Revell Chevy Luv Machine #H-1300 (fixed photos, 1/27/16)

[Russell C]

(Not to be confused with the Monogram 1/24 Luv kits seen over in this other thread here).

 

The choptop 1/25 scale Revell kit is the one seen in Frank Rizzo's glue bomb restoration thread and in Jake Bridges' Mini Truck Team thread.

From my web searches for kit boxes (with images lifted from other guys' ebay listings), my best guess is that this kit first came out with artwork illustrations on the box...





Then Revell switched to actual photos of the model, which was still molded in yellow...



As near as I can tell, one of the later variants was in a series called "Lightning Rods", where the other kits were a VW Bug and Chevy Monza. The best I can dredge up here is just an enlarged blurry thumbnail photo, where the kit is molded in black...



And there was the River Rat version, molded in orange, with a little speed boat on a trailer. One difference in this version seems to be a rear step bumper instead of the previous nerf bar.

I thought I'd bring up this whole topic because an old 1977 Petersen's Trucking Trends magazine's pgs 68-69 seems to indicate the kit was based largely on a full size custom stepside made by Vini Bergeman's Kolor Me Kustom shop in Anaheim. The most noticeable differences between the kit and the full size version (besides the tire sizes - ugh!) is the rear nerf bar and the fog lights in the front nerf bar. The full size has round taillights vs the vertical rectangular ones in the kit, which were likely incorporated into the Revell mini pickup parts pack (?):

Bergeman mostly customized vans, but also rather famously muralized a Datsun pickup that ended up in the same Petersen's Trucking Trends above and in Hot Rod Pickups & Mini Pickups, and he apparently did a similar chopped roof / stepside conversion to a Dodge D50 back then (prior photo link worked, but now it is behind a subscription sign-in wall at this forum thread).

Got one other reason for all of this, namely I'm an idiot and made the mistake of not only getting a yellow Luv as my first daily driver, but also liking it despite its maddening electrical gremlins, lethargic motivation (which was only good good as a source of reference for my Mercedes stock car engine buildup) and its various other shortcomings. I still think Luvs are prettier than Datsuns or Ford Couriers / Mazda B-series mini pickups.

I'm probably missing varieties of info on the Revell kit versions, so please feel free to add on to the thread with better photos and/or other info.

 

Edited January 28, 2016 by Russell C
fixed busted photo links

[Dominik]

awesome kit!

thank you for share the Story about this rare kit. love that!

[unclescott58]

The heck with the Chevy LUV. The above kits do nothing for me. But, the boat from the River Rat version. Now that is cool! I've never seen that before.

I'd love to see a Chevy LUV pickup truck kit, but only if it could be built stock. A lot of those 70's custom trucks to me are just plain ugly. Including this one.

[Daddyfink]

The closest to stock is the Monogram Version of the Luv. Although it is in 1/24th, but, if you are not that concerned with scale, this would be great start for a stock version.

[Russell C]

...thank you for share the Story about this rare kit....

You're welcome. I keep an eye on ebay listings for Chevy Luv kits, and a current listing reminded me that I had that old Petersen's magazine with the Bergeman full size in it.

....The above kits do nothing for me. ....I'd love to see a Chevy LUV pickup truck kit, but only if it could be built stock. A lot of those 70's custom trucks to me are just plain ugly. ....

Well, the Revell versions do have their problems, no doubt, and they were created at a time when stock/custom kits seemed to be out of favor, which disappointed a lot of us stock fans. As for the mid- late-'70s, I lived through it and it is an acquired taste. For me Bergeman's custom was mostly ok, could have used a more inspired tailgate, anything but plaid cloth for the interior, and the front bumperless plastic snow shovel look air dam is not what I'd prefer, that's for sure. I abandoned my own sheetmetal air dam on my full size about a year after I made it. Too hokey looking. They sure were trendy back then.

[Russell C]

..closest to stock is the Monogram Version of the Luv. ... this would be great start for a stock version.

 

Probably. The Monograms are '73s with the thin front bumpers, as was my full size, but I swapped a '77 bumper onto it. Now I can see what bugs me about the Monogram kits, I think the headlights are too large in diameter, which in turn made the grill too narrow and too tall.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Russell C
fixed photo link

[Daddyfink]

I once knew a guy that had an Isuzu Mikado with the right hand drive setup. It was pretty souped up and ran pretty good, no V8, strictly a four with side draft Mikuni carbs

[Platerpants]

man now i gotta finish these little guys. i took so much time to find them on ebay and then convert them to 4x4 and un chop the luv's top.

[Rob Hall]

Would be neat to see one of the Monogram ones reissued.

[hjracing]

Would be neat to see one of the Monogram ones reissued.

I agree, 'couse in ebay the prices are so high, and I want to build one as the old I saw whem I was young in Trucking magazine!

[DaveM]

I would love to get another River Rat. I have a glue bomb that I got for Christmas when it first came out, but I would like anther shot at this one. The boat was too cool!

[Chuck Most]

Ah... turbine mags, side pipes, chopped t-bar roof... if this thing were any more '70's it would include a KC and The Sunshine Band 8-track.

[Fabrux]

As near as I've been able to tell, the only difference between the Datsun, the Courier, and the LUV is the cab, hood, grille, bumper, and wheels. Everything else is the same, even the interior!

[Russell C]

As near as I've been able to tell, the only difference between the Datsun, the Courier, and the LUV is the cab, hood, grille, bumper, and wheels. Everything else is the same, even the interior!

Now, that I never thought to check. I knew of the Revell Courier version, but had completely spaced out their Datsun Desert Rat. In looking more closely now at the photo of the side of the Luv box showing the interior, that is definitely an incorrect dash for the Luv, which had oval-shape gauges. But what Revell has is also incorrect for both the Courier and the Datsun. Meanwhile, this Ratsun.net thread post shows a brochure cover for the full-size California Stepside conversion for such mini-pickups.

Edited March 5, 2015 by Russell C

[gray07]

Remember there was also a coors mini truck

[89AKurt]

On 2/10/2015 at 12:13 AM, Russell C said:

[...]
Got one other reason for all of this, namely I'm an idiot and made the mistake of not only getting a yellow Luv as my first daily driver, but also liking it despite its maddening electrical gremlins, lethargic motivation [...] and its various other shortcomings. I still think Luvs are prettier than Datsuns or Ford Couriers / Mazda B-series mini pickups.
[...]

Thanks for leading me here.  I inherited a '72 LUV, my dad's father had traded in his '57 Chevy Handyman wagon that he bought new, for it.  (don't get me going about that) It broke down on a monthly basis when I attended trade school in Phoenix.  I've been wanting to build most of the vehicles I've owned, and parents owned, and this is NOT one I would waste my time on.  

[Russell C]

2 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

... been wanting to build most of the vehicles I've owned, and parents owned, and this is NOT one I would waste my time on.  

Same here, tempting to use my current daily driver as reference material on a model replica, and there are kits of my two prior vehicles that might be fun to replicate, but I'll pass on my ol' high school / college truck. However, as a bit of an update to this thread, I'll confess to acquiring a Monogram Luv Stepsider just for its correct (mostly) dash and more correct rear fenders, along with a cheap ebay score of a Revell stepside Luv kit, in order to do build my own preferred version of the 1:1 Bergman Luv. I even tried out an alteration of the photo to see if a variant of the old early '80s Toyota 4x4 paint scheme would fly on it. The decal stripes from an AMT Eckler's Vette can actually be used like this; I printed out an exact same size paper printout to scissor apart, and that assured me I can make the various sections of stripes work on this. Plus, the Eckler's Vette had exactly the right style of Vector deep dish rear wheels.

Edited May 24, 2019 by Russell C

[Brian Austin]

For those interested, here's the Luv Machine under construction.

I happen to have saved some van/truck magazine pages from the '80s.

This article is from Truckin'.

[Russell C]

59 minutes ago, Brian Austin said:

.... here's the Luv Machine under construction ....This article is from Truckin'.

Fabulous! I should have guessed there was a build article about it somewhere. Thanks for posting it. Not planning to do an exact replica myself, but it is fun to see such old articles to compare with how the Revell kit turned out.

[LouO]

I remember building this when I was a kid. I'd buy a re-issue and know I'd build a better version this time.

Edited May 29, 2019 by LouO
spelling

[Casey]

[Russell C]

Casey, great contribution!

[Casey]

Spreading the LUV. ?? Content images of the Revell H-1382 River Rat (custom) Chevy LUV, mini speedboat, and trailer here: https://modelkitreviews.proboards.com/thread/1662/revell-1382-river-chevy-trailer

 

[espo]

I would want one of these for the little boat alone. 

[rd1959]

I wish some manufacturer would use a stock body. Then, it would be easier to customize it properly. The flares used on all the different versions are nowhere near what was used back in the 70s. 
  I have 3 of the new LUV models, for different build versions I saw back in the 70s,  and it's going to take a lot of body work to get them to look like the customs I remember.

Edited December 22, 2021 by rd1959