If you’re like me, and you’ve been in love with the trucks of the trucking industry since you were a child, one of the ways you connected with your love for trucks was with model replicas. Whether you bought plastic model kits from Revell/Monogram, AMT/ERTL, and/or others to paint and build, or even diecast trucks from companies like Winross and ERTL years ago, the model truck industry has changed significantly since the 1980s when I began collecting. Eric Haselhorst has been rockin’ it for years, making cool custom models and teaching others, and is known for his popular answer when asked if he can build something, “Let’s give it a try!”
While I like the larger scale models around 1/18, 1/25 and 1/32, the one downside to them is these scales take up a lot of space on your shelves. Two model manufacturers, Precision Engineered Models (PEM) and Die Cast Promotions (DCP), are two of my favorite model companies, as they produce trucks in 1/64 scale and are highly detailed for their size. Of these two, DCP is the most popular, and their trucks offer a lot of detail that brings these models to life like the real trucks they are modeled after.
Offering a wide array of truck models from companies like Kenworth, Peterbilt, International, Freightliner and Mack, the options are endless, with parts that include fiberglass double hump fenders, stainless deck plates, straight pipes, drop visors, and more. Founded by Fred Ertl III (the grandson of the ERTL company) in 1996, DCP was then purchased by First Gear in 2018.
I have models in my collection that have a lot of meaning to me, some of which are pictured here. As a former driver with a passion for steel hauling and covered wagons, along with my time spent at Horseless Carriage Carriers, replicas of the trucks I drove meant a lot to me, as well as friends who have given me replicas of their trucks. In recent years, DCP introduced their “Big Rig” Series, which are 1/64 scale replicas of real working trucks. Our own Trevor Hardwick here at 10-4 Magazine has been recognized twice in this series, with models of both his 2017 Kenworth W900L and his 2023 Peterbilt model 389, both featured with his spread-axle reefer. While it’s an honor to be part of this series, sometimes we want a model truck that’s more detailed and accurate, and since not everyone gets to be a part of the “Big Rig” series, that leaves only one option for many of us – to have a custom replica of our truck created.
My first foray into the world of custom 1/64 model trucks was back in the mid-1990s when I met Kentucky based David Beasley, owner of Toy Trucks and More. David had a passion for building and creating custom trucks and fleet replicas and was well known in the model truck world. In the early 1990s, an Evansville, Indiana based company called KVS Express had a fleet of Mack RDs and CHs pulling EAST frameless dump trailers. They could be seen on Interstate 164 (now part of I-69) all day long, hauling coal from the strip pits to the Ohio River, but twelve of the units in the KVS fleet were very unique for this area due to the trailers they pulled. Operating Red River live bottom dump trailers (which had a belt system to unload), the Mack CH600s and these trailers were not common here in the Midwest where I live, as these trailers were primarily used out west.
I was introduced to David through a good friend and one day saw a custom model of a KVS Express Mack CH600 with a Red River trailer he had built and was blown away by it. Having to add it to my collection, I purchased it without even asking the price. The Mack CH600 was based on the PEM 1/64 scale model and was painted red, lettered with the KVS logo on the doors, and customized beyond what PEM initially offered. The trailer was completely custom built and extremely accurate, including a custom working tarp system. Sadly, David died at the age of 56 in 2015 due to cancer, but the KVS Mack he built 30 years ago is still one of the most prized trucks in my collection to this day.
After David’s passing, I knew there were other custom model builders in the industry, but I didn’t know any. About five years ago, I wanted to have a custom replica created for a gift for my friends, Anthony and Lisa Russo, owners of A&L Russo, Inc. (a food grade tank line based out of Danbury, Connecticut). At the time, Anthony owned a 1995 Kenworth W900L nicknamed “The Big Easy” due to the custom built and tuned 14.7 liter Detroit Diesel under the hood that was pushing over 725-hp to the ground. After asking around to a few DCP dealers without much help, I began searching online and found a few custom model builders, but one had a very extensive and detailed website, which explained his capabilities and what he offered, and that really got my attention.
Dodge City, Kansas might be best known for legendary western icons like lawman Wyatt Earp and Miss Kitty from Gunsmoke, but Eric Haselhorst, who is also from Dodge City and owns Rockin’ H Farm Toys, has been quietly making a name for himself within the trucking industry by creating beautiful custom 1/64 scale replica trucks. After talking to Eric about building Anthony’s W900L in 1/64 scale, he told me that his build schedule was about six months out at the time. Not needing the truck in a hurry, I agreed to that and we stayed in touch.
In order to create the replica of Anthony’s W900L as close as possible, Eric asked me to provide him with the actual paint code/color used on the truck, which was Dupont Imron L0228 (Medium Rich Blue), along with the wheelbase, and other added accessories like the visor, exhaust pipes, bumper and so forth. Eric also asked for photos of the W900L, taken from the front, back, and each side, so he could see exactly what he was working with (he was even able to reproduce all the lettering on the truck for the model). We paired the custom DCP W900L up with a DCP Brenner Food-Grade tanker and, needless to say, Eric knocked it out of the park and replicated Anthony’s Kenworth beyond my expectations.
While Anthony’s W900L is one example of Eric’s work, I recently spoke with him and was able to ask him how he got interested and involved in building custom model trucks. “It all started with the AG industry for me. I had a large collection of 1/32 scale tractors. The model producers weren’t building what I liked, especially with my interest in harvesting equipment and with the trucks that were used in the AG industry,” said Eric. “I didn’t have anywhere to display those since they were so large and sold them, and that got me interested in 1/64, since they were smaller, and gave me more room to display trucks and tractors in that scale,” Eric added.
Eric started building some custom specialty harvesting trailers and had been showing them off online. One day, while attending a toy show, someone asked him, “Hey Eric, can you build this?” The customer was referring to a piece of equipment he was interested in having built, and Eric answered with his now favorite quote, “Let’s give it a try!” Eric custom built his first DCP truck in 2013 for a customer from England. “The customer reached out to me and wanted a 1/64 scale model of an International 4070B Transtar II, equipped with a Haines service bed, he had driven back in 1984. This was also the first time I had anything created using 3D printing, as I needed to have the service bed made, and it came out spot on.”
Now 53 years old, Eric has been married to his wife Christina for 30 years and they have three children – Matthew, Allison and Kara. “When I decided to get serious about this back in 2013, growing up I was a child of the eighties and thought Rockin’ H Farm Toys just sounded cool,” Eric told me with a laugh, referring to his business’ name and his love of music from that time. “My wife told me, do whatever you’d like, just stay out of the family budget,” Eric added. And the rest is history.
As a custom model builder, Eric gets a lot of questions like, “Hey Eric, how do I do this and how do I do that?” referring to customizing DCP trucks, which led Eric to start his own YouTube Channel (Rockin H Farm Toys) back in 2012 where he gives tutorials on how to disassemble, build and customize 1/64 DCP trucks. “I like to help others enjoy the hobby and share my knowledge of what I’ve learned in order to help others build and customize their model trucks,” said Eric. “When I started Rockin’ H, I primarily did so to customize and build farm/ag equipment, but my business has almost fully transitioned to the trucking industry, building and customizing 1/64 scale trucks now,” as Eric continued, adding, “I produce a lot of custom parts for these trucks that I sell to customers on my website, as well.”
While talking with Eric he told me that a lot of his business comes from women. “They want a custom model built of their boyfriend or their husband’s truck for a gift,” said Eric, adding, “I also get a lot of work from people who want a replica truck created as a memorial to a late relative or friend.” When I asked Eric if there’s been any favorite trucks he’s built over the years, Eric told me about a Mack he built, saying, “I custom built an old Mack R-Model in 1/64 scale equipped with a grain bed on it. While building it, I honestly didn’t think it was going to turn out very well, but in the end it turned out nearly perfect.”
These days, Eric has migrated more to selling parts and teaching, saying, “Through teaching, I can help more people.” If you’re interested in having Eric build you a rockin’ custom model of your truck, or a gift for someone near and dear to you, contact him via his website (www.rockinhfarmtoys.com), but he is very selective these days of the projects he chooses to do. However, whether you know exactly what you want or not, I can almost guarantee he will say, “Let’s give it a try!” And, in the end, you won’t be disappointed.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank you to Eric Haselhorst for providing the photos of himself and his model trucks.