Fontana, CA. (October, 2005)
VBUGZ - The Latest Maisto Custom Shop!
	Maisto has dropped the latest info from their Custom Shop crew – VBUGZ are on their way!
Sparked by the resounding response received at the 2005 RCX Show where two different 1:64 VW Beetles were unveiled to the public as part of the first flow of G-Rides, Maisto has launched a slew of new VW to release throughout 2006. The first of the new VBUGZ products to hit the shelves will actually be out for the 2005 Holiday Season. Two new 1:18 scale will be launched as part of the Hobby Limited Collection 1, due in hobby stores the beginning of November. Most products in the Hobby Limited Collection will be limited to 5000 piece runs. The two, a Hardtop Beetle and a Beetle Cabriolet, come equipped with all of the features you have come to love from the Custom Shop – custom wheels, detailed interiors, and chromed engines. The paint jobs are unreal, including the hardtop, which features ColorShift Custom Paint. Additionally, the Cabriolet features suicide doors, and the Hardtop has vertical lift doors. The plan for 2006 calls for a continuation of new releases of VBUGZ throughout the year in the 1:64 G-Rides line, as well as a January release of two different 1:24 scale VBUGZ, a Samba Van and a Beetle Hardtop. Sometime before May, a 1:10 Scale VBUGZ Beetle Radio Control will also be available.   “My first ride was a VW,” says Ralph Benitez, lead designer of the Maisto Custom Shop. “They’ve always had mass appeal, especially in the city. It was always part of our master plan to include VW, the way they should be done. VBUGZ brings it home.” All products will be premiered at upcoming iHobby Expo, being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center October 20 – 23. The Maisto brand name was registered in 1990 by May Cheong, a vertically integrated manufacturer based in Hong Kong. The company has been manufacturing die cast for over 30 years, have over 11,000 employees worldwide and manufacturing facilities covering over 2,000,000 square feet.