MOC: VW Type 2 T1 & T2 Campers

[MetroiD]

Here's something to remind you guys of the days of summer gone by... Coincidentally, these MOCs are also my way of honouring the 50-year anniversary of Volkswagen's "Type 2" model which needed much less than half a century to cement its status as a worldwide cultural icon.

These two have been lying around for the past year or more and even managed to survive two LUG exhibitions, which probably makes them some of my longest-standing MOCs to date. They were in development back when Ralph Savelsberg posted his brilliant 5-wide T1 & T2. Originally, I only intended to build the T1, but after seeing how great his vans look side by side, I decided to follow suit and build them both as well. Credit to Ralph for the door design - I'd been playing around with a couple of ideas for the two models, and his design was definitely very inspiring.

I know Hinck & co. would have liked me to join the dark side by finally starting to build vehicles in odd-wide (and I will do that - sooner or later), however due to the original cars' narrow chassis, to me 4-wide was the only way to go here.

The one that started it all, the Type 2 T1:

And its successor, the T2:

And last but not least, something to help connect these two 'archaic' vans to modern times...

Guy: Finally at the beach, Lass! What say we get our tent set up over there...

Guy: Can't wait for Dude to see the awesome Hawaiian custom artwork on my ol' trusty surfboard...

Guy: *Whistles happily while marvelling at the cool new paintjob on his surfboard*

Lass: Hey, Guy, it's Dude & Dudette! Hey guys!

Guy: Yo Dude! You finally made it! Come over here, I got something I wanna show you...

Guy: Check this out! Custom blue...

Dude: Wait a sec Guy, I got something up here you'll definitely enjoy! Wait for it, wait for it...

Dude: Ta daah - the brand spanking new shortboard, complete with Hawaiian sunset paintjob. This baby's totally gonna rip the waves! So what was it you wanted to show me then?

Guy: Uh, never mind... Need a hand with your tent there? *aside* My ol' surf is still way cooler.

[lightningtiger]

SWEET 4 wides there 'MetroiD' - the blue and white would be my favorite !

Excellent designing especially the doors !

I'm a conformist! 'MetroiD' I'm a conformist! !

[Fugazi]

Very convincing replicas, MetroiD! Lots of details in a very small volume. I might try building a similar one someday -- in white and orange like the one I owned back in the days!

[prateek]

How did you make the sliding door?

[Captain Becker]

Agree whit the others. Fantastic job, and funny back story there too I really love those cars. Great job mate, keep it up

Captain Becker

[Mrlegoninja]

Sweet! These are as cool as the water Guy and Dude are gonna swim in!

I really love the doors!

Nice work.

[XimenaPaulina]

Very cute "Hippie vans", I'm impressed how all the details fit perfectly well for a small 4-wide van. Both versions are absolutely beautiful, the white-blue one has a refresing look on it while the red one has great front details (clever use of the pistols for the bumpers and the front wheel detail). Very impressive work MetroiD.

[sens1992]

These are nice VW's!!! Great little scenes too! Good job!

[Ralph_S]

Lovely vans MetroiD, as I already told you on flickr.

How did you make the sliding door?

As MetroiD mentions, the door is based on a design by me. I never tried it in a four-wide vehicle though. it's the absolute minimum width for which it can work and I had more than enough trouble with it in my five-wide vans.

Cheers,

Ralph

Edited September 22, 2010 by Ralph_S

[Rick]

Really amazing that you managed this level of detail in 4-wide. Must have been a real puzzle.

[Zorbas]

How can you not like 4 wide MOCs, especially when they are like these two cuties?

Excellent work Bobby! You've put a lot of skill in these two as far as I can see and the result is great.

The colour selection is very nice and I partcularly like these three blue and white pieces you've used in the front of the white camper.

The red camper's bumper is very clever. It's to die for! (Accidental pun )

Great work!

P.S

♫♫"Take me down for a paradise ride, where the wheels are small and the cars 4 wide."♫♫

From Bricks 'n' Roses

[WhiteFang]

Simply beautiful. Nice one, Bobby. I really amazed at how much details that you have put in these 2 models, especially the front and the doors aspect.

This is now blogged in,

[MetroiD]

Thanks for the kind response, guys

Weirdly enough, no one has really mentioned Guy's custom surfboard - which was originally Asya's idea, implemented/printed by a fellow LUGger. I guess Dude's "collectable" shortboard has really stolen the thunder, both in that story, and in real life

@ Rick: Yup, these two took a bit of fiddling around in order to get it right, but I was hooked on the idea of packing in niceties in 4-wide. I might as well start looking for another narrow-chassis car on which to base future MOCs of this kind...

@ Fangy: Whoa, thanks for blogging these - if I'd known they'd end up on C-T, I'd have taken the time to photograph them earlier! Cheers mate!

Aaaand I'm off to play B'n'R's Paradise City now (Zorbas, you rock - pun intended).

[Pet-Lego]

Very nice work, they look great and all that in 4-wide.

Like the fact that you made two different models.

[Teddy]

Beautiful designs, nice exteriors.

Is it still possible to fit a driver in the red van or does the sliding door prohibits this?

Either way it looks beautiful.

Kind regards,

Teddy

[MetroiD]

Is it still possible to fit a driver in the red van or does the sliding door prohibits this?

I've been working on multiple designs, but the other options I've tried out make the whole van extremely unstable and are ridiculously complicated for a 4-wide vehicle. Which is why I've resorted to having the van show off its sliding door in "open" mode for most of the time, since when closed, it does prohibit a driver from being seated.

That said, there's still plenty of room in the back - so as long as Dude's willing to push the van, Dudette can still enjoy all the spaciousness from the inside :D

[Teddy]

I've been working on multiple designs, but the other options I've tried out make the whole van extremely unstable and are ridiculously complicated for a 4-wide vehicle. Which is why I've resorted to having the van show off its sliding door in "open" mode for most of the time, since when closed, it does prohibit a driver from being seated.

That said, there's still plenty of room in the back - so as long as Dude's willing to push the van, Dudette can still enjoy all the spaciousness from the inside :D

Haha, cool.

poor dude... Serves him right for being a such a show off with his board.

[bricked one]

I really like these two VWs, especially the blue and white one.

I still don't get how the red door opens.

[MetroiD]

The door doesn't open per se, it slides open, just as is the case with the original T2 van. You pull it out a brick, and then you just slide it - simple as that. As the construction itself, it is really nothing too special - as I said, I tried SNOTting it all in order to facilitate and be able to accomodate a driver with the door actually closed, but it was ineffectual. So the build as depicted here only uses a very simple, regular, studs-up approach with a few tiles to ensure the actual sliding process and plates in proper places to form an inside 'rail' and keep the door from moving where it shouldn't.

[Ralph_S]

The door doesn't open per se, it slides open, just as is the case with the original T2 van. You pull it out a brick, and then you just slide it - simple as that. As the construction itself, it is really nothing too special - as I said, I tried SNOTting it all in order to facilitate and be able to accomodate a driver with the door actually closed, but it was ineffectual. So the build as depicted here only uses a very simple, regular, studs-up approach with a few tiles to ensure the actual sliding process and plates in proper places to form an inside 'rail' and keep the door from moving where it shouldn't.

I always like the reaction I get from people when I demonstrate one of these doors at events. They can't work out out how it works from pictures, but when they see it in action, it's usually immediately clear and they are surprised at how simple it is.

Because I keep getting questions about how I make the sliding doors, I decided to give them their own topic.

Cheers,

Ralph

[Legoless]

Brilliant MOC- I spend several miserable summer holidays in these dreadful yet iconic contraptions back in the 1980s.

All you need to do to add more realism is to attach a very leaky annexe tent to the side, fill the area around the MOC with the smell of petrol and exhaust smoke, and show a diorama of the van parked up by the side of the road, with an emergency repairman's legs visible under the engine compartment...

Funny thing is, despite everything, occasionally I have a yearning to own one...

EDIT- I've just realised that I've drunkenly bumped a very old thread- Mods may delete this post if desired.

Edited March 13, 2011 by Legoless

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Great Microbuses MetroiD Great to see them in 4-wide! Keep up they great work

[HeLena]

Nice vans, MetroiD!

Could you please give me the instruction of the 2 T1, if you have it?

[MetroiD]

EDIT- I've just realised that I've drunkenly bumped a very old thread

What have you done!

But seriously, thanks for that And thanks everyone for your kind words. @HeLena: Sorry, but I don't do instructions. It's a pretty simple / straightforward build anyway, with just some SNOTting going on at the front.

[vaskoko]

Cool design and good idea.