Hauler 1/72 Doodlebug Texaco
By Jacob Russell
The Texaco Doodlebug
The Texaco Doodlebug was a remarkably advanced gasoline tanker of the 1930s, designed by noted industrial designers Norman Bel Geddes and Walter Dorwin Teague. The Doodlebug did away with most elements typical of trucks of the period: no running boards, hood, cowl or separate fenders. The Doodlebug was powered by a longitudinally mounted Hercules 6 cylinder rear engine with a Diamond T chassis and body made by the Heil Company of Alabama. The 4 speed transmission and clutch were actuated by air pressure and a microphone in the cab connected to a speaker in the engine compartment told the driver when to shift. The Doodlebug had a compound curve windshield and stood a mere 6 feet tall. The driver sat well ahead of the front axle centerline so the ride was probably fairly rough.
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The Kit
Hauler's new 1/72nd scale Doodlebug kit is quite a bit larger than their earlier 1/200th scale kit, but it is STILL tiny and will fit in the palm of your hand. The kit consists of 27 parts. 15 of these are finely cast resin and there are 11 pieces on a photo-etch fret, a tiny decal sheet and a vacuform windshield.
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The kit is simple, well engineered and it will be easy to build. The interior is a separate molding with a PE steering wheel and shift lever. The body and chassis are separate castings. The 6 wheels attach to axles, which are first glued to the underside of the chassis. The resin quality is first class. The parts are attached to well located casting blocks and will be easily removed from them. The wheels and tires are finely detailed and will look great with an oil wash. The body has subtle, well executed details, such as the head and tail lights, the cast-on Texaco logos and body storage compartments. I recommend drilling out the cast-in headlights and adding a pair of MV lenses, which you can find through model railroad aftermarket sources.
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The PE fret includes headlight rims, windshield wipers, mirrors and Texaco letters that attach to raised mounts cast onto the body. The Doodlebug had simple livery of overall red with white Texaco logos. The small decal sheet is well printed and in-register. It includes 2 options which are simply logos for the rear sides of the body. There is also a pair of Texaco logos, one each for the truck's front and rear.
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The model's simplicity makes this a perfect candidate for a inclusion in a diorama. And it will be a perfect contest entry all by itself.
Conclusion
This is a first class kit of a Streamline Industrial Design icon. It's also an excellent introduction to multimedia models. Be careful with those tiny PE parts; just take your time. Hauler keeps mining history for some of the most esoteric modeling subjects and I love them for it. This will be a worthy addition to your collection. I recommend the Doodlebug kit and I would like to thank Hauler for the review sample.
References