This Mini Truck Packs a Soviet Fighter Jet Engine, a 45-Gallon Fuel Tank, and a 200-MPH Death WishMotorBiscuitRahaan MazumderThu, September 17, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleRemember when YouTube provocateur WhistlinDiesel strapped a literal jet engine into the bed of a Honda Acty mini truck and took it on public roads until the fire department showed up? While it made for incredibly viral content, the original build was essentially a one-hour challenge held together by sheer luck and a sketchy lawnmower throttle cable.Now, the absolute mad scientists behind the scenes at Prop Department—the master fabricators responsible for Cody's most unhinged builds—have completely overhauled the viral mini truck. The goal? Scrapping the terrifyingly unsafe mechanical linkages and turning the jet-powered Honda into a fully computerized, drive-by-wire fighter jet on wheels.But before digging into the electronics, it helps to understand exactly what kind of firepower is sitting in the bed of this tiny Japanese Kei truck.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe powerplant was ripped straight out of an Aero L-29 Delfín. "Designed in 1960s Czechoslovakia, it's known for being a really simple and extremely tough trainer military jet," Prop Department explained.To make the massive turbine work safely in the confined space of a mini truck, the team stripped the Honda down to its bare chassis and used a 3D scanner to map the available space. Using CAD software, they designed a custom 45-gallon aluminum fuel cell with internal baffling to replace the tiny, inadequate 15-gallon tank from the original build. They also engineered a custom skid mount, allowing the jet engine, batteries, and electronics to be housed as a single modular unit.The "Drive-By-Wire" UpgradeThe most significant upgrade to the truck is the complete removal of the physical throttle cable. "If the lawn mower cable were to get stuck wide open, you're going to get airborne," the builder noted during the teardown.To fix this, Prop Department integrated a Unitronics industrial PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) with a touchscreen HMI right into the dashboard. This system acts as the truck's central computer, monitoring all the engine's vital sensors, controlling the fuel pumps, and managing the automated startup sequence.Instead of a standard gas pedal, the driver now controls the thrust using a custom-built, 3D-printed jet throttle handle mounted directly over the center console, wired into precision servos mounted on the engine.AdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, because trusting a computer to govern a fighter jet engine is inherently risky, the fabricator installed a mechanical failsafe. Affectionately dubbed "Popeye's pipe," he built a spring-loaded mechanical shut-off valve linked to a red T-handle in the cab."If we attach a little cable to this and we pull on that cable, it'll kill the fuel off," he explained, ensuring the driver can manually starve the engine if the drive-by-wire system ever glitches out.Auto-Start and Balloon BurningAfter ironing out a few programming errors in the ladder logic software, the team successfully initiated an automated start sequence directly from the touchscreen.But you can't just build a jet-powered truck and not test the exhaust flow. To demonstrate the sheer volume of hot air the L-29 engine produces, they backed the truck up to a massive, fully deflated hot air balloon.AdvertisementAdvertisement"This is my hot air balloon. It is now legally deregistered because I got in trouble for flying it without a license," the fabricator joked before firing up the truck.With the jet engine idling at roughly 9,000 RPM, the exhaust completely inflated the massive balloon in minutes before the intense heat inevitably melted the fabric. As the truck chewed through the massive 45-gallon fuel supply in record time, the Prop Department builder teased an even crazier future update for the truck: building a custom afterburner to "double the amount of thrust it makes" and shoot massive flames out the back.As it currently sits, Prop Department estimates the tiny Kei truck is capable of hitting over 200 mph.
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