Readers’ Comments – Kado VW Police Cars

Wow, what a fine piece of history this was. I just finished comparing the lists in the Kado VW article with the lists I’d compiled over the years based on the few sources available and models I saw for sale on eBay, as well as my own collection. I had several errors in my list but mainly just in which series certain models were listed. Also, I greatly appreciate Stephen Paul Hardy clearing up the “mystery” of the missing models. Based on that one photo in Model Auto Review in 1982, I’d been looking for years for the South African and Yugoslavian Beetles!

I have several questions, but I’ll only post one here now: I presume the Swiss Beetle Stephen lists as “white with red side panels” is the one that also has a red bonnet and has the City of Zurich crest on the doors?

I agree wholeheartedly that a lot of confusion has arisen because some models are packaged (or perhaps repackaged) in the wrong boxes, and some others are packaged in generic Kado boxes without any catalog number listed.

Here’s an example of the mismatched boxes – I presume done inadvertently by a collector when repackaging models he had on display – the KT-18 Dutch Politie VW in a KT-14 Belgian VW box.

Often the seller, who may be several people removed from the original owner, has no idea and doesn’t bother checking on what country the markings represent and goes by what’s on the box (usually a reasonable course of action), thus perpetuating the confusion over the catalog numbers…

Dick Williams

I am going to confuse things again! I received the first set of 6 cars from Japan in May 1980, as KT-13 to KT-18! KT-13 is the white/red Switzerland car with the label “KT-13 Switzerland” on the box! Later that year I got KT-19 to KT-21 from a UK source. My KT-19 is the dark green/white wings Polizei 17 with the box label “KT-19 Police Car”. I never got a KT-22 which is shown in your listing as the same car I have in a KT-19 box!! My models have been with their boxes since new.

Jim McLachlan

Stephen Paul Hardy replies:

Thank you for your kind comments, Dick, and I am glad that by publishing this little tale it has been helpful. Yes that KT-13 “white with red side panels” was the one with red bonnet also (and which I now note apparently represented a Fire not Police vehicle of the City of Zurich). Interestingly thanks to Karl’s assistance and input with Editing including adding in links to the hobbyDB database I note that database now also needs updating on release dates in line with the complete listing to avoid confusion in the future.

Yes, indeed, the internet (notably in the pat ten years) has now made access available to so much more information about local production versions and service user liveries that just wasn’t accessible back in the 1980s.

Now thanks particularly to Jim McLachlan for keeping his sets in their right boxes (although we would expect nothing less from you Jim), we can add in corrections and hopefully arrive at the definitive list!

Although I am very embarrassed about the two errors in my work, it makes the point that retrospective research is often fraught with situations like this thanks to the lack of evidence drawn on. It also reaffirmed some of my opening comments in my first article about the value of the healthy amount of interaction and feedback generated by these blog articles.

Part II has now been updated – thanks Dick and Jim!