Airfix QuickBuild Flower Power Beetle (J6031) & Volkswagen Camper Van (J6032)

[Mike]

QuickBuild Flower Power Beetle (J6031)

QuickBuild 'Surfin' Volkswagen Camper Van (J6032)

Airfix Quickbuild Range

 

 

Airfix released a new range of easy-build kits some years ago that combine the looks of a model kit with the ease of assembly of a Lego block construction toy, with large self-coloured parts and stickers that add quite a bit of realism to the finished model/toy.  As well as aircraft the range includes tanks and vehicles, with re-releases in different schemes and with new stickers opening up new markets.  Each kit arrives in a bright orange box with CGI artwork and a quick breakdown of parts on the rear.  A small tab holds the flaps closed on the end-opening boxes, and inside you will find a single or double bag of parts in high impact plastic, the stickers for markings, and an A3 instruction sheet printed in colour on glossy paper with easy to follow steps.

 

 

QuickBuild Flower Power Beetle (J6031)

 

 

This gem of WWII engineering that stood the test of time, and more commonly known as the Beetle was a design classic.  This big pile of 33 parts builds up into a very nice looking rendition, which you then cover in stickers unless flowers and hearts and mandalas upset you for some reason.  Moulded primarily in green with sand-coloured interior, grey chassis and hubcaps, it fits together in 32 steps plus the stickers with the hubs, hub caps, tyres and clear lights arriving attached by single gates to mini-sprues.  They're easy to cut or twist off and the marks are difficult to see whether you cut or twist, so don't worry yourself too much about it.  The similar-looking side panels have L and R on the insides, and a few sand filler bricks fit inside the otherwise empty bonnet/hood, which even though it isn't an opening feature, still has a spare tyre moulded inside.  The glazing is all together in a single part that attaches to the inside of the roof before it is fixed to the lowers.  The wheels have squishy rubberised tyres that fit over the hubs, with the caps fitting by friction in much the same way as the real thing.  They're free-wheeling once you've clicked them into position on the axles that are moulded into the chassis.

 

 

 

The stickers are fun, printed on a clear sheet and pre-cut to size with a small overhang past the printed area.  The instructions show you where to put them, but as it's yours you can put them anywhere you like! 

 

 

 

 

 

QuickBuild 'Surfin' Volkswagen Camper Van (J6032)

 

 

This one's a rather large one with 42 parts, and comes in a slightly deeper box for that very reason.  The camper van is a big vehicle, and the parts count is high as evidenced by the two pictures of parts that are below.  It is moulded in black for the chassis, engine and pop-up top, orange for the lower body, cream for the upper body and roof, plus clear for all the windows and headlamp insert.  There's even two of the front-mounted VW logos in case you lose one which could be harder than it sounds as they clip in really tightly.  After the chassis is completed with its engine insert and pulley sticker the sides are made up with overlapping glazing panels keeping things together, and when you insert the two sides it traps the engine hatch so that it can hinge open and closed.  The front and rear panels are both laminated to continue the two-tone look and then everything is locked in place by the roof with its pop-up top that turns the van into a camper van in short order.  If you've ever been in one, you'll know that it's just barely a camper and even as a kid I found being inside one really cramped, especially when the doors were closed.  A pair of bench seats and a steering wheel sticker finish off the inside and then it's time to make up the wheels with orange hubs, cream caps and black rubbery tyres that clip onto the axle parts.  These parts are a bit of a loose fit on the chassis on my sample, so I popped a bit of superglue on the joint to avoid frustration.

 

 

 

 

Again the sticker sheet contains loads of hippie-era designs that can be stuck anywhere you like, or you can follow the instructions…. On the instructions, man!

 

 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[exdraken]

Nice! I did slightly improve on  a regular beetle some time ago here on BM

nice memories

Just ordered a red campervan yesterday....

Edited August 14, 2019 by exdraken