AK interactive 1/35 T2 transporter

Putting it here because of scale and ‘olive’ versions to follow but a civilan version first so it seems :

Grz,

Sam.

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Those are not 1967 T2’s; from the little I can see (need a better look at the rear) they appear to be 1974 or later.

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Well, if anyone wants a Bundeswehr soft-skin transport from the time (ie in Gelboliv) then this is it! Or say, British Army Berlin even (gloss black mainly).

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H.P.

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Yup, looks like it is a '73 - '80 body style T2.

The '67 model looked quite different.

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White/red is a Type 2 T2 from 1972.
Blue/white is a Type 2 T1 from 1950, first of the breed and an entirely different vehicle to the later T2.
The AK kit is clearly what it says in the box.

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By the way, a 1972 T2 van is also on the way…

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1967-1972 T2 Combi

H.P.

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There were body style differences within the Type 2 AK is trying to replicate.

My bus was of the '68-'71 body style. Although technically the 68’s started production in 1967, they were the 1968 models which typically begin production near the end of the prior year for most companies. They have to have vehicles ready to sell when the new year begins.

The 68-71 has the turn signals just above the front bumper as shown but they move up under the windshield in 1973. The rear lights are in an oval housing uniting brake/turn but reverse is a separate unit. In 1972 the reverse lights are incorporated into the same housing which is now long and rectangular. It also retains the upright doghouse cooler found on the Beetles; the pancake motor found in the Type 3’s become standard in 1972. 68-69 had round bicycle-style reflectors screwed on each side rather than lights; 70-79 changed those to rectangular housings. 68-69 also had different door handles from later models (push button switched to trigger).

1971 introduced disc brakes in front which changed the wheels and hub caps. The air vents behind the rear side windows change in appearance in 1973. The final noticeable change is when then passenger windows slide to open rather than retain the old wing-vents.

So, to me the deciding factor still kind of rides on the rear end. If the light assembly is oval with a separate reverse light it can pass with some fiddling to make it 68-69 or 70-71. If it is rectangular then this is a 1972.

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The 67 kit has the correct oval rear lights.
The 72 kit has the correct rectangular rear lights.

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Not a 71-72 as it still has drum brakes in front based on the hub cap design.

If there was a hint more green in the body color and a white roof that would be what my bus looked like.

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I have been unable to find a photo of the rear or the CAD image so I hope you are correct.

Now if only it was also in 1/24 so I could display it with my Hasegawa and Revell buses and fill the 68-71 gap.

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Hello!
Thing is there is a lot of confusion, because people tend to confuse Volkswagen Typ 2 (the Transporter) with the unofficial designation of the transporter families - T1, T2, T3, T4 and so on.
T1 would be the original transporter, made before 1967/68, those had “barn” doors on the side and a “wedge” on the front. T2 would be the second generation with a “panel” on the front and a sliding door on the side. T3 would be the “square” one made from 1980, those got a liquid-cooled engines in the early eighties. After 1991 there came the T4 generation with the front mounted engine and so on.
I personally owned a T3 and now own a T4, and worked for VW for several years…
Hope this helps - have a nice day
Paweł

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Cad of the 67 bus rear, with the simple oval lights. The separate reverse light was an extra option at the time so it could be seen or not.

67r3

Jadlam shows a Cad of the 72 van rear with the correct rectangular ones.

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Looks like they’re taking “selfies”… but I’m almost certain that photo predates cellphones. :phone: :camera_flash:

:grin:

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That’s all I needed to see. Thank you.

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The ‘barn door’ referred to the engine hatch because it was ‘big as a barn door’, as on those early buses it was huge, taking up almost the entire lower panel. This was only used until 1955 when VW went to a smaller engine hatch and a larger rear window that opened. The barndoors also had a different fresh air vent than the later split windows which changes how the roof section hangs over the windshield.

The doors you’re thinking of were on the sides; you could order an optional sliding door for those buses but they are fairly rare. My brother owned a Kombi with cargo doors on both sides that came from the Netherlands.

This is the rear of a barn door bus. Compare it the the back of the bus behind the two ladies.

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Most famous barn door ever…

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Hello!
That’a correct info, of course, but can be a little confusing, because if we are talking about the first generation of the transporter (Typ 2 - T1) some of them had the big engine bay doors (barn door - I believe this is a US name for it), some of them (the later ones) have smaller engine bay doors. I meant the side doors, and most T1s have side opening (not sliding) doors on the side. My book says slide doors were only available as an option in the last year they built the T1 and thus are rare. So when you se side opening doors on the side, you can safely assume you see a T1.
On the T2 you get sliding doors as a standard, and you have a practical tailgate, that is pretty important for many applicacions like an ambulance.
Since I’m already typing here, let me tell you a story I heard from a german colleague. He was riding as a passenger on a T2 owned by the (west) German Luftwaffe. They were waiting at the lights and next to them was a car with some youngsters in it. They startet revving their engine to show off. That turned on the NCO who was driving the T2. So he flicked a switch on the dashboard, and then the gas turbine APU they had installed in the back started revving up to its 10k RPM with a roar and whistle, and that calmed down the kids in the car a little… Anyway - that’s how I heard it :slight_smile:

Have a nice day

Paweł

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