{"product_id":"wiking-004203-ho-fuchs-volkswagen-1600-variant","title":"Wiking 004203 HO Fuchs Volkswagen 1600 Variant","description":"This is a Wiking 004203 HO Fuchs Volkswagen 1600 Variant. Just now celebrating its 50th birthday – the VW 181, which at the time rolled across German Army parade grounds as an auxiliary vehicle. At the same time, the VW type 181 became a legend in the USA – as a “just for fun” leisure vehicle. Its name in the States: The Thing! The would-be off-road vehicle had neither four-wheel drive nor off-road gearing, to say nothing of ground clearance. When the VW 181 was presented at IAA 1969, its mission as a vehicle was of a purely military nature. In fact, in the 1960s, the European countries wanted to jointly build a Jeep-equivalent, but the project never got off the ground. At the time, the German armed forces were under pressure because the production of the DKW Munga had ceased in 1968. VW took action, and placed the type 181 on a platform frame, and the VW Beetle contributed the engine. Initially presented as a “courier vehicle”, the 181 was soon renamed the “bucket car” in soldiers’ slang – a vehicle name which earned the officially disapproval of the Defence Forces. 140,768 vehicles rolled off the production line between 1969 and 1980. Originally built in Wolfsburg, then in Hanover and Emden, and finally only in the plant in Mexico, the VW 181 was used as a special-purpose vehicle many deployments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Factory New (\u003ca href=\"#\" title=\"C-9: All original; unused; factory rubs and evidence of handling, shipping and factory test run. Standards for all toy train related accessory items apply to the visual appearance of the item and do not consider the operating functionality of the equipment. Condition and Grading Standards are subjective, at best, and are intended to act as a guide.\"\u003eC-9\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOperational Status:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"#\" title=\"This item is brand new from the factory.\"\u003eFunctional\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Box:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes (\u003ca href=\"#\" title=\"May have store stamps and price tags. Has inner liners.\"\u003eP-9\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eManufacturer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Wiking\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel Number:\u003c\/strong\u003e 004203\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScale\/Era:\u003c\/strong\u003e HO Scale\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel Type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vehicles\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Trainz SKU for this item is P12510553. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 6px !important; color: #d3d3d3 !important; line-height: 8px !important;\"\u003eTrainz Product Id: 12510553\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Wiking","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44119189717114,"sku":"P12510553","price":17.22,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1260\/4747\/files\/17004203_01_1250_600_4795872.jpg?v=1777900285","url":"https:\/\/www.trainz.com\/products\/wiking-004203-ho-fuchs-volkswagen-1600-variant","provider":"Trainz","version":"1.0","type":"link"}