Italeri WLA 750 1:9 or an old Harley to most of us.

[Spec7]

I am new here so not sure of the format for a build but if i rabbit on too much just say

 

This is the Italeri WLA 750 from WWII.

W as in the Engine type L as in high comp and A as in Army, also known as a Harley 45 because they were 45 cubic inch (740cc)

A few of these were built in 1940 while the US pondered joining in the war but eventually they would produce 90,000 by 1945 and probably that again in parts.

To me its typically American, large, heavy, slow and complicated compared with the British equivalent single cylinder Triumphs and Nortons that did the same job.

I built the Italeri Triumph 3HW a few years back and always promised myself i would build this to go with it.

This is an old kit first hitting the shelves as ESCI  about 40 years ago, reboxed several time and becoming an Italeri model about 20 years ago.

It looks well detailed, the spru attachments are fine and the plastic looks hard. It has rubber tyres, clear screen and  what to me is a nightmare...Plastic .leather panniers and a plastic  fabric fairing.. 😞

My aim on any build is to make it look real in photos and leather and cloth doesnt bode well.

 

This is my Triumph 3HW. Also ESCI/italeri, 1:9 scale and the same age.

 

 

 

You can see how i cheated here by removing its leather panniers and  building the frames that would have held them out of strips of plastic card.  I also cut out the plastic spokes which were 1mm and would have scaled up to 9mm and replaced them with piano wire spokes of 0 .5mm so about 4.5mm scaled up., everything else is out of the box except the push rod tubs on the engine which i made out of alloy tube because i cant paint a finish to look like metal however hard i try

 

Anyway back to the Harley, i hope some of you will get something out of following this build even if its just side splitting laughter as it all goes wrong... and if anyone has some ideas to add realism to the build then lets here them ? I am already looking at the great big fat spokes in the wheels....

I did a quick search on Google for some pictures of original bikes and they came up about 50/50 this model and original but the giveaway on all the models was the spokes...My problem is these are 40 spoke wheels and there simply isn't room to put 40 holes in the hubs. The kit gets round this by merging the spokes into one at the hub and where they cross. ..Dilemma...

 

[Stef N.]

Well I like modelling military subjects and I occasionally do bikes so as this is both I will follow your progress. It is interesting to see what these kits are like as well.👍

[Spec7]

I can see the problem with the spokes is they are moulded in  2 halves and slightly out of register. Not a very good pic but you can sort of see what i mean.

 

I will have to whittle these down with a scalpel

 

 

Basic engine parts, nice fine detail

 

 

This is what i found online, and i will use this as a guide

 

 https://www.yesterdays.nl/product/harley-davidson-1942-wla-750cc-2-cyl-sv/

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by Spec7

[roginoz]

I've built this kit and a number of Esci/Italari bike models.

I overcame the horrible plastic on the seat by first painting it with white glue which will initially pool on the surface. As it starts to dry, you can spread it evenly and it will take paint.

I junked the screen fairing and utilised the fabric from one of my wife's old gardening gloves. The fabric is sufficiently dense that, with a coat of paint, it takes on the appearance of the canvas it represents.

Don't recall if the panniers were plastic or styrene, but I built up the leather effect by succeeding thin coats of light to darker paint and followed up with a contrasting wash, likewise with the gun scabbard.

The panniers were never as light as the box art suggests, an error continued on 1:1 rebuilds, unless they were brand new.

 

I'm looking for another to build as a replica of the WLC that I owned in the UK in the 60's, a civilianised version that was the most common model of Harley in England at that time ; now they're two a penny !!

Hope that helps.

Rog

[Spec7]

I think i solved the problem of the  canvas type fairing......having searched hundreds of picture on the web  i cant actually find an original that had it fitted . I suspect it was more of a hindrance than a help especially if you needed to get hold of your handy gun in the scabbard on the forks and fire at some Jerry or other...

I started putting the engine together and it looks like some sort of custom Harley of the 70's but it will tone down once i add some weathering and mud....well quite a lot actually.. I made a spring clip retailer for the ? well whatever it is like the real thing but its a bit big. My fat old fingers dont work well now with hings below 5-6mm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will post some picture of the wheels when i get some paint on them, i have shaved a load off the spokes, enough to warrant getting the hoover out 🙂 but they still look fat...but getting there.

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Spec7

[Spec7]

 

Just a quick update.

Unlike an aircraft where you can 3/4 assemble and apply paint, motorcycles are really 100 tiny kits, panniers ammunition boxes, engines, frames, wheels, etc and each has to be almost finished before final assembly. thisd makes a build blog a bit odd as  its really all going to happen on the last day.

I started of using Olive drab (tamiya) but it was way to dark so now i am using RAF green with a touch of black which looks a lot better. agin if you look at google there are dozens of pictures of the real thing and no two are the same colour  parts at the front are waiting for cleaning up,  paint and detail.

Its really fun build and  detail level is good but there is room for unlimited upgrade if you so wish.

[Spec7]

I did the wood on the  guys gun first as it takes weeks to dry and it looks like the new flat pack  gun from Ikea :), i need to darken it down a bit, might look better when i paint the metal

 

 

Fitted the engine. I have found that a lot of the fixing points are very small so quite large pieces have a small glued area, often those contact points are not flat and it really does pay to make sure you have good flat clean mating surfaces or you will be re gluing parts every day as they drop off 🙂 

 

[Spec7]

We have wheels

 

 

I know i am out of practice but i have lost count of the number of times i have "un" glued parts here including the complete fork assembly because i have failed to understand the instructions.

Its really not clear where parts go and which way round etc. For example the font mudguard stays are slightly different lengths but you cant tell from the pictures  which is which and if you have removed the parts from the spru for painting you have no reference...

anyway its an old kit and  it has far more going for it than against

[roginoz]

That's certainly scrubbing up well, @Spec7, the work you've done on the spokes is a vast improvement. Shame they don't lend themselves to replacement.

 

Agreed the instructions are a bit vague but, having owned the real thing in the past, placement of parts held no questions. My kit was an old Esci kit and the instructions were, if possible, even more vague !

You're making a nice job on this model, a bit of oily weathering on the engine will probably be enough, the old flat head was not the most oil-tight of engines ! At least the left side of the tank provided an ample oil supply.

Looking forward to the end result.

Rog

[Spec7]

Yea its looking a little "factory fresh" at the moment but soon sort that out nearer the end. interesting that you had an original. Dont see many over here except with the guys that do military shows. I did have an ex military Nuovo Falcone 500 once, that was also flat out at 55mph  ........always been an Italian bike fan myself.

[Spec7]

As i said in the first post the chances of me pulling off a convincing leather finish is non existent, its important to know your limitations. With all due respect i have never seen anyone pull off a leather finish that looks convincing...not even using leather on the real thing

so having cut up an rag i use to clean the car i have made a ruck sack and a bed roll and some netting from a pack of Tesco onion . Compared here with the kit plastic "leather" box

 

 

the bike itself is nearly finished, just need to add cables and weather the whole thing

watch this space

 

 

thanks for looking

 

 

 

[Spec7]

All done

I will stick some picture in the Completed thread  later

 

 

thanks for looking guys.

Edited June 1, 2020 by Spec7

[Soeren]

Wow. Really nice result. The wood grain is oil paint over acrylics on the Thompson?

[Spec7]

Yea it could have been a bit darker, that was tamiya deck tan with burnt umbra oils .....