¹⁄24

1968 Volkswagen 1500 Beetle

The Build

Engine
The engine is well detailed and easy to assemble. The fit of the parts is perfect. There are just a couple of seam lines that have to be eliminated; otherwise the building goes very easy. There are painting references on the instructions that make it very easy to paint as you go. I decided to paint the engine after assembly (error on my part). On this particular engine, the painting stage all went wrong for me. Firstly, I applied a bad mixed paint which gave a grainy, unreal look to the engine (it looks like is made from salt!). Subsequently, I had hard time painting belts and hoses, as well as the distributor cap. I was a little disappointed, but I did not mourn too much over the loss – I have planned to build the car with engine hood closed, anyway.

Suspension, wheels and undercarriage
Comparative with other producers’ (and even with other Revell) items, the suspension is very simple, as well as the steering system. I have encountered no problems whatsoever. To avoid the same mistake I did with the engine, I have pre-painted the subassemblies before I put them together and the result was better.

The wheels are also easy to assemble. The hubs are chromed and fit very well with the vinyl tires. The tires have some seams on the inside edges that had to be removed, otherwise the shape of the tire will have to suffer. The quality of the vinyl is less than satisfactory: they give a tacky feeling and they are collecting dust and particles like a magnet; I had to seal them in a zip bag until the completion of the model to prevent further contamination.

The undercarriage pan comes as one piece with good detail. I primed it with flat grey enamel and painted with grey acrylic. After I assembled everything together, I applied a semi-gloss coat to seal the work. Finally I test fit the wheels and floor board.

Dashboard
The details on the dash board are very well represented and I found no reason to use all the decals provided, except the speedometer which is very accurate. I started painting the dashboard on the sprue because I found it easier to manipulate. After the flat grey primer, I applied the exterior enamel color, bright orange. I have continued detailing with a 00 brush, painting the radio cassette player and switches and the recessed socket for the speedometer. The steering wheel I pre-painted also on the sprue. Finally, I added the last details and the only decal used for this model: the speedometer’s dial. All the work was sealed under a double coat of clear bright varnish.

Seats and floor
I started with the back seat by applying the grey flat primer. The plastic has a fabric texture and I wanted to reproduce leather as according to my “original”. I have applied a second layer of primer, and then I sanded it down with 600 grit sandpaper to remove the grainy look. Finally I painted the luggage space with gray acrylics and the seat with black oil paint, followed by dry brushing; I sealed the leather part only under clear bright varnish, while I applied semi-gloss varnish for the grey “fabric”. For the front seats I have applied the same treatment, without dry brushing.

The floor comes as a single piece, easy to paint: primer first, followed by gray acrylic. The kit offers decals for carpets under the front seats, but I decided not to use them. I added some details, as the pedals and the gear shift stick on the central console. Finally, I have installed the seats to complete the assembly. Before I continued, I test fit the door panels – also very useful to check the color scheme harmony.

Door panels and roof
The roof is molded in a single piece, also very easy to paint. I have primed it, then painted with gray acrylic. Because the details lost a little crispiness in the process, I have applied a very light wash with heavily thinned oil paint. The door panels have beautiful detail and I approached them as a mini model, negotiating the colors in successive brush passes, until I had the wanted result. Finally, I sealed the paint work under a gloss coat for “metallic” frame and semi-gloss for “fabric” insert.