Matchbox 34c; Volkswagen Camper

There has been a long tradition of Volkswagen vans in the Matchbox range which continues today under Mattel. It's one of those slots in the range (ambulance, Land-Rover, fire engine, cement mixer, etc. that always seems to have an occupant. This is the third visit to the Type 2 Volkswagen, all so far at the number 34 position. A nice feature of this one being the opening barn doors on the side.. It is always silver (except for a very rare pale green version mentioned in Ramsay but not elsewhere), with orange windows and an orange plastic interior, the wheels are always black. The one significant version change is the lift-up portion in the roof, lift-up on the real van that is, fixed on the model. Early versions have this in the raised position with windows around the sides, later versions show it in the closed position and consequently with those small side windows removed.

The Volkswagen Camper (34c) was introduced in 1967 and stayed in the range until 1971. It was not converted to Superfast. Of the two major casting variants it is the lower roof which tends to fetch a slightly higher price, although there are no real premium versions, unless you count the pale green one mentioned in Ramsay.