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LEGO Volkswagen Beetle review & thoughts

One of my favorite sets this year is the #10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle that was released recently. My family had a Beetle just like the LEGO version, so I was particularly excited to build this set. Below I will share with you some of my thoughts on it, and I will also include the video-review by JANGBRiCKS so you can see it in more detail. 🙂

#10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle Box

Let’s start with the official description: Head for the beach with the VW Beetle! Build a LEGO Creator Expert replica of the world’s most popular automobile. This beautifully crafted LEGO model is packed with authentic details that capture the vehicle’s character and charm, including an azure-blue color scheme, curved fenders, white rims with distinctive hubcaps, round headlights and wing-mounted turn signals. Lift the hood and you’ll discover a spare tire and fuel tank, while in the trunk you’ll find a detailed 4-cylinder air-cooled engine. You can even open the doors or remove the roof section to access the detailed interior. Tilt the rear seat forward to reveal a storage compartment with beach towel. And of course, no 1960s VW Beetle would be complete without a surfboard and a cooler box, the perfect accessories for a fun day at the beach! VW Beetle including surfboard and cooler measures over 5” (15cm) high, 11” (29cm) long and 4” (12cm) wide. 1167 pieces. Price: $99.99 – BUY HERE

#10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle

The shaping of the LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle is so much more accurate and sophisticated than the #10187 LEGO Volkswagen Beetle from 2008. While the older Beetle was more like a somewhat abstract sculpture, the new version is a lot more realistic recreation of the real vehicle. This is mostly possible because of all the new curved bricks LEGO has been releasing in recent years, including the large curved fender pieces that were specifically made for this set. Brackets, and bricks with studs on their sides also helped with creating the iconic look of the vehicle.

#10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle Real

The LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle is instantly recognizable as a replica of the classic Beetle, so obviously LEGO designers did an excellent job. However I do have a few minor criticisms, where I feel LEGO could have done better. The real-life Beetle is well-known for its curved windows. The back passenger side-windows include stickers to help curve at least one of the edges. If these stickers would be just a bit bigger, they could have rounded two of the edges, or maybe even three. The windshield is rectangular, with nothing helping to make it look more round. The same is true for the front side-windows. There are a couple of small stickers at the sides of the windshield, which could have been curved a bit to give the illusion of more rounded side-windows. The same thing is true for the stickers on the back window, which are simply two blue stripes. If those stickers would have been a bit curved, they could have rounded the back window to make it look more accurate. Minor detail, but if LEGO decided to use stickers, why not make them the right shape?

#10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Details

I really like the shaping of the hood at the front and the trunk at the back. Some masterful techniques are used at both. The only thing I didn’t like is that at the back 1×2 tiles are used to smooth down the cover of the trunk. Tiles have very prominently visible edges, which makes them look a bit weird in this application. I have replaced some of them with tiles with grills, to create a second row of vents (some real-life VW Beetles have these as well).

#10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle Modification

While those new large curved pieces definitely help create the fenders, they did not make the designer’s job easier. What’s behind the fenders (especially the front ones) is one of the most impressive assembly of advanced building techniques I have ever seen. A great example of the mad engineering skills of LEGO designers. I sometimes take off the large curved pieces just to marvel how these sections were built.

#10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle Details

But my favorite part of the Beetle is the interior. Building the seats was a very pleasurable experience, and I was surprised how they all came together and how good they look. The front seats can fold over to let the back passengers in and out, and the back seat can also fold to reveal a little hidden compartment (just like on the real Beetle). The addition of the beach-blanket is a nice touch. The only thing missing in the interior are the pedals, but you can just add a couple of cheese-slopes to simulate them. Also, if you are in the UK, it would be easy to switch the steering-wheel to the other side.

#10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle Top

The roof is another section that I think looks great. It can be removed easily, and both the surfboard and the cooler are nice additions and interesting builds. I did add a couple of additional studs to hold down the roof section just to make it more secure.

#10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle Review

Besides the window-stickers I mentioned above, there are also four sets of license-plate stickers for California, Germany, Australia, and the UK, and you can choose whichever you like. And you get a full set of extra window-decals, as well as an extra sticker for the cooler. The only printed part is the Volkswagen logo on a small 1×1 tile, which is unique to this set. There are two used in the set officially; one on the hood, and one on the gas-tank. And you also get two extras. I added one to the steering-wheel and one to the engine.

#10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle Hood

Speaking of the engine it is a very simple but cleverly built part of the Beetle. It was so satisfying to see it come together. Under the front hood there is a spare tire, which is actually too small for the vehicle, because the tire is smaller. So make sure your Beetle doesn’t get a flat tire, otherwise it will be wobbling along.

#10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle Trunk

With almost being a foot long, the model is quite large and substantial, but not excessively. It looks good on a shelf all by itself as a focal point. It can also be displayed with some of the other LEGO Creator vehicles, although I should point out that they are not really on the same scale. It is a fairly good match with the #10220 LEGO Creator Volkswagen T1 Camper Van, but not so good with the #10242 LEGO Creator Mini Cooper, which looks much too large next to the Bettle. Also, you might find it interesting that while none of these LEGO Creator vehicles are made to be standard minifigure scale, they are a good fit for the old LEGO Belville and LEGO Technic figures – just case you want to add a driver. Below is the video-review so you can see the set in more detail.

All in all I’m very happy with the LEGO Volkswagen Beetle. I normally shy away from LEGO sculptures and display-models that are not minifig scale, as their play-value is less and they tend to just collect dust. However the Beetle has enough interesting features on its own, and with a couple of LEGO Belville (or similar size) figures it can also be great for play. It is definitely sturdy enough and could handle some rough riding – just like the real Beetle. And the price is surprisingly good for such a large and detailed model. You can find it at the LEGO Creator section of the Online LEGO Shop.

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So what do you think? How do you like the LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle? Did you get it already? Or are you planning to? Feel free to share your own review and thoughts in the comment section below! 😉

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{ 5 comments… add one }
  • BLProductions August 28, 2016, 11:51 AM

    I do really like this set… but it turns out my dad did buy it during the Double VIP Points weekend recently, as it arrived the day after my family went on vacation (we’re all back home now). I wonder how long I will stare at that box until it is opened – my dad won’t even start Wall-E! He just takes out the bags of pieces, looks at the instructions for a few minutes, and then puts it all back in the box! Infuriating. And he won’t start the Beetle until Wall-E is finished. Maybe he can give me the Beetle for Christmas, since he probably won’t have built it by then…. 😕
    Anyways, I did finish the Beetle on LDD (as much as I can without the new pieces, at least – it’s not the same as having the real model), and I agree that it has some really neat SNOT work, and there are some interesting hinged sections as well. 🙂 The only aesthetic issue I have with the model is where the windscreen meets the hood: on the real car, there is a kind of bulge where the wipers are attached, but on the LEGO set, there is instead a slight indent. While this is inevitable because the LEGO model’s hinges need room to lift the hood, I think it slightly damages the model’s overall look. 😕 Otherwise, this may be one of the best of LEGO’s 2016 sets. 🙂

    • admin August 28, 2016, 12:09 PM

      LOL! Your Dad is funny! I could never do that. When I get a new set I just have to drop whatever I’m doing to build it. The section with the wipers you mention didn’t bother me, but yeah, it’s hard to recreate finer details like that. All in all it’s a great set that looks excellent on display. I hope you will have the chance to build it. 🙂

      • BLProductions August 28, 2016, 7:25 PM

        Yeah, I couldn’t wait either. If I had got the set, I would have rebuilt my Millennium Falcon at light speed so that I could build it. Alas, my dad bought it, and his excuse is that he’s too busy, and it will take him too long, etc. He won’t even build the London Bus he got with the Beetle, even though that should take only half an hour or so. I know he’s thinking about the sets, but he’s just doing his best to ignore them, to annoy my brothers and I. 😕
        I didn’t mention anything about vipers… and while I do like snakes, I thought we were discussing Beetles…. 😉 I was looking at a comparison shot on the box’s bottom of the real and LEGO versions, and noticed a few possible inaccuracies (e.g., the LEGO model may be too short), however I think that I’m looking too closely and the model is about as good as it can get. 🙂
        Also: https://brickset.com/article/23289/75159-death-star-unveiled-in-brand-store Unsurprisingly disappointing. Hopefully if LEGO Star Wars is this bad this year, it means next year will have some great sets. Although, the Rogue One sets are pretty good. 😕

        • admin August 28, 2016, 10:14 PM

          LOL! I guess my spell-checker thought vipers were more interesting that wipers. Yeah, if you look really closely you can definitely find inaccuracies, and I have mentioned a number of them in my review. But all in all it looks really good on display. I have it right here on my shelf and look at it often. The box pictures actually highlight the inaccuracies more than the real life model.

          Yeah, I saw the Death Star. It actually leaked on Reddit about a week ago. I just can’t post leaked images here as LEGO wouldn’t be happy. The press-release should be coming any day now, so we should be able to talk about it in detail soon.

          I don’t think the re-release is such a big surprise. The set has been successfully selling for years. Why change something that works? The only thing that really needed to be updated were the minifigs. Personally I like the open design, as it allows play, but also looks good on display. It would have been cool to have cover panels that could open, but perhaps that could have been too hard to implement.

          The good thing about this set is that those who got the older one won’t be upset as this one is pretty much the same thing, and those who didn’t have the chance to get the older one can get the updated version now. But I agree that it is not the most exciting set of the year as it is just a re-release. Star Wars didn’t get much love this year from LEGO fans for sure. 🙄

  • ian farrall September 4, 2016, 6:49 AM

    I will be looking to buy the beetle, to go with my mini and camper van, but the best looking lego idea one is a LAND ROVER. I have voted please look and vote.
    https://ideas.lego.com/projects/116805/comments
    6472 votes with 373 days to go.
    created by Dadandlad.
    it needs more votes please vote

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