Mark Cassidy was quick to tell us that he is not fully responsible for the outcome of this truck. Even though he finished it off to meet his personal taste, a bulk of the build had already been well taken care of. "I've always enjoyed having something different from the norm, and I can't leave any vehicle alone. When I got the Toyota in exchange for a trade for a bodydropped '90 Mazda project, I quickly finished where it was left off," says Mark.

Some of you may recognize this Mazda, as it was featured here exactly one year ago. If you have last year's May issue, flip through it and check out the improvements that have been made since then. Fresh paint, new wheels, a killer dash swap, reworked suspension-long story short, the truck was taken back to the bare frame just after it was shot the first time. Why? For a spot on our cover, of course.

Buying a "completed" truck is never a sure bet, especially if you don't know much about the quality of craftsmanship that is lurking beneath the sheetmetal. Many people can vouch for the work, but the final judgment always belongs to a vehicle's new owner. Rickey Bellotti found himself in such a situation after he purchased what he believed to be a finished '91 Isuzu pickup. The get-in-and-drive truck he thought he took ownership of turned out to need a fair amount of attention in order to rightfully claim its title as a reliable daily driver.

When was the last time you bought a project vehicle? Was it a year ago? Last week? Maybe five years ago? Well Chris Clark of Bristol, Tennessee has built a few vehicles in his day, but in 1995, when he was just 17 years old, he picked up this Chevy S-10 and decided to build it. Here we are, almost 20 years later, and not only does Chris still own the truck, but he drives it all the time. That's impressive.

You know the feeling—the one that drains the very drive and determination directly from your soul. It definitely brings on a knock-you-on-the-ass, hopeless kind of mood, and sometimes, the cure isn't always so crystal clear. This sh*tty sensation stems from many different sources; a bad breakup, getting fired, getting robbed on the craps table, or not finding a copy of Mini Truckin' at the local liquor store. But for Kane and Ginnifer Farris, their dark cloud came in the form of a slowly evolving Isuzu.

Looking out across the huge show field, I couldn't help but notice a brightly colored Ranger with the most vibrant graphics I'd seen in a while. It's the type of paint scheme that grabs your attention and lures you in for a closer look. But of course, it didn't always look this way. It actually started to take shape many years ago.

Once upon a time, a very wise man named Courtney Halowell said something pretty profound, "That's not your truck, you know? You're just its custodian right now. Someday, someone is going to own that truck, and there's nothing you can do to change that.” He was right. No matter how much you think that your truck is yours, someday you're going to sell it and get something new, or circumstances will dictate that you move on. And when you do, that truck is going to go to a new guy who will call it his own. That's just the way of the world."

David's vision started over five years ago when he was heavily into the minitruckin' scene. S-10s and Sonomas were popping up in all of the magazines and were smothering the show scene. It didn't take long for David to make the decision on what he wanted to build.

If there’s any truck out there that would require you to get a shot just from looking too closely at it, it’s definitely this one. But what else would you expect a dude nicknamed “Rusty” to build? Yeah, this S-10 is downright dirty looking, and you might not like it, but that’s OK. There’s plenty of us who dig its “don’t give a eff” styling.

This Sonoma belongs to another generation. Its essence oozes of simpler times. A random twist of fate has paired this truck together with its destined owner—a Mr. Andy Berg. Over the course of a decade, the truck has seen multiple physical changes to its appearance and mechanical composition, and has only recently evolved into its present-day form—the shape of throwback nirvana.

Oh, the Dodge D50. It’s the domestic cousin of the Mitsubishi, but today the D50 is often found at bargain basement prices compared to the Mighty Max. Why? Maybe it’s the Dodge stigma, possibly it’s the fact that people didn’t buy the Dodge in the first place so it’s hard to find them around. Either way, it takes a unique individual to build a D50.

We’re not talking “hybrid” in the sense that has become recognized in today’s auto industry. This Mazda doesn’t have half a hippie-ass electric engine under the hood. What it does have is a combination air/hydro setup we think is way cooler, unless there’s been a neat development in the world of veggie oil fuel systems we haven’t heard about yet.

Cash is tight for many people out there, and as a result, building a minitruck isn’t quite as easy as it used to be. Sponsors aren’t kicking down as much as they used to, it’s harder to save up for parts, and overall, it’s just tougher to make that buck to begin with. Sometimes you have to make some magic happen to build the truck of your dreams.

Here’s a yes or no question for you. Are you a fan of this truck? With the Jeep front end, bubble hood, 17s, and 32 inches of extra cab, there are likely to be very few “kind ofs” in the crowd. But it’s to be expected. Neutral feelings and comments don’t really belong anywhere near this build given its far-out, caricature styling, and we’re certain this Toyota’s longtime owner would have to agree.

Pop quiz, hot shot! You're working in the garage, and your truck suddenly bursts into flames. Quick, what do you do?! If you're the cautious type, there's probably a fire extinguisher handy, and if this is the case, well—good for you! The rest of us losers would have to improvise by desperately finding something—anything within reach to put the blaze out. We're sadly relieved to hear that ‘ol Jeremy here would be keeping us company in the "caught with your pants down" clubhouse, because he found himself in such a situation, and did what he could with what he had to avoid total devastation.

It takes a special type of person to build an Isuzu Spacecab. It's one of the holy grails of minitruckin' what with the rarity of the vehicle in general, plus the mammoth amount of extra room placed behind the rear seats. But in the tiny sub-scene of Spacecab builders, there's an even smaller group that goes with the '86-'87 models—the second gen Isuzus with the flat grille and Chevrolet LUV styling. That's where Johnathon Cobb fits in, just like a square peg in a round hole.

Man oh man, what a great year it has been to be a part of this scene/lifestyle/culture/whatever you want to call it. We've been to the biggest and best shows of the year, hung out with clubs all over the country, and spent hours eyeballing the cover trucks—over, and over, and over again over the last 12 months. Even though this is an exciting time of the year for cover truck owners, show promoters, clubs, and you the reader, it's a bit hellish for us having to vote for just one in each of the three categories in question. But it has to be done though—the minitruckin' public deserves answers.

What's the big fuss over this Blazer anyway? That's exactly what its owner, Dustin Seaman, would like to know. You'd think out of anyone out there, he'd at least have the best clue or even a gut feeling at the very least, but he swears up and down that it's nothing special. All the positive attention this thing has been attracting from the longing, lustful stares from showgoers countrywide, to the influx of "likes" from online "friends," Dustin just wasn't seeing what everyone else was.

We've all seen it before. No matter what paint color, combination of graphics or interior scheme a truck may have, we've all seen it done in one way or another. But even if you were to make some checklist of all the must-have mods for your truck, mashing them all up together would result in the worst combination you could have, like a chicken gumbo made with fruit salad and pickles. So when you find someone who does build a truck and has ticked off quite a few items off that checklist, it warrants mention. After all, they've figured out the recipe for making the perfect mini, and we want to know how they did it.

Owning one VW pickup would be cool enough, but having two parked at home is something else. David Milan, owner and operator of Petrol Films based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, cherishes both of his VWs. The green diesel, affectionately named "Barry" is the old man work truck, which currently serves as the company/production vehicle. David says, "I plan to put a long boom out the back to shoot car commercial style sequences for my clients." Now, "Bailey" the black, gas-powered Caddy, is definitely the more pampered of the two trucks. "I just wanted to build a truck that fit the classic VW look—simple, clean, lowered with stretched rubber, and all the classic MK1 VW parts. There are so many directions you can go when building a truck, it's been nice to have two and build them completely different from each other."

Not all projects come together in vain. This super clean Sonoma was built by Nick Fox as a memorial monument for its previous owner who passed away. But don’t get the wrong idea, the truck isn’t left in the garage and covered until it’s time to show it off. Nick feels that putting the tires and frame to the streets keeps the fond memories and spirit of his lost loved one alive.

Since the day he turned 15, Curtis Hagemeyer has dreamed about building custom minis worthy of these very pages, and after wrenching on his brother's S-10 and a few customs of his own, he knew that he wanted to go big. It was time for a real show winner.

If you're a fan of old school, west coast gangsta rap, you'd recognize that the titles of this story are plays on classic N.W.A. tracks. Please don't sue us Dre, we're merely taking a minute to reminisce with this month's cover truck owner, Chris Caruso, about the influences that have played a part in building what many simply refer to as "the hip-hop truck".

Before you ask, "what in God’s name is this THING doing in Mini Truckin’?!", sit back and take a load off. This vehicular mash-up is a minitruck, or at least it used to be. It’s still registered as an ’82 S-10, but without taking a closer inspection, who would’ve guessed?