The BugShop: The "Misc." Gallery
This page last modified-
11/2/01
This page is really for anything that doesn't
"fit" on the other pages. Maybe VW stuff, maybe not, pictures I thought
about sharing. Immediately below you will find links to a few other pages
at this site that fall under the "miscellaneous" category.
Here's a picture of my "toy" collection
on the shelf at my desk at work.
Lets see, the front row left to right:
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Yellow. A made in China "friction" model. Pretty
good detail for a tin toy. Real VW emblemed hubcaps, side and hood molding.
VW Emblem on hood.
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Blue. 'Vert with top up, China, doors and hood
open. "Generic" wheels, 1/36 scale.
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White. 'Vert with top down, China, doors and
hood open. "Generic" wheels, 1/36 scale.
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Yellow. "Matchbox" size, Hong Kong.
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Purple. A REAL Hot Wheels graphiced Oval bug.
"W" decklid
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Lt. Blue. This thing looks pretty old.
A Semaphored Oval, made in England, "No. 8"
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Black. These next two I got in Germany at one
of those model railroad stores. HO Gauge split, semaphores and very correct
undercarriage detail. Made by "Wiking"
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Blue. HO Gauge split ragtop. No semaphores visible
on this one though. Middle pan stamping nice underneath, but front section
stamped wrong.
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Grey. A Micro Machine I negotiated away from
my son. Looks like about a '65. Underside shows a front to back driveshaft.
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Off White. These next two I got in Germany at
one of those model railroad stores. N Gauge 60s "medical" car. Blue light
on top, red cross on doors
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Aqua Blue. N Gauge split.
In the Middle left to right:
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That's a belt buckle made of brass and copper.
Found it in Menton, France in the summer of '97 (but "made in the USA").
It's very cool. Mostly brass, the bumper wheels and detailed interior (seen
through the windshield) are copper. Paid $30.
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The red one to the right is a "Darda" toy. I
bought it while Birthday shopping for my son as it was advertised as the
fasted pull back and go toy in the world. It is pretty damn fast. You have
to push down while pulling back to engage the winding mech, and you can't
over wind it.
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The smaller red one is a little rubbery model
with a hole in the top. I honestly can't remember where I got it or what
it is supposed to be for.
Back Row left to right:
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Blue. This is a very common model I've seen
at practically every VW show. Around $15 and it is very detailed. A '57
with opening doors, hood (but not decklid), seats flip forward. Quite accurate
stamping underneath. Perfect wheels with VW hubcaps.
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This is a 7-Eleven toy. I friction toy with
really soft, sticky wheels and good slow strong gearing. Lots of fun to
build little obstacle courses with office supplies and see what it will
crawl over.
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My favorite (anybody else got one of these?).
This is a geometric puzzle and is made of hard CRAYON wax.
Here's a picture of my "toy" collection at
home (the Beetle "Shrine"). These things occupy a shelf in a wall unit
in the "no" room (means kids are not allowed to touch)
Clockwise around from the front:
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A black plastic Beetle that my son had and during
a playroom "downsizing" said he didn't want anymore (blasphemy!)
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A "cushion" Beetle. Sewn cloth and stuffed.
Don't remember where I got it.
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(Barely visible, see below) A coffee mug Beetle.
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Far in the back is a "chrome" Beetle made of
some kind of ceramic. The finish is VERY shiny.
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Next is my big "Cookie Jar" Beetle (see below).
My wife bought me this from somewhere...
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That red one is actually a telephone, with buttons
on the bottom.
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On the far right is a true "Tin Toy" Beetle
that my sister picked up at a yard sale. It looks very old and is probably
the only thing here that is of any real value.
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In the front is a crystal Beetle that I bought
in Germany many years ago. The bottom is painted with a silvery paint.
I got hassled in customs trying to get this through the X-ray in my briefcase.
The guard said "Vos ist los!?" (what is this). What do you mean "What is
this!?, it's a Beetle you moron, you're country only made three trillion
of them, where have you been, in a cave the last 45 years!!!?". No, I didn't
really say that.
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In the very middle (light blue) is a Maisto
1:18 '67 model. I bought this myself for $9.99. Very nice detailed model
for the money.
A couple Beetle books there in the background
and those feather things are some masks (a la Mardi Gras) that we got at
a big fundraiser party with a New Orleans theme. Nothing to do with VW,
just thought they were cool and wanted to keep them.
This is the "Coffee Mug" Beetle hiding in
the back in the picture above. It was at a Hallmark card store in a plaza
across the street from an apartment I lived in years ago. I would go in
there to get cards every once in a while and see it. But it was like $17
and I kept saying "naaaa." But then I would feel guilty that it was unique
and I might never get it. I told my (then) fiancee about it and she bought
it for me for Christmas. The wheels have axles and actually roll (is that
really good feature for a coffee cup?).
I really like this thing. You can't really
see it in the picture, but the top separates just along the bottom edge
of all of the windows. It is ceramic and hand painted. My wife pointed
out after I took the picture that it probably wasn't a good idea to take
a picture of a blue car against a blue (recliner) background. Sorry.
Tour my workbench
In the very first version of the BugShop,
this picture adorned the top of the main page. Eventually I opted for something
with a VW in it and then I went to a very simple main page. But the concept
of "touring" my workbench was too cool not to put somewhere, so I transplanted
it here. Been a while since I took the pictures, but it is pretty much
the same. Usually has a bunch of parts, tools and unfinished projects on
it though.
OK, this is actually the back of my 8 ft
work bench in my garage. It was taken as 4 separate shots with a digital
camera and then "assembled" using Photofinish 1.0 from Z-Soft (look close,
can you see all 3 "seams"?).
From left to right you can see:
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Incoming Compressed Air line (upper); 1/2" sweated
copper from compressor in front of garage. Small regulator (yellow knob)
with gauge on line
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Switches for overhead fluorescent lights
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6 Volt battery from my '57; bought new, "exercised"
every so often by slightly discharging and recharging.
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Telephone
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Vice (I have many)
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Thermostat for gas heater (round thing, upper
right of battery)
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"Breadboard" with built in power supply; The
blue thing. I actually use it to charge a cheap cordless/rechargeable "dremel"
that I lost the charger for
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3 battery post cleaners on the small shelf above
(air gun hanging on shelf edge in front of them)
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(below) Placard from "Connecticut Bug-a-Fair",
1994. Participated in Swap meet.
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Soldering iron holder; that's the spring looking
thing attached at the right end of the power strip, attached to wall
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Wrenches; the dark one is a 1/2" that was heated
with a torch and bent to serve a special repair job. I can't find my 3/4"
one
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Adjustable wrenches
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Ratchets
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Drill bits still in their "blister" cards. Found
some common size "bullet" bits on sale, haven't needed them yet
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Just below those, on the bench, is the broken
up voltage regulator from my Sears tractor. Been meanin' to try and find
one
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In the blue sleeves to the right of that are
a set of 12" masonry bits, haven't found a good place to keep them yet
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(above) Drill bits in one of those indexed holders
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Spade boring bits (behind that jar)
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Jar of used solvent/paint thinner (yep, that's
a Ragu jar)
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(above that) A second phone jack. Actually was
the original one, but the phone was in the way there.
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"Oh No! 30" Button. That round green and white
thing, somebody gave me on my 30th birthday. That was a few years ago.
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One of many of those storage drawer cabinets
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(on top) More drill bits stored in a (white)
block of plastic foam
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Jars of stuff (far right) Old gas used for cleaning
parts, old mineral spirits, old lacquer thinner, a "safe harbors nightmare"
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AND...you can just see the base and table of
the drill press that is on the perpendicular wall (green)
So that's it. Just when you thought you'd seen
it all on the web. A fully documented workbench setup.