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Volkswagen New Beetle |
Updated on 02/21/00 |
 I think Tamiya captured the cute look of the new Beetle well. The
engine hood and rear hatch panel are separate, but the conversion work won't probably be
so easy.
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 The New Beetle is a hatchback
coupe, but the edge of the rear window is beveled to be glued from the inside, so it is a
little troublesome to make the rear hatch open. If you are planning to open the rear
hatch, the parts have to be trimmed, and the indented area behind the black trim of the
window has to be scratchbuilt.
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| All lenses are clear including the fog lights, and the VW emblems and the headlight brackets are plated. The front grill is closed, but it features the diamond shaped patterns. The door handles are separate, so they shouldn't be forgotten when painting the body. The mirror faces are satin plated, so it's better to use a chrome foil. I didn't know that the car has asymmetrical door mirrors until I examined the kit. |
 The interior parts as well as the separate body panels are molded on a yellow
tree as shown. The dashboard looks alright, but it could be molded a little more
sharply, especially the radio face and knobs. A clear part is included to represent
the vase, but no flower is included.The seat has moldings on the back, and no filling work seems to be necessary, but it might appear a little too thin to some people. |
 The bathtub type interior looks fine,
especially the center console, which features four sharply molded cup holders.
However, the door panel needs a lot of work because it lacks 3 dimensional details.
The door pocket seems too shallow, and Tamiya ignored the marker light, door handles and
grip. The speaker faces are provided as a decal. |
 This tree should be the same as the one
in the Golf kit. the lower part of the engine is molded with the chassis. The
suspension details look simple, but it should be okay, because the real car employs with
relatively simple McPherson struts up front and torsion beam in the rear. Separate
disk brakes are provided, and they can be seen through the openings of a satin chrome
plated wheel. The front wheels are posable as usual. |
 The tires are Michelin MXX3, and
they look too sporty for the Bug, but the quality of the tire is very good. The decal includes four speaker faces, two European style license plates, two "New Beetle" nameplates, four large VW emblems for the wheels and one small emblem for the steering wheel. The meter gauges and high mounted stop lamp are also included. The kit comes with a masking sheet to help painting the edge of the window. |
| I was a little disappointed with the lack of the detail on the inner door panel, bur other than that, the kit looks very good. This kit would be a wonderful base for various custom projects, and I'm looking forward to seeing many at contests and in the magazines. |
Volkswagen New Beetle |
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