This beauty is a 1950 Volkswagen Beetle Saloon 1:12 scale model by Sun Star.
The 1:14 scale Audi TT remote control car I have is a nice reproduction, and I love that its headlights are functional as well. It photographs well, even though it doesn’t look as realistic in person.
But, having a true 1:12 scale car for inside a 1:12 scale garage is the best for realism.
Look at the orange flag turn signal by the door. :D
It has many moving parts and wonderful detail. There’s a tool with the model to help open the doors, hood and trunk. The front seats move forward, as does the back seat. The steering wheel controls the wheels. It is a bit rickety while rolling, but maybe that’s to scale, too! ;D I wasn’t too sure about the salmon pink carpet, but it’s growing on me.
The cloth top retracts to show the interior.
Included with the model are a set of tools, a spare tire, a jack and lug wrench. Yes, the lug wrench works to remove the tires! :D I used a bit of mini hold wax on each of the tools because they were not fastened into the case and fell all over.
The case sits inside the spare tire and fits into a space under the hood. I placed the jack and lug wrench in there, too.
Engine in the back.
Some of the paint had a purple cast, and from what I’ve seen online, that seems to be a characteristic of this particular model. On mine, however, it was rather streaky.
I took some mild soap and water to it only to discover a weird pink residue on the tissue. It took some elbow grease to remove it all, but it’s now much better.
I mention this only in case someone buys one based on my blog post…so you aren’t surprised if this happens. The paint problem is in no way a bad reflection on the eBay seller, but more a problem from the manufacturer. The model I received was new in box. I’ve been very pleased with the seller’s communication. It turns out this is supposed to be a “pearl finish” for the car. That’s all and good, but it’s streaky and comes off. So, I’m glad I went ahead and scrubbed it off. I don’t plan to sell it, so I don’t care much about “resale value” without the pearl finish.
The Houseworks garage door kit is from miniatures.com. I’ve made a quick mockup to test the fit for the Beetle.
The fit is just right! :D
