VW bettle kit

[slusher]

What is the best vw bettle kit?? l have been thinking about buying the revell bettle street machine....

[IMSANUT]

The Tamiya kit is heads and shoulders above the Revell kit as far as detail and accuracy are concerned. It gets my highest marks. That said, the Revell kit does build up nicely, but is not the "end all" as far as Bug kits are concerned.

[Ace-Garageguy]

...but the Revell one is good to hack up into something radical, precisely because it's not all that great to start with...

[Lunajammer]

The Revell hardtop is quite old so tons of flash, to the point that some detail parts are disfigured. Lots of offset seams. Slight fender flares molded to the body. However, they're not too expensive.

[jeffs396]

Don't overlook the Gunze kit either...

[Chuck Most]

The Revell kit's aren't bad, but the Tamiya kit is much better detailed hands-down. The Gunze '56 Oval is a nice kit too, but it is a curbside kit, so if you must have full engine detail that one is ruled out right off the bat. Polar Lights also did a 'Herbie the Love Bug' kit, it is a snap together kit, but has full engine detail and (if I remember correctly) posable steering- downside to that kit is that some of the molded in detail (drip rails, wipers, and the like) is a bit heavy-handed.

[GeeBee]

I've built the Tamiya Beetle, and it is a real nice kit to build, I did start the Revell cabriolet a few years ago, but there was so much flash on a lot of the parts I gave up, and sold it on, Revell AG are releasing a '68 1500 later in the year, and I'm hoping it's a new tooling, like they've done with the Mini Cooper and the 2CV, if it's in the same league as those two, it should be a very nice kit.

[slusher]

Thanks so much guys. sounds like the tamiya kit is the way to go....

[Casey]

Thanks so much guys. sounds like the tamiya kit is the way to go....

I would rank the Revell-AG kit right up there with the Tamiya kit, and the detailing possibilities are much greater, too:

[Harry P.]

I would rank the Revell-AG kit right up there with the Tamiya kit, and the detailing possibilities are much greater, too:

If you're looking for the best Beetle kit regardless of scale, I agree on this one. I have it; it's very detailed.

[Chuck Most]

Forgot about that one somehow! Also, that's the only Split Window Beetle kit in styrene anywhere as far as I know.

[Tom Geiger]

Forgot about that one somehow! Also, that's the only Split Window Beetle kit in styrene anywhere as far as I know.

Yes! We seriously need a split window in 1/24 or 1/25 scale! The Revell Beetles tooling is pretty worn out at this point, and Lunajammer's post is accurate. I do like the Polar Lights kit. They were really onto a good model kit formula before they stopped doing new tools. They had found a happy medium between a detailed kit and something that would be easy to assemble for the novice.

Part of Tom Lowe's formula was TV and movie licensing, so the Herbie version was a good piece for movie memorabilia collectors, which is a much bigger market than us poor model car builders. I gave my first one to my 13 year old nephew and within an hour he had a nice shelf piece he was proud of. And for us guys, we can go to town on it detail wise. I'm hoping that Round 2 eventually issues the Cal Custom version which was to be the next release off the tool.

The only thing that looks wrong on the kit is the way the soft top attaches to the body. Note you can see the push pin right above that B pillar. To do it right, you'd need to fill in the hole in the roof, cut the pin off the soft top and just glue it in place. The above photo is one I own but bought built as you see it. Overall a very nice Beetle that was built by the late Mike Havranek of NJ. Also note that the soft top is the first time that has appeared in 1/24 or 1/25 scale. I intend to use one on an oval window I need to build.

Edited January 17, 2013 by Tom Geiger

[blunc]

IMC kitted a beetle, not sure how good it was but there are a few lurking in the wild.

[Tom Geiger]

IMC kitted a beetle, not sure how good it was but there are a few lurking in the wild.

I love that old kit! The IMC kit is neat and has some shortcomings due to the age it was tooled in. For instance, the door hinges are out of scale but the two complete versions of stock and V8 drag car are pretty neat! You can take that drag chassis out to use for something else, and still have enough parts to build the stock car.

There is a newer version of that kit done by the Japanese company Union, It's the same kit, but in a Japanese style box. Union went out of business and nobody knows what happened to the tool after that!

[ChrisR]

Hasegawa also did 1966 and 1967 Beetles. Although curbside models (no engines) they are also very nice models.

[Draggon]

Might want to hold off for awhile. I hear-tell Revell is coming out with a new tool 68 Bug. I think I read it on this forum somwhere.......

[GeeBee]

Might want to hold off for awhile. I hear-tell Revell is coming out with a new tool 68 Bug. I think I read it on this forum somwhere.......

And here it is in the 2013 Revell AG catalogue

[Craig Irwin]

The Gunze '56 Oval is a nice kit too, but it is a curbside kit,

Nothing the 36 HP mill and split case trans in the AMT Meyers Manx wouldn't fix.

[Tom Geiger]

Nothing the 36 HP mill and split case trans in the AMT Meyers Manx wouldn't fix.

A BIG 36 Horse Power! Heart be still!

I've been looking at that Gunze oval window... the shape of a split window isn't all that far off. I've been thinking of working on that rear window.

[Craig Irwin]

A BIG 36 Horse Power! Heart be still!

I've been looking at that Gunze oval window... the shape of a split window isn't all that far off. I've been thinking of working on that rear window.

A/FX in scale does the dash, but getting one might be tricky.

Or bash it with a Hasegawa Kubelwagon for a Komanderwagen........ (yes it has a 25 HP and reduction boxes)

Edited January 19, 2013 by Craig Irwin

[Edsel-Dan]

The Polar Lights Herbie kit did show Steering on the box art, but that was

their 1/18 Diecast.

The Kit did not come with steerable front.

It Can be done. I did that on mine.

The Original Revell issue of Herbie had an Open Canvas top.

I still have mine. Need parts to restore him though!

[Draggon]

Thanks for the confirmation Geoff! I had a '68, '69. and '71. I would love to duplicate my 1:1's. That Revell thing is horrid, and the Gunze and Tamiya's are too old.

[CDA]

And here it is in the 2013 Revell AG catalogue

Awesome! There's a flaw though. Just saying if you didn't know, The Limousine is in accurate. It's calling it a Super Beetle, showing a '67, and saying it has a 1500cc motor. Super Beetles didn't come out until '71, and had a 1600cc motor.

[GeeBee]

Awesome! There's a flaw though. Just saying if you didn't know, The Limousine is in accurate. It's calling it a Super Beetle, showing a '67, and saying it has a 1500cc motor. Super Beetles didn't come out until '71, and had a 1600cc motor.

Not so, The so called "Super Beetle" did come out in 1971, but had a 1300 c.c motor (1302), and the 1302S had the 1500 c,c motor, most people, wrongly believe that all Super Beelte's had a larger curved front screen, but these didn't come in until the later 1303 in 1973.

The photo in the catalogue clearly shows the earlier '67 1500, so the listing of a "Super Beelte" looks to be a typo' so it looks like we will just have to wait to see what actually hits the shelves, I shall be keeping my eye on the Revell website with interest, as I actually worked for Volkswagen for a few years.

Edited January 28, 2013 by GeeBee

[Craig Irwin]

It's not well known in the U.S., but not all beetles were created equal, We never got the 1302, and all 71 and newer U.S. spec beetles were 1600 cc. With Revell of Germany doing the tooling it would naturaly be a German spec car, and look like a 67 to us.