VW Dave

I'm a fan of aluminum rod over tubing too....no kinks, and minimal fancy tools needed for bending(you can do a lot of it by hand). Polishing after bending is a snap too. Here's the low-tech jig I made for bending Meyers Manx roll bars out of K&S 1/8" aluminum rod: And the bent & polished bar in a buggy body:

Micro Krystal Kleer by MicroScale is my favorite for that job, as epoxy thins out while curing and can bleed around window parts. For epoxy, I use the Permatex or Devcon 5-minute stuff in the handy-dandy syringe applicator(mostly because I hate measuring/guesstimating with the 2-bottle versions). Semi-opaque plastic medicine dispensing cups make for great mixing vessels, and they are reusable....after the leftover epoxy sets up, simply flex the cup a couple different ways and the solid mass of surplus epoxy pretty much pops right out.

I use rattle cans, but I do own an airbrush....I just haven't used it yet. Like Harry said, you can't beat the convenience

Cool, I know some folks there; I'm In a VW club based in Webster, and one of my cousins lives in Chili(she's a nurse @ Strong Memorial).

Love those!

Welcome from another New Yorker, Kyle. What part of Rochester are you from?

Love the color, cage and wheel choice....why just a single carb and stock 'pea shooter' exhaust?

I ran out of steam on my '64 Impala in about 1996 and boxed it up....fast forward to late 2006, and I hauled it out and finished it in a couple of afternoons. My friend Matt T called it my 'personal barn find.'

Up til now I've used dollar store pantyhose and a funnel to filter my purple pond for re-use....but I guess I'd get a few less funny looks buying a colander and coffee filters

I think the center piece seam idea is a good one, and you could maybe use styrene tubing to get the outer shape started too. Lemmee check my spares boxes...I might have a spare axle assembly from one of the Tamiya VWs that I wouldn't miss

The Mk2's had a 4x100mm bolt pattern, while the 911 & 944 were 5x130mm, so I must disagree

Looks like a solid build of one of my favorite kits ever; no apologies necessary

I like it...and it's funny that I was just test-fitting those same wheels under my Fujimi 2.5RS coupe the other night

I'd say the conversion is well within your skills, Mike; the inner and outer CV joints on an IRS axle are the same, so I'd either use 4 of the Tamiya kit parts or cast copies of just one...those kit boots are incorrect anyway, as the OE swingaxle boots were smooth rather than ribbed. To do the conversion with 100% accuracy you'd have to modify the kit's transaxle as well, because the swingaxle and IRS units are physically different in more than a couple ways. *VW geek moment for me: while 1969 was the first full production run for it, the IRS trans was actually introduced to the Type 1 part way through the 1968 model year, but that was only for the autostick-equipped cars

I like it!! Steve Zimmermann from PA offers a very similar wheel/tire package in 19/23, with resin centers and aluminum rims

The grill fit issue is likely due to broken clips...pretty common. My running joke was always how Mk2 VWs and zip-ties go together like Oreos and milk

Just completed my first trade with ToyLvr(Mike), and I'm sure it won't be our last. Just completed my umpteenth trade with plowboy(Roger) as well

I've had 5 Mk2 VWs(3 GTIs, one Jetta GLI and another Jetta GL), and that's a lot nicer than how a couple of mine came home...good score for your first car! I know your goal is to make it factory fresh, but a popular 'bolt-on' performance upgrade is the 10.1"(256mm) front brakes from the later 16v GLIs and early 16v Passats. The corresponding/required 22mm master cylinder is a direct swap as well. My '89 16v GLI had them from the factory, and my '88 16v GTI had them swapped over by the PO. Going back to the 'small' bumpers is a good idea, as they're correct for the car. As long as nobody bodged the upgrade too badly(i.e., random sheetmetal screws holding the later cover onto the early bumper bar and into the wings), the retro-swap should be pretty straightforward.

Isn't the Willys pictured a Revell already? I see no major changes to their gasser or pro street kit body in those pics......

Inaccuracies be damned.....I've got my NYSP decals in hand already, and I know I'll buy one. For me the subject matter will win out over any incorrect number of rivets I will read about on the forums.

The '66 kit is by Tamiya. I'm very curious about this backdating project of yours....I'm wondering how far back you're going, because the Gunze-Sangyo/Mr. Hobby '56 might be a better starting point, even though it's a curbside

My real '68 came to me with early bumpers on it, so I've forgotten about the bumperguards that would have been there. The only difference that is needed, aside from the upright headlights, would be the fuel filler door in the right front quarter panel. The early '68s had a finger notch for opening it, but the later ones didn't because a cable release setup was added(lever was in the glovebox). Here's a '69 with the later gas door:

My local stores have just started getting them, and it's for sure on my 'do want' list...I already have my Pursuit Plastics' NYSP decals from scale cop car guru Tom Sheehy. Those mold lines on the rear bumper look kinda gnarly, but I've seen worse, so they won't stop me from getting one.

Black Magic bought Wesley's 2 or 3 years ago, so the 'Bleche White' product is the very same. It's the main thing I use for cleaning resin too. I've also taken the advice of a more experienced builder and I scrub with Comet afterwards. After cleaning, I use the infamous 'tape test:' take a piece of scotch tape and stick it to the body in several spots; if it doesn't stick, there is still mold release present.

Glad to help out on the photo; it's a subject dear to me because a buddy here in NY has 2 1:1 XB Falcons, including a full-blown MM replica....the first in the world to have a functional blower, and also the new Scott EFI setup: With thin enough acetate or mylar**, you can form it to that sort of contour while gluing it in. **I got a product called 'Dura-Lar' at my local Michaels store that I'll be using on my MM1 model(with an AFX transkit)