Air-cooled cool: Schuco Volkswagen Beetle

At hoarder HQ there is a pile of various diecast. Loose and boxed. Various scales. This pile is the “to do list”. Cars for customising, cars to feature on my Facebook page. Cars to feature here on Lamley. The pile is added to and taken from pretty much at random. My writing goes with my moods, my photography mostly with the weather. Cars get moved up or down, but never forgotten. These two Beetles have been working their way up the pile slowly. I’ve been really looking forward to the day they reach the top and I can finally give them fully deserved air time.

Normally at this point I’d dive into a history of the vehicle in question, but the VW Beetle really doesn’t need any sort of introduction. It’s one of the most iconic vehicles of all time, and a perfect subject for a diecast model. Loads of brands offer 1/64 Beetles, from mainlines to premiums, from stock to modified via fantasy and cartoon, from Hot Wheels to M2 and Tomica, Greenlight and more. But probably the best in my opinion come from Euro scale masters Schuco with these….

They are very well replicated indeed. A pair of 1966-68 era VW 1500s in two gorgeous colour schemes. Firstly the very neat two tone green/beige.

The colour suits it so well, I’m not sure of the exact Pantone but it looks like VW Iceland Green to me. Either way the contrasting cream/beige sides and white steels mean this thing looks very “of the era”.

Next is my favourite Schuco Beetle, the maroon “Reisezeit” (“Travel Time”) version complete with roof rack and luggage set. This one really pushes my buttons. The colour is perfect and the Schuco paint quality does it real justice. The suitcases are a cool addition, it looks ready to set off for a weekend away with the family!

Both cars have pretty detailed interiors with the steering wheel inparticular being well replicated. This attention to detail is evident elsewhere: the “VW 1500” decals, the touches of paint on the indicators, swage lines and windscreen surrounds that really bring the cars to life. I harp on about the weight of Schuco cars but I think it’s important in a diecast, and these are nice cars to handle. And they roll beautifully. I think for the quality you get for the money, Schuco are right up there in the VIP box. And they’ve got more coming with the Beetle casting as the company’s Instagram recently teased….