This Life-Size Jeep Gladiator Matchbox Is Your Childhood Dream Come True

Aftermarket accessories manufacturer RealTruck paired up with build shop Doetsch Off-Road to create a showcase vehicle last fall: a custom 2023 Jeep Gladiator that’s a life-size replica of a 1:64 Matchbox toy car. Once completed, the vehicle was unveiled at the SEMA show last October and then celebrated again at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

The truck’s journey could have ended right then as a one-time promotion opportunity in partnership with Mattel and Matchbox. RealTruck, however, opted to take it a step further. Today, the vehicle will be auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson's marquee Scottsdale event and all proceeds will be donated to to Building Homes for Heroes, a nonprofit organization that builds and modifies homes for injured veterans and first responders.

Finished in black with orange accents, the Matchbox/RealTruck Gladiator JT is decked out with RealTruck off-roading products. Designed for off-roading enthusiasts, the custom Gladiator includes a roof rack with a rooftop tent, a step system, steel tube fenders, traction recovery boards, a lift kit, and more. On top of that, the buyer will get a matching 1:64 toy car to match. This is no 99-cent grocery-store Matchbox, either; it’s currently selling for $25 as part of the Matchbox Collectors series.

“It is actually pretty rare [to have a matching full-size and Matchbox-sized vehicle] and it takes a lot of planning,” RealTruck executive Lee Riser told The Drive. “This one took more than a year to come together with all the right elements.”