1968 Custom Volkswagen


General information





Casting : Custom Volkswagen



Years of Production

1968-1970


Country of Origin

US and HK


Casting Variations

US with Sunroof
Hong Kong with Sunroof
Hong Kong, no Sunroof


Interior Colors:

Interior Colors: White, Tan, Brown
US - Clear Glass
HK - Blue Glass


Paint Colors:

US COLORS:
 COMMENTS:
copper
 common
blue common
green common
red common
aqua common
antifreeze common
purple uncommon
orange
 uncommon
gold
 uncommon
lime
 hard to find
olive
 hard to find
rose
 hard to find
creamy pink
 rare
light blue
 rare
magenta
 very rare
hot pink
 very rare
yellow
 extremely rare
HK COLORS:
 COMMENTS:
blue
 common
green
 common
red
 common
aqua
 common
copper
 uncommon
orange
 uncommon
green enamel uncommon
purple
 hard to find
olive
 rare
light blue
 very rare





Comments:

The Volkswagen "Beetle" is perhaps themost-recognized and best-loved car of all time!
It was first proposed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche in 1934 as a "people's car" that would be
sufficiently affordable for hundreds of thousands of German citizens. A handful of VWs
were built before World War II, but civilian production did not begin in earnest until after
the war. In 1972, "Beetle" production reached over 15 million, besting a production record
previously held by the Ford Model T. Although the manufacture of "Beetles" in Germany
ended in 1979, the car was produced in Mexico until recently.



Mattel's first version of the Volkswagen Beetle was called the "Custom Volkswagen".
It was actually patterned after an IMC 1:25 scale model that was issued in 1965. Both
the model and the Custom Volkswagen featured a blown V-8 engine, a single front seat
and center steering wheel.



The Custom VW was produced at both the US and HK plants. US-made Custom VWs
featured silver painted headlights, clear windows and sliding sunroof, a metal engine, and
a steering wheel that was molded as part of the interior. White interiors are common,
dark interiors are rare. All US Customs VWs have small (front) and medium (rear)bearing-style wheels.


A brown US Custom Volkswagen

Like the US cars, nearly all HK-made Custom VWs have a sunroof. "No sunroof" cars
(described below) are rare. On HK VWs, the headlights are part of the base of the car and
extend through holes in the car body. Window and sunroof "glass" is tinted blue, and the
engine is made of vacuum-plated plastic. Interiors were done in white, light brown or
dark brown, all with a black steering wheel. HK Bugs have small bearing style wheels in
front, and medium bearing (early) or medium cap style (later) wheels in the rear.



An olive HK Custom Volkswagen.



A pair of purple Custom VWs: HK on the left, US on the right



HK and US Custom Volkswagens in spectraflame orange

HK Custom VWs have a much more detailed base than US cars, and use a single spun "rivet"
to secure the base to the body (US cars have two "rivets").



A comparison of VW bases: HK and US Custom VWs, and the '74 Flying Colors Volkswagen



HK (L) and US (R) "all cap" bases.

A somewhat rare base variation found on the early run models is the "All Caps" version where
the name, "CUSTOM VOLKSWAGEN" is spelled out in all capital letters.


The earliest Custom Volkswagens that were produced by Mattel were made at the HK plant
and did not have a sunroof. These cars were available only in the European market, with most
examples being sold in Germany and the UK.



Blue HK Custom Volkswagens with and without the sunroof.

Besides lacking a sunroof, the "NSR" VWs had other casting differences including no side
windows and a different interior. The following photos highlight some of the differences
between the NSR VWs and their more common counterparts.







Most NSR VWs are blue. A few aqua no-sunroof VWs have been found, as well as extremely
rare cars in orange, red, green, copper, and enamel green.



Four Colors of the HK No Sunroof Custom Volkswagen



NSR Bug in Copper



Super rare NSR in Red


In 1974, Mattel re-worked the US casting for their new line of Flying Color cars. Although the
cars were produced in Hong Kong and lack the sunroof, the design is most similar to the original
US Custom VW. No part of the Flying Colors Volkswagen is interchangeable with the earlier
NSR HK Custom Volkswagen.





Custom Volkswagens in blister packs: antifreeze US (L) and red HK (right).



A hot pink US Custom Volkswagen.



An awesome group of HK Custom VWs!



US Custom VWs in (left to right) red, rose, creamy pink, hot pink and magenta.



An green enamel HK Custom Volkswagen



A "magenta enamel" HK Custom Volkswagen? A cool color whatever it is!
(Now believed to be a severely toned Creamy Pink)
Photo courtesy of Bob Case, Littletoycars.com



A rainbow of the Custom Volkswagen



PREPRODUCTION



  Photo & info credits: Roy Kralle & the RLOL community




Variations: 59
Sort: Label   Toy number   Year   Name  
B1 Aqua - HK, Grey Int.
Hong Kong flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
B4 Aqua - US, Brown Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
B5 Aqua - US, White Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
C4 Blue - US, White Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
D1 Brown - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
E1 Copper - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
E2 Copper - US, Brown Int
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
F1 Gold - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
G1 Green - HK, Grey Int.
Hong Kong flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
G2 Green - HK, White Int.
Hong Kong flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
G3 Green - HK, NSR
Hong Kong flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
G5 Green - US, Brown Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
H1 Light Green - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
I1 Green En- HK, Grey Int.
Hong Kong flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
J1 Lime - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
K1 Magenta - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
L2 Olive - HK, Brown Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
L3 Olive - HK, White Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
L4 Olive - US, Brown Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
L5 Olive - US, White Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
M1 Orange - HK, Grey Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
M2 Orange - HK, White Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
M3 Orange - US, Brown Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
M4 Orange - US, White Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
N1 Pink - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
O3 Purple - US, Brown Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
O4 Purple - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
O5 Light Purple - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
P1 Red - HK, Grey Int.
Hong Kong flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
P2 Red - HK
Hong Kong flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
P3 Red, No Sun Roof
Hong Kong flag
1968
Red, No Sun Roof
Packaging
Inventory: 0
P4 Red - US, Brown Int
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
P5 Red - US, White Int.
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
Q1 Rose - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Rose - US
Packaging
Inventory: 0
R1 Yellow - US
United States flag
6220 1968
Packaging
Inventory: 0
Related Castings: 2
Image Toy # Casting Variation Country Year Wheels Inventory
Antifreeze - US, Brown Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen A1: Antifreeze - US, Brown Int. United States 1968 rlb
Antifreeze - US, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen A2: Antifreeze - US, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Aqua - HK, Grey Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen B1: Aqua - HK, Grey Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Aqua - HK, NSR, Brown Int 6220 Custom Volkswagen B2: Aqua - HK, NSR, Brown Int Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Aqua - HK, NSR, White Int 6220 Custom Volkswagen B3: Aqua - HK, NSR, White Int Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Aqua - US, Brown Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen B4: Aqua - US, Brown Int. United States 1968 rlb
Aqua - US, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen B5: Aqua - US, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Blue - HK, Grey Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen C1: Blue - HK, Grey Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Blue - HK, NSR, Black Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen C2: Blue - HK, NSR, Black Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Blue - HK, NSR, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen C3: Blue - HK, NSR, White Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Blue - US, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen C4: Blue - US, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Blue - US, Dark Brown interior 6220 Custom Volkswagen C5: Blue - US, Dark Brown interior United States 1968 rlb
Blue - US, Dark Brown Int., ALL CAPS base 6220 Custom Volkswagen C6: Blue - US, Dark Brown Int., ALL CAPS base United States 1968 rlb
Light Blue - US, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen C7: Light Blue - US, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Light Blue - US, Grey Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen C8: Light Blue - US, Grey Int. United States 1968 rlb
Brown - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen D1: Brown - US United States 1968 rlb
Copper - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen E1: Copper - US United States 1968 rlb
Copper - US, Brown Int 6220 Custom Volkswagen E2: Copper - US, Brown Int United States 1968 rlb
Copper - US, Redline Convention 6220 Custom Volkswagen E3: Copper - US, Redline Convention United States 1968 rlb
Copper - HK, NSR, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen E4: Copper - HK, NSR, White Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Copper - HK, NSR, Grey Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen E5: Copper - HK, NSR, Grey Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Gold - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen F1: Gold - US United States 1968 rlb
Green - HK, Grey Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen G1: Green - HK, Grey Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Green - HK, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen G2: Green - HK, White Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Green - HK, NSR 6220 Custom Volkswagen G3: Green - HK, NSR Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Green - US, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen G4: Green - US, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Green - US, Brown Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen G5: Green - US, Brown Int. United States 1968 rlb
Green - US, Brown Int., ALL CAPS base 6220 Custom Volkswagen G6: Green - US, Brown Int., ALL CAPS base United States 1968 rlb
Green - US, White Int., ALL CAPS base 6220 Custom Volkswagen G7: Green - US, White Int., ALL CAPS base United States 1968 rlb
Light Green - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen H1: Light Green - US United States 1968 rlb
Green En- HK, Grey Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen I1: Green En- HK, Grey Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Green En- HK, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen I2: Green En- HK, White Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Lime - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen J1: Lime - US United States 1968 rlb
Magenta - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen K1: Magenta - US United States 1968 rlb
Olive - HK, Light Brown Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen L1: Olive - HK, Light Brown Int. United States 1968 rlb
Olive - HK, Brown Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen L2: Olive - HK, Brown Int. United States 1968 rlb
Olive - HK, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen L3: Olive - HK, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Olive - US, Brown Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen L4: Olive - US, Brown Int. United States 1968 rlb
Olive - US, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen L5: Olive - US, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Orange - HK, Grey Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen M1: Orange - HK, Grey Int. United States 1968 rlb
Orange - HK, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen M2: Orange - HK, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Orange - US, Brown Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen M3: Orange - US, Brown Int. United States 1968 rlb
Orange - US, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen M4: Orange - US, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Pink - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen N1: Pink - US United States 1968 rlb
Creamy Pink - US, Grey Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen N2: Creamy Pink - US, Grey Int. United States 1968 rlb
Creamy Pink - US, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen N3: Creamy Pink - US, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Light Purple - HK, Black Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen O1: Light Purple - HK, Black Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Light Purple - HK, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen O2: Light Purple - HK, White Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Purple - US, Brown Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen O3: Purple - US, Brown Int. United States 1968 rlb
Purple - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen O4: Purple - US United States 1968 rlb
Light Purple - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen O5: Light Purple - US United States 1968 rlb
Purple - US, Brown Int., ALL CAPS base 6220 Custom Volkswagen O6: Purple - US, Brown Int., ALL CAPS base United States 1968 rlb
Red - HK, Grey Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen P1: Red - HK, Grey Int. Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Red - HK 6220 Custom Volkswagen P2: Red - HK Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Red, No Sun Roof Custom Volkswagen P3: Red, No Sun Roof Hong Kong 1968 rlb
Red - US, Brown Int 6220 Custom Volkswagen P4: Red - US, Brown Int United States 1968 rlb
Red - US, White Int. 6220 Custom Volkswagen P5: Red - US, White Int. United States 1968 rlb
Rose - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen Q1: Rose - US United States 1968 rlb
Yellow - US 6220 Custom Volkswagen R1: Yellow - US United States 1968 rlb
Green - Convention H2935 Custom Volkswagen (retool) A1: Green - Convention China 2005 ncrl
Red - RLC, Real Riders K3377 Custom Volkswagen (retool) B1: Red - RLC, Real Riders China 2006 rrt
Pink - Real Rider L2100 Custom Volkswagen (retool) C1: Pink - Real Rider China 2008 rrt
Aqua - Original 16 Series V0492 Custom Volkswagen (retool) D1: Aqua - Original 16 Series China 2011 ncrl
White - 28th Convention, Souvenir BLR43 Custom Volkswagen (retool) E1: White - 28th Convention, Souvenir Thailand 2014 rr5sp
Pink - RLC Party GDF80 Custom Volkswagen (retool) F1: Pink - RLC Party China 2019 ncrl
Red - Original 16 Rally Case Set JCP66 Custom Volkswagen (retool) G1: Red - Original 16 Rally Case Set China 2025 ncrl
Red - Original 16 Rally Case Set, Prototype JCP66 Custom Volkswagen (retool) G2: Red - Original 16 Rally Case Set, Prototype China 2025 ncrl
Blue - 19th Nationals, Charity Custom Volkswagen (retool) H1: Blue - 19th Nationals, Charity Thailand 2018 rrlww/rr5sp
Stripe tampo 7620 Volkswagen A1: Stripe tampo Hong Kong 1974 rlx
Bug tampo 7620 Volkswagen A2: Bug tampo Hong Kong 1974 rlx
Bug tampo - Wisconsin 7620 Volkswagen B1: Bug tampo - Wisconsin Hong Kong 1974 rlx