Boyds Hauler ?

[57peppershaker]

Looking for info / pics of the Testors Boyds Hauler Chevy pickup.

Is it based on the AMT kit ? I know the 1:1 truck had an LT1 and Corvette suspension, does the Boyd kit include this also ?

[Casey]

 

[Rob Hall]

Interesting read...never paid much attention to that kit back in the day, the box art was awful, IMO.  So Testors maybe contracted to a 1/3 party to tool it up?  Looks like it had some interesting parts.

[Dale Gribble]

It was a terrible kit , as were most of those boyds offerings , both the quickbuilder and full kits were blocky and off scale . 

[Jordan White]

I believe the kit is also 1/24 scale vs the 1/25 scale of the AMT/MPC kit, so parts swapping won't quite work out.

[iamsuperdan]

Kit is definitely 1/24 scale, and is not at all like the AMT kits. I have just started building this one, so can let you know how good or bad it is.

 

So far, the quality appears to be far superior. Detail on the interior panels and engine parts is really good. No flash whatsoever on the parts trees.

 

[57peppershaker]

 articleThanks for the info everybody, i wasnt aware the 2 kits were so different.

Does anybody reproduce the decals for the Testors kit ? I have an AMT 454SS that may get done into the wild stripe version. Pretty sure I have an old SAE article somewhere.

Thanks for the pics iamsuperdan, looks very good. Can you post a pic of the kit wheels.

Ive been reading the real truck was rebuilt with larger diameter wheels n stuff.

[iamsuperdan]

Best pic I have of the kit wheels. Can try and get a better one for you.

 

 

I think they're more representative of the wheels on the original iteration of the truck, when it had full EVH stripes. Maybe a 17" wheel?

 

The rebuild was definitely more subtle, and I would say the real thing has wheels closer to 20"

[Jordan White]

Nah the wheels do look like the ones on the Boyd version, and I'm guessing both sets are 17" since that was really the biggest size you would find in the early 90's. 

[Rob Hall]

The kit wheels look better than the 1:1 IMO...

[gman]

I bought that kit back when it was released- while there were some things that were done relatively well, no it wasn't based on the AMT/ERTL kit and parts don't interchange with it. The headlight treatment and tires were the weakest parts of the kit. I believe the tail lights were messed up in the example I purchased, and the AMTs weren't a proper fit for replacement. I ended up using the body as an airbrush test subject.

[Rob Hall]

Those kind of look like the tires Testors used in the HSO versions of old Jo-han kits..they had ugly metal wheels.

[Toner283]

10 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

I think they're more representative of the wheels on the original iteration of the truck, when it had full EVH stripes. Maybe a 17" wheel?

 

The rebuild was definitely more subtle, and I would say the real thing has wheels closer to 20"

That is 2 completely different trucks. Eddie Van Halen still has the one with the black and white stripes all over it. From what I've been able to discover, Boyd was going to build four or five clones of the truck to sell or give away and when EVH caught wind of it he threatened legal action if Boyd built a truck that looked exactly like his. Boyd changed the wheels and the graphics enough to appease EVH and built at least one. Not sure if any others ever got built or not.

[iamsuperdan]

Hmm...everything I've read says that the truck is a 1993 that Ed had done with Boyd back when it was new. Then after a few years of neglect, Ed took it back for a rebuild and upgrade, which included larger wheels and a full repaint to something less dated. 

I believe two trucks were built. One went directly to Ed, and the second was for a magazine contest.

 

Whatever the case, I think it's awesome.

 

 

[Casey]

http://www.vhnd.com/2010/01/13/boyds-hauler-at-barrett-jackson/#:~:text=Built for Eddie Van Halen,“Hot Rods By Boyds”.&text=Built exclusively for Eddie Van,%2F2 ton%2C shortbed pickup.

Looks like the model has the Corvette IRS (and a very simplified front crossmember/lower control arms), so significantly different from the MPC/AMT kit.

Edited July 17, 2020 by Casey

[iamsuperdan]

Can confirm, the model kit has a solid rear axle and no leaf springs. Not sure if it truly represents the Corvette rear end, but it is definitely not the standard C/K truck rear end. Can post up more pics this evening.

 

[tim boyd]

On 7/15/2020 at 4:26 PM, iamsuperdan said:

Kit is definitely 1/24 scale, and is not at all like the AMT kits. I have just started building this one, so can let you know how good or bad it is.

 

So far, the quality appears to be far superior. Detail on the interior panels and engine parts is really good. No flash whatsoever on the parts trees.

 

Steve, I was going to suggest you look at the April, 2020 issue of the other mag (p. 53), but Dan's pictures above tell the story much better. 

I have not built the kit but looking the parts and the instruction sheet, it certainly looked like a comprehensive and interesting kit. 

Good luck with your project....

TIM  

[Ben]

On 7/15/2020 at 10:15 AM, Casey said:

 

It was built for Eddie Vanhalen.

[57peppershaker]

Does anybody have a scan of the decal sheet and instructions they could PM to me or post ?

[avidinha]

Here's an article that talks about Eddie's truck, the refurbishment, and a little about the second truck.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hemmings.com/stories/2010/02/02/van-halen-hauler-sightings/amp

[iamsuperdan]

On 8/3/2020 at 2:22 PM, 57peppershaker said:

Does anybody have a scan of the decal sheet and instructions they could PM to me or post ?

Here's the decal sheet, can get to scanning the instructions in a bit if you still need them.

 

[57peppershaker]

Thanks for the scan Ian. Instructions would be great too, if you get chance.

[wrenchr]

I have one unbuilt in the box, just the wrap is off I'd trade.