1:24 SCALE VOLKSWAGEN SAMBA BUS IN LUFTHANSA MARKINGS

THIS IS ANOTHER ISSUE OF REVELL’S 1:24 SCALE KIT OF THE ICONIC Volkswagen Samba, also known as the Combi, Microbus, T1, or just plain ‘Bus.’

NEW 2011 VW BULLI vs. OLD HIPPIEVAN, PLUS NEW CONCEPTS, DIECASTS TO LOOK AT

David Jefferis looks at the VW Bus

Mat Irvine’s VW Microbus article stirred up some comments, especially when we invited comparisons with the new Bulli version, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, which ends on 13 March.

Other ideas out there

Seems as if VW’s Bulli is a bit plain-Jane for VeeDub fans, and too similar to people-movers like the Ford Galaxy et al. Also, the 2001 concept was - and remains - sooo much cooler. So I thought it might be interesting to see what else is out there, and ran across a couple of concepts. First off, the Photochop from ‘D nice’ at VW Vortex smooths off the nose and blacks out the glass to bring back some character - compare them above and see what you think. I know which I like! Then there’s also the work of Canadian designer Alexandre Verdier, whose ideas are very nice indeed, especially his ‘woodie’ version, shown after the 'read more' jump.

REVELL VW MICROBUS AND A NEW VERSION AT THE 2011 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

Mat Irvine looks at the 1:24 scale Revell VW Microbus kit

Way back in 1957, Revell Inc was based in Venice, California, close to the sea and surf of the Pacific Ocean. The company produced a kit of what was becoming one of the vehicles in which to carry your surfboard. But this wasn’t a product of one of the major American car companies - instead, it came from the other side of the Atlantic, for it was a kit of the German VW Microbus, also known as the Samba or Combi. 

Revell and Hasegawa link up

The kit used a multi-piece body, in that you got separate side, front and rear panels, roof and four doors, plus hatches at the back. Over the years the kit was modified (the rear hatch was enlarged) and reissued in a number of guises. But the kit was slightly showing its age and when Hasegawa also decided to make a VW Bus, (with van and pickup versions as well), Revell (which had a tie-in with the Japanese company for some time) reboxed the kit and issued it as its own. This time the body was the more usual one-piece, though features such as opening doors and separate engine were not a feature of the Hasegawa version.