Monogram Chevy Luv Coming soon

[Jon Cole]

On 2/14/2020 at 9:32 PM, Casey said:

Perhaps the "Molded in the USA" branding also means packaged in the USA; thus possibly avoiding the anticipated shipping delays of other kits due to coronavirus manpower shortages in China?

[niteowl7710]

9 minutes ago, Jon Cole said:

Perhaps the "Molded in the USA" branding also means packaged in the USA; thus possibly avoiding the anticipated shipping delays of other kits due to coronavirus manpower shortages in China?

Quite obviously. Shipping them to China (or Poland) to put them in a box and shipping them back would be silly.

Those other two Revell kits that are supposed to be out next month aren't effected by the COVID issues because they'd already have to be here in order to be on shelves in March when you consider how many (at least three) levels of U.S. shipping a kit goes through from Port to Shelf. Otherwise Revell would know those kits are delayed and wouldn't have announced last week they'd be out in March.

Edited February 21, 2020 by niteowl7710

[Rbray47]

I'll buy one for nostalgic sake. I used to drive a 76 until it rusted away. I wonder which donor kit has a good starting point for scratchbuilding the Isuzu i4?

[mikemodeler]

1 hour ago, Rbray47 said:

I'll buy one for nostalgic sake. I used to drive a 76 until it rusted away. I wonder which donor kit has a good starting point for scratchbuilding the Isuzu i4?

That should prove to be difficult as they shared very little visually with any domestic 4 cylinder engine. Not sure if there are any Japanese kits that would have that Isuzu motor in it. The other difficult part is that the body has the molded flares and front spoiler, making it hard to build a stock body.

[Rbray47]

1 hour ago, mikemodeler said:

That should prove to be difficult as they shared very little visually with any domestic 4 cylinder engine. Not sure if there are any Japanese kits that would have that Isuzu motor in it. The other difficult part is that the body has the molded flares and front spoiler, making it hard to build a stock body.

I hadn't noticed the flares until you mentioned them. 

I dont remember right off exactly what the motors looked like, but didnt they have a wide valve cover? Maybe use one Ford sohc 427 cover and modify it to fit another 4 cylinder. 

[Russell C]

16 hours ago, Rbray47 said:

...wonder which donor kit has a good starting point for scratchbuilding the Isuzu i4?

I still had my '73 Luv when I was in college at the time I built my "utterly inaccurate technically correct" Rock Island NASCAR Mercedes, and since I lacked any 1:1 reference photos for racing V8s, and since the model was wrong in so many other aspects, I just used my pickup's engine for an accurate reference. The kit that provided the basic block and other bits was the (if I remember right) Tamiya Opel Blitz 1/35th scale cargo truck. My dad machined the air cleaner cover out of aluminum, and the Isuzu letters were individual ones cut from one of the Rock Island decal sheets I had.

[Jantrix]

Hmm... I think a phantom Luv SS is in my future. Call it the Chevy Lust? ?

[Faust]

On 2/17/2020 at 3:19 PM, Casey said:

Considering there's a V8 under the hood, I think accurate, stock details were thrown out the window back in '77 or so. ?

Any '70s and '80s era Monogram or Revell kit which hasn't been in the regular reissue cycle over the last 25+ years is best enjoyed as it is, or considered a decent starting point. 100% accuracy wasn't always Monogram's strength, but the basic kit got you 75% of the way there. Yes, the grille and headlight are too large, the chassis and floor pan detail simplified, and the eight lug wheels on a 1/4 ton 4-cylinder pickup are overkill, but the only other LUV option is the heavily customized Revell kit with an aftermarket bed, so that whole beggars and choosers thing seems to apply quite well with this kit.

Of course, I want to get one of these badly. With my LHSs all being shut down due to COVID, and the fact I rarely buy online, it's going to be a challenge, but I'll find a way! :)

I agree with what is said above. You guys know me - I'm a super-stickler for stock detail... my choice is usually "stock, stock stock". No customs until the Stock is built! However, I love Luvs, and you know what, just having one to do with the Mighty Mike decals is neat enough. I don't want to bash my face it trying to accurize this. I'm just going to be glad I have it, paint it and have fun with it. I do love that they've put a perfectly '70s mural on the camper top, too. 

Even if the decals aren't right for the year, so be it. You're not going to get "Mighty Mike" decals again in this lifetime, I wouldn't think, so I'll take what I can get. Wrong engine, wrong wheels, wrong year. Three strikes and stock's out. Now, I'll just treat it like the custom minitruck it is! I can hardly wait!

[Rbray47]

So...has anyone gotten their hands on one yet? I bought one on Ebay last night. Should be here later this week.

[unclescott58]

Okay, I just got mine today. And something disturbing has come up. I'm curious if anybody else has gotten theirs and started working on it yet? There is something funny about the plastic this kit is molded in. In someways it feels a kind of rubbery. Somewhat flexible. Yet at the same time it breaks fairly easily. And then in a weird way. 

After I cut part 28, Rear Cab Wall, off its tree, I start sanding off some nubs above the rear window with a regular sanding stick. All of the sudden, the part bends and breaks near the upper corners of the rear window frame, on out. And it's not a simple somewhat clean break. It has jagged edges? Okay so much for the plastic appearing flexible. I glue it back together with Tamiya liquid cement. A few minutes later, I glue the wall into the back of the cab. Which is not the best fit, but I expect that from a tool from the era this was designed in. I'm okay with that. 

Now im worried about breaking other parts. Then I see a part I can't identify on the tree. It looks like an alternator bracket. But on a kit from this time period having that detail? It doesn't seem right. Guess what? The number on the tree indicates it's part number 21. Part 21 is the fan belt. Okay. Where is the rest this part? Thankfully I found it in the bag the parts came in. So I should be able to repair it. But again the break is not clean. In fact the more I think about it, I've seen these types of breakage before. On old AMT kits from the early 1960's! 

This just seems odd. Nothing that will stop me from finishing the kit, from what I can see. Just weird. I'd be curious to hear what others are finding as they start building theirs. 

 

[Fat Brian]

With this kit being molded in the US I imagine the plastic is a bit different than what the overseas kits are, unfortunately it doesn't seem like its better.

[Rbray47]

Does it actually come with those 8 lug wheels shown on the box art?

[Casey]

3 minutes ago, Rbray47 said:

Does it actually come with those 8 lug wheels shown on the box art?

Yes. They are the same wheels included with the original release:

[Casey]

hpichris, as always, is on it:

 

[unclescott58]

Yea, another great video review by Chris. Interesting his comments on the plastic itself. So it's not just me noticing it. Despite the odd plastic, I like the kit. The only mistake I've made so far on mine, is cutting off the little nubs on the bottom of the cab for side pipes. Not a big deal. But, I should have looked at the instructions closer. 

[Rbray47]

Mine should be here tomorrow. I was going to cut off the fender flares and rebuild the wheel openings, but if the plastic is wonky, I may have to rethink that. 

[rd1959]

1 hour ago, Rbray47 said:

Mine should be here tomorrow. I was going to cut off the fender flares and rebuild the wheel openings, but if the plastic is wonky, I may have to rethink that. 

I plan on doing the same thing. I wonder if someone at Revell would be willing to explain the difference between this plastic and what was used before. Having that knowledge might make it easier to work with.

[Rbray47]

23 hours ago, unclescott58 said:

Yea, another great video review by Chris. Interesting his comments on the plastic itself. So it's not just me noticing it. Despite the odd plastic, I like the kit. The only mistake I've made so far on mine, is cutting off the little nubs on the bottom of the cab for side pipes. Not a big deal. But, I should have looked at the instructions closer. 

Mine came pre-mangled from the factory...

[unclescott58]

1 hour ago, Rbray47 said:

Mine came pre-mangled from the factory...

Well, at least you got three out four, and can't blame yourself for the one that is missing. Those pegs for the pipes are nice. But, I don't think missing them is going to effect my build too much. 

[disconovaman]

I will be deleting those hidious flares from mine... I have been working on and off on this Datsun that had flares. I actually got this as a started project and the flares were already cut off. I think there is no reason to have flares on a 2X4 so they gotta go.

[Matt T.]

“Molded in the USA.”

That explains the difference in the styrene, no? 

Salvinos JR NASCAR kits are American made and that styrene is very flexible also. 

[Jantrix]

Does anyone have a chassis shot or maybe a glimse of the instructions for the chassis assembly?

[Luc Janssens]

1 hour ago, Jantrix said:

Does anyone have a chassis shot or maybe a glimse of the instructions for the chassis assembly?

go to video below, it will show you 

 

On 4/15/2020 at 10:54 PM, Casey said:

hpichris, as always, is on it:

 

 

[Casey]

2 hours ago, Jantrix said:

Does anyone have a chassis shot or maybe a glimse of the instructions for the chassis assembly?

https://www.revell.com/out/media/85-4493_ChevyLUV_Plan.pdf

[Jantrix]

2 hours ago, Luc Janssens said:

go to video below, it will show you 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Casey said:

https://www.revell.com/out/media/85-4493_ChevyLUV_Plan.pdf

Thanks to both of you. This will do nicely I think. I'm planning a cool JDM-esque build and wanted to see if the chassis looked like it would be a nightmare to modify, but this looks doable as far as getting it lower. The body with the bolt on flares would lend itself well to the idea.