82002 German Schwimmwagen - Normandy, 1944 (1:32) (New Product)
German Schwimmwagens used the engine and mechanicals of the VW Type 86 four-wheel drive prototype of the Kübelwagen and the Type 87 four-wheel drive 'Kübel/Beetle' Command Car.
The earliest Type 128 prototype was based on the full-length Kübelwagen chassis with a 240 cm (7.9 ft) wheelbase. Pre-production units of the 128, fitted with custom welded bodytubs, demonstrated that this construction was too weak for tough off-roading, had insufficient torsional rigidity, and easily suffered hull-ruptures at the front cross-member, as well as in the wheel-wells. This was unacceptable for an amphibious vehicle. The large-scale production models (Type 166) were therefore made smaller, and had a wheel-base of only 200 cm (6.6 ft).
From 1941 through 1944 a total of 15,584 Type 166 Schwimmwagen cars were produced. Given these numbers, the Type 166 is the most mass-produced amphibious car in history. Only 163 are known by the Schwimmwagen Registry to remain today, and only 13 have survived without restoration work.
The Forces of Valor® replica is of a Type 166 as seen in Normandy in 1944.
Features:
- Constructed of both die cast metal and plastic.
- Upper and lower chassis are metal.
- Wheels roll.
- Accurate markings and insignia.
- Comes with a driver figure.
- New packaging for 2012 no ties or screws, double blister construction.
Dimensions:
Length: 5 inches
Width: 2 inches
Height: 2 inches
Weight: 0.33 lbs