lilcraigford

Looks good! Are you going to fiddle with the ZR1 wheels to "hide" the 5-lug bolt pattern or just leave them as is?

Yes, 1963 was the final year for the "ragtop" sunroof. The steel sunroof was available from1964 onward.

I always enjoy following your builds. This is a subject I’m passionate about, so I was excited to see your name next to the thread title. I hope you don’t mind me clarifying some information about the F1. “GTR” and “LM” are separate designations for different variants of the McLaren F1. The F1 GTRs are the track-only competition cars, built in three distinct specifications from ’95 to ’97. Many of the F1 GTRs have been converted to road use. The F1 LMs are the limited-edition road cars built to celebrate McLaren’s success in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. These were essentially a GTR with number plates, tailored after the Le Mans winning car. Regarding the actual Fujimi kit(s), there are a few areas that miss the mark. An easy one to overlook is the body line that trails off of the openings behind the front wheel arches. This line fades away well ahead of the rear wheel arches on the Fujimi body. On the actual F1, this line stays pretty well defined and even frames a portion of the rear wheel arch before disappearing. This detail doesn’t always show up in photos, but can been seen especially well in the following image of F1 048 (Kidston McLaren F1 048 Listing). I can’t take credit for this observation. Since these (and the Aoshima) kits have hit the market, I’ve studied a lot of builds and taken notes for whenever I get around to tackling mine. One the more comprehensive examples is this build over on the Britmodeller forums. Britmodeller - McLaren F1 I’m not sure how far you intend to rework this one, so feel free to disregard the above. Again, I look forward to see what you do with this one!

I'm excited for this one after seeing what you did with the Ferrari 475P! Seeing the 904 body on Fuchs reminded me of a series of renderings from several years ago. A quick search reveals that these created by a company Gullwing America to conceptualize a modernized 904 replica based on a 987-era Boxster/Cayman which they called the P/904 Carrera. I'm not sure if any were actually built.

Hello! Sorry I was unable to get back to you about the wheels. I haven't had much time to sit down and put together a reply. It looks like espo helped you get them straightened out however. I actually didn't have an answer for you question, but a little research suggests that wheels were painted body color through 1963. For all things vintage Volkswagen, TheSamba forums are an awesome resource! My dad's '60 isn't a suitable reference for a period correct Beetle - there isn't much stock 1960 left! He converted the car to a later IRS floorpan during his senior year of high school. During the swap the donors 4-bolt wheel pattern remained and the car sat on a set of Lemmerz Sport wheels for many years. He eventually scored a set of Porsche 914 Mahle wheels which the car wears to this day. Anyway, the build looks incredible. I still can't get over how well executed the backdating is. I also love all of the period photos you've shared. Your parents Beetle went to some pretty incredible destinations! I almost hate to see this one finished up because that means no more updates.

The decklid in my post is of a reproduction '64-'66 item from Mid America Motorworks. The sweep you describe is present on '58-'63 decklids but doesn't appear on '64-'66 decklids. I am unsure about the dash-mounted rearview mirror. I've never seen that before, personally. That is certainly a neat detail however! Sideview mirrors came in a few styles. The following images are scans of the 1962 Accessories brochure, courtesy of TheSamba: It looks like your parents car was fitting with mirror style "B". The Tamiya '66 has a different style on each side. Unfortunately the one that is close is for the passenger side. By the way, awesome work on the vents. You're certainly pushing the envelope of aircooled builds!

I was raised on aircooled Volkswagens and grew up with my dad's Beetle, also a 1960. You've done a fantastic job backdating the Tamiya '66! I have the same kit in the stash waiting for a similar treatment. Much like what you're doing, it is my intent to build a replica of his car eventually. Other members have already touched on the subtle differences between a '60 and '66 - I hope you don't mind me pointing out two more things I noticed (and you may be aware of these things already). The decklid that appears in a few of your pictures (it looks like it might be from the Best Model '57 trans kit you mentioned) is incorrect for a '60. Pre-1957 "W" decklid (left) and post-1964 decklid (right). The Tamiya part is actually a good starting point for a '60 decklid, the most notable difference being the license plate light. In '64 the Beetle got a wider license plate light housing, the same as what is molded into the Tamiya decklid. Prior to '64 the Beetle had the smaller "beak" style license plate light, close to that which is molded into the Best Model decklid. Also, the stampings for '58-'63 decklids are subtly difference than those from '64-'66 in the area where the plate light mounts. On the later '64+ decklids the "spine" running down the middle fades out sooner than on the earlier decklids. On earlier decklids the spine actually splays out a little around the plate light. Again, the difference is subtle and not very apparent even when comparing actual full size Beetles so it should be that much less noticeable at 1/24 scale. Pre-1962 tail light (left) and post-1961 tail light (right). You're on the right track with the tail lights. The 1960 tail lights are quite a bit smaller than those on a 1966, however. The alterations you made to the Tamiya parts definitely push them towards being a representation of '60 items and, at 1/24 scale, the results might be more than adequate. There is one more detail on the Tamiya body that is worth mentioning. On the center of windshield cowl there is a little nub. This is supposed to be the windshield washer nozzle which would be present only as early as '61. I hope you don't take any of my comments as criticism toward your work. You have an excellent attention to detail which especially shows in the rework you've done to the Tamiya kit. I look forward to future updates. Keep up the great work!

Brad, you beat me to it... When I saw the thread title, Scale Production came to mind. They used to produce a 16" 4-lug Gasburner which I suspect are discontinued. I checked Scale Production's site and they are no longer listed. BNA Model World still shows the Scale Production Gasburners on their website, however they are shown as "not in stock".

Here is a good writeup on the history/timeline of the recently found Bullitt Mustang (the car present at '18 Bullitt debut) that might clear up some of the discrepancies. Brad Bowling - Bullitt Mustang #559 Revealed The mirror, for example - in an interview, the second owner of the car says, "In the movie, my car had a small round mirror on the driver’s door... but when I got the car, it had a square mirror." A few changes occurred when the car was given a minor refurb at the end of filming, plus its received some repairs throughout its life.

Not to stray from the topic too much - Amalgam models are works of art! However, for the cost, I'll have to settle for admiring pictures from this side of the computer screen. Their website certainly provides plenty of eye candy: Amalgam Collection

I don't have any contributions at the moment, but had to comment on the motorized Beetle kit. That is really neat! Any dates or other indication of how old it is? The breakdown of the body is interesting. I did a quick image search for Pyro Volkswagen kits and it looks like they did a few variants. I was raised on air-cooled Volkswagens so I'll be watching this thread with interest. My first model was a secondhand 1/25 Revell Beetle (VW Cabriolet, Skips Fiesta Drive-In Series) that my father let me pick out at a swap meet when I was a kid. Eventually I'll dig it out for a mild rebuild. I also have a Tamiya '66 and Revell '68 (new tool) stashed away. There is some cool stuff in here and I've seen other great VW builds floating around MCM. Keep them comin'!

Wow, what a shocking change from the first to second photo! The details make all of the difference. That and the clean work make for a really convincing model.

Here is a rough summary of exterior changes the Beetle went through. '38-'52: Split rear window. '53-'57: Oval rear window, fender mounted turn signals added in '55, overrider bumpers introduced on US cars in '56. '58-'64: Rectangular rear window, windshield enlarged, turn signals moved to top of fenders, taillights enlarged in '62, license plate lamp changed in '64. '65-'67: All windows enlarged, upright headlamps introduced on US cars in '67 (euro cars had the sloped headlamps for one more year). '68-Up: Larger rectangular bumpers, shortened hood and decklid, external gas filler door added.

Agreed on both counts! Its interesting how different the body color looks in the outdoor pictures. I also really like the color matched detailing on the engine.

Great work on the body! The alterations to the wheels arches came out seamless. The body looks great in primer alone. I look forward to seeing how it turns out with color.