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brooklyn thing Samba Member
Joined: April 01, 2011 Posts: 98 Location: brooklyn
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 4:38 pm Post subject: American Girl |
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I'm primarily a THING guy, but has anyone seen the American Girl beetle? It's pretty cool. At $350, my wife says we could just buy a project car, park it in the driveway and let our daughter play in that. |
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Glenn Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001 Posts: 76760 Location: Sneaking up behind you
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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Why would you want to waste your money on a doll's car? _________________ Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
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brooklyn thing Samba Member
Joined: April 01, 2011 Posts: 98 Location: brooklyn
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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Isn't "waste" a matter of opinion? Money wasted on project cars that never get on the road? I probably have double that in vintage VW advertising , Thing and Beetle toys. Not to mention VW Xmas tree ornaments. |
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Glenn Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001 Posts: 76760 Location: Sneaking up behind you
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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You're right... i'm not into toys. But maybe you are and that's all that matters.
Sorry, no offense meant. _________________ Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare |
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EverettB Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000 Posts: 69734 Location: Phoenix Metro
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Blue Baron VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006 Posts: 23754 Location: Southeast USA
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Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 8:28 am Post subject: |
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I've seen this toy in the American Girl store in Miami, and it's impressive.
Aside from having to format the car to fit two dolls, the car is surprisingly authentic, right down to a perfect Saffire radio in the dash with the VOLKSWAGEN script on the faceplate. (And the car has a working radio!)
These toys have been available for several years, and if someone in your family were an American Girl doll collector (and there are plenty of adult collectors, not just kids), it would be a pretty hard item to resist. |
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79SuperVert Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2002 Posts: 9758 Location: Elizabeth, NJ & La Isla Del Encanto
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Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 9:36 am Post subject: Re: American Girl |
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brooklyn thing wrote: |
I'm primarily a THING guy, but has anyone seen the American Girl beetle? It's pretty cool. At $350, my wife says we could just buy a project car, park it in the driveway and let our daughter play in that. |
$350 is an outrageous price. It's a nice model but that's just extortion, because somebody's little girl is going to be screaming to get one and AG knows it's going to be worth $350 to some parent to stop the tantrums. I know, I had two girls, but thankfully between my wife and I we resisted the pressures.
Dang, don't I sound like a Scrooge... _________________ Central Jersey VW Society
Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt. |
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sub-hatchtim Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2006 Posts: 2610 Location: Phoenix AZ
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Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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Didn't the guy from silence of the lamb's collect doll's? _________________ 58' pg/sg silo fridge westy
58 Dove blue singlecab
76 911S |
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wbrown45 Samba Member
Joined: July 08, 2008 Posts: 1318 Location: ada, ok
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Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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"It puts the doll into the toy VW!" _________________ OK Thang |
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sub-hatchtim Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2006 Posts: 2610 Location: Phoenix AZ
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Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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Well just when I thought vw people couldn't get weirder, it happened. Maybe time get into Citroen's or Fiat's
lol jk those people are way weirder _________________ 58' pg/sg silo fridge westy
58 Dove blue singlecab
76 911S |
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Blue Baron VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006 Posts: 23754 Location: Southeast USA
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Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 6:39 pm Post subject: Re: American Girl |
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79SuperVert wrote: |
brooklyn thing wrote: |
I'm primarily a THING guy, but has anyone seen the American Girl beetle? It's pretty cool. At $350, my wife says we could just buy a project car, park it in the driveway and let our daughter play in that. |
$350 is an outrageous price. It's a nice model but that's just extortion, because somebody's little girl is going to be screaming to get one and AG knows it's going to be worth $350 to some parent to stop the tantrums. I know, I had two girls, but thankfully between my wife and I we resisted the pressures.
Dang, don't I sound like a Scrooge... |
Spoken like someone who has never seen one (or been confronted by one) in person. It's huge, well over two feet long. The American Girl store is filled with thousands of items, and yes, it's pricey doll stuff, but this VW convertible is the star of the entire store. If you owned a mid '70s blue ragtop, you'd have to have one. |
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citroen Samba Member
Joined: February 28, 2010 Posts: 1578 Location: louisville ky
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Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2013 8:49 am Post subject: |
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sub-hatchtim wrote: |
Well just when I thought vw people couldn't get weirder, it happened. Maybe time get into Citroen's or Fiat's
lol jk those people are way weirder |
I guess I am really weird and I am I drive a vw thing and a citroen |
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79SuperVert Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2002 Posts: 9758 Location: Elizabeth, NJ & La Isla Del Encanto
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Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2013 8:42 pm Post subject: Re: American Girl |
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Blue Baron wrote: |
79SuperVert wrote: |
$350 is an outrageous price. |
Spoken like someone who has never seen one (or been confronted by one) in person. It's huge, well over two feet long. The American Girl store is filled with thousands of items, and yes, it's pricey doll stuff, but this VW convertible is the star of the entire store. If you owned a mid '70s blue ragtop, you'd have to have one. |
No, I haven't seen one in person, but I've seen the pics on the American Girl website. It's a nice model with some good detail. But pricey is the key word. I do not see anything inherent in the materials or the workmanship of what I assume is a plastic toy car that justifies the $350 price. I have Sun Star 1/18th scale Beetle and Bus metal models that are infinitely more detailed and much higher quality that go for much less. You can get 8 Barbie cars for that price. The Beetle is much more detailed than any of the Barbie cars, but I don't think it justifies a price tag 8 times higher.
In my opinion, the buyer is paying for the strength of the American Girl brand and marketing effort. _________________ Central Jersey VW Society
Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt. |
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Blue Baron VW Aficionado
Joined: June 16, 2006 Posts: 23754 Location: Southeast USA
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Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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It's apples and oranges.
I get why an adult man might not want a doll car, but you need to examine one fresh out of the box before judging it for quality. Pictures don't do it justice. The blue finish on the body is stunning, the chrome perfect and the fit of the parts is amazing. Everywhere you look you see quality details. I was blown away. (And yes, the American Girl trademark does up the retail price, but the quality is insane.)
I was notl that impressed with Sun Star, and to claim the quality is "infinitely" better is just wrong. Yes has more detail, but will it transport two large dolls? (Plus the convertible is easily twice the size of a Sun Star.)
And saying metal is better than plastic is a boring old debate. I've collected VW toys for 35 years, and I collect in all mediums, diecast, steel, tin and plastic, and I don't see one appreciably better than another.
Bottom like, would I pay $350 for one? No. It the quality crazy good and could it be worth it? Yes. |
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79SuperVert Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2002 Posts: 9758 Location: Elizabeth, NJ & La Isla Del Encanto
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Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 7:37 am Post subject: |
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I agree with your assessment. And there are things about the Sun Stars that annoy me. Like the fact that their 1949 sedan has fresh air heater boxes. After all the trouble they went to getting the rest of the detail right, why get such an obvious item incorrect?
Glad my daughters are too old to be asking for an AG vert...they wouldn't get it anyway and then I'd have to put up with the drama. _________________ Central Jersey VW Society
Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt. |
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preciador6 Samba Member
Joined: September 12, 2007 Posts: 37 Location: Cali 91766
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 2:20 pm Post subject: American Girl Convertible |
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_________________ ( O ) \ | / ( O ) |
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