Revell's 68 VW Beetle

[David G.]

Thanks again for everybody's kind comments and feedback. Though I may not always have the time to respond to each comment individually, I do value them as a source of information and inspiration.

This one is very nearly finished. The chassis and interior are done and I just have some finishing details to address on the body.  I'm hoping to get it wrapped up this weekend and move it to the Under Glass section. In the meantime here a couple shots of the finished interior.

Revell provided decals for the speedometer, radio, horn button and shift pattern inscription on the ashtray- much appreciated.

 

This is probably widely known but the illustration in the directions show the handbrake cluster installed with the handle pointing rearward when it should point forward. I have to agree with Richard...  "Obviously the model was engineered by some German way too young to be around when the roads were full of Bugs."

 

Like this...

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

Edited January 7, 2018 by David G.

[PatW]

As an owner of five  1:1 Beetles this is a superb build, and look forward to seeing it the 'Under Glass' section!

[David G.]

Thanks Pat, your wish has been granted.

This one is finished and can now be found in the Under Glass section.

Thanks again to all of you who provided comments and feedback.

David G.

[Rabblewitz]

On 12/30/2017 at 2:30 AM, DustyMojave said:

The front axle is quite wrong.

And would it be so difficult for SOMEBODY to make a model kit of an IRS VW Bug. I know the swingaxle is simpler and was sold in most of the world right up to the last VW Bug built in 2003. But they're ALL swingaxle. EVERY Bug kit, EVERY VW buggy kit.

Yes. I'm not a VW expert, but the front axle and rear suspension do look wrong for a '68.  I was just searching the internet for confirmation.

Note that while this kit is very different than the older Revell kit (and 1:24 scale, rather than 1:25), It's not that new. Not sure when I picked up my kit, but it was certainly a bit before 2017.

[David G.]

Well, it does yield a nice finished model but the engineering of the kit is far from prototypical in a number of ways. 

I'm happy with the end result and that's what matters, right?

Thanks,

David G.

[Dann Tier]

NICE!!!, cant figure out how i missed this one!

[David G.]

On 1/27/2020 at 6:45 AM, Dann Tier said:

NICE!!!, cant figure out how i missed this one!

Thank you Dann.

I was going to throw you a link to the thread in the Under Glass section but the image links are currently broken. I sent a message to Dave Ambrose to see if there is a way to fix the links so we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, here is the link in case the images do get restored.

Regards,

David G.

p.s. The images have been fixed. 

Edited February 3, 2020 by David G.

[Oldmopars]

On 1/21/2020 at 4:29 AM, Rabblewitz said:

Yes. I'm not a VW expert, but the front axle and rear suspension do look wrong for a '68.  I was just searching the internet for confirmation.

Note that while this kit is very different than the older Revell kit (and 1:24 scale, rather than 1:25), It's not that new. Not sure when I picked up my kit, but it was certainly a bit before 2017.

Keep in mind that in 1968 the Beetle in the USA was available with swing arm rear if it was a manual trans, and IRS if it had an Auto-Stick trans. The kit has the right rear suspension for a stick shift 68. What you see a lot of is 68's with the Auto-stick that have been converted to a regular manual trans. All 69 and later USA Beetles had IRS, so double CV joints on each axle. 

As for the front, up to 67 were king pin, 68 and up were ball joint. In scale it is had to tell the difference. 

[David G.]

On 2/2/2020 at 9:06 PM, Oldmopars said:

Keep in mind that in 1968 the Beetle in the USA was available with swing arm rear if it was a manual trans, and IRS if it had an Auto-Stick trans. The kit has the right rear suspension for a stick shift 68. What you see a lot of is 68's with the Auto-stick that have been converted to a regular manual trans. All 69 and later USA Beetles had IRS, so double CV joints on each axle. 

As for the front, up to 67 were king pin, 68 and up were ball joint. In scale it is had to tell the difference. 

I actually never owned a standard Beetle, mine were all Super Beetles so they all had IRS.

The last one I owned, I built from spare parts. It had at least one part from each of the four or five previous Supers that I owned so it was like a rolling personal automotive history. It got wrecked in 2003 but here are some before and after photos.

 

 

 

 

David G.

[Tom99]

That is looking good.

[Roadrunner]

How cool. I've yet to get a bug for my collection, but certainly will, eventually.

[DustyMojave]

I know the Revell AG kit that is currently out in the market is a 1968 Euro spec Deluxe Bug. And as such, it should be swingaxle. But Revell US did a 1968 Bug kit (yeah, in 1/25 scale) in 1968. Several versions of that kit and all the dune buggy kits were spinoffs from that original kit. All swingaxle. That's fine.

 

But I repeat...

Would it be SO difficult for SOME model company to do a kit of an IRS Bug? There are kits of Porsches that have pretty good representations of that rear suspension which is designed from the basic VW design. Not so easy to make the kit parts into VW parts though.

And would it be so difficult for them to build the kit as the real car was built?

I spent several years in Manufacturing Engineering at Mattel Toys, who at the time owned Monogram Models and a friend of mine (we worked in another plastics firm before) was in Engineering at Revell US in Venice California ( I drove past there on my way to and from work every day). Before that, I was in R&D for another plastics firm where among other things, I designed and made molds myself. I've been building model cars since 1960. I've made many molds for model parts I wanted for another model.

I've also been around VW Bugs and dune buggies all of my life. I'm well respected in the world's largest forum for VW Bug aficionados (the Samba), People ask me for my advice on their VW issues from all over the world. I have a VW Baja Bug that has been around my family since the day it was bought new, was my 1st car to drive in 1971, I built into a Baja Bug for my dad in the mid 1970s, and it now has well over 900,000 documented miles on it. I've had EVERY piece of the VW Bug apart and back together. I KNOW Bugs.

I KNOW that it would be easier to make a kit that goes together much like the real full size VW Bug than to make a kit that is as wrong as all of the kits that have ever been produced. Why does a VW Bug need 2 floor panels? Why does the inner body structure need to be so wrong? Why does the suspension have to be so wrong? Probable answer is that most of the people designing the kits have never been inside of a Bug and only look at it from the outside and don't understand the car mechanically.

The body shell and exterior on this model kit is pretty good. Under the skin is quite a disappointment.

If you look at kits such as Revell's Stone Woods and Cook '41 Willys or Orange Crate '32 Ford done in the early 1960s, then look at the newest VW Bug kit. The people running the corporate entity known as Revell these days should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[David G.]

I agree Richard.

I was actually a bit shocked by the chassis design on this kit. The original Beetle's design and engineering is elegant in its simplicity. The chassis on this kit seems to have been designed by a committee of government bureaucrats.

It does yield a nice model in the end but that's all that can be built with it. Due to the kit's design, there are no options for any of the traditional VW mods or alterations, Baja, Cal Looker, etc.

David G.

Edited March 12, 2020 by David G.

[rustybill1960]

Awesome

I can't wait to see it in the finished section

Thank You for sharing

Later  

[rustybill1960]

Did you notice the printing on the side of the box?

[David G.]

1 hour ago, rustybill1960 said:

Awesome

I can't wait to see it in the finished section

Thank You for sharing

Later  

Thanks for the kind words. I actually finished this one a while ago. Here's the link to the finished thread.

1 hour ago, rustybill1960 said:

Did you notice the printing on the side of the box?

Regarding what?

Thanks again,

David G.

[rustybill1960]

The printing on the kit I have is for a 1938 ford roadster

[spike morelli]

So cool....I may just have to get one of these! Back in High School ( 1972), you could buy a used "bug" for maybe 2 or 3 hundred bucks. Lots of kids did, and many were slammed in front, Porsche rims and headlights, "stinger" exhaust, Cal-Custom woodgrain applique's on the dash and Cal-Custom matching door handles, jacked open engine bonnets......it just goes on and on. I never had one, but they had their own cool vibe back then. NOW, good luck finding one cheap. Still, I don't see them like I used to, where are they all?

[David G.]

10 hours ago, rustybill1960 said:

The printing on the kit I have is for a 1938 ford roadster

No, I didn't notice that! Maybe they fixed it before my issue was printed or I just didn't notice it. Not catching a mistake like that would be unusual for me but not unheard of.

Unfortunately, I didn't keep the box so there's no way I can check.

6 hours ago, spike morelli said:

So cool....I may just have to get one of these! Back in High School ( 1972), you could buy a used "bug" for maybe 2 or 3 hundred bucks. Lots of kids did, and many were slammed in front, Porsche rims and headlights, "stinger" exhaust, Cal-Custom woodgrain applique's on the dash and Cal-Custom matching door handles, jacked open engine bonnets......it just goes on and on. I never had one, but they had their own cool vibe back then. NOW, good luck finding one cheap. Still, I don't see them like I used to, where are they all?

Thank you, I'm glad you like it. 

I built and drove Super Beetles between 1987 and 2004 when my last one got wrecked. Aside from using aftermarket exhaust for reasons of practicality, I  never did any custom work on mine. No custom wheels, scoops or stand-offs, I liked them just the way they were.

As far as why we don't see them around like wee used to? The last Beetles were sold in the US nearly 50 years ago and they're just gone now  

I do miss them.

Again, thanks for taking the time to comment.

David G.