1:24 VW T2 Panel Van (TransKIT)

A sheet-metal wall instead of windows

The closed van was the most widespread form of the commercial Volkswagen of the second generation and at the same time the most useful one for tradesmen and merchants. The smooth sides without windows did not serve only to protect the load – they were a surface on which the name of the firm, a telephone number and a picture of the goods could be painted.

The body as an advertising surface

Here lies the greatest attraction for a collector. Where with a passenger car you are tied to a factory color, a van invites you to invent a business of your own: a bakery, a flower shop, a bicycle repair shop, a removal service. Period lettering on the side turns an ordinary model into a small story and in a display case draws attention more reliably than the grandest sports car.

The setting where the vehicle comes alive

The natural home of this body is a corner of a town – a cobbled street, a shop window, a pile of crates by the rear doors. An open sliding side door with goods unloaded gives the scene its action. A pair works splendidly as well: a van and a pickup of the same type standing side by side show how one platform served two different trades.

Preparing the parts

Large flat surfaces are demanding in resin, because every ripple shows under a gloss. We recommend sanding wet over a hard backing, so that they stay flat, and applying the paint in thin coats. The lettering is then handled with decals, which hold on a smooth surface without silvering at the edges. Think out in advance as well where the dividing line of a two-tone scheme will run – on this type it is exactly that which determines the overall character of the vehicle.