FT Unit

When we first conceived the Rock Rigs line of trucks there were a couple of things we wanted to do:

#1 They had to have working suspensions on BOTH scales.
#2 They had to capture the attitude of the off-road enthusiast.
#3 They had to be cool.

Scaling the intricate suspensions of full size lifted trucks down to the SM and LRG Scales was not easy especially in the SM Scale. The complex suspensions had to be simplified and recreated in a way that we could manufacture them. The next thing we had to do was figure out how to make it work like the real thing or reasonable close and where to hide the oversized springs! Once this was done we could focus on the killer decos we planned to apply.

We knew that many of our servicemen and women had some of the best real life Rock Rigs. We knew that the attitudes of our armed forces synced up perfectly with the rugged, go anywhere attitude of the off-road enthusiast as well. We immediately felt there was a way to combine these two ideas into one killer combo, enter the FT Unit! The FT Unit combines the look and feel of military machines with our Rock Rigs vehicles and serves as JL Full Throttle’s tribute to our troops.

The first one we did is this camouflage Chevy Silverado. Flat Army-spec green covers the sides with an old-school camo print. Sure our boys have entered the new millennium with their digital camo but everyone recognizes the classic pattern. We also added some inversed shoulder stripes (technically those of a sergeant) as a bold graphic element and some Rock Rigs signature kill marks, signifying some conquered trails. Those who look real close will see the serial number AWT-001. JL Full Throttle’s Eric Tscherne included this marking as a tribute too his brother 1st LT Adam Tscherne of the 3rd Special Forces Unit currently stationed in Afghanistan. Eric wanted his brother and the other soldiers to realize that while they are away they are not forgotten. Eric says this is by far his favorite of the Rock Rigs vehicles.


JLFT Superfan and photo-guru, Noah captured this rugged Rock Rig and all of its details! The SM Scale model has an opening hood to go with the previously mentioned suspension. The wheels are covered with a special olive-gold chrome finish and are accented with some matching flat green.

The second model featured in the FT Unit is the bomber inspired Ford F-150. Noah captures this one too. He titled this set of photos: Peace; Through Superior Firepower.

The House of Kolor silver F-150 has a killer set of teeth painted on each side with the eerie eye of a shark focused on the terrain ahead. The bolt pattern laid over the sheet metal evokes the feel of a fighter jet’s skin. Also scattered over the body are a series of warning labels reminding us to use caution and where we shouldn’t tread. With the custom chromed suspension under this Rock Rig there is not where it shouldn’t step. The Wheels on this model are special edition Weld Racing wheels in chrome with the edges accented in candy blue. The sides also feature the insignia of our US Naval jets. The Navy like the Army and the rest of our armed forces are actively defending our freedoms throughout the globe.

The Silverado and F-150 are the first of 5 trucks dedicated to our troops. Look out for the Flying Belle Dodge Ram and a Guerrilla style 1970 Chevy Blazer ready to ship out soon. The JL Full Throttle Team would like to salute all of our servicemen throughout the country and around the world. They are our Brothers, Fathers, Uncles, Sons, Daughters, Nieces and Nephews. They are our neighbors and friends and they have given us the ultimate sacrifice. We thank them.

First Impressions

The moment you see something or experience something for the first time that moment will be etched in your mind for ever. The moment JLFT’s Eric Tscherne first saw Impression up close is permanently tattooed on his brain.
Tscherne first saw Impression in the magazines and on TLC’s Rides TV show, like everyone else. Sure he had seen it at various stages during its construction but he had not seen it in its completed form until the JLFT Team stopped by his shop during the early days of JL Full Throttle 2 years ago. The car blew him away! “It truly is a masterpiece, a work of art” said Tscherne, “It’s more than a car”.

After seeing the car first hand, sitting in it and being shown all of the details by Chip himself, Tscherne knew this car had to be done in die cast. “There is only one Impression.” Says Tscherne, “but by creating the JLFT version, everyone can experience this beautiful machine first hand.” That was no small order for the JLFT Team. Tscherne wanted the car to be as beautiful and perfect as the real one. It had to have the same attention to detail that Chip and the guys at Foose design put into the real deal.


The real deal by the way topped the 2 million dollar mark and set the standard by which hot rods will be measured for years to come. The Impression won BOTH the prestigious Ridler Award at Detroit’s famed Autorama AND the AMBR award as America’s Most Beautiful Roadster. These 2 awards are at the pinnacle of custom car building and Chip simultaneously held them both, a feat that may never be duplicated.

The Impression started out as a project for Ken Reister. The car, inspired by a 1936 Ford and the Smoothster, a street rod designed by Larry Erickson over 10 years before, took over 6 years to build. The car is more of a coach built car then a custom. Every single part other then some driveline components and the engine were hand built and designed specifically for this one ride.


Chip designed everything. The body, while taking cues from the famed ’36 Ford, is Chip’s own design. The team at Foose design scaled up a ¼ scale model Chip built and turned it into a skeleton which they used to hammer out the sheet metal that forms Impression’s body. Chip also had the crew “finish” every panel, wrapping the edges out of sight and including inner panels throughout to give the car a continuous skin. This alone nearly doubled the amount of bodywork that Impression received.

The JLFT Team took special care to ensure the shaping of this car came out to perfection. Working directly with Chip, Tscherne instructed the JLFT model builders throughout the build. Chip reviewed Impression with Tscherne twice as long and twice as much as any other car in the line before the JLFT Hemisfear. “We reviewed and revised that car so many times we nearly missed the ship date!” recalls Tscherne.

“We went to extremes on this car” noted Tscherne. “We went so far as to work directly with BASF and Charlie Hutton on the color of the paint”. The JLFT Team did not settle for a standard silver. They contacted BASF who wisely noted the formula of the paint Charlie and Chip cooked up. BASF labeled the color Chipeweter a term Hutton coined as the color was not silver and not quite pewter with a small amount of khaki green thrown in . The JLFT Team got a set of paint chips to their facilities in China for replication. “The color is spot on” said Hutton who layered the paint on Impression after leaving another famous builder’s shop.

The Impression has a European flair to it. The body lines and shapes all flow perfectly together with minimal interruption, if any. The details too, take on a European flair. The wheels are reminiscent of spoked wheels that may have appeared on a coach built classic blended with hot rodding’s traditional 5 spoke. Chip took one 5 spoke and brought the spokes to the outer edge while he took another 5 spoke twisted it and sent those spokes back towards the wheels center. This gives the wheels and almost wire like look.

The headlights are another amazing detail. Chip with the power of modern technology was able to create one of a kind headlights for Impression. Unlike other builds that use Mercedes or other off the shelf components for lighting Chip crafted a dual stacked projector beam headlight set that when viewed from the front create the famed Ford V8 logo. The JLFT model too incorporates this signature detail in its LRG scale model.


The Impression has also left its mark on JL Full Throttle collector Noah, from Columbus, Ohio. Noah was so inspired by Impression he took not one but 2 of them out of their cozy packages and began clicking some killer pics leaving his impression on this one of a kind rod. Noah expertly captured the subtle curves and glistening paint in his photographs. They even have a similar quality to the shot taken by master photographer Scott Williamson who shot the pics of the full size Impression seen in this article.

The Impression has left a lasting mark on hot rodding and the JL Full Throttle version is sure to leave a lasting mark in any collection or alone on your desk or shelf. The car has inspired many to try and duplicate it but none has come close until JL Full Throttle.
-JLFT Team

PS, Where do you get an Orange Impression? Well seems at one time Chip wanted to paint the real car orange. We dug through his sketches and found this unique color combo and thought we'd bring it to you as part of the Artist Series! It's only available in SM Scale andthere is a special "raw" Impression in LRG Scale the JLFT Designer Eric Tscherne thought replicated the look of Impression the first time he saw it.

Series Sense

Ok so you’ve bought a couple Foose Design or Rock Rigs vehicles and you really want to know, “What are the other cars in the ______ Series?” We’ll do our best to shed some light on this very question here.

We broke each line down into a variety of sub-sets. Each series represents a set of vehicles with a common theme. Themes like Foose Design, Foose Classics, Overhaulin’ or FT Unit are found on the packages and trading cards. One thing is simple, there is always 5 or some multiple of 5 cars in a series. That means your car can be 1/5 or 2/10 or even 14/15. With this base 5 concept in place we tried to create interesting groupings of vehicles in both the Rock Rigs and Foose lines. Themes that appealed directly to the target audience and had an automotive feel. No Clowns, Wrestling or Candy Bars here.

For the Foose Design line there are 6 Series:

Foose Design / 10 cars
Overhaulin’ / 10 cars
Artist Series / 5 cars
Foose Classics / 5 cars
Foose Paint / 5 cars
Under construction / 5 cars

The Foose Design Series is a series that captures real Foose vehicles as he has customized them at the Foose Design Studio in Huntington Beach. This series features some of his Ridler and AMB award winning cars like Grandmaster and Impression along with: Foose 69 Camaro, 2 2006 Stallion Mustangs, 1970 Chevy Blazer, the “Sick Fish” 70 ‘cuda he designed for Joe Rogan on Rides, His personal ride a 2005 Ford F150 a yet to be seen 2007 Escalade EXT and the recently unveiled Hemisfear in JLFT Green.

The Overhaulin’ Series is an incredible collection of Chips work from the wildly popular TV series which has propelled Foose into a household name! This series will continually evolve as new cars come out but there are just 10 in the first of our Overhaulin’ Series. 1967 Mustang, 1970 Monte Carlo, 1970 “Gambler” Mustang, 1956 Nomad, 1952 “Butterscorched” GMC Truck, 1971 Challenger, 1971 Chevelle (the first ever Overhaulin’ build!), 1970 Camaro, 1965 Impala, and last an incredible 1968 Roadrunner which looks amazing in person!

The Artist Series captures many of the cars the way Chip originally intended them to be! Hey when you’re building a car for a client you don’t ALWAYS get your way. What might the Grandmaster have looked like had it been squirted in Chip’s signature pearl orange? Or how about the 1970 “Sick Fish” ‘cuda layered in Red and Black combined with the silver? Now you’ll know what these ride MIGHT have looked like if Chip had his way. Also available; Hemisfear (in Foose Orange), Impression, and a 2006 Stallion Mustang.

The Foose Paint Series brings to life some killer paint schemes designed by Chip himself! Working with the JLFT Designers, Chip had 5 blank canvases to create some new masterpieces. Could these miniatures make their way to the street? Chip has winked at the idea. In the mix: 1967 Ford Mustang, 1970 Camaro, 1969 Camaro, 1970 Mustang, 2006 Dodge Viper.

Our Under Construction Series captures Chip and his team at key points int ehir builds. Many fabricators and body men love the car right after all the body work is done and there is no paint on the car. Chip also will often lay graphics down on primer before the final paint is done to get an idea of what might finish off his latest creation. The Under Construction Series give you a peek at these special moments. Still being built: 1971 Chevelle, 1971 Challenger, 1956 Nomad, 1952 GMC Truck and 1970 Ford Mustang.

Last, the Foose Classis Series celebrates Chips love of wheels. Together with MHT Chip has created a line of rims that are contemporary yet classic combining the look of some retro styled rims modernized with a Foose flair. Each of these vehicles rolls large on the street. Try and catch the 1970 Monte Carlo, 1965 Impala, 1970 Chevy Blazer, 2006 F-150 and a 2007 Escalade EXT.

Also be on the lookout for some special chase models of the Impression, Grandmaster, Hemisfear, ‘cuda and more. Some shod in special colors or chrome and all limited to 2% of our production run. These models will not be ont he pegs when you come back tomorrow so take out that ATM card and buy it if you see one! We promise not to tell you wife, girlfriend or mom!

Check back for the breakdown on the Rock Rigs Series next week!-JLFT ET

Toy Fair, SEMA and Hemisfear…Oh My!

This is a huge time of year for us at JL Full Throttle. The Team is furiously working on completing samples, packaging and art for the annual New York Toy Fair. We’ve also been knee deep in SEMA preparations as well. Nothing however compares to what the guys working on the JLFT Hemisfear have been going through.

Toy Fair as many of you may know is an industry event where buyers and various personnel from the many retailers come to NY to check out what everyone in the toy industry is preparing for next year. The Design elves work so far out that what all of us have been up to will be filling Santa’s bags next Christmas season rather then in a few months. JLFT has some new treats in store for all of you fans. More Foose will be on the way and many of your favorite Overhaulin’ cars are already being scaled and replicated in JL Full Throttle style at this very moment. In the mean time check out “Mix C” which should be hitting retail at any moment. Mix C is chock full of new tooling including the 71 Challenger, 56 Nomad, 52 GMC Truck and 70 Camaro from Overhaulin’ along with the “SickFish” 1970 Plymouth ‘cuda Chip and the team at Rad Rods by Troy built for a certain Fear Factor star…

SEMA is just a couple weeks away and the preparations for the October 31st world premier of the JL Full Throttle Hemisfear are also managing to keep the JLFT Team extra busy. The Team will have Chip Foose as well as Overhaulin’s Chris Jacobs on hand to help unveil the full scale, real life Hemisfear. If you’ve been keeping up with the JLFT Hemisfear story you know that this is one insane machine. This ride features a 600hp engine mounted just in front of the rear axle. Cradled in carbon fiber this engine should rocket the JLFT Hemisfear 0-60mph in under 4 seconds, give or take. This is super car performance in a Hot Rod meets Muscle Car body. Something we like to call the world first Super Rod. When we pull the cover off this monster at SEMA we will be uncovering the matching miniatures in LRG and SM scales. A lucky 500 people at SEMA will take home an exclusive SM scale model and an even luckier 100 will take home special edition LRG scale models. Don’t call and complain though ‘because we got made sure even more made it out to you guys, the fans. We ran about 2500 total of each LRG and SM model and we will be making them available to the general public with the SM scale models reaching retail via Mix D and the remaining LRG models being available through a very special retail partner we cannot name just yet.

The Hemisfear is getting closer to completion. Wheels have been cut. Most of the body work is out of the molds and is being fit to the frame. The Engine is rumored to be near completion, though no one at JLFT has seen it! The team at Metal Crafters claims it should be ready for paint in a week, which will make the deadline tighter then anything seen on Overhaulin’. At least on Overhaulin’ the team has all of the parts for the car ready in advance and the big difference is that there are off the shelf parts available. Since, Oh, there is probably a good 50K of the cars on the road, at one time or another there is also some knowledge of how the parts fit together and work. With the JLFT Hemisfear everything is scratch built and must meet Chip’s exacting standards.

We plan on rolling it out into the Mothers Polishes and Waxes booth on October 31st. Check back for some update picks and when we pull the cover off you’ll see it first right here on the JLFT Designer Bog. –JLFT ET

Foose Checks Out the Line and Gets to Work On Some New Projects with JLFT's Eric Tscherne

On a recent visit to the JL Full Throttle offices, Chip had a chance to spread out all the new JLFT models, work on future models and he discovers a special rare model among the SM scale cars!