http://t3x.org/sf/type14/build.html

Cliffs Karmann Ghia

A Much Too Detailed Build History

Build time: around 40 hours.

Materials: Tamiya Karmann Ghia kit, one 100mm disc of 1mm polystyrene (PS), some scrap PS, masking tape, about 50g of modelling clay, lots of paint, glue, and thinner.

Tools: the usual cutters, pliers, forceps, files, sanding paper, brushes, needles, drills, goggles, etc. Notable: an Erkoform-D vacuum-thermoforming device and a compressor.

The first thing in order to build a Karmann Ghia Cabriolet is, of course, a Karmann Ghia model kit. I have never seen a kit for a convertible, so I tried to find a coupe instead, and that was hard enough, because they have all been discontinued a long time ago. In the end I found two Tamiya "Volkswagen Karmann Ghia" kits on Ebay, one in pristine condition, and I bought it at about three times the original price. The kit is from 1994 and contains parts for the European 1966 Karmann, which is probably as close as you can get to the US convertible.

Not much to say about the kit itself. It is typical Tamiya quality and practically assembles itself.

What is maybe interesting is that the kit shares one grid of parts (the black one) with Tamiyas 1966 Beetle kit. The rubber tyres are also the same, but there is no spare, because the trunk of the Karmann model cannot be opened.

Here is the outer body of the Karmann Ghia. Beautiful, isn't it?

Yes, cutting off the roof hurt a bit, but you cannot create something new without destroying something old. The beams were easily done with a wire cutter. In order to detach the roof from the windscreen frame I used a paper cutter and a lot of patience. I did not want to use a power tool, because Karmann Ghia bodies are not easy to come by, not even in 1:24.

The next thing needed to make a cabriolet is some part that resembles the folded-down fabric roof. Of course the coupe kit does not contain such a part, so you have to make one yourself. Easier said than done without some industrial equipment. Fortunately, I happen to have it, so here is how to make that part.

The flat-four engine that made Volkswagen famous. Still missing: the distributor cap and the air intake filter. The cylinders are at the bottom of the assembly. The belt drive to the right drives the fan of the air cooler. The pipe to the left is part of the heating. Clean air is heated by engine exhaust through a heat exchanger and then transported through two pipes to the passenger compartment. To the left, above the pipe, part of the gearbox can be seen.

I did not use the exact colors suggested in the instructions, but optimized a little bit for contrast.

Engine, suspension, and axles attached to the undercarriage. Controls installed in the cabin. I decided to make the interior light gray for better contrast. There were all kinds of interior colors back then, there probably was some light gray, too.

I replaced the steering link with a piece of wire. This is probably not necessary in a display model, but if that plastic part broke, it would be a nightmare to replace.

Inner body parts and wheel rims painted.

The wheels with the Tamiya rubber tyres look gorgeous. I decided not to install the chrome hub caps, because Cliffs car did not have any, and it lends a distinct rough touch to the model.

Body part containing the rear bench seat, rear storage compartment, and engine compartment (not visible, behind the storage compartment).

Of course a lot of detail work went into the dashboard: silver radio with black knobs and dark-gray scale, dark-gray instruments with silver frames. Again, not like the original, but with good contrast.

I mixed the "bermuda blue" myself. It is not really bermuda blue, though, but a bit darker, because I liked it better this way. Gaps are painted in dark gray. Maybe I should have used darker gray or black, but then I did not want to sand down everything for repainting.

Roof cover painted flat black.

I decided to add headrests to the seats. Cliffs car also had those and they are a good idea anyway. Whiplash injury was very common in the 1970s. There are still no seat belts, though...

The headrests are made from 1mm polystyrene sheet. The picture shows their raw form before filing and sanding.

A closer look at the (still unfinished) motor compartment and passenger cabin. Note the space between the bench and the motor compartment. You could tilt the bench forward and store some stuff there.

Headrests after filing and sanding but before painting.

Finished motor compartment including the air filter (right), distributor cap (center, dirty orange), and battery (left).

Seats and steering wheel installed. I covered the seats in matte clear paint to make them look more like fabric. The steering wheel is gray instead of black for better contrast. I tried and you can barely see it at all when it is black.

Door panels installed, engine hood painted, and windscreen covered in masking tape. In the coupe kit, the windscreen and the other windows are one piece that you glue to the roof, so there is little risk of spilling glue on the transparent windows. In the cabriolet, the windscreen has to be glued directly to the frame, hence the tape. Since the kit is discontinued, spare acrylic parts are hard to come by.

Viewed from the top you can see how little space there is in the passenger compartment of the Karmann Ghia. You can also see that there is no fuel tank or spare wheel in the trunk. This is because the trunk of the model is no longer accessible once the model is assembled. The Beetle kit from Tamiya has both and the trunk can be opened. I have thought about adding them to this model and making the trunk door movable, but then decided against it.

With the masking tape in place (on both sides of the acrylic part), installing the windscreen was not difficult. What is a bit problematic is that there is no surface to attach the inner rear view mirror or the sun visors, because the frame is too narrow. So I cut a thin strip of polystyrene to be attached to the frame from the inside. It is in the image in front of the body.

Polystyrene strip installed.

The chassis and inner body are now ready to be attached to the outer body. Note: the instructions tell you to install the wheels first. However, since they have detachable rubber tyres, you can also squeeze them in later. I decided to do the latter, because this way the wheels are protected from accidental painting.

Body and chassis united. Almost looks like a Karmann Ghia cabriolet...

... except that lots of parts are still missing, like the headlights, turn signals, bumpers, fake air intake grills, etc.

It is hard to see on the picture, but the folding roof cover did not fit properly, because the back rest of the rear bench seat extended a little bit too far beyond the opening in the body.

So I broke the bench out of the chassis as carefully as I could, trimmed the back rest down with a milling drill, and repainted and reinstalled the bench.

Because the rear bench seat is removed in this picture, you can have a closer look at the storage compartment.

The original model does not have any sun visors, most probably because they would not be visible anyway. In a cabriolet, of course, you can see them, so I made them from PS sheet and just glued them to the windscreen frame.

Attaching the mirrors was a bit tricky, because the mirrors contained in the kit go to the fender and I wanted them on the door. So I had to shorten the mounts quite a bit before attaching them.

Headlights, turn signals, front bumper, and grills installed. The grills are not really air intakes, they are merely design elements. The engine is at the rear and gets its cooling air through slots in the top of the hood.

The bumper is the variant sold in Europe. The US models had a two-bar bumper with guards. I thought about modifying the bumpers, but could not find the necessary rods in my stash. Then I had already taken so many liberties with this model that another one would not hurt.

Part of the masking tape removed and windscreen wipers installed. I painted the "rubber" part of the wipers black, because you can see them through the back of the windscreen. This is not necessary when building the coupe.

After removing the masking tape the model is basically done. Have a good look at the pristine Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, because it will not remain in this conditition for a long time.

Almost looks like it is standing in your garage. The internal rear view mirror is barely visible. Looking back I should have painted it chrome or silver.

Rear view, just before bringing out the aging and weathering materials.

Except for the hood the aging effects are pretty subtle. I decided against adding too much dirt. Liberties and all.

3/4 view showing the subtle aging of the trunk door and fenders.

I used mirror paint for the internal rear view mirror. The glass of the windscreen is not dirty, what you see is the reflection of the dashboard. The folding roof cover fits perfectly. I could close the gaps between the body and the door panels — or just imagine them to be the slots of the side windows.

Another look at the interior. The roof cover also covers the rear bench seat, basically turning the vehicle into a two-seater. I used little glue to attach the cover in case I come up with something better (but I doubt it).

Heavily weathered rear body, engine hood, and number plate. I lack the tools, patience, and motor skills to create a 1:24 number plate, so I just used a label printer and weathering paint.

Colors used to paint the model (details).

For more photos go back to the main page.


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