Hasegawa 1/24 1966 Volkswagen Beetle

Produced from 1938 to 2003, over 21 million Volkswagen Beetles were built in several factories around the world. Over the years there were many changes made, but the overall shape remained much the same.

 My parents bought one new in February 1966 and both my mother and I drove it for many years. It's been through floods, deserts and snow, with many memorable trips on family holidays, as well as my mother's daily commute till her retirement in the 80's. I still have it, parked in the corner of the paddock slowly rusting away. It hasn't been driven for five or six years.

The kit represents a 1966 model Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle with a 1300cc engine. The decals are dated 1993, instructions 1994, and the box 2009. Coming in a large, top opening box, there are thirteen sprues with 82 parts in light blue, black, white, clear and chrome plated plastic. There are four rubber tyres and some small rubber rings. There is a decal sheet included, with Japanese number plates and some logos. There is a separate sheet with chrome stickers, and a mysterious rectangle of black self-adhesive felt.

The parts are finely moulded, with engraved and raised lines. There is flash on some of the parts, and a mould joint line is visible. There are some ejector pin marks that mostly will be hidden after construction. The main body shell part has a prominent pip on the roof, which will need repair.

The black parts make up the floor pan, suspension and running gear. The blue parts are for the body and interior. The clear parts comprise a large insert with all the cabin windows, as well as the light lenses, The chrome parts are the bumper bars, hubcaps and details such as handles, lights, mirrors and trim.

The instructions are a large folded sheet, clearly printed on high quality paper. It shows 11 construction steps and a painting and decaling guide. There is a brief history in English and Japanese, and a multi-language paint list with Gunze and Mr Color paint numbers. A supplementary instruction sheet details conversion to left-hand drive. A second dashboard is included for this conversion.

Comparison with an Australian built 1966 Beetle shows that while the general shape is good, there are a number of detail differences. The texture of the seat fabric and door liners is different, the model has a ridge down the centre of the bonnet, the dashboard and the shape of the bumper bars is quite different.

A nice model of a very popular car. Looks to be an easy build, with plenty of scope for interesting paint jobs and customisation. Recommended for everybody.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle

The old rust heap outside the back.

Kit Instructions.

Peter Burstow

June 2014