Dustin "3-D" Artz
Rockwell, NC
Skund Up Kustoms
1989 Mazda B2200 When you have walked around show fields for over twenty years like some of us old minitruckers, you can start to feel a little jaded towards the new generation of minitruck enthusiasts.
You see these crazy kids with big wheels, no respect for their elders or rides, and you start to think about the good old days of 15-inch wheels and neon wiper blades. But every once in a while, I'm reminded why (20 years later), I'm still here in the minitruck scene. While walking through Slam Session in North Carolina, I ran into Dustin Artz and this very cool Mazda B2220.
Dustin was only 19 at the time the truck was shot, but he had already been into minitrucks for ten years. Yes, you read that correctly. Dustin met one of the guys from the club Pebble Pushers when he was nine years old, and he's been addicted to minitrucks ever since.
Dustin and his dad worked on several projects together before building this truck. Dustin told me this crazy tale about his first Mazda. It was everything a minitrucker could want, a Mazda extended-cab longbed that was 'bagged and body-dropped. But, this truck was short-lived. After attending its first show, the truck was T-boned right when they were leaving the show grounds. But this didn't deter Dustin at all. In fact, he went right out and found a new Mazda project, and with the guidance of his dad, friends, and four long years of dedication, you see he accomplished the goal he set out with.
Dustin's Mazda went through it's fair share of struggles along the way. After several fire incidents and several different interiors, the first time Dustin rolled his truck out it was a nice glossy brown color. This is where Dustin and his truck aquired the name "Milk Dud." Knowing it would take a little more to catch the attention of us old guys, Dustin hit the drawing board again and did a lot more smoothing and added the electric green color you see here. Dustin says he is nowhere near finished though, so keep a lookout for this truck and some more mods in the near future.
The lesson here is that when you walk around the show grounds wondering where the future of the truck scene lies, look no further. Guys like Dustin are turning out sick trucks at an early age with help from some great mentors and peers. Maybe there is hope for the future of minitruckin' after all. For more details on the mods, performed check out the Lowdown.