Pocher Aventador Roadster 1/8 kit build incl. LEDs

[Danny_G]

I feel you, I feel you. I have just started dismantling the front part / battery carrier again…

This Seeger guy who did that super detailed build I linked to gave some interesting input. The black & white tube thingy is an A/C filter and has nothing to do with the active suspension. It only seems as if the tubes coming out of the shocks lead into it, but they actually don't, it's a Y tubing. Also Pocher has actually (sort of) included the A/C filter as part of the rubber cables/tubing. So I cut this segment and made the two ends lead into the A/C filter. Also replaced the decals on the battery with the ones from Paul Koo (better fitting but also not sticking, had to use double side tape). Pictures will follow.

I have also an idea how I could make the shocks look more like the real thing. Furthermore I decided not to buy any Transkit currently as they include many parts I'm not interested in among other reasons (dislike the brake disks of the Tremonia kit, too focused on the interiors). Also it is more fun trying to build stuff myself then just buy things and include them in the build.

And yes, I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, so I guess it could be a rabbit hole I'm in

Edited April 20, 2016 by Danny_G

[Danny_G]

Have ordered some awesome things yesterday on ebay, let's see if I can integrate them

For the moment, the battery carrier / front chassis is now finished:

Shocks are now all painted (no more bare plastic), and added an enlarging. Also applied Paul Koo's decals, redid the attach cables of the battery (added extension with orange and blue cable), changed the tubing of the A/C-filter, painted the parts on the left in Titanium silver and the negative pole in silver among other details. (Hint: blue and orange cables are derived from an old RJ45 patch cable).

Some parts I keep srewing on and off so in order to protect the threads I have started using silicone for the screws that go into metal. Since I cannot use the spray can on the model without drowning it in silicone, I sprayed some in a plastic bag and hold the screws in it before I (re-)use them.

I have mentioned the interior lights before. I thought that's an easy one but then I was like: that's the wrong light tone and humm, couldn't it be a bit brighter? So I started messing around with them.There is very little space for the LEDs (3mm) and I didn't want to mount them directly into the round holes as they would have been too bright and also would have come out too far. No, I wanted to use the provided piece of transparent plastic and illuminate it indirectly (like I did on the picture above) but brighter. On a sidenote, there are two of those plastic pieces for the interior lights shipped with the model, one is a total misfit and the other fits perfectly, but I just discovered the latter recently.

After a lot of testing, trying & cursing, I gave up. Then it crossed my mind that with the last batch of LEDs, I had ordered some SMDs. When I recieved them, I barely found them in the package and was like: how the hell can this be soldered manually? (for those who don't know, all parts on current PCBs like motherboards, PCIexpress and graphics cards are all soldered by machines). I decided to give it a shot, and use scrap metal parts from the resistors to solder the missing pins on them. And thank god I have bought the lens lamp.

Et voila, my first soldered SMD:

Dang, this stuff is super cool I got really excited about it. Such a tiny thing that shines so bright, really amazing (I have a lot of LED lights with SMDs in my house but never held a single one in my hand).

I tried it as a new background light for the main dashboard display and left it right in, it looked so good. The light is very evenly dispersed. Great stuff, I will continue using them even after I finished the Aventador (whenever that will be).

The SMDs are just the perfect thing for the confined space in the interior light!

[Pouln]

​Front chassis looks very realistic. Well done, Danny.

[Danny_G]

Little to do at the office, so I went home early. I'm now almost finished with the cockpit.

As mentioned, I replaced the 3mm LEDs which didn't really fit in the A pillar with SMDs. Sorry, no making of photo, but it's not a big deal. The big deal was how to attach them so they stay where they are, wich resulted in a hot glue orgy, nothing I'd like to show you

Some details like airbag warning signs and the little handle/switch for the mirror I had already added previously. Looks like I need to paint that little screw also. Unfortunately I lost the middle decal in the process (Koo gave instructions how to fix it's orientation and size. How about adding it to the collection??).

Interior light on:

I have also added Paul Koo's decals to the 3 buttons below the center console (reverse, manual and parking brake) and made the parking brake on (warning light). Furthermore, and I'm pretty proud of how this turned out because I used a special technique, I made the opening where you would place your finger into to 'pull' the parking brake (button) deeper and larger. That is something I noticed early in the build and didn't like how Pocher implemented this.

Interior lights off:

Replaced the NAV screen image with Paul's decal. Also the decals on the steering wheel.

Edit: new picture. May give the handbrake light another shot, have an idea how I could make it look more even. Also the hole I was talking about earlier between the R and M button is better visible in this image.

Had to start to label the connectors to keep things in order and not to loose oversight:

Edited April 23, 2016 by Danny_G

[larchiefeng]

I found some LED holding wax made especially for holding the SMD LED's in place along with the pre-wired SMD LED's in 3 different sizes and the two different color renditions of white. I just received the order yesterday and I got the warm white for the Mercedes and the cool white for the Testarossa. I love where this is going and I'm taking notes for the Lamborghini I'm having to do a color change on. So I might be building it and all your work here will be most helpful. Even though these cars are nice, they need this extra light detail because most of the engine detail is so buried you don't see it. Have you given any thought to adding a light or two in the engine compartment to show off some details when the lid is open? Anyway, as usual it's getting better each update. Great work!

[Danny_G]

Short update:

Not much progress in terms of finished parts, doing lots of (super) detailing and also soldering. I'm also thinking a step ahead and already try to figure how to attach all these connectors to the main feed. To better understand what I mean, just look at the last picture. 4 connectors already coming out of the cockpit, in the mean time there are 5 of them and I even haven't started with the doors yet … In the cable harness (a picture of I posted earlier), there's only one connector for the cockpit and a reserved one for special duties…

Also I need a place where I can stuff all these cables and connectors, have localized the interior of the dashboard and the transmission tunnel unless I do some serious drilling. But the main stashing area will be the space between the cover behind the seats and the firewall towards the engine. Let's see if I can fit everything in there.

Pic of the LEDs shows how they really look like. Shot with my Nikon DSLR and the legendary Tamron SP90 macro lens (ok, could be sharper ):

Got somehow affected with super detailing, there is even a spiritual side to it : So I did a lof of brush work using the watchmaker insert in my lens lamp. Refined all switches, the steering wheel, the logo. On the center console, I removed all marks and edges, detailed the buttons and more (another shot with the DSLR during a dry test):

Also added lights to the footwells, used those bright SMDs since it's pretty dark with all the flat black surroundings:

They will be in a separate circuit that will be closed (light goes on) when the doors are opened, together with the map light:

Let's see if they are still visible after all the stuff I want to fill behind the dashboard...

A major breakthrough has been reached in terms of painting the seats. After I went from pillar to post for that vinyl paint without luck, I started doing tests. A first test I did with a leftover using Revell Email color. Took ages to dry (about a week, got paint on my fingers even after 5 days) but it did dry! It's also elastic, means I can squeeze the rubber without the paint chipping off. Funny thing…

In a german forum, they all recommended water color (to be used for watercolor paintings) so I thought why not give Revell Aqua Color a shot also. I applied it on a fresh sample and it dried overnight. So yesterday I tried it on one seat at the lowest point, it dried within hours and is now completely dry! So I wlll go for this one.

WARNING: This is not a recommendation! Use at your own risk!

Edited April 24, 2016 by Danny_G

[larchiefeng]

Danny, this was one of the first things I thought about on my Mercedes build as it pertained to the lights; where to mount and hide the power source and how to connect and bring the wiring to it. The Mercedes isn't going to have any special effects just, on and off so that makes it simple from a connection standpoint. I identified under the seat as the location and made the seat to be removable to change the batteries. I went from a terminal block to a small breadboard to now I'm thinking about a small PCB that can be soldered to make the connections any way I want. IMHO, I would try and condense all your console connections down to one and any other separate circuits to another. Basically, try and have as few leads as possible running to the PCB and power source as possible. That way your final connection point/board can be smaller and give you room for placement. You can run a lot of SMD LED's on one 3V circuit so, I would tie the LED's together in areas where you have the room to do it.

[Danny_G]

I found some LED holding wax made especially for holding the SMD LED's in place along with the pre-wired SMD LED's in 3 different sizes and the two different color renditions of white. I just received the order yesterday and I got the warm white for the Mercedes and the cool white for the Testarossa. I love where this is going and I'm taking notes for the Lamborghini I'm having to do a color change on. So I might be building it and all your work here will be most helpful. Even though these cars are nice, they need this extra light detail because most of the engine detail is so buried you don't see it. Have you given any thought to adding a light or two in the engine compartment to show off some details when the lid is open? Anyway, as usual it's getting better each update. Great work!

LED holding wax, ok, sounds good but I guess I'll stick with hot glue, I'm very familiar with it and know what it can do and what not, whether it damages a surface or not.

Do you really want to use the cool white for the Testa? Such light color didn't exist at this time (except maybe for neon). I have 3 different LEDs, warm white, white and cold white. I have the normal white in use for the daytime running lights, not the cold white. They have that slight blueish tone which I don't like.

Yeah, a 1/8 model should have lights, But for me, no lights in the engine room, no show car, just as real as it gets.

I'm actually even thinking of adding also sound, the car seems so dead right now. I want to add some whirring sound like the A/C does when the ignition is on but the engine is still off. It should be very subtle. Sound generators are too big (and too expensive for that simple job), a very small e-motor running on low rpm or some sort of electronic component should do the job (have an old radio clock which makes such a sound, unwanted altough).

A guy at the office who builds his own R/C helicopter suggested to add a real LCD display, and now if you say not possible, think again

But I guess I will save that for the revision

Some ideas however remain what they are, ideas. Like the idea to light up the big knob on the center console:

(just very dark but otherwise unedited picture)

When it came to super glue this thing to the console, I called this off. The nylon material does not like bending and I feared it may come off all the time and that I would also mess up my beautifully revised center console cover. I wasted too many hours on this already. Management decision

Working on this project reminds me of business projects anyway. There are many ideas, what ifs, could we, maybe that, maybe this. You need to separate ideas from dreams, and draw a border somewhere, or the project goes down the drain.

There is a build thread in another forum (yeah, german again), some guy sanded his entire Lambo, made new wheels and stuff. Even added vents to the body. Seemed very proficient work. There came a point when he gave up (details remain unknown, he fuxored something). The remains of his kit are for sale (I wouldn't want them). That's a lesson for me I keep in mind.

Edited April 28, 2016 by Danny_G

[larchiefeng]

I can tone down the cool white by putting varying degrees of clear paint or as in most cases they will be behind colored plastic anyway. The headlights can have the bluish cast that, doesn't bother me. I upgraded my Supra with the high intensity lights and living in the mountains and driving the winding roads it makes a difference so, I can just say that's where my Testarossa guy lives and they are upgrades. I'm not too worried about it being period correct since I doubt that the matte black paint job was on any Testarossa's at the time or now for that matter. Your console looks great and I agree that you have to draw the line somewhere. In my case, these builds sort of evolve and aren't planned until I get into the projects and unless I stop before it gets out hand it would wind up on evil bay or in the bin. Going as far as something like an LCD in the console would have to be completely thought through before I would even start the model. I think what you have here is great and is coming along nicely. At some point it doesn't make sense to add more and unnecessarily complicate it; there is always the next model. I know that I have made a few mistakes on my Mercedes so, I know what to do and what not to do with the Testarossa. It is good experience for me going forward. Have you settled on the power source location and how to get the wiring to it yet?

[Codger]

Mission creep has been the major flaw in my project but you two guys bring a whole new meaning to that term. Many levels beyond what many of us can do or even conceive.

[Danny_G]

@larchiefeng: Supra I hear, is that a JZA80? or MA70? The JZA80 is (was) gorgeous, I remember speeding with it at over 130mph, but wasn't mine and that was over 20 years ago ... Was my dream car a long time but wouldn't want one nowadays, LFA however yes

Power source is in the trunk, and linking to it is not an issue (guess you missed that somewhere on page 2):

However I'm worrying where I can stuff the growing wiring harness into.

@Codger:

Mission creep, good point. You have to be aware of the red line, I came close to it in the past days.

I have spray painted the part underneath the console cover for the 5th time yesterday. I resprayed it because the flat paint looked greesy after all the fiddling with this part group. For this I had to remove the fiber optics for the red LED points. During the respray, I accidentially touched the wet paint... Sanded and another respary, while trying to reinstall it, I managed to damage the surface again (little part of solder on the table surface). Sanded it down almost to the plastic and by attempting to spray it with fibers installed, I cut one of them in half while trying to mask them. Felt like cursed.

Fighting the urge to throw it against the wall, I resprayed it all over.

[Codger]

@Codger:

Mission creep, good point. You have to be aware of the red line, I came close to it in the past days.

I have spray painted the part underneath the console cover for the 5th time yesterday. I resprayed it because the flat paint looked greesy after all the fiddling with this part group. For this I had to remove the fiber optics for the red LED points. During the respray, I accidentially touched the wet paint... Sanded and another respary, while trying to reinstall it, I managed to damage the surface again (little part of solder on the table surface). Sanded it down almost to the plastic and by attempting to spray it with fibers installed, I cut one of them in half while trying to mask them. Felt like cursed.

Fighting the urge to throw it against the wall, I resprayed it all over.

Most prevalent in OCD-type modelers - like us and several others here.

That's why my old crock has no working lights - I drew the red line as you say. I've already cut it to shreds, fabricated brass parts, weathered it to death and done plenty of things outside my envelope. Will be happy (and lucky) to finish it.

[larchiefeng]

It's the MA70 turbo; it's the car in my avatar picture. it's just a fun car to drive up here and I like the ability to take the roof panel off and have a convertible when the weather is nice. Right now it's sitting outside in the snow we got yesterday. I didn't get it in garage because the forecast was for a 20% chance of rain, go figure.

[Danny_G]

Mission creep... this spectre got a grip on me, but is not going to happen. No backdown, no surrender and failure is also not an option.

I can imagine you guys are used to peeps showing up here all of a sudden, announcing big builds and post one or two updates and you never hear from them again. Not happening with me (yet I currently have no plans building another car).

• Looking forward to finalize the cockpit. Just need to replace the decal on the right section of the dash display, it's coming off and is also the one from the Coupé which I used for testing.
  Also added a Y cable to the center console which is now completed, so there is only one connector left there.
  
• Seats: applied the 4th layer of white paint to the right seat, and finally managed to properly glue the left one. I did it in 3 parts: seating surface, back- and headrest. The thing is you just don't have enough fingers to apply pressure wherever it is needed, so it needs to be done in stages.
  Also removed all remains of formerly applied glue, and filed (not sanded) the bond area which seemed to help a lot. Used super glue all over now, anything else didn't really hold. Looking very good, awaiting paint job.
  
  
  
• Brake calipers mess: managed to separate plastic from metal and give each part its individual treatment: metal got a bath in nail polish remover, plastic part was treated more gently. 99% of the former paint layers are gone. Will get some primer and then repaint.
  
  
  
• First delivery from China has already arrived yesterday: my build now has a 2-channel IR remote to switch on the lights No fairy dust, it is already integrated in the wiring harness.
  
  
  The hardest part in this was to unsolder the ******* IR sensor, wouldn't come off and it's a miracle it is still working after the treatment. Soldered a cable to it so the ECU can be fitted inside the vehicle and the IR sensor separate where it can detect the signal.
  Final position of the ECU is tbd but not an issue. At the moment it is placed underneath a headlight but I have to conceal it so it can't be seen from outside (in this position, I could have left the IR sensor on the PCB...)
  
  
  (some makeshift soldering from the headlight to be removed/revised later)
  
  
  
  Channel 1 will be daytime running lights (including all other lights) and Channel 2 turns on the Xenons which I originally didn't want to add. Can be switched independently, might post a short video at a later time.
  
  
  (IR sensor behind the left air intake)
  
  Minor issue with the remote is that it causes standby power usage, may still add a hidden switch to turn it all off when not used for a longer period of time.
  
• Some may have thought I have a crack in my pot but I'm really going to add a subtle noise source. After some tests I have found this small fan of an old ATI graphics adapter to be ideal featuring the right volume @9volts while producing a low hum. Really cool! Have to find a proper place so it won't suck dust into the model (somewhere in the engine area).
  
  
  

Spent a lot of time soldering stuff in the recent days. Have to admit it is extremely time consuming to add more or less sophisticated electronics/lights to a Pocher model. Overall, I guess I spent 50% of all time used for electric stuff.

Edited April 28, 2016 by Danny_G

[Mikeymo]

Hi Guys,

I'm new to this forum.

I'm also about 80% of the way through my Pocher Aventador (HK-104) build.

I've recently finished the Ducati Panigale. The Ducati was the first model I had built in over 20 years. Since doing that one, I caught the bug again and then ordered the Aventador. I'm amazed at these huge die-cast models. When I was building models decades ago, I had only built plastic Revell and Tamiya models. Pocher take model building to a whole other level!!

Just wanted to say that you are doing an amazing job, some very cool aftermarket additions and modifications. I'm inspired!

Looks like I will be ordering a third Pocher model soon....so that I can customise the hell out of it, much the same as what you guys are doing. Currently the Aventador and the Ducati, I'm building as standard. I thought they were cool as is, until I saw this place!

Does anyone know when the Pocher pre-order Huracan will be available for purchase? I emailed them weeks ago, not a single response! Do they even use email?

What I concluded was, that the Ducati was a much better project than the Aventador. Perhaps because it was a newer design and they learned from past mistakes and made it better? So I'm safe to assume the Huracan will be slightly better?

I've noticed in my HK-104 build manual, there are some mistakes.

For example; The doors. I'm really struggling to get them together as per the instructions. I'll take some pics and upload what I mean.
Then there was also a a large piece, I believe it goes under the engine lid. Piece D-01....it doesn't exist AT ALL in the manual. I've now got to pull the engine cover apart, and the screws that mount the hinges were the worst thing I have ever had to put together. So fiddly, and nearly impossible to fit a screwdriver in at that angle.

But anyway...good luck with your Aventador. I can't wait to build a second Pocher Lamborghini!
I'm also very glad I found this forum. I hope to learn from you and be further inspired, and hopefully I can post some photos of my next build and offer some inspiration in return.

By the way, I'm in Sydney Australia. This is a great forum!

Nice to meet you all


Edit: Okay....I spent way too many hours yesterday building, and was up way too late last night....I managed to sort out he doors. I had something on backwards.
Doors "problem" solved!

However, I still have a large piece that has not been identified within the build manual. I even went to Pocher website to look at the latest PDF to see what the deal is. Nothing.
I tried to place it under the engine cover - because that's where it naturally looks like it goes, but it doesn't really fit there. What is this piece and why do I have it? Where does it go? Zero mention of it anywhere in the manual!

Edited April 30, 2016 by Mikeymo

[larchiefeng]

The last I heard, the Huracan is supposed to be released in June but, then again it was supposed to out in March too. Welcome aboard Mikey

[Danny_G]

Hello Mikey,

That part you took a picture from does not go anywhere else than the trashcan As i see it (and if you are 80% through you actually should have seen it also) Pocher made the Roadster kit by simply adding the Roadster parts, but all the parts from the Coupé are also in it. So the amount of unusable parts is not small. Or where did you put that roof lining??

Same with engine room windows, map light glass (WR-08), plastic version of battery carrier and more (I seem to have way too many window framings). Together with the idiotic parts referencing (why can't they simply call a part AB-01 and it than can be found on frame AB at #01 ???) it makes building the Roadster way more difficult since you have to separate the Coupé parts.

Regarding the inner side of the engine lid I will paint it simply flat black as it seems like the real thing has no inner cover either (best picture I have found so far is this one from the site speedmonkey.co.uk).

The doors, I really don't get why everyone seems to have a problem with them. I did a dry fit weeks ago after watching this Pocher Youtube video twice (Pocher Aventador Door Assembly). Worked on the first attempt.

That D-01 part you mentioned, I dunno what you mean

Edited April 30, 2016 by Danny_G

[Mikeymo]

Thanks, Danny.

Yeah, I did notice tat there were quite a few parts still left over. I'm thinking...wow, I'm nearing the end of this thing, surely I haven't missed this many parts!

D-01 is the part I showed in the photograph, but as you've now explained to me it is not required.

Oh, I didn't actually see that video previously regarding the door assembly....that helps a lot.

Cheers!

@larchiefeng - Thanks for the expected ETA for the new Huracan....I'm not sure I can Wait that long!

I've seriously caught the bug again with these Pocher models. I want to order something for when I'm done with this Aventador.

Any idea where I can purchase other die-cast models of similar quality and size?

They're amazing!

I might order some plastic ones to keep me going for a while. But I'm not super keen on 100% glue kits, which also require a lot of paining. I mean, I like them But I don't know that I have that much time to invest on all the painting.

I'll have a think on it.

Maybe I will order another Pocher Lamborghini in the meantime...

Edited April 30, 2016 by Mikeymo

[Mikeymo]

Guys....interestingly enough, I am seeing the Pocher Huracan for sale on eBay....yet Pocher haven't release this yet....

Here:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pocher-Lamborghini-Huracan-LP-610-4-Giallo-Midas-pearl-effect-HK106-1-8-Kit-/331843193874?hash=item4d43654c12:g:YxcAAOSwZjhXImro

And here:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pocher-Lamborghini-Huracan-LP-610-4-Rosso-Mars-metallic-red-HK105-1-8-Model-Kit-/391444618577?hash=item5b23eadd51:g:kF4AAOSw2GlXImr0


Very interesting....I'm super keen to buy this. But it's a lot of cash to fork out for a fraudulent sale. What do you think?

I've messaged the seller for more details.

[Borez]

Guys....interestingly enough, I am seeing the Pocher Huracan for sale on eBay....yet Pocher haven't release this yet....

Here:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pocher-Lamborghini-Huracan-LP-610-4-Giallo-Midas-pearl-effect-HK106-1-8-Kit-/331843193874?hash=item4d43654c12:g:YxcAAOSwZjhXImro

And here:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pocher-Lamborghini-Huracan-LP-610-4-Rosso-Mars-metallic-red-HK105-1-8-Model-Kit-/391444618577?hash=item5b23eadd51:g:kF4AAOSw2GlXImr0

Very interesting....I'm super keen to buy this. But it's a lot of cash to fork out for a fraudulent sale. What do you think?

I've messaged the seller for more details.

Interesting, the seller has a huge feedback profile so they're definitely not a scammer.

[Mikeymo]

Yes, seems that way.

I'll let you know what they reply with.

[larchiefeng]

I just double checked on the Pocher Hornby website and they are still showing the release date of 5-31-16. I see the seller is in the UK which is where Hornby is so it's possible that he received some prior to the stated date. This release date has been a moving target since the first of the year so, nothing surprises me.

[Danny_G]

Back to topic:

Again lots of soldering, soldered collector cables to regain control of all the connectors:

Final version of dash display:

Did a huge dry test to check cable lenghts and where to stuff the cable harness (so much for the detailing of the drive shaft):

This will most likely be the place for the master switch (on/off for IR standby)

Cables, connectors, cables:

Dry test in progress:

I will drill an opening into the firewall so I can pull cables through the doors sills. They then go behind the wheel cover into the front chassis. Things like that can only be figured out by dry testing:

Dash finally mounted. I decided to place the ECU underneath the dashboard. Also started coloring and marking connectors to keep overview:

That's how the space underneath the dash currently looks like (firewall missing, have to wait for the reed contacts so I can finalize the doors):

Dashboard interiors again. Blue is Main power (1st channel, black is 2nd channel. Main connector will connect to wiring harness which will then feed the individual LEDs.

Bought a new soldering station today which makes soldering a lot more easier.

Front brake calipers will be sprayed in lemon yellow as well, also the brake disks need some weathering. Not yet sure how I'm gonna do this. Brake disk center already detailed:

Some more coming tomorrow. G'nite.

[Mikeymo]

It's a work of art!

Which soldering station did you buy?

[larchiefeng]

It sure gets crowded in a hurry under there. My Mercedes should be a much simpler layout but the Testarossa will probably be similar to this. I'm taking notes. I think simplifying the number of connectors is the key to the wire management here. Just out of curiosity, what gauge wire did you use? I started out with 22 or 24 but the chip size LED's are wired with 28 gauge and it is quite a bit smaller and will be easier to hide.