This is about as realistic a model as you could
possibly hope for, and I didn't even have to paint it! It looks
great on the rocks, on the road, and anywhere in between. This
sits right near the top of my list of favorite RC trucks. Let's
have a gander.
While researching this model I ended up with quite a
few photos of it's predecessors. Below left you can see the
original Kaiser-Jeep Wagoneer on the SJ chassis which debuted for model
year 1963 and had the same narrow front grille available until
1966. This was a 4-door but without a bed. The Gladiator,
shown at right, debuted the same year as the Wagoneer on the same
chassis with a traditional pickup bed. As far as I can tell, it
never existed as a 4-door.
The military Kaiser-Jeep M715 (aka G-890 or 5/4 ton)
was based on the Gladiator and appeared in 1965. It was pretty
much the same thing as the Gladiator underneath but usually appeared in
olive drab and used NDT tires. You can also see that the wheel
arches were simplified and the windshield is more vertical and
completely flat. The very earliest versions shared the same narrow
grille.
In 2010 Jeep came up with a concept vehicle based on
the M715 and called it the NuKizer 715 (shown at left). This was a
2-door style pickup with huge tires. Finally, in 2016 they came
out with another concept vehicle this time called the Crew Chief 715
(shown at right). This was a 4-door crew cab using NDT military
tires and is the subject of this RC model.
