FMS 1/12 Type 87 Beetle Kommandeurswagen scaler RTR car kit

Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the Porsche Car Company, was a genius designer whose design ideas have influenced many people today. He designed the Beetle, the Elephant heavy destruction tank, the Kubelwagen Type82, the Schwimmwagen Type166, and the Lohner-Porsche hybrid, the world's first car powered by in-wheel hub motors.

 
While Ferdinand Porsche is designing the car, Adolf Hitler is waging war in Europe and throwing the world into chaos.


The fates of these two Austrians intertwined in the 1930s, when Hitler made two promises to the German people after his election as head of the Third Reich: one was to have steak for dinner; the other was to have a car for every German family. This car had to meet very specific requirements: to be able to transport 2 adults and 3 children at the same time, that is to say a standard German family, and to move at a speed of up to 100 km/h, while being sold maximum 1000 Reichsmark. Then Germany built a network of dams and highways, built the KdF Motor City in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, and registered the Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH, which later became the headquarters of volkswagen, world-renowned. The national car also received its official name, KdF-Wagen, which later became the famous "Beetle". kdf is the German acronym for Kraft Durch Freunde, literally "strength through joy", which was the name of the holiday organization of the German Labor Front at that time. At the same time, the government adopted a savings scheme whereby the general public could purchase ration tickets through this organization in order to save in advance for the purchase of cars, which turned out to be a scam set up by Hitler to raise funds for the coming war. The ensuing series of policies created a large number of employment opportunities, the economy was booming for a time and the Germany had no equal. People had steaks, but no cars. Then the war came.

 
KdF-Wagen, known as the people's car when none were sold to the people, all being commandeered by the army and converted into military vehicles, the most famous being the Kübelwagen (Published Nov., 2021, Product No.__ ). We are honored if you already have it in your RC collection. If not, the Type82E is a great start for realistic RC models. The Type82E, primarily offered to senior officers, uses bodywork from KdF Wagen on the same chassis as the Kübelwagen, a rear-mounted, rear-wheel-drive chassis with a limited-slip differential. The post-war civilian version was the Beetle, which later became world famous.


Technically speaking, Kommandeurwagen refers to the Beetle-bodied car based on the Type86 4x4 chassis, specially designed for senior officers at the front, model number Type87. The Type82E, on the other hand, refers to an officer car based on the 2WD chassis of the Type82 barrel car and equipped with a Beetle body. The difference in appearance between the two is the Type87's wider fenders and footpegs and larger off-road tires.


The air-cooled motor requires no water for cooling, making it ideal for use in hot and cold environments. This is why he was sent in large numbers to the North Africa Corps under Ehrewin Rommel,

About the model

We start with the engine. The air-cooled Boxer engine serves as the heart of the car, an engine used in several subsequent generations of classic cars and which lasted 65 years in the Beetle, a saga that ended when the last Beetle, number 21 529 464, rolled off the production line in Puebla, Mexico on July 30, 2003. The Type82 originally used a 985 cc engine, which later grew to 1131 cc, then the displacement gradually increased, and the Porsche 356 used a 1488 cc engine, doubling the power from the start. The cylinders of the horizontally opposed engine are distributed on both sides, a 130 engine in the right cylinder position, and another 130 engine reserved for the left side, which makes it possible to produce twice as much power when it is applied to VW T1 or Porsche356 platform. The engine crankshaft flywheel is connected by a belt to drive the generator as well as the cooling fan. The semi-circular fan shroud is a major feature, in which the airflow is distributed to the cylinders on both sides. Everything is faithfully restored to the model, which means you can watch the blades spinning in the fan intake as the engine runs. The Kübelwagen has 4 forward gears and the maximum speed of each gear is 18.4km/h in 1st gear, 32.4km/h in 2nd gear, 54.2km/h in 3rd gear and 83.6km/h in 4th gear respectively. speed. The corresponding red line of shift tips is available on the dashboard. On the model, we designed a 2-speed shift to simulate the real car's 1st and 3rd gear speed. Power goes through the top of the rear axle differential and then back to the rear axle. The model shares the same structure as the real engine, with the advantage of compactness, making it easy to switch between 4WD and RWD modes. This shifting function is perfectly reproduced on the model to provide more off-road driving pleasure. making it easy to switch between 4WD and RWD modes. This shifting function is perfectly reproduced on the model to provide more off-road driving pleasure. making it easy to switch between 4WD and RWD modes. This shifting function is perfectly reproduced on the model to provide more off-road driving pleasure.

Now let's move on to the chassis. The portal axle popular in today's climbing car market was mass-produced for barrel cars 82 years ago, from which the 15:21 reduction ratio learned a lot, making the ground clearance minimum chassis of the tonneau car is 310 mm, dwarfing all modern off-road cars on the market today. On the real car the front and rear wheel speeds are balanced by increasing the front axle differential reduction ratio, while on the model we set the door axle reduction ratio to 1: 1 for common front and rear axle differentials.

The strong undercarriage, with its stamped center tube and bodywork, provides high torsion resistance. The central drive shaft and electrical wiring are hidden in the ridge tube. The one-piece injected model features the texture of metal stamping with plastic as the location and size of each reinforcement is restored according to the actual car. The front and rear wheels adopt torsion bar spring independent suspension, which can achieve long travels while occupying little space. We use torsion springs instead of torsion bar springs to feature front and rear suspension, easy to disassemble and change setting.

As for the tires, the model adopts the same 5.25 x 16 off-road tires as the barrel car. The simulated wheels should be fixed with 5 screws like the real car, and the spare wheel in the front is easily accessible after opening the hood. You can also charge the battery there at your convenience, as it is properly stored in the fuel tank of the real car.

Can we open the doors? Let's try the door handle. Pull out - the door can be opened by the push of the built-in spring latch, when closed, you can hear the crunching "kata" sound of the spring latch. The inside of the doors are etched with a simulated fabric texture. The soft rubber seats share the same soft texture as the real car cushion, perfect for 1/12 action figures. As FMS always does, the model features a servo-controlled steering wheel and front wheels for perfectly timed action.

Typically, rear passengers do not have a separate door, reducing the likelihood of a successful escape for rear officers in an emergency. To facilitate evacuation in the event of an attack and rollover, a collapsible soft awning is installed in the roof window. In the model, we implemented a sculpted plastic removable roof with a fine weave pattern to simulate the texture of the fabric canopy. Once removed, figures can be placed in the back if desired.

For the electronic system, a 4-channel digital proportional remote control system is applied. In addition to channels 1 and 2 for steering and throttle, the third channel controls shifting and the fourth channel switches from 4WD to 4WD. There is also an integrated light control, which allows the headlights to be turned on during normal night driving. The turn signals and associated brake lights are at the rear of the car. Users can only turn on anti-aircraft lights during the night lights restriction.

Next is the packaging, which uses environmentally friendly foam material to simulate German WWII ammunition boxes. The recyclable box can withstand long-distance transportation; it is easy to store and transport.