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HotWheelsCollectors.com - Series One
Beach Bomb Too™
Mattel has
been shipping all three versions of the new Beach Bomb Too over the past
week. I have examples in hand, and the attention to detail relating to 1969's
original Rear Loading Volkswagen Beach Bomb is stunning. There are minor
changes here and there on every surface to preserve the collectable value of the
original, such as the headlights being slightly higher. But the look is
incredibly accurate, right down to the chassis detail.
By now, every collector knows the history of the original Beach Bomb, that
while it's design was based on the 1968 Volkswagen Microbus, the model was too
narrow to be propelled reliably through the Super Charger. In
addition, because of the height of the car and all the metal up top, the model
was top-heavy and tipped easily going through the banked turns. So back to
the drawing board it went, and it came back with nearly an all-glass roof, beefy side
panels to hold the relocated surfboards and extra weight on the bottom of the
chassis. This is the model that went into production, and the engineering test
models of the original design quickly achieved their current status as the most
sought-after Hot Wheels vehicles of all time.
Well, 34 years later, it's back - albeit in a slightly different flavor as a panel
van version, which actually looks better than the original because the lines are
cleaner. Mattel chose to make a precision model that is accurate to the original
toy as opposed to the original full-size Microbus. But while the "crudeness" of
1960s tooling is present here, the casting is as perfect a replica as possible without
being exact. The thickness of the roof matches the original, and although I do
not have a first-generation Rear Loading Beach Bomb handy, I'm guessing that the
dimensions of the sunroof have been altered slightly. The nose is accurate, with the
exception of the headlights being repositioned slightly. The rear looks perfect,
yet I assume the panel over the motor is different. The interior features a
delicate steering wheel and the slots to hold the surfboards that protrude through the
open rear window.
Some of the most impressive work is done in an area that is not visible when the model
is upright. The chassis detail and design mimics the 1969 methods. This
includes the rectangular cutouts and tabs to hold the wire for the Torsion Bar Suspension
axle system. Even the embossed lettering thankfully is in the graceful Helvetica
Italic style of the earlier era rather than the haphazard scribble used on today's
models. And no flame logo to be found tamped nor embossed anywhere - how
refreshing. The ubiquitous chromed mag wheels with the thin redlined tires and
nylon bushings are signature enough; no need to advertise the brand name everywhere
on the model.
This Chinese-made model is an incredible tribute to the original Rear Loading Volkswagen
Beach Bomb, and now it, too, is relegated to history. Four production runs of
the casting were made, all finished in Spectraflame paint - purple for Series One; red
and green for last year's HWC Christmas cars made available to the general public; and
pink for last year's Mattel employees' Christmas car. The tooling is in the process
of being altered, presumably into a Side Loading model, repeating the steps taken in a
prior Hot Wheels era. In all likelihood, the Side Loader will appear in this year's
Series Two, and the HWC has indicated recently that the modified casting will be restricted
specifically to website/convention offerings as opposed to being released into the Basic
Line. In any event, with a quantity of
30,000+ Rear Loading Beach Bomb Too models manufactured, it will be overwhelmingly
easier and more economical for the average collector to acquire this 21st Century version
of the Rear Loader as opposed to the 20th Century version. And this model is every
bit worthy to stand with its predecessor. It's an outstanding way for the HWC to close
out the 2002 model year, and Mattel should be applauded for overcoming its reluctance
and bringing back a model that many were clamoring for. And with the apparent return
of the Super Van and Porsche 917 this year, it appears that we are in for
some interesting HWC projects in the months and years to come.
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