Highway 61 1:18 1974 Chevrolet Custom Van

Remember those cool conversion vans of the ‘70s? Independent companies would start with a Ford, Dodge, or Chevrolet (in this case a Chevyvan-10), perhaps paint it with a flame paint job, and trick it out with all sorts of options: wall-to-wall carpeting, upholstered walls, captain’s seats, beds (sometimes waterbeds!), and a fridge. Then pop a roof vent out the rear roof, mount a ladder and an outside-mounted spare tire (no room inside, you see) on the rear doors, put a sunroof (or “moonroof,” if you prefer) over the driver and passenger seats, fit the thing with a set of wide profile, custom wheels and tires, and add a CB and eight-track tape player for good measure. Et voila! You’re the proud owner of a cooler than cool, custom ride, with all the comforts of home. In later years, it became all the rage to paint murals on the van’s sides, some of which were truly works of art. Some owners put a hitch on the back to tow a trailer with a motorcycle, ATV, or Skidoo.

Highway 61 chose to do the 1974 Chevy Custom Van in 1:18 scale, probably to show off all the neat interior details better. The red paint is flawlessly done, with a painted-on, flame pattern motif that starts from white at the radiator, to predominantly yellow flames that extend to about the middle of the body. There’s a rear-mounted roof vent that opens, and a sunroof over the passenger compartment. There’s a sun visor over the windshield, a spoiler on the back, and a ram-air vent on the short hood. Unfortunately, the hood doesn’t open to give us a look at the engine. An externally mounted spare is on the left rear door and a ladder on the right rear door. Both doors open, by the way, on realistic, van-type hinges. Round, porthole windows let light into the rear compartment. There’s an AM antenna up front and a CB antenna mounted in the rear. The front doors are fitted with heavy-duty swing-type truck mirrors. All four of the wheel openings are framed with large flares, connected by black running boards. All exterior chromed parts are just that—separate parts. The beast’s shod with custom, turbine-style wheels, carrying wide-oval raised letter tires, replete with tread patterns. The 1975 Florida license plates (that say BURNOUT) indicate that this vehicle is an East Coast custom van.

Let’s look at the undercarriage. The detailing is as accurate as could be hoped for. The custom exhaust has pipes that exit just forward of the rear wheels and are colored to resemble raw steel, with silvered mufflers and chromed tips. As is the case with most of Highway 61’s images (if not all), the driveshaft rotates with the rear wheels. All frame and suspension details are accurate and the full suspension operates realistically.

The right side cargo door lifts out and slides back like the real article. Moving into the interior, we find a wall-to-wall carpet (even the roof’s carpeted), padded walls, a bed, and a console with two cabinets flanking a custom refrigerator unit. Pop open the front doors, also on realistic, van-type hinges, and you’ll find two, swiveling, captain’s seats. The inside engine cover has a tray over it with two drink holders. The dash has 3-D features, one of which is an 8-track tape sticking out of its state-of-the-art player. The CB is mounted in a custom, above-the-dash, unit. The steering column details are a bit simplistic-looking, with an over-large shift lever (what’s this thing with shift levers?). The padded door panels have chromed pull and crank handles, and raised speaker grilles. The vent windows tilt in like the real items.

The custom conversion vans of the ‘70s, precursors of today’s minivans, SUVs, and RVs, put the “recreation” in the term RV. Overall, despite the non-opening hood, this scale model example is a fine image with real heft. It’s loaded with details everywhere you look, and the large, 1:18 scale shows them off to a tee. With craftsmanship, and extras, like this, it’s a temptation even for die-hard, 1:24 scale collectors like me.

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