An Evening's Work

 Wandering around an antique mall today.  All the Barbie stuff was priced for collectors (out of my range for play use).  Then we found this: 

Yes, I know it's a bad picture.  I took it in the back seat of The Boy's car while pulling off all the frippery glued on by a previous owner.  This is the 1971 Barbie Country Camper.  For 20 dollars.

Here's a better picture, swiped from the Internet.  

The Country Camper is the second best Barbie camper EVER.  Mainly because, unlike today's Barbie campers, it does not unfold into a mansion with a pool.  It's only second best because the Star Traveler exists.

 This is one area where the Star Traveler is beat - can't easily pop apart a Star Traveler.  The chassis and roof are hard plastic.  The walls are vinyl over a core that's either harder vinyl or tin.  It sure ain't cardboard.  

It still had one of the camp stools and a sleeping bag.  That other stuff is the frippery.  The dark fabric was meant to be seat covers and the other served as curtains on the rear window.  The pompoms were either armrests or pillows on the wheel-well benches.

After a good scrub.  Sticker removal means only the stovetop and sink remain of the kitchen, and the bumper lights are gone.  Neither of those things is a priority for me.

Interior walls before cleaning.

Exterior walls before cleaning.

After cleaning.  The license plate was a sticker.  I'll replace that when I do the bumper lights.

Stickers and residue gone from the inside, as well.  That entertainment center is nicer than the one in my real life apartment.

The cab walls, before cleaning.

The cab walls after cleaning.  At least the headlights and dash console weren't stickers!

The pop-out tent was beyond my help, so I trimmed it off and cleaned up the fold-down wall/floor.  Some of the Country Campers had cute floral designs for the tent and sleeping bags.  This tent was bright orange!  (You can see a bit of it on the edge.)

An overhead of the chassis, including a good angle on the kitchen.

Walls in place.  Funny thing is, all these cabinets and wall art are on the inside of the sliding door! I was already giggling at the false windows on the exterior.

The whole side of the van slides back!  (Excuse me, I'm easily amused.)

Given the hippie aesthetic, Albus seems appropriate to serve as my model in comparison photos.  Here we see the entry ramp that used to be a tent floor.  All those cabinets can stay put now. 

Another vintage photo showing a way prettier tent.  Note the matching sleeping bags.

Albus can fold down the rear table and sit on the camp stool. 

He wishes the pretty girl in the vintage photo was cooking for him.

Time to hit the road, we fold up the table.

Cram our driver through the windshield.

The dash lifts easily so we can get him behind the wheel.

Close the ramp.  Hit the road, Jack.  I mean Albus.

Mine was missing a stool, a sleeping bag, and a windshield.  You can see the notches for the windshield hinges, at the top.  I guess that was for ease of cramming the driver in.

Parked behind the Star Traveler.  It's ready to play.  Unless you're worried about those turn signals.