Monogram Mojave Mule Kit

[Bruce Poage]

A friend of mine(not a modeler) recently gave me a Monogram Mojave Mule kit. As this is not the genre I usually model I am looking for a little info. Is this a kit that is hard to find? I see it was issued in 1976. I have been building since 1956 with a lapse now and then for education and family. That was issued during one of these gaps. I would be interested in any info someone might share about this kit--and its possibilities! Thanks and a Merry Christmas!!

[disabled modeler]

I had that as a kit its made by Monogram...loved it! It was a fun to build kit no real fit issues ether.

[mikemodeler]

I remember building it when it came out Bruce. Not a real detailed kit and not a real ultra-rare kit, but to the right person it might be worth something.

Revell had a series of kits based on the Chevy LUV as those small trucks gained popularity in the 1:1 world.

I don't believe it was ever re-issued so they aren't real common sights at swap meets but again, kind of a unique subject with limited appeal. If you aren't going to build it, post it in the swap section and see what you get for it.

[Mark72JPS]

I built it back then and have not seen one since. From what I understand it was the last kit that Tom Daniel designed, at least to that point, for Monogram.. I remember it as being a real nice kit to build. How rare is it? I don't think that it has ever been reissued in that exact version.

[Jon Cole]

This kit?

[Mr mopar]

Mark you are correct on this kit being Tom Daniels last Design For Monogram ,a real hard kit to find but never the less a good one

I have three of them in my stash.

[kingiguana]

I built a couple of those as a kid,...would love to see it reissued.

[Draggon]

I still have mine although the thing has pretty much fallen apart due to its age. Built out of the box except I added a hood scoop. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the rear cab wall is separate and gets added after the interior is in, and the fact that it looks very plain, almost toy-like when compete.

[1972coronet]

I was "thrashing the threshold" when I perchanced-upon this old thread .  I wonder if there's any chance that Revellogram will reissue any of these ? I honestly don't care about the High Roller version ; however , the others would be quite nice to see again !

[Jimfromok]

Id like to see the Luv Machine reissued

[Casey]

I was "thrashing the threshold" when I perchanced-upon this old thread .  I wonder if there's any chance that Revellogram will reissue any of these ? I honestly don't care about the High Roller version ; however , the others would be quite nice to see again !

Is there a chance? Probably, but the last time the kit was produced was 1980 IIRC, so who knows what condition the molds are in, if all the various inserts for each version are present, etc. Maybe someone should e-mail Ed Sexton and ask if it's possible?

[disabled modeler]

I built the Mojave Mule one as a kid...nice kit builds very nicely too.

[niteowl7710]

Too bad this kit never had the stock drivetrain included.  It's the only one of the original mini-truck kits you can't build stock now that the MPC Datsun has been reissued in it's 1975 Annual format.  Both the Courier and D50 Ram could be built stock under all of that weird 70s "Street Machine/Custom" nonsense, but the Monogram LUV has a SBC in it, which is obviously not a standard engine from Isuzu.

[Casey]

I don't think a Mojave Mule reissue is possible at this point, given the Tom Daniel-Revell bad feelings which still exist, but I think we're fortunate the fleetside bed Luv was reissued not too long ago. Fab up a few buzzard bars for the windshield, scour eBay for a set of those one-off wheels, and dig through your parts bin for the Goodyear big 'n' little Rally GTs and you're most of the way there.

Here it is in the 1978 Monogram catalog:

Edited December 6, 2021 by Casey

[1972coronet]

1 hour ago, Casey said:

I don't think a Mojave Mule reissue is possible at this point, given the Tom Daniel-Revell bad feelings which still exist

Minor cosmetic changes in addition to a name change ? Certainly  that's  happened a time of seven over the decades .

[stavanzer]

A (bad) copy of the instructions.

Casey is correct. Hardest parts to fab would be the (smaller) Rollbar and the wood push bumper. Rims look like something Monogram used in many of their 1970's kits, so should be fairly easy to find. Most may be chromed, however. The AMT '65 Chevelle Wagon and '70 Ford Police car kits have wooden Push bumpers, that should only need trimmed to work. Hardest part is Decals, and there are scans of those to be found.

https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/monogram-instructions/monster-trucks--pullers/monogram-mojave-mule-/?view=roll

[Mike C.]

I can remember building this kit as a kid. Back when I thought brush painting the body was a nifty way to go . I must have gotten it as a birthday present or something . I can remember asking my dad what a Mo Jave (enunciating the J )was, then he told me the correct pronunciation. That's how long ago that was. ?

Edited December 8, 2021 by Mike C.

[slusher]

Wonder how the wood push bumper in the Chevy wagon would work out?   64 / 65 AMT Chevelle wagon

[stavanzer]

Not Sure. But, worth a test fit.

[Russell C]

On 12/7/2021 at 7:38 AM, alexis said:

 ... AMT '65 Chevelle Wagon and '70 Ford Police car kits have wooden Push bumpers, that should only need trimmed to work. ...

The barely-qualifies-as-a-glue-bomb Mule I got for a nice price off ebay a few years back was missing that bumper, but I figure I might be able to get away with fabbing one out of a popsicle stick and some small plastic bits for the brackets.

[Casey]

On 12/7/2021 at 8:38 AM, alexis said:

Rims look like something Monogram used in many of their 1970's kits, so should be fairly easy to find.

They are unique to this model as far as I've been able to tell. Similar to some other Monogram/TD designs, but not quite the same:

 

The above is available on eBay currently for a very reasonable price and looks mostly complete, save for the light bar.

Someone should contact Revell (and Ed Sexton specifically) and ask if the inserts fir the Mojave Mule version still exist. The fleetside(?) bed version was reissued not long ago, so I think the chances of getting some good info now are as good as they'll ever be.

Edited December 10, 2021 by Casey

[slusher]

13 hours ago, Casey said:

They are unique to this model as far as I've been able to tell. Similar to some other Monogram/TD designs, but not quite the same:

 

The above is available on eBay currently for a very reasonable price and looks mostly complete, save for the light bar.

Someone should contact Revell (and Ed Sexton specifically) and ask if the inserts fir the Mojave Mule version still exist. The fleetside(?) bed version was reissued not long ago, so I think the chances of getting some good info now are as good as they'll ever be.

Casey is this coming out? Mabe a little different?

[Casey]

9 hours ago, slusher said:

Casey is this coming out? Mabe a little different?

Sorry, no. The 1/24 Monogram LUV was reissued last year, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find if one wants to try recreating the Mojave Mule version:

 

[stavanzer]

Hey, Revell.

Be nice to have this as the Second Hit off of your LUV Tooling!