Dale W. Verts Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Ya'll probably already know this, but I'm still getting back up to speed... Jost got a Super Beetle Cabriolet in the mail that I bought from China off of eBay. Man, oh man. The kit is by Aoshima and it's a pile as compared to (every) other kit I've had. It might as well be a snap-together kit. In fact, I just checked to make sure it wasn't... Almost everything here is a facsimile instead of actual parts. Sad. The BODY looks okay- I won't worry about it until I'm ready to mess with it. Nice fat tires (nowhere near stock, but I like 'em FAT). And that's about it. My wife's dream "fun" car is a Super Beetle convertible. It may be easier to go buy her the real thing than to attempt a scratch-build. Which is exactly what I'll do do some day. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 How about a couple of pics Dale ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 I need to find my camera, but will do. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Dale, you may want to start with the Revell Cabriolet instead: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=76805&hl=beetle Is your kit similar to this coupe?: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35544&hl=beetle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 That's it (except mine's a convertible of course). Thanks (still need to find my camera, hmmm..)! The first thing I saw was that, er... pan. Or whatever. It was just wrong. Then I realized why. Because it IS. Wrong I mean. Anyway, lesson learned. I will use the body for something. Anyone ever do a Pro- Street Cabriolet? Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 As far as the Revell kit- I have one. My wife just has this weird thing for Super Beetles. Never could stand them myself. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Smith Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I recommend google searching a lot of the Japanese kits unless you're familiar with them. Some are outstanding - some are from a different time...when accuracy and "replica" didn't factor in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadkill2525 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 (edited) Aoshima's VW kits are ex-Imai molds, along with the Subaru Sambar, Nissan Silvia SP113, Toyota Corolla (E70) and almost all the 1/12 motorcycles. Edited February 19, 2014 by Roadkill2525 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarana-X Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 (edited) Yeah, that's an old Imai motorized kit. The old Revell kit's are a nightmare of heavy mold lines, seams and flash. the New Revell kits are good, and they have a Cabriolet. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=76805 Edited February 19, 2014 by Zarana-X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 But NOT in a Super Beetle??? Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 what are the characteristics you are looking for to distinguish a "Super Beetle"? Curved windshield? certain boxy kinda bumpers? rear deck shape? not sure what exactly defines them though I know there are certain things. heres the rally version I have, has a bunch of extra parts though body etc is probably the same as the Aoshima one you have. this one includes metal parts for the motorize version junk toy. a look at the box full of parts...none particularly spectacular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Everything you said, plus the deck/hood is a few inches longer than the standard beetle. Also, they came with a McPherson Strut front suspension instead of the link-pin. Made it hard to street-rod one or maybe build a Baja Bug. My wife likes the Super Beetle. That's what she wants me to build, and darn it- she knows the difference. I'll get it done- I have an Exacto knife. Heck, I have a torch and a hammer, too. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydar Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Who is the manufacturer? I just bought a Chinese kit off of ebay Honda CB900 F in 1/8 scale. Pleeease don't let it be the same company!!!!!! joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Smith Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Who is the manufacturer? I just bought a Chinese kit off of ebay Honda CB900 F in 1/8 scale. Pleeease don't let it be the same company!!!!!! joe. Don't let one kit fool you. This VW is a vintage mold of a motorized toy. Many Aoshima kits are superb... But I am not aware of any Aoshima kits in 1/8 scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niteowl7710 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Who is the manufacturer? I just bought a Chinese kit off of ebay Honda CB900 F in 1/8 scale. Pleeease don't let it be the same company!!!!!! joe. Would that Chinese company be "Lee"? If so it's even worse, it's a perfectly good Tamiya kit that's been "reverse engineered" so that every bit of Tamiya goodness has been erased and replaced by the mojo of illegal copying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarana-X Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) Aoishima kits are super! Imai is a mixed bag. When Imai went out of business, other companies bought up their molds.That body is kinda wonky. The windshield looks like a Super, but the front end does not have the telltale curvature at the bottom of the fenders and hood. 71 & 72 Superbeetles (1302) had a flat windshield, just like a standard Beetle. 73-79 Superbeetles (1303) had the curved windshield, which caused the fresh air vents to be moved from the hood, to the front of the windshield.All Superbeetles have an elongated hood and front fenders that curve under the body. The front valence is rounded and most have vents to accommodate an AC cooler.The boxy bumpers are shared by all Beetles, regardless. 68-73 had larger bumpers that replaced the old style. 74 and up have even larger bumpers with an impact absorbtion system.The taillights are also shared by both Beetles. 68-70 had small tombstone shaped taillights, then larger ones for 71-72. 1973 introduced the huge round taillights nicknamed elephant's foot. The rear fenders were also changed to accommodate the big round lights. Edited February 20, 2014 by Zarana-X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydar Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Would that Chinese company be "Lee"? If so it's even worse, it's a perfectly good Tamiya kit that's been "reverse engineered" so that every bit of Tamiya goodness has been erased and replaced by the mojo of illegal copying. TaiZhou TongXin Toy Co. The kit is enroute to me now. Should know for sure by Monday. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Good luck. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gray07 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 also the way they sit the spare tires in the front, 1 stands up the other lays down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 I've had some requests for more details so I took some pics- hope they explain why this kit is so bad (in my opinion). The third and fourth picture is the "before" and "after" of the motor installation. By far the fastest I've ever done. About, oh, maybe two seconds. The body is the best part of the kit, and it still will require a lot of sanding. That part's fine with me. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niteowl7710 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I've had some requests for more details so I took some pics- hope they explain why this kit is so bad (in my opinion). The third and fourth picture is the "before" and "after" of the motor installation. By far the fastest I've ever done. About, oh, maybe two seconds. The body is the best part of the kit, and it still will require a lot of sanding. That part's fine with me. Dale Hey look at least it's a separate piece! Also it's not sharing the uniform front engine/RWD chassis blank that most of the "Best Car Vintage" kits do. I assume you can feel the sarcasm, but it was a different era. I bought the version of this kit with a roof about 20 years ago because I wanted to build a homage to the one my parents owned, this kit was the only Beetle I could find back then and ironically - considering how much I import directly from Japan these days - really soured me towards import kits for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Ellis Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Pyro used to make a plastic VW kit. It seemed better than these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyboy Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Gotta love our ladies ......my wife HAD to have the Fujimi MR2 Supercharger kit. I have yet to build it for her though. Good luck on it Dale! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yeah... the hardtop version of this is much easier to live with- on that one the super-shallow interior is a bit harder to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) I'll paint the interior to look DEEEPPP. Dale Edited February 27, 2014 by Dale W. Verts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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