1/25 Revell VW Beetle Type 1 Kits

[Casey]

On 2/14/2019 at 10:16 PM, Robberbaron said:

Anyone know if the old Revell 1/25 Beetle tooling ever made its way to China? If it remained stateside, I wonder if Atlantis has it now?

If it ended up in China, I think we'll never see it reissued.

 

Prompted by Robert's above post from another topic, I did some online searching and found two distinct 1/25 Revell VW Beetle Type 1 Coupe(?, sorry, no Cabriolets) kits. Both versions seem to share the same basic underpinnings, with the body shell being the most obvious difference between the two....but more on that in the second post.

Here are the kits I found, put in numerical order by kit number, though I'm not 100% certain there are also in chronological order:

Revell H-1263 (1968) -- Herbie The Love Bug:

 

Revell H-1264 -- VW 3 in 1 Kit!:

 

Revell H-1318 -- Champion Spark Bug:

 

Revell H-1322 (1973) -- Barris-Rolls VW:

 

Revell H-1326 (1974)-- Herbie Rides Again:

 

Revell H-1341-- Baja Chopper:

 

Revell H-1409 -- The California Bug:

 

Revell 7209 (1980) -- Penny Pincher:

 

Revell 7211 -- VW Beetle Kafer:

 

Revell 7103 (1985) -- VW Bug, Lightning Rods Series:

 

Revell 7143 (1987) -- VW Street Machine:

 

Revell-Monogram 85-7143 (1998):

 

 

Edited February 16, 2019 by Casey

[Casey]

Revell-Monogram 85-7143 (1998) -- VW '60's Beetle:

 

Revell 85-2144 (2001) - Killer Bee, Blacktop Warriors series:

 

The Champion Spark Bug, Baja Chopper, and Killer Bee kits feature bobbed front fenders, a partially open fabric roof, and the twin roof mounted air cleaner assemblies. The other kit(s) include a body with full fenders, no sunroof, and is the more traditional-looking Beetle. Compare the parts from the Baja Chopper (yellow), VW Street Machine (pink), and Penny Pincher (orange) parts below:

 

Chrome and clear parts from the 1987 issue of the VW Street Machine kit:

Here's a good shot of the modified body shell from the Killer Bee kit:

Edited February 16, 2019 by Casey

[Casey]

Back to the original question...:

  On 2/14/2019 at 10:16 PM, Robberbaron said:

Anyone know if the old Revell 1/25 Beetle tooling ever made its way to China? If it remained stateside, I wonder if Atlantis has it now?

If it ended up in China, I think we'll never see it reissued.

Looking at the Killer Bee box, we can see the "Made in the USA" logo, so I think it's safe to say this kit was stateside, so it seems likely Atlantis Model has it in their possession now:

 

I'm guessing the minor differences between the two kits/version are handled with inserts which are changed out as needed, and maybe the same for the body shell, too? The roof differences between the two versions couldn't be handled by sliding bodyside sections, so maybe there's an insert for the roof area, too.

Fill in the blanks of what I missed, please.

Edited February 16, 2019 by Casey

[Snake45]

Looks like there are at least three bodies, not two: Some versions (such as the pink one) have flared fenders; others don't. 

I never realized there were so many variants of these kits! Thanks for the education/documentation! 

[Classicgas]

image.jp2There are these Convertible kits based on that tooling as well

image.jp2

Edited February 16, 2019 by Classicgas

[Spex84]

I had the Street Machine years ago but chopped it up for other projects and I've been thinking of getting another. Glad to see that it was re-issued in white, and that there are in fact several older iterations of the kit.

Seems there are four bodies--normal fenders, flared fenders, dune buggy, and Rolls Royce kit.  Inserts on chrome tree for wheels and a set of custom parts-, with choice of nerf bars, roof-mounted air filters, dual exhaust. Insert on main tree for custom parts, with choice of side scoops, air hoses, dual exhaust or stinger exhaust. Custom bucket seats are shared--but I have a cabriolet kit and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have custom seats, so that might an insert too...will have to check on that.

Based on the kits shown above, it looks like they've already covered every possible combination of inserts, with the exception of combos involving the Rolls body--and that's probably a good thing, haha!

We don't have pics of the cabriolet parts trees in this thread yet, but I'll bet the up-top and down-top fill the spaces where the custom parts would otherwise be, explaining the lack of a cabriolet kit with a stinger exhaust, for example.

 

Edited February 16, 2019 by Spex84

[Classicgas]

[Spex84]

Haha, thanks Lee! I just got back from taking photos of those exact same parts. I will post them here anyway, as they're a little easier to analyze on the blue background.

*Edit* Ok, so looks like there's one tree that is the "custom" tree, and the only consistent part across all the kits on that tree is the "spine" and suspension struts. Everything else gets swapped out--custom bucket seats, skid plate, roll bar, etc get swapped for convertible up and down-tops, interior door panels, and stock wheels on the Cabriolet kit.

Of note--in the Cabriolet kit, the chrome tree is cut short, as custom chromed wheels are not included in that version.

Because the Lightning Rods version has chromed stock wheels (the Rolls version too), this suggests there must be 2 separate tools for the stock wheels--one in a 2x2 configuration on the plain parts tree, and one as a 4x1 insert on the chrome tree.

Edited February 16, 2019 by Spex84

[Atmobil]

6 hours ago, Snake45 said:

Looks like there are at least three bodies, not two: Some versions (such as the pink one) have flared fenders; others don't. 

I never realized there were so many variants of these kits! Thanks for the education/documentation! 

I'm fairly certain that I read somewhere a long time ago that the original kit from 68 did not have fender flares but was later modified and all reissues later have had them. Looking at the pictures posted above it looks like the Herbie ride again does not have them but the Barris version may have them (difficult to see with all the bling effect on the boxart photo)

They have also used parts from the same tooling on the Gypsy Dune buggy and Super Safari buggy. I got these on the shelf and the floorpan is clearly a shorter version and lots of engine and suspension parts are the same.

[Casey]

35 minutes ago, Atmobil said:

I'm fairly certain that I read somewhere a long time ago that the original kit from 68 did not have fender flares but was later modified and all reissues later have had them. Looking at the pictures posted above it looks like the Herbie ride again does not have them but the Barris version may have them (difficult to see with all the bling effect on the boxart photo)

I don't think the Barris-Rolls version had fender flares, as the Herbie Rides Again kit released in 1974 did not have them, either. Here's a shot of the Barris-Rolls parts, and while not great, I *think* I see a body shell without the flares:

 

H-1326 Herbie Rides Again body, sans flares:

Edited February 17, 2019 by Casey

[Mark]

The Barris Rolls did not have flared fenders.  It did have the open sunroof.

The stock body in the first issue "3 in 1" kit I have has a mold line on the roof where the sunroof would be.  I'm pretty certain both bodies were produced from one tool, and the flares were added to that body later.  The convertible body would be another tool, and the cut-down Baja sedan yet another.

Not sure if it has been mentioned, but the sedan versions all lack inner door panels.  I have that last version of the sedan, tried cleaning that thing up but it is a lost cause.  The body tooling is thoroughly beat.

[Snake45]

10 minutes ago, Mark said:

I have that last version of the sedan, tried cleaning that thing up but it is a lost cause.  The body tooling is thoroughly beat.

I bought one of those (VW '60s Beetle) at the local toy show but have never taken a good look at it. Just opened it up--it has the fender flares. And the sunroof line in the roof, but not open roof. 

The molding lines are pretty prominent, but I don't consider it a "lost cause." Hell, I've wrestled several MPC '69 Camaro and '67 Corvette reissues into submission, so I'm pretty confident I can make it my "witch." 

[Mark]

1 minute ago, Snake45 said:

I bought one of those (VW '60s Beetle) at the local toy show but have never taken a good look at it. Just opened it up--it has the fender flares. And the sunroof line in the roof, but not open roof. 

The molding lines are pretty prominent, but I don't consider it a "lost cause." Hell, I've wrestled several MPC '69 Camaro and '67 Corvette reissues into submission, so I'm pretty confident I can make it my "witch." 

While you're at it, fit the engine lid to the opening...

[Don Sikora II]

There are interchangeable inserts for the sedan roof so it can be set up "smooth" or with the open sunroof. The insert line is visible on the pink street machine and the later '60s beetle with the flower decals. Pretty sure the flares were added for the California Bug issue in the Seventies. The 'stock" wheels that can be on the chrome tree are deeper than the style that came unplated.

[Snake45]

17 minutes ago, Mark said:

While you're at it, fit the engine lid to the opening...

Hey, I just built the IMC. How hard could it be? 

Actually, at the moment, I'm just looking to make a fenderless Altered body, so a little filling/filing/whatever on the engine lid doesn't bother me. I also want to do another one with the body whacked off behind the doors and made into a stake-bed truck, and the engine lid fit is irrelevant to me on that one, too. 

[Spex84]

And then there's the "Skip's Fiesta" Cabriolet--basically the plain ol' Cabriolet as shown above, but the stock wheels are blanked out and instead it gets the chrome 5-spoke option on the chrome tree. Molded in Aqua and later in white.

[Casey]

2 hours ago, Mark said:

The body tooling is thoroughly beat.

That might explain Revell's investment in an all-new 1/24 Beetle.

Was this kit ever great, as far as parts fit is concerned? Asked differently, is it worth seeking out an early issue where tolerances were (presumably) tighter, and the parts fit significantly better?

[stavanzer]

This kit was never great, IMHO, but it was(and still is) workable. As far as older issues goes, I'd say yes, if only because the flash on the chrome tree gets worse and worse with every new issue of the kit. Revell's QC on this kit seems to have failed in the 1980s and it has never recovered. I like the kit, it it is poor in many ways.

A local VW guru also informed me that the Body in the Champion Spark Bug/Baja Chopper/Killer Bee is a One-Off, Unique body style used only on the Champion Racer in 1-1 scale. There was only the one car built and raced, so all of these kits represent a very rare machine.

[Atmobil]

6 hours ago, Casey said:

That might explain Revell's investment in an all-new 1/24 Beetle.

Was this kit ever great, as far as parts fit is concerned? Asked differently, is it worth seeking out an early issue where tolerances were (presumably) tighter, and the parts fit significantly better?

I have never owned any version of this tool that is old enough to not have the fenderflares but I have the pink Street Machine kit anf the Lighting Rods edition and they are both looking quite rough. I did build the 60s beetle version some years ago but I built it as a class 11 baja racer.

 

I made my own doorpanels.

I may have taken the bumpers of Hasegawas 66/67 as I used parts from the revell kit to build a replica of my own 69 with Hasegawas 67 back in the day:

Hasegawa 67 with bumpers and wheels from the Revell 1:25 bug.

[Classicgas]

Fit of the engine lid is no matter to me anyway, it'll be left open.

[Daddyfink]

On 2/17/2019 at 2:16 AM, alexis said:

This kit was never great, IMHO, but it was(and still is) workable. As far as older issues goes, I'd say yes, if only because the flash on the chrome tree gets worse and worse with every new issue of the kit. Revell's QC on this kit seems to have failed in the 1980s and it has never recovered. I like the kit, it it is poor in many ways.

A local VW guru also informed me that the Body in the Champion Spark Bug/Baja Chopper/Killer Bee is a One-Off, Unique body style used only on the Champion Racer in 1-1 scale. There was only the one car built and raced, so all of these kits represent a very rare machine.

[milo1303s]

his one should be totaly different  as its a Superbeetle with strut front suspension

 

curved windshield

[milo1303s]

Revell 7219 should be a totally different kit according to box art

[Atmobil]

But is it?
Anyone here got one?
Or could it be a reissue of the Imai convertible?


In that case, it is very much labled wrong as the Imai 1303 is too wide to be a 1:24 bug.
Or could it be a classic case of boxart-snafu?

[Tom Geiger]

I'm a fan of this series of kits.. they do have their shortcomings, both in detail and mold wear.  There's a lot of clean up and fitting!

Whenever I see one cheap at a show, I grab it for my parts collection!   I have several stalled in progress, I think I need to get them off the bench!