   It's another sleek look for the Power Wagon model!

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While the Hot Wheels 1970 Power Wagon is cool, nothing can beat the all-new 2017 Power Wagon from Greenlight, and even future versions of the Greenlight 2500 Ram casting can never live up to the awesomeness-level of the Power Wagon and MOPAR versions.

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Update 12/19/17: Here's the Ram Power Wagon in an all-black outfit from the Black Bandit Series.  Another black Power Wagon with colored side graphics was made as an hobby-only release.