March 16, 2015 Matt Boyd

Tonka-Tough Bronco Vaterra Ascender Reader’s Ride [VIDEO]

This project has been 30 years in the making for Aaron Bailey. As a kid Aaron loved his 1979 Tonka Bronco with Big Duke Roughneck driver figure. He treasured them so much that he kept them in excellent condition–good enough to pass on to his son who is now 10. But as cool as the stock Tonka Bronco is, Aaron figured it would be way cooler if it actually drove — like his RC vehicles do. Enter the Vaterra Ascender kit, who’s adjustable wheelbase made it the ideal platform to serve as the underpinnings of his conversion. He chose 1.9 OMF Darksoul weighted wheels to give it a proper Tonka look, and he installed a winch servo to make the front bumper-mounted winch functional. He installed Rockpod headlights from Crusher Systems and is working on installing their lightbar as well. The Bronco now weighs in at a hefty 10.4 pounds without the battery!

Want to see your machine in Readers’ Rides? Send photos and a description to readersrides@airage.com. Be sure to send the full-size photos. If that bogs your email, use WeTransfer–it’s easy and free.

For tips on photographing your car, read this!

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