The Backyard – Sometimes It’s Enough to Just Look at ‘Em

Happy Friday and welcome to The Backyard!

You know, as I sit here writing this, I’m staring over at my Tamiya King Hauler and matching trailer sitting on my desk at home.

The whole setup is over three feet long in total, and despite the fact I built the entire rig last year… I’ve barely driven it.

And honestly? I don’t even really mind.

What’s funny is how quickly that whole project happened. I got the idea in my head last year that I wanted to build a proper 1/14 semi truck, and suddenly I was all-in. Truck, trailer, accessories—the whole deal. I built the entire setup in probably about a month, which for me is borderline insane levels of motivation.

But that’s how this hobby goes sometimes. When the inspiration hits, it hits.

And man, I enjoyed every second of building that thing.

If we’re talking pure “build enjoyment,” I honestly think big semi trucks might be my favorite segment in the hobby. A good 1/14 or 1/12 big rig build feels less like assembling an R/C vehicle and more like bringing a scale model to life. There’s just something satisfying about slowly watching a giant truck come together piece by piece.

Having built both a King Hauler and a Globe Liner over the years, I can safely say that Tamiya still absolutely nails the experience.

Which is why I really wish they’d take another swing at a North American-style truck sometime.

Now, my dream pick would probably be something wild and obscure like a Hayes or Pacific logging truck—just some massive old-school off-highway brute with huge tires and a giant headache rack.

Realistically though, if we’re talking what Tamiya would actually make? Give me a classic Mack. Something old-school, chrome-heavy, and unmistakably American.

I’d preorder that thing so fast it wouldn’t even be funny.

And the funny part is, my King Hauler isn’t the only big rig around here living this kind of life.

Sitting nearby is my Cross RC HC-6 logging truck and trailer setup—another build I absolutely adore, another vehicle I’ve barely driven lately, and another one I haven’t talked about nearly enough over the last year.

Between those two trucks, there’s a lot of money tied up in vehicles that mostly sit around looking pretty.

Normally, that kind of thing bothers me. I’ve sold plenty of expensive R/Cs over the years specifically because they weren’t getting enough use. If something just sits long enough, eventually I start thinking, “Do I really need this?”

But not with the big rigs.

For whatever reason, these are different.

I genuinely enjoy just having them around. They’re almost furniture at this point. Scale art pieces. Every time I walk past them, I stop and look at some little detail—the stacks, the trailer setup, the wheels, the lights—and it makes me happy all over again.

That said… I really do need to get them out more this year.

The King Hauler especially is begging for some proper off-highway hauling. Dirt roads, campgrounds, parks—just somewhere to slowly crawl around towing a trailer for no practical reason whatsoever.

And maybe that’s part of the appeal too.

Big R/C semis are gloriously impractical. They’re slow, they’re huge, they’re awkward to transport, and they require an absurd amount of space compared to what they actually do.

But that’s also exactly why they’re cool.

They’re not about speed. They’re not about bashing. They’re not even really about performance.

They’re about presence.

And in the meantime, while I wait to get more seat time with them this year… at least they’re still awfully nice to look at.

Alright, that’s it for me this week. Until next time, keep it on all four’s.