Bengalensis Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 13 hours ago, Bjorn said: That's correct. I have the magazine somewhere, I'll see if i can find it, it was an interesting article. If you find the copy it would be very nice to see that article again, it's a long time now since I read it. Today I decided to try avoiding working with "real" work straight through the weekend once again, for quite some time now. We'll see if I will have to regret that, but I needed a break. We spent the day shopping through some flea markets of old interesting stuff, with a good lunch thrown in. I just could not resist a Luxor Royal 4296 W stereo radio from the early 60´s in lovely condition. Then I got back to the work bench, expecting a relaxing late afternoon, adding the gear box top section with the front engine mount. Then I started to unravel some major problems... First the cylinder head had to come off. You are perfectly entitled to wonder why... Well, simply because it's a very good idea to fit it the right way around! I wasn't happy to discover it, but glad I caught it in time. Obviously I'm not paying enough attention... I also glued the camshaft driven belt pulley. Like many other parts the pulley is intended to turn freely, but I'm not really interested in such features, that usually just results in a wobbly loose fit of the parts. By the way, I'm into the second page of the instructions. Looking through the parts and work that lays ahead I now discovered the next major problem. I thought the first was enough. Remember I mentioned I had checked through the full content of the kit to make sure it was complete when bought? Well, either I did a careless work checking it, or I've been careless when looking through the kit later on. Part #182, the base of the fuel pump, was nowhere to be found... The location on the sprue was just as empty as everywhere else I searched. Spending the rest of the evening away from the bench, listening to my "new" radio in the company of a bottle of wine or two now seemed a very tempting option... After some thinking I decided to scratch the missing part. Using some scrap box parts, sheet styrene and Evergreen rod I had this replacement made up. When the fuel pump eventually gets fully assembled it will look like this. I think it will do. I then glued more parts made up from halves, so the joint lines can be taken care of when the glue is fully dry. Intake and exhaust manifolds will need quite a bit of work. This kit is no quick work. With that done enough was enough and I retired with a first good glass of wine to let my nerves and brain rest... Hopefully I can get a good day at the bench tomorrow, with less disasters and more progress... 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Another modeling masterclass. The Bauhaus was absolutely right, there is such beauty in functionality. Hey, where is my glass of wine? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 5 minutes ago, Moa said: Another modeling masterclass. The Bauhaus was absolutely right, there is such beauty in functionality. Hey, where is my glass of wine? Thank you very much. I have just poured a glass for you; Monti Garbi Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore, 2017, not very old, but good. Sadly it's a long way around the globe... 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 1 minute ago, Bengalensis said: Valpolicella I really like Valpolicella. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted October 11, 2020 Author Share Posted October 11, 2020 More parts are being added to the engine today. So far without further mistakes or complications. I think. It would be nice if I could reach the point tonight where I must paint everything engine related before I can continue. We shall see. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimbledon99 Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Wow, that's a lot of large bits of plastic!! Best of luck with the build; I'm buckled in for the ride 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Nice save on the fuel pump Jörgen! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted October 11, 2020 Author Share Posted October 11, 2020 7 hours ago, wimbledon99 said: Wow, that's a lot of large bits of plastic!! Best of luck with the build; I'm buckled in for the ride Thanks, I'll need all the luck there is. I hope you will enjoy. 5 hours ago, JeroenS said: Nice save on the fuel pump Jörgen! Thanks Jeroen. It wasn't a nice discovery. It wouldn't surprise me if the part turns up soon, now that the problem is solved. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted October 11, 2020 Author Share Posted October 11, 2020 I managed to stay in the modelling room for the better part of the day, ignoring calls in the back of my head to move to my office room to do real work. After adding the generator with fan, the water pump (on the other side) and some other smaller parts I arrived at the gear and clutch linkage. Again it's all meant to be movable and at this point I have built it up like that. The reason being that I can't determine the exact positions until the engine is installed and everything connected up. Like so many other builders of this kit I found the two long gear lever rods moulded in a softer material to be quite warped, looking chunky and not very fun. The picture is far too nice to them. The clevis ends are quite ok, so I cut them off and drilled them out to be installed on 1 mm Evergreen rods. So far so good. It's just that I'm lost working in this big scale. Comparing to reference photos they looked far too thin, and would indeed scale up to only 8 mm, not enough. I cut the ends off again, leaving a short amount of 1 mm rod, then drilled out holes in the end of new 1,6 mm rods. That felt and looked much better. The carburetor was built up from the nine parts Heller managed to squeeze into it. Intake and exhaust manifold joints cleaned up and the nuts added to the exhaust so they also overlap the intake where necessary. Then I jumped ahead from the 3rd to the 13th page in the instructions. The reason being that I want to include the gearbox flanges around the drive shafts in the upcoming green spraying session. A look at the other side with the water pump installed. With that I have actually arrived to the point where I must start painting. I have lost count on the number of parts so far, but I'm fairly sure I'm behind schedule for 25th January... But nevermind, that's still far away... It's mostly a joy to work on this kit, and for being some 43-44 year old tools it's mighty impressive, even with its quirks here and there. Heller at its best. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Extraordinary work, and I agree, incredible for an old Heller kit... and even today compared to some current not so nice standards. I am in awe imagining the labor of love of the parts maker, the time and skill it may have taken. Remarkable. Once upon a time there were companies and master makers that took their job seriously. Progress is a relative thing, and many decades later, even with the latest technology and resources, this is perhaps inimitable nowadays, and over-simplification and not so enthralling jobs abound in the field, save some exceptions. I built a couple of similar kits as a kid (although not as complex or precise, and badly built needless to say) a gift from a teacher, and was fascinated at how the parts were separated and covered every mechanism, like in the real thing, unlike the flattened and dubious volumes of many kits of much later days. Not my usual subject, but what a joy to build one of these. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 "Houston, we have a green machine". Mon Dieu, C'est magnifique! I'll pull up a chaise longue and watch in comfort. I agree with @Moa about the detail in some old kits. I have 1960's Airfix model Railway kits that are beautifully crisp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 That really is an extraordinarily good kit! Take your time, deadlines are made to be ignored in cases like this. Enjoy the build, you have waited too long to spoil it by stressing yourself over finish dates. Wherever you end up with the build by January will be just fine. Tony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 I haven't had a chance to get near the workbench until today, and only part of the day... better than nothing though. The first paint spray sessions have been done. The main engine and gearbox assembly was sprayed green. First it was all sprayed thoroughly everywhere in a medium green, then I used a slightly brighter green all over in general, only in sweeping passes. The other engine parts were also sprayed in their base colours. The black is just a base for various Alclad aluminium shades. The Alclad colours were sprayed as soon as the black had dried. The green got a thin gloss coat as a base for some washing and light weathering. The decals are slightly out of register. It's not catastrophic, but in the case of the engine plate it would leave a thin clear strip at the bottom which will of course be green when the decal is applied on the engine. All three id-plates on the sheet of course have the same problem. I decided to first apply them to a silver decal film. It's not a perfect match, but will fix the problem ok. There will be no excuse now to route the ignition wires wrong, as the firing order is clearly stated. Paint still needs more drying before further work on the engine can resume. In the mean time I have spent the better part of an hour studying page three of the instructions and planning ahead for the front suspension and forward part of the chassis. It's a pretty complex part of the build. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Neat and inspiring work. The complexity of that kit is incredible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Wow. I wanted to say it would almost be easier to also get a Haynes manual, but looks like there aren't any for the Traction Avant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Very nice Jörgen, I'm really enjoying this one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 On 18/10/2020 at 20:24, Moa said: Neat and inspiring work. The complexity of that kit is incredible. Thanks Claudio, the kit is really nice, Heller at their height perhaps. It's nice to finally be able to build it. On 18/10/2020 at 20:35, alt-92 said: Wow. I wanted to say it would almost be easier to also get a Haynes manual, but looks like there aren't any for the Traction Avant Perhaps one could write that manual after the build? Having said that, I have an original 15 Six spare parts catalogue coming in any day now... On 19/10/2020 at 16:51, JeroenS said: Very nice Jörgen, I'm really enjoying this one. Thanks Jeroen, glad you like it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 The last two evenings I've been able to steal an hour or two for detail painting and weathering the engine parts. I also made a tiny start on the front suspension cradle. A very tiny start. The engine has been finished off with a coat of semi gloss clear and some more or less random squirts of flat clear. Next will be the assembly of the painted engine parts. This will not be a heavily weathered model. I like my cars in good condition and taken care of, and this will be no exception. I'm thinking either a fairly new car, or perhaps more likely the well restored car of today. From the options in the kit of 1948, -51 or 52 year models I'm leaning towards the 1948, with its much lighter bumpers, and the curved front bumper, as I think they fit the lines of the car better. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 You do always such a realist paint job, it's amazing. All your builds look like the real thing, not just a scale replica. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 33 minutes ago, Bengalensis said: The engine has been finished off with a coat of semi gloss clear and some more or less random squirts of flat clear. Like!! Soo... different red browns, greys and light drybrushing steel? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 This build recalls my early days memories... My uncle had in sixties Taction Avant ("11" not "15"), which was known in Poland under name "Citroen BL-11". This was Belgian production machine from 1950 maybe 51 or 52, anyway about 1965 it was not alder than 15 years, but looked very, very old and obsolete. They went for a honey month trip to Paris in 1968, few weeks before Soviet invasion on Czechoslovakia, what needed a lot of fantasy and efforts, and was extremely expencieve for Poles under communist times... So I look for your build with high interest! Regards J-W 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 1 hour ago, Moa said: You do always such a realist paint job, it's amazing. All your builds look like the real thing, not just a scale replica. You are most kind Claudio, I wish I could come close to that. I try to learn from really talented modelers, that I see here on BM and elsewhere, showing their work, then when I sit at my bench trying to practice it, I mostly scratch my head, and dabble with my paints with little clue how to achieve myself what I have seen other do so brilliantly. I usually say I'm too much of an engineer and too little of an artist, but I'm trying... 1 hour ago, alt-92 said: Like!! Soo... different red browns, greys and light drybrushing steel? Thanks a lot! Yes, pretty much like that. I think I did something like this: First sprayed Humbrol 113, then I stippled on Humbrol 29, Revell 381 and Revell 83, half dry, using a small piece of torn sponge. Quite roughly done. A light steel drybrush indeed, then some smearing with Tamiya rust weathering powder, and a slight touch of soot powder on the top at the exhaust ports. Something like that. 53 minutes ago, JWM said: This build recalls my early days memories... My uncle had in sixties Taction Avant ("11" not "15"), which was known in Poland under name "Citroen BL-11". This was Belgian production machine from 1950 maybe 51 or 52, anyway about 1965 it was not alder than 15 years, but looked very, very old and obsolete. They went for a honey month trip to Paris in 1968, few weeks before Soviet invasion on Czechoslovakia, what needed a lot of fantasy and efforts, and was extremely expencieve for Poles under communist times... So I look for your build with high interest! Thank you for that lovely story! It must have been some extraordinary and turbulent experiences for your uncle and his wife in those days. They certainly traveled in style! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimbledon99 Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 Wow - That build is so clean!! Take a picture on it's own and there's not a single sign that's it's a model. Outstanding! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted October 24, 2020 Author Share Posted October 24, 2020 On 23/10/2020 at 01:40, wimbledon99 said: Wow - That build is so clean!! Take a picture on it's own and there's not a single sign that's it's a model. Outstanding! Many thanks, I'm trying my best and if it's halfway there I'm very happy. I got a bit of assembly done yesterday evening, up to this point. Currently I'm working on the joint between the manifolds and cylinder head which need extra attention. I'm looking forward to a fairly undisturbed day at the workbench. Maybe even the whole weekend, at least with some luck and determination. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 Very nice work indeed. The finish is quite stunningly realistic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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