Info on this toy?

[avus]

Friction drive beetle toy, made in Japan. Just wondering how old and how common. It was a gift, and I'm not trying to sell. Thx.

[slave1pilot]

Bandai made it.
here's an ebay auction from 3 weeks ago for one of a different color, no box and in worse shape than yours.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Bandai-VOLKSWAGEN-...7675.l2557
_________________
My Photobucket for my Herbie Project - http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/TK-439/library/Herbie?sort=3&page=1

Currently:
1963 Ragtop Beetle
Previously:
1967 Beetle
1968 Beetle
1970 Beetle

[avus]

[slave1pilot]

I'm not sure, but this seller apparently thinks his is made of gold.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/302385166198?rmvSB=true
from what I can find it's either 50's or 60's (i know, no help )
_________________
My Photobucket for my Herbie Project - http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/TK-439/library/Herbie?sort=3&page=1

Currently:
1963 Ragtop Beetle
Previously:
1967 Beetle
1968 Beetle
1970 Beetle

[slave1pilot]

and thanks for the Herbie comment,
He's not very popular around here. Lots of haters LOL
it's fine though, it's my car right?
_________________
My Photobucket for my Herbie Project - http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/TK-439/library/Herbie?sort=3&page=1

Currently:
1963 Ragtop Beetle
Previously:
1967 Beetle
1968 Beetle
1970 Beetle

[slave1pilot]

Kicking myself now.
I accidentally deleted almost the entire album today.
Apparently I selected them all instead of just a few and then hit delete.

_________________
My Photobucket for my Herbie Project - http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/TK-439/library/Herbie?sort=3&page=1

Currently:
1963 Ragtop Beetle
Previously:
1967 Beetle
1968 Beetle
1970 Beetle

[Blue Baron]

The 1/20 scale Bandai is fairly common, and there was a long production run of them throughout the 1960s. There were friction motors, battery-op bump-and-go, and remote steering versions. Some even had working headlights.

What's unusual about yours is that it has litho printing on the bottom, which could indicate an early production version. It also has the box, which could be more desirable than the model itself.

Unfortunately due to the sheer number of survivors, they don't command a lot of money (despite what some lunatics on eBay may think), but it is still one of the most attractive, and perfectly proportioned VW toys of all time.

The good news is that affordable prices mean more enthusiasts can enjoy adding them to their collections.
_________________
We are striving for perfection, to make our cars run forever, if possible.

Heinz Nordhoff