1966 VW Bug 1300
Hi everyone. First time poster here. My modeling buddy Eric has been after me to show some of my builds. So, here goes.
My latest build is Tamiya's 1966 VW Bug 1300. There is so much good to say about this kit. The design detail is great. It builds like a real car. The molding quality is good. Other than a few mold lines there was not much cleanup required.
The paint instructions prescribe specific mixes that are supposed to match factory paint. None of their formulations seemed quite right so I created my own by mixing three colors of decanted Tamiya spray lacquer; blue, haze gray, and white. Not a true factory color but it had the right vintage feel and looked good with the Tamiya racing white I used for the interior.
One odd thing about the kit, no decals for the instrument panel. I created a speedometer in Photoshop from a Stewart-Warner decal and painted the rest by hand. All the chrome trim is Bare Metal Foil except for the VW logo on the hood and the 1300 on the engine cover which were metal transfers from the kit.
This kit was lots of fun and brought back many memories (including skinned knuckles and sheet metal cuts from working on engines). I highly recommend it.
Sharp lookin' model right there...I like it. Welcome to iModeler.
Thanks Craig, and thanks for the welcome.
Quintessential modeling right there! Welcome, Ken! Nice job on what was clearly a fun kit.
Well Ken, I have to say, Eric was right. We needed to see this. Very nicely done. And welcome. We look forward to seeing a lot more like this one.
🙂 … Greetings … 🙂 :
Welcome to the forum KEN, I trust you will have a good time during your visits.
Nice BUG model, you really can't go amiss with a TAMIYA model kit and this one is no exception.
Good clean, sharp build and a very nice glossy sheen to it.
Nice! My first car was a '72 Beetle (ugly orange though) I bought in '85. Drove it from Toronto all the way to Victoria on Vancouver Island (Pacific coast). Love the blue. I'll have to post my Fiat 500 - it's Italy's Bug. Keep up the good work.
Bl..dy hell that was quite a drive you did in the Beetle then. Victoria´s nice as the rest of Vancouver Island. Been to Tofino and Nanaimo too. Camped at Schooner´s cove beach.
Hi Aldo. I saw your blue Fiat. Nice work! Several years back I built a model of the Abarth 595SS version. Back in the day I owned several Fiat 600s and a Spyder. I still have one of the Nardi steering wheels hanging on my shop wall.
Nicely done Ken, you've surely captured the look of the Bug. Fun little car to drive, however, the heater was practically non existent in cold weather. Welcome to iModeler, you'll like it here.
Nice Beetle Ken, looks like a great kit.
Excellent! My dad bought a '69 beige Bug that I inherited when I got my license in '75. Drove it for years until it was totaled by someone not paying attention! Lots of memories! And let me also extend a welcome to iModeler.
Ours was green. Drove it all over. This looks really nice. Welcome!
Nice Bug! looks great. My uncle had a green one back in the day.
My folks had two black Bugs...had a cousin who drove his yellow bug so long that the floor pan rusted through. One time we where out and about, hit a bump and the car keys fell to the floor and onto the street. He backed the car up reached down and picked his keys off of the road. He looked at me with smile and said I need my keys and off we went.
Great kit and memories.
Around 1980 I had a girlfriend who drove a yellow Bug. I looked under the front end one day and saw extensive rust all over the front suspension. I advised her to stop driving the car and I would help her find a replacement. Good thing I saved her life. We've been married now for 38 years.
Well, I think it's all been said already. Your VW Beetle (or Bug, if preferred) looks great!
Although I never owned a Bug (I was happy with my '67 Corvair) I rode several thousand miles in several VWs owned by friends ... not to mention that I toured western Europe (Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and France in a VW Microbus ... with 8 others in it with me!
The "People's Car" is certainly an icon in world transportation!
Great lookin' Bug, Ken!
Corvair! my Dad had a '62 3 spd. and my sister had a '67 convertible automatic with the shifter on the dash.
Beautiful model with excellent craftmanship - the chrome is impressive!
Hello Ken,
Welcome to Imodeler.
Like mentioned by you: "It looks like the real VW 1300"
Brings back memories. My father had one similar (1960) and we had to sit in the little box behind the back seats. Out of harms way. These days you could get arrested for transporting children that way. So you see, a model can bring you "far" back in time. Regards, Dirk / The Netherlands.