The Dodge Ram VTS first saw the light of day at the Chicago Auto Show in 1996, as a concept design study, outfitting a fairly conventional Dodge Ram pickup with the decidedly non-conventional 10-cylinder Viper engine (and a few sporty touches in styling and paint) borrowed from Dodge's 'in your face' Viper GTS sportscar. Though the 'Viper Truck/Sport' was never greenlighted for production, the idea resurfaced again in 2002--yet another 'concept' vehicle--as the very-similar SRT-10 Sport Pickup, which would finally see limited production beginning in 2004.
As a lifelong afflictee of 'Mopar madness,' I picked up the Revell Dodge Ram VTS in its 'Amigo Pack' boxing some years ago, purely as an impulse buy...grotesquely attracted by its bizarre purple and gloss yellow colors (with green and red trim stripes, to boot), while at the same time pretty sure I would likely never actually build it in that not-very-appealing scheme. [As best I can determine, those colors were Revell's invention; the real VTS concept vehicle sported the road car's popular 'Banzai Blue' paint job with dual white 'skunk' racing stripes.] Over the years I looked at numerous 'custom' graphics possibilities, but nothing ever caught my imagination, and the kit languished.
Fast-forward to not too long ago, when I found myself photo-hunting online for a completely different project, and happened to come across neat pics of a 'stock'-looking Dodge Ram 1500 (possibly an SSV or Special Service Vehicle) in an unfamiliar but very eye-catching law enforcement scheme from North of the Border. The proverbial bell 'clanged.' I figured 10 Viper cylinders under the hood should qualify as 'special service,' so I adapted the markings a bit and made up some home-printed decal art, and the project finally had legs. Or...wheels.
My intention is to build the kit pretty much OOB, with perhaps a few extra electronics and an accessory or two to be added later for its law enforcement role.
The construction so far is just the 'stock' tub with a not-quite-stock two-tone scheme in suitably restrained colors, all Revell's moldings with just a bit of detail-paint and dry-brushing. (I did add 'stubs' for the seatbelts that will be added later to the interior body sides.) And the Viper engine, stock kit parts with just sensor and ignition wires added. (The 'braided' ignition wires were a poor choice...the only suitably-sized material I had on hand...but they will be largely invisible once the engine is installed.)
That's it so far; more as the project develops.