activexp Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 I built this Pocher kit circa 1976 at great expense, £99 if I recall, a lot of money back then. After a period of admiration it was put away in a cupboard where it remained for a very long time. Some years ago I found that Pocher kits had become collectors items and decided to test the water by auctioning it on Ebay. It sold for £250, not bad I suppose. As for the kit itself, I wasn't that impressed and felt a little disappointed. The overall quality of the parts and materials were not up to the standard I was expecting which made it quite a frustrating build. Much of the construction was bolted together which was nice, but a high percentage of the tiny nuts and bolts were faulty (no threads) which meant I had to search around for substitutes. So-called chromium plated parts were in fact nickel plated and tarnished quickly. I think the kit was advertised as using the same materials as the real thing - where there's chrome there's chrome in the kit, where there's leather there's leather in the kit, etc, etc. Not so. One of the nicest features was the highly detailed engine with moving parts, crank shaft, con rods and 8 pistons. By turning the starting handle the radiator fan turned along with the crank shaft and pistons, not that you could see them moving up and down the cylinders. Here are some photos. Hope you enjoy them. Thanks for looking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roymattblack Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 And here we have ANOTHER Pocher builder. A really nice result there from what is known to be a very difficult kit. I've got this one in my stash for a future build so its nice to see one 'in the flesh' so to speak. Do you wish you still had it??? Roy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codger Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Yes our tiny 'club' has grown! Your observations matched mine in the late '70's when I built the Alfa. Amazing how much more info and reference can be shared now vs. then. And I love the patina the model collected being in your case all those years. Natural corrosion and aging are most realistic; a sort of cared-for barn find. Too bad you sold it; you can't touch a kit of this now for the money you received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxfriend Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Ditto to the above comments. If you built that with just the kit instructions, then you deserve a medal! I think you made an excellent job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 And here we have ANOTHER Pocher builder. A really nice result there from what is known to be a very difficult kit. I've got this one in my stash for a future build so its nice to see one 'in the flesh' so to speak. Do you wish you still had it??? Roy. Yep, I wish I still had it, in the box! Guess it would fetch a tidy sum now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 Yes our tiny 'club' has grown! Your observations matched mine in the late '70's when I built the Alfa. Amazing how much more info and reference can be shared now vs. then. And I love the patina the model collected being in your case all those years. Natural corrosion and aging are most realistic; a sort of cared-for barn find. Too bad you sold it; you can't touch a kit of this now for the money you received. The aged patina is a combination of dust and cigarette smoke! The frustration of building the thing turned me into a 20 a day man. Now I just swear loudly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roymattblack Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 (edited) Yep, I wish I still had it, in the box! Guess it would fetch a tidy sum now I won't say what I paid for my kit last November, but as a rough guide, it would have bought your 'sold' model three times over... Roy. Edited October 24, 2014 by roymattblack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 Ditto to the above comments. If you built that with just the kit instructions, then you deserve a medal! I think you made an excellent job. Thanks, in those days without the internet you were very much on your own, no reference material, no forums to fall back on for help, no convenient source of modelling supplies and parts etc, so it's a wonder I got it built at all. Despite my reservations, the funny thing is I really fancied having a go at another Pocher kit such as the Alfa or Rolls Royce on the basis that they couldn't be any worse than the Merc! Could they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roymattblack Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Get another 'old' Pocher classic. With the wealth of info on the web, and the help/advice from others even just here,...... You really won't regret it. As the Codger and myself keep saying - there's nothing really quite like a Pocher in the model car world. Roy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codger Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Despite my reservations, the funny thing is I really fancied having a go at another Pocher kit such as the Alfa or Rolls Royce on the basis that they couldn't be any worse than the Merc! Could they? Not worse -just different. These all have their idiosyncrasies. Challenging shall we say? But more rewarding than any other model project I've done-including R/C 1/4 scale aircraft and wooden ships. Plenty of help here- Just do it........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nacho bailon Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Nice model!! cheers Nacho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted October 25, 2014 Author Share Posted October 25, 2014 Get another 'old' Pocher classic. With the wealth of info on the web, and the help/advice from others even just here,...... You really won't regret it. As the Codger and myself keep saying - there's nothing really quite like a Pocher in the model car world. Roy. Unfortunately they're way out of my price range now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roymattblack Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 (edited) Unfortunately they're way out of my price range now Keep an eye on Ebay - Part-started Pochers pop up quite frequently and being mostly 'nuts and bolts' assembly, they are easily taken apart again. Spares can also be had from our own 'Pocherpete' on this forum. An Alfa 2300 Monza sold yesterday for £135. There's another one finishing in a few hours from now - not 'mega-money' yet: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261630453722?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Roy. Edited October 25, 2014 by roymattblack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activexp Posted October 25, 2014 Author Share Posted October 25, 2014 Yeah, that Alfa is quite tempting............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codger Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Yeah, that Alfa is quite tempting............... Just do it..................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roymattblack Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Gone - at a reasonable £320. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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