We're sorry, but we could not fulfill your request for /2011/10/23/review-10220-volkswagen-t1-camper-van/ on this server. An invalid request was received from your browser. This may be caused by a malfunctioning proxy server or browser privacy software. Your technical support key is: 3697-bb05-1756-6707 You can use this key to fix this problem yourself. and be sure to provide the technical support key shown above.The link to this page may be incorrect or out of date.2. You may have bookmarked a page that has moved.As soon as I saw the brand-new Lego Volkswagen T1 Camper Van, I knew I had to have it. It looked very fun to put together as well as full of quirky detail and different from many of the other Lego sets. Since I love putting things together following a set of instructions, big Lego sets are perfect for me. You’ll never hear, “Oh no, you mean I have to put it together?” in this house.This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links.
to report an issue. Lego put out a video giving a tour of all of its features, including information on creating such a product from scratch. The designer even showed where he left his personal touch on the interior. From the Lego press release: “The red LEGO VW Camper Van is a loving recreation of a T1 Camper from 1962, also known as the ‘Combi’ or ‘the hippie van’. It includes features such as the ‘V’ shape three-way colour split at the front, rounded roof and window frames, opening ‘splittie’ safari front window, opening doors, and of course, the instantly recognisable pop-up roof.” Officially connected with Volkswagen, the Lego Volkswagen T1 Camper Van evokes an era gone by, when people would just toss a bag into their VW and head across the country. Some of my favorite features of the set are the pop top, the movable doors and windows, and the detailed vintage interior. The interior includes awesome details such as a lava lamp, a plant, and a T-shirt that says “Make Lego models, not war.”
The seats also fold down to make beds, though everything is a little bit too big for minifigs to use. But once the set is built, it has plenty of functionality for kid play time as well, if you can part with it and want to risk lost pieces (I can’t and don’t). This set was much more involved than most other Lego sets I have put together. Also unlike the sets that I am usually drawn toward, this one had many more kinds of pieces, making any kind of assembly line impossible but keeping things fresh and interesting all the way through construction. Put together with an awesome friend of mine plus my two kids, the 1,332 pieces probably took us about eight hours to assemble, though that is just an estimate. (Though something tells me it might have gone faster without the kids.) We did build it in just two sessions, though. The first was about two hours, the second about six. Fortunately, by the time we were so tired that our eyes were starting to cross, there were so few pieces left that it didn’t matter.
Lego kits are extremely fun and challenging to assemble, and this model was no different. While pieces of similar size are usually packaged together in the same bag, in general the pieces are probably only sorted by some design of the manufacturing process. Itty bitty pieces are usually together, and larger ones are usually together. But often similar pieces are in different bags, and pieces needed for steps are scattered around. I’m sure this is to keep costs down, but searching for just the right piece isn’t the most fun part of the building process. If they bundled pieces required for the first 1/4 of the build together, and the next 1/4 of the build together, and so forth, that would be a real boon. (A Lego kit my daughter got for her birthday was bagged and numbered in just that way.) The Lego Volkswagen T1 Camper Van is now available for $119.99. It is recommended for ages 16 and up, but we found that much younger kids do just fine if they build it as part of a group, as we did.
Buy it, build it, and satisfy your wanderlust without leaving home. Buy it for anyone on your holiday gift list who loves to put things together and has a soft spot in their heart for the era of the VW minibus. Note: I received a copy of the Lego Volkswagen T1 Camper Van for review purposes.Everytime I pass the VW Camper Lego model that's proudly displayed on my office shelf, I marvel at the spirit and meaning of this vehicle, and how well the model captures the essence of this iconic camper. The VW camper itself has legions of fans and to this day it kindles a nostalgia of the 60s for many people that lived through this transformational decade. Even though I was never a part of the 60s, both my father and mother were baby boomers, and the VW camper made both of them lifelong fans of Volkswagen. 40+ years later, this vehicle still represents the idealism and freedom of the 60s, and passion for this brand is bound to bring fans to a Lego model that fails to disappoint. The fundamental concept of Lego is simple: the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
The VW Camper model embodies this - while there is only one exclusive piece to the set (the cloth "tarp" surrounding the pop-up from the roof of the camper), few rare pieces, and no minifigs, the set itself still shines because of the final model. There are a few rare colors (light blue and maroon top the list) included in the set, but not enough to buy the set for them. The intelligent design, playful era-specific details, and accuracy of the components are what make this set shine instead of any rare piece of minifig. First, this can't be stressed enough - this set is NOT intended for play. The camper itself was likely selected among other vehicles to appeal to AFOLs, so the set was designed to be a display model, not a play model. WIthin that context, the rich detail provided by the designer gives the model a depth not matched by many Lego sets past or present, and discovering this set's depth is really what makes the build experience unparalleled. For example, the interior details go beyond folding seats and a table: there is a wardrobe w/ functioning door, modeled drawers, a sink, a potted plant, and yes, even a lava lamp.
The engine is nicely modeled as well, and placed in the correct location under the back-end of the camper. And with such a deceptively odd shaped exterior (it's almost bubble-like in the front) containing so much glass, the designer brilliantly solved the trickiest design challenges of the model. Through use of curved slope pieces and ingenious connection techniques (in some cases different ones right next to each other), the final design is accurate and beautiful. In a nod to the original VW camper design, the designer also used the most representative exterior color scheme - the red bottom with the white "V" top and the black tubing. While some may have small quibbles with the black tubing, and the transition between the red and white coloring on the front, I believe the design is as seamless as one should expect of such a complex shape. The price per piece comes in less than $.10/piece, but since this set is comprised of a lot of small pieces, the price per piece isn't as meaningful as it is for other sets.
Yet while the model size isn't huge, the detail and effort put into the design make this set a great value for your money. This set is NOT good for parting out. Very few exclusive pieces and no minifigs make this one of the poorest sets to part out. Even the iconic VW logo badge on the front of the car is actually a sticker (one of the only downsides to this model), so you can't even part out the badge unless you apply the sticker yourself. The VW Camper is part of a Large Scale Model line that includes some of the most sought after and popular sets on the secondary market. It's close cousin, the VW Beetle, has realized nearly a 300% gain over MSRP with a CAGR of 31%. Most Lego enthusiasts know and lust after the Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower sets that are both part of this theme. All in all, this line is probably the best performing theme Lego has ever released, and there's no reason the VW Camper will not follow suit. According to Lego S@H, the VW Camper is a Lego Exclusive.
so it is not easy to find this set in brick and mortar retailers. , ) or through Lego S@H. The limited distribution channels serve to depress supply, and will likely raise post-EOL prices. This set is not exclusive to one retailer, so strategically targeting your online vendor with a discount credit card or points is likely your best bet to getting this set at a discount to MSRP. The box to this model is excellent. The front prominently displays the model, giving the buyer an accurate depiction of the exterior of the car. The back of the box also shows the model set with all doors (and the roof) open in front of a picturesque mountain scene, adjacent to photos depicting the functions of the van and one showing an image of the original camper van. It doesn't have the alluring, loud colors of a typical children's set; instead the gray/blue background provides a subtle backdrop that allows the bold red, white and black Lego bricks of the model to righfully proclaim it the star of the show.
Analyzing the performance of the VW Beetle, the VW Camper's close cousin, may provide some insight to how the camper will perform post-EOL. Both sets are VW vehicles, so both will likely pull from the same fan bases. Both sets have/had an identical MSRP, and both are/were relatively rare with the VW Camper currently marked as "Hard to Find" on Lego S@H. The one benefit the VW Camper has over its cousin is the loads of charm and exquisitie interior detailing it possesses as discussed in the Playability/Build Experience section. While the Beetle's charm comes from the exterior, the camper's charm exudes from both its exterior and interior details. That may drive post-retirement returns on the VW Camper even higher than the Beetle. For these reasons, using the Beetle's performance as a model for the camper's appreciation will likely provide a good forecast. This set was designed to be a display piece, and there isn't a person who sees this model on my shelf that isn't immediately captivated by its accuracy and detail.
Both the exterior and interior were designed to be inspected, prodded and poked. Consequently, the designer made accessing the details and charm within simple. Four doors on the camper open: the two front doors provide access to the driver cab, while the two doors that open on the right side of the van provide access to the living space. The roof over the back of the camper was also designed to be easily removed to show the back living space, and transparent "glass" bricks ring the entire vehicle to allow easy view and light to illuminate the interior. The roof over the driver side is very fragile and not intended for removal. The set is small enough to fit on a shelf, yet large enough to contain all of the design elements that give the camper its realism and charm. And the "cherry on the sundae" is the top roof compartment that extends up to simulate the original pop-up roof offered on the actual VW Camper. The only downside to the roof pop-up is that it's a simulated element - there is no hole underneath the pop-up tent to provide more head space in the back of the van.