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Posted (edited)

First work-in-progress post here—hi all!

 

After being tempted many many times and growing up with a real van on my street, I decided to take the plunge on this kit from Revell. It’s proving to be an interesting fun project, with the expected challenges on the front doors and fitting as mentioned by many others.

 

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Before starting the build I did quite a bit of research even to determine what model year this kit is supposed to be since it’s not mentioned in the box! 1962 was the conclusion so far but I’m still researching more to cross reference details, etc.

 

One of the things I really love is spending time looking at photos of the real van, nerding over many details and deciding what modifications I can make to the kit, to have it closer to the real thing.

 

As I started working on the front cabin, one the things I immediately wanted to change was the area below the seats. It’s completely flat on the kit and missing all the great metal work of the real van, despite the nice grooves on the plastic to reference the real metal moulding and the nice spare tire area behind the front seats. I wanted to add the raised area above the wheels also to have a nice edge for front doors as in the real van, rather than it being level had I assembled the kit as standard.

 

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I filled in some of the moulding grooves with putty below the front cabin now that they will be visible because I cut out the central area to add extra metal grooves and the storage/toolbox the real van has below the front seats. I know these might be silly details for some but what can I say, I’ll know they are there and it’s what gives me pleasure when assembling these kits :)

 

 

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I’m happy with how the extra details are looking so far, making the front cabin more real and interesting. I might modify the front seats with a custom made hinges mechanism so they can tilt forward like in the real van for access to the storage/toolbox area and spare tire.

 

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I’ll post updates as work progresses and I continue adding more details to the kit and modifying it… I’m not really happy with how the front doors in this kit go all the way up to the roof line but on the real van then don’t go that far up so that might be my next rabbit hole :)

 

Edited by othertales
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  • othertales changed the title to VW 11-window Bus w/ modifications
Posted

Build it like you mean it! 😂 

Have a search on here for the build by @hendie a couple of years ago. You can't get any more detailed than that one. 

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Posted
2 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

a couple of years ago.

 

Sheesh... it was that long ago?

 

Nice start, Othertales. I'm more of a Bay Window fan, but the T1 certainly has plenty of character.

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Posted
59 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Build it like you mean it! 😂 

Have a search on here for the build by @hendie a couple of years ago. You can't get any more detailed than that one. 

Thanks @Pete in Lincs I shall have a look :)

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Posted
55 minutes ago, hendie said:

 

Sheesh... it was that long ago?

 

Nice start, Othertales. I'm more of a Bay Window fan, but the T1 certainly has plenty of character.

Thanks @hendie! Time to spend some time with your build—exciting!

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Posted
4 hours ago, othertales said:

I’ll know they are there and it’s what gives me pleasure when assembling these kits :)

 

Isn't that what it's all about? :)

 

Nice start, this'll be good to watch!

 

Keith

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Posted

Quick link below.   Mine started off life as a Revell Snap-Together model, but with some care and fitting, these can be built up to a decent standard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted
2 minutes ago, hendie said:

Quick link below.   Mine started off life as a Revell Snap-Together model, but with some care and fitting, these can be built up to a decent standard.

 

Thank you! It was taking me some time to find it, going through your prolific posts and builds. Pretty impressive!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted
7 hours ago, othertales said:

 I know these might be silly details for some but what can I say, I’ll know they are there and it’s what gives me pleasure when assembling these kits :)

 

I know I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but there is only one correct way to build a model... and that way is the way that YOU want to build it. As soon as you start trying to build to other's opinion rather than making it like you want, the enjoyment goes and things will start to go pear-shaped.

 

All that said, it's a cracking start you've made to it all the same.

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Posted

Thanks @Spiny and very wise words.
It’ll be a labour of love with irresistible challenges and many joys. And a few frustrations to make it more interesting :)

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Posted

Welcome to the forums, with your first WIP. I'm in for the ride, I've built a couple of T1's myself and I like them a lot. Curious to see what you make of this one!

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Posted
12 hours ago, JeroenS said:

Welcome to the forums, with your first WIP. I'm in for the ride, I've built a couple of T1's myself and I like them a lot. Curious to see what you make of this one!

Thanks @JeroenS

I shall have a look at your posts if you have those T1s here—always interesting to see what others do as well.

 

We should have like a VW meet at some point here, so we can all see everyone’s good work in one single post of appreciation and chats 😎

 

Been doing some work on mine…

 

As I mentioned, one of the things I wanted to look at was the height of the kit doors touching the roof line when compared to the 1:1 which are lower. So I’ve started to work on one of the doors to test how to approach it.

 

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Trimming the top and a bit at the front, making the profile edges of the door rounder where needed to better match the 1:1.

 

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Need to add a bit of plastic strip above the door and a rounded corner as part of the body of the van to make up for the trimmed off bit but it sits much better visually for me now. I’m much happier with that.

 

Also adding some edge strip on the inside to make the door close more comfortably and make the model look more realistic.

 

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The hinges of the kit doors are a bit fragile so I decided to reinforce them with a 0.3mm brass rod drilled through. I need to work more on the joining and alignment but opening/closing feels substantially better now. The rods are temporary and longer so I can get the doors on/out more easily.

 

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Another detail I wanted to remove were the plastic bulges on some of the side pillars to allow the kit windows to be opened. Although that functionality was nice, they were a very ugly addition to the kit when compared to the clean window pillars of the 1:1. So off with them! Forgot to take a photo before doing it but you can kind of see them on the box art—they were bigger and uglier in real life than that photo leads to believe.

 

 

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I will hopefully find a better way to make those windows open/close later in the process that won’t look as ugly. Ordered a wonderful photo-etched set for this kit which will help me with that I think—haven’t looked that far in advance. Even if I can’t, I prefer them to remain closed and closer to the 1:1 look and clean lines. Here are the before and after photos.

 

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And that’s it for now. Small small steps :)

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Posted
1 hour ago, bigbadbadge said:

Great start on this one, looking good.

Chris

Thanks! Must find time to make further substantial progress. Have been fiddling with small details…

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Finally some time to spend on this kit, picking up where I left it—adjusting the front doors.

 

In hindsight I had to remove what I had done on the passenger's side and start all over again because getting the right fit and profile corner curves to match the door was going to be too bitty and not right as I modify this to look closer to the 1:1

So Take 2 🎬

 

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Now the profile of the curves especially at the top left is just right, both outside and inside including how it comes together along the front pillar as well. That little right edge on the top right corner of the door/pillar will be hidden (although I might make it smoother with some putty) when I add a 0.25mm plastic strip from the roof line all the way down to the bottom lip where the front bumper will be to replicate the water guard of the 1:1

 

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It needs a bit more sanding and putty here and there but I like the fit now. Clumsily I dropped the passenger door and it cracked on the window pillar so that will need some tlc ❤️‍🩹 And I might need to loosen the fit a bit all around otherwise it could be too tight once I apply some primer.

 

The driver's door is now the next headache to resolve before I do the same detailing, given how this Revell kit was designed and how the side panels come together with the front and roof. It's really prone to distortions and I am REALLY going to try to do the best I can to avoid having to glue shut that front door. But gosh, that fit is really not good! I'm having to use tape in a couple of places to reduce how badly things fit to what is visible in the photos below. As I remove tape one by one, the fit gets progressively worse… That will take me some time to try to fix with a mix of hot water to slowly adjust the window pillar without breaking it 🤞 and seeing how I might be able to modify and redo some glued joins, working on the door hinges, etc. Let's see… It could use some bracing from a roll cage—maybe I should turn this VW into racing rod!

 

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Posted

It might be easier just to cut off that window section and re-glue at the correct angle, then make good the join.

 

 

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Posted

I like what you have done above the passenger door, will have to remember that for mine.  Crikey that drivers door is s bit far out, looks like someone has levered it open to try and get in!!!

Great work , good luck with the door.

Chris

 

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Posted

Thank you! It’s work in progress but I might be able to get that drafty door to close properly 🤞

2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

will have to remember that for mine

What kit do you have if you don’t mind me asking?

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Posted
8 minutes ago, othertales said:

What kit do you have if you don’t mind me asking?

I have the newer Revell Camper kit, and the panel van for the tin roof and a Tamiya beetle for the engine.  I can use the floor pan from the beetle to build a replica of my Fastback in my profile pic with some modifications of course.

 

The bus I want to build is a replica of my mate's 57 Splitty so some converting is involved with the small rear window and the wind out sidewinder etc , wantcto make a faithful as I can and will be a gift for him.

 

Chris

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Posted
5 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

I have the newer Revell Camper kit, and the panel van for the tin roof and a Tamiya beetle for the engine.  I can use the floor pan from the beetle to build a replica of my Fastback in my profile pic with some modifications of course.

 

The bus I want to build is a replica of my mate's 57 Splitty so some converting is involved with the small rear window and the wind out sidewinder etc , wantcto make a faithful as I can and will be a gift for him.

 

Chris

Great plans! Always liked the Fastback and Station Wagon—you are a lucky car owner. Remember when it was common to see either of those cars around. Look forward to your 57 Splitty build :)

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Posted
4 hours ago, othertales said:

Great plans! Always liked the Fastback and Station Wagon—you are a lucky car owner. Remember when it was common to see either of those cars around. Look forward to your 57 Splitty build :)

Yes I do feel very lucky to own the car and privileged too.  She is a rare old girl now.

Will start the Splitty soon.

Thanks

Chris

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Posted

Just found this thread, really impressed with the progress so far!

My work colleagues very kindly bought me the Westfalia camper version of this kit for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. Wow, that is a well packed box, it's bursting at the seams with sprues! I struggled to get it all back in after the obligatory inspection. I thought I had two kits in one box initially. (There are overs in there, for the Samba version I think)

 

Like you, I'm trying to work out how to fix a few of the niggles. Having doors that open, but not take the top half of the cab with them, was high up there! I like your solution.

Also, on the real thing, the door tops bolt on, like a lot of slide window vehicles - Land Rovers spring to mind. So removing them to help get a good door fit makes sense.

 

Following with interest!

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

Finally some updates on a few different experiments I’ve been doing on this build.

 

First of all, after many bowls of hot water and careful patience I have happily managed to shape and bend the twisted door without breaking it or having to cut it off to reassemble. It now sits and closes much better against the rest of the body of the van. Symmetry has been restored.

 

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Some tweaks here and there will be needed to finalise it but overall I am happy. I’m still debating whether I want to cute off the door hinges of the kit and completely redo them with a mix of new plastic and brass to make it more stable but also closer to the shapes of the 1:1 which are flatter and longer (a bit more cylindrical). I shall do a few tests with some prototypes to try out a couple of possible solutions and see if it’s worth doing or not.

 

Speaking of prototypes, I’ve been spending time trying out a few options on how to add more details to the back of the front seats, both in terms of how they look but also in functionality. The front seats on the 1962 1:1 didn’t have covered backs so when they were tilted forward to reach for the spare tire or tools, the metal frame of the seats was visible, as well as the springs pattern and the inner padding. So I’ve been experimenting on how to achieve that look and details.

 

One of the first challenges is how the seats of the kit are shaped and assemble together. As well as the fact that they are made out of hard plastic. The driver’s seat actually stays fixed on the 1:1 and it’s just the back that tilts forward. I won’t be able to do that because the plastic isn’t soft so doesn’t compress like fabric and padding do to make that possible. So the driver’s seat will probably stay entirely fixed or if I want to cheat, I might make the whole seat tilt forward like the passenger’s seat.

 

I’ve built a provisional ‘metal’ frame out of plastic rods and thin strips. This would be fixed to the back and bottom of the kit seats to add that detailed look I am aiming for.

 

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The thickness of the frame is out of scale from what it should be. I used Ø 2mm and should go down to at least Ø 1.5mm or even Ø 1mm to work better in my opinion. And I will make it out of brass but I think as a testing prototype it works well already and it’ll add a good amount of detail. The thickness of the cross bars will also reduce in line with the thinner brass rod.
 

You might notice that the bottom bend of the frame for the passenger seat is curved while the driver seat has a sharp angle. This reflects the 1:1 and the functionality I mentioned above—the whole passenger seat tilts forward and has a beautiful continuous curve at the bottom while on the driver’s seat only the back tilts forward so the 1:1 has a hinge mechanism at the bottom instead. Which also allows adjusting the angle of the back to find a comfortable driving position. But no bottom curve on the metal frame.

 

The other thing I was testing was how to make the visible springs pattern. I tried different metal wires and set on Ø 0.45mm as the best option to bend and shape without it breaking too easily. I tested different shapes to help me bend the metal wire, trying out different ways and ended up with a little comb-like piece made with various sized bits of plastic and then further filed to get to a thickness and bend that worked well.

 

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I shall have to try a smaller ‘comb’ once I build the thinner brass frame to see if I can make the springs smaller too and using thinner wire. Or if it will start to break too easily as I bend it… Ideally I would be able to make them smaller so I can add more springs to the backs but I imagine in reality it shall have to be a compromise between what is possible to actually do and looks as close to the feel of the 1:1 as possible. You will notice that the orientation of the springs are different between the driver and passenger seats. That also reflects the 1:1 and adds a really nice rhythm to the backs once they are in place.

 

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It works well for me and the many discarded tests and prototypes I’ve made so far have been worth it—I think I’m in the right direction so let’s see how it works out now that I have tested the concept and move on to building it in brass. A good example of something that will be hidden most of the times but doesn’t make it all less worthy or rewarding to invest time on 😅

 

The test frames are removable and the final ones will be too so I can paint them separately in a different colour to the seats before assembling them together.

 

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I shall find some brown felt/fabric in the right tone to represent the visible internal padding of the seats (made of horse’s hair and fabric fibres) and the plan is to glue the felt/fabric to the back of each seat before glueing the frames to the seats so the springs will be right up against the padding like in the 1:1.

 

Small steps with LOADS of trials and errors discarded along the way to get here. More awaits including incorporating a hinge mechanism at the bottom of the passenger seat to allow it to tilt forward. I shall look at that at the same time as I think if it’s worth replacing the front door hinges of the kit or not. Thank you for reading 😊

Edited by othertales
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