History

Entering production just prior to the start of WW2, more than 20 million models of the Volkswagen "Beetle" had been built by 2003! Adolf Hitler himself commissioned Dr. Ferdinand Porsche to develop a simple motor car that could be mass produced and made available to the German population. But upon the outbreak of war in 1939, production of military vehicles took precedence, with only a small number of civilian Beetles produced throughout the duration of the conflict. The car did not become widely available to the civilian public until the 1950s.

The VW "Käfer" was designed as a compact car that featured an air cooled, flat-four cylinder engine mounted at the rear. Four wheel independent suspension employed high performance torsion bar system for precise control and handling. The distinctive round-shaped body was designed by Porsche's chief engineer, Erwin Komenda. A prototype was completed in 1938 and the type 82E was used as a staff car by many German military and government officials. It shared the chassis with the Kubelwagen and featured a higher road clearance (75 mm) than the civil version. The military version offered the improved driving performance of the Kubelwagen combined with the comfort of a closed interior. Nearly 500 models of the type 82E were built during WW2.

The Kit

The kit comes in a small top opening cardboard box with a simple but effective cover artwork (picture 1).
The packaging is top quality and each sprue is protected within it's own plastic bag (picture 2). The clear parts have also their own protection bag.

The first impression about the kit is that it should be easy to build. The main part (picture 3) is an exemple of the quality that Tamiya is able to achieve nowadays. Almost no work will be necessary other than removing a small sprue at the back and barely noticable molding lines on the forward fenders (see arrows on picture 4) and on the roof. The sink mark you can see on picture 4 won't be visible, unless you want to display the luggage compartment open. Remember, there is no engine here, it is located at the rear. In all, the molding is top class, hats up Tamiya!

The chassis, the interior and the detail parts are located on a single sprue (picture 5). Here also I don't expect to much work and the build should be straightforward. The details on the underside are basic (engine area), but this should not be a problem unless you want to display your car on the roof (picture 6). There are two options for the wheels, one for a military car and the other one, with caps, for a civil version (picture 7). A driver is also provided, and even if he appears under alimented, it's not important in my opinion since he will be mostly hidden inside the car. There a no options for open doors without doing some major surgery on the main body part. You would also have to scratchbuild the inside of the doors and probably other noticable details if you do so. Beware of the "Pendora Box effect!"

The clear parts are... cristal clear and designed so to fit easily inside the body shell. The windscreen is separate and has moulded-on wipers. Two separate headlamps are also provided (picture 8).

Instructions

The instructions are printed on a "panoramic" paper sheet (picture 9). I already said I didn't found this format to be very practical. I would have prefered the instructions to be horizontal rather than vertical . Other than that they are nicely done in the typical Tamiya style. Three options are shown on the instructions (picture 10):

A - Wehrmacht Herr, Berlin 1945
B - Reich Traffic Administration, Minsk 1944
C - German Civil Car

But there is a fourth one on the decal sheet (picture 7) for a Luftwaffe car (number plate WL-132715).

Conclusion

What a nice little kit! I think it can be built in an afternoon and it will look nice in a "last days of the Luftwaffe" diorama but also in a post war scene with allied aircraft based in Germany...
I hope Tamiya will release other vehicles like a "Follow Me" Jeep or an Ambulance. Anyway, for now we have this one and it's a good thing. I highly recommend this "Beetle"!

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AeroScale.