The beetle appears to be progressing well despite you having to make so many modifications to get things to fit. Looking at the tyres they give the impression they are for something more military than street driven. The kit box picture doesn't show that much side tread. The "wings" also look to be slightly flared - possibly for more tyre clearance of a military vehicle.

I'm continuing to watch the progress so don't give up!

Yes the tyres are definatly not your traditional radials! I'm gonna persevere with it as there ain't nothing else out there other than the Citroën Avant...

Looking quite good considering the awful sounding original kit! As a VW restorer I can tell you the front wings are incorrect, where the headlamp bowl bulge is should flow with the wing curve, especially at the front. On the plus side you'd have to be pretty sad to notice this...

The bug paint code information you requested is here The Samba.com along with some excellent photos. It's RMweb for VW folk.

Personally I would use one of these instead, (military kit)as they are pretty representative of the "standard" model produced from 1946-52. They are less good for the more luxurious export models, but standard spec bugs were exported around the world, and like all good vehicles survived for a long time. This kit could be altered in two ways to represent later models.

1. 1953-57 simply cut out the dividing bar in the rear window and remove the bumper over riders and fill in the bumper groove to produce an "oval"

2.1958-64 Cut the back window out square, following the height of the side windows and add a new air intake grill under the windows, then do the bumper mod above. The engine bay lid will be wrong but otherwise ok.

I am not sure that you will get the body proportions right on the kit you are using but you are clearly enjoying the challenge! On the tyre front I would use any tyre with a solid rim that's to scale. There is a wide choice of military kits e.g. staff cars that have better tyres. On the lowering front, just do what we do on the prototype and move the axles up in the floorpan! Either chopping off the wheel spindles or from the chassis is quicker than a scratch build. Ride heigh is not bad, the bug sat plenty high up when new its just that everyone lowers them now.

I noticed that the front wing looked a bit heavy around the lamp bowls...I can think about reducing them down a bit and assume they should look something like this?