My other Bug Project

Big Blue as it appeared on Ebay.

With the purchase of a life size Beetle my interest in smaller collectible die-cast Bugs has increase. Like many small kids I collected Matchboxes and Hot Wheels as a kid. Just the last few months I've gotten more into it. I even came across people on YouTube who restore or customize old Matchboxes and Hot Wheels. Especially the Matchboxes, although I like many Hot Wheels I seem to to be drawn to Matchbox stuff a lot more. It's what I had the most of as a kid.

The restoration of them looked fun and interesting. Not too much different that other models I've made just on a smaller scale. I like restoring something back to life. I've bought a couple of Matchboxes with intent to restore them. One is a 64 Chevy Impala Taxi and the other was a VW Beetle drag racer called Big Blue. 

Big Blue was found on Ebay and is model that came out with a few different paints schemes with similar body and chassis. It also had names like "Dragon Wheels" and "Hot Chocolate". 

The one I got was in rough shape but all the paint was scratched and missing in many places. A front pillar was missing. The orange windshield was loose and standing legs were mostly missing. The wheels were also misaligned. 

Being a VW fan I thought this one would be an interesting one to restore although I'm going for a custom paint job inspired by my life size Bug. In my next installment I'll go over how I got started.

Is it spring yet?

Winter quarters.

We're in the midst of the holiday season and in the northeast many of us VW enthusiasts have probably put their prized possessions in storage or like me the Bug has taken a back seat as far as attention priorities go. Also it just get's too cold and if you've got no garage like me you depend on nice weather for chances to drive or work on their VW.

WE've been fortunate to have some relative mild weather, at least precipitation wise, so on Christmas Eve day I did take my Bug out for a spin around the neighborhood to stretch the legs out a little. It was nippy but I was only going for a short ride. It was a bit overcast with some very light snow flurries which melted as soon as the hit something. Not enough for them to put salt on the roads which was my primary concern.

I had already parked it under the old leaky awning that has seen better days. I hop in the front seat and flip the light switch above the door and see the light still shining brightly. Good we have power. I put the key in the ignition and turn to see the seat belt light go on, another good sign, and pump the gas a couple of times and turn the key. The engine turns a couple of times before that tell-tale sputter starts. Then the Bug finally comes to life just as if I drove it yesterday. I still love the sound of an air-cooled engine.

I back out of it's spot and head down the road. The flurries were so light even the Bug's wiper's extra slow wipers had no problem keeping the windows cleared. I go quick two mile spin around my neighborhood. Just enough to go thru all the gears a few times and give me a smile, VW's just have a way of doing that to you. I head on home and back her into her winter quarters not know when the drive will be. With a sigh I wonder "Is it spring yet?".