rob Lyttle Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 I'd like to put down a marker for the new kit in the pile. I was spoilt for choice today at KB Models.... Kim had just this morning received a delivery and the Heller shelf was loaded. Only after a great deal of anxious deliberations did I select this beauty and leave the rest behind. The contents look pure Heller. But my bench is occupied with the Talbot Lago T26 GP racer and I tend to get vague and distracted with too many projects. So I think the Delahaye is going to have to wait a while for any serious construction. But I may have a bit of a rummage and a think in a spare few minutes. I'll keep you posted on any developments alright. Check out my little pile of Heller Gold.... I have to admit that the Delage D8ss is long ago built and the box is used to contain several "kits in bags". Heller boxes are the biz, aren't they? 😎 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Nice one Rob! I will save you a place on the build list 🙂 Good luck with this beauty! You showed extraordinairy mental strength in the shop! Leaving there with just the one kit, phew... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Wow Rob, your post in the chat section took me right back to being a nipper. My Gran used to live on Hayling Island so Havant was our trip to the shops where if I was well behaved I might get to buy a model, which of course would be built within hours of getting back to Grans. Best of luck with the build. Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 12 hours ago, rob Lyttle said: I tend to get vague and distracted with too many projects. I can identify with that, it's probably why I have so many unfinished (and barely started) projects. Looking forward to seeing the Delahaye as I have on in the stash. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 11 hours ago, JOCKNEY said: My Gran used to live on Hayling Island so Havant was our trip to the shops A long old drive fo you now! But if you ever do make the trip, KB Models is definitely worth a look (if you've been well behaved, that is). Kim has only been going a couple of years, but he's got some great stuff on the shelves. And he's survived THIS year! 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 I thought I would do a bit of research on the Web for the car, see what I can find in the way of colour schemes, detail references and general information. WOW! If you fancy a walk on the wild side, like a Lucy in the Sky moment or two, try Googleing "delahaye 135" and go on images. After a while, Google may suggest that you may also like "delahaye 145" or "165" and off you go, straight down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. Heller should have stuck with this Marque, and just done ALL of them. The kit version now looks very sensible and sedate, quite an early styling by Chapron. Like my earlier mix-up with the Talbot Lago term "T26", it seems like the Delahaye "135" term really related to the chassis/engine unit which didn't really change much over 20 years, and the various stylists, coachbuilders and bodywork designers constructed their creations on the Delahaye base. And they're all referred to as 135. Or 145, or 165 etc. You know Paris Fashion Week....?? Dior, Yves St Lauren, Gautier, £20000 for a dress.... That kind of stuff? Well, looks like the Paris Motor Show used to be like THAT! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 15 hours ago, rob Lyttle said: If you fancy a walk on the wild side, like a Lucy in the Sky moment or two, try Googleing "delahaye 135" and go on images. I did, and wow indeed! It really is a very nice looking car with many different shapes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 13, 2020 Author Share Posted October 13, 2020 No building work done here, yet. But looking through some of the inspirational projects and CrazyCrank's Delahaye build in particular, got me thinking about the possibility of getting the up-and-over bonnet to hinge and fold properly. But keeping within the limits of my capabilities....! Well, I spent a half hour trying out an idea, and I think it may be worth a go. I've made a lightweight hinge from pie dish Ali and brass rod around the 0.6mm diameter size. It's a bit flimsy in the hands, and I lost one segment due to metal fatigue from bending once too often. But it works and will be a lot more robust sandwiched between two sections of rigid bonnet. And the visible hinge line along the middle of the bonnet can be polished up. I'll have another go - this is just prototype-- and tidy up the method. It would be a nice bonus to get this operational with the engine installation on show. Piedish Ali is so easy to work with compared to brass tube and strip and once installed, it's pretty light work for the hinges. 😎 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 Well, you can imagine..... The Genie is out of the box! Once the lid is lifted and the polybags cut...... ✂️🎊😍🎂 There's a way to get this car together and it's not by following the instructions step by step. I'm combing through build threads to get the heads up on what to glue and when. So far I have this. Engine and gearbox assembly, the basic chassis framework and the firewall bulkhead. Curled up below the bulkhead there is a stretched sprue horn to go on there somewhere. I have a couple of wheels put together, looking overly shiny but I think they'll tone down with work. And the front and rear wings need assembly and then some tlc to make good the surfaces. The add-on pieces are on the black plastic sprues and the main body parts are a fairly light blue. Easy going so far...... 😇 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 15, 2020 Author Share Posted October 15, 2020 Some time expended on various bits and bobs The engine got some intake and exhaust manifolds and a bunch of ignition wiring, Tidied up the fanbelt and pulleys, and 2 pins let in the top of the rocker cover for the fasteners. There is a decal supplied for the name on the side of the engine block, but it basically disappeared. It's red onto black paint but the transfer needs a white base under the red..... and there is none, so it's all but invisible. I had a look at the seats too. The front ones have a line of beading added around the front edge. The back seat is supplied very blank which does not measure up to Delahaye standards of luxury! I've been generating some shape and padding, soft furnishings style. Something on the back face still to go, underneath the shoulder-rest. And I've been pondering the options for a colour scheme. My Dad's pride and joy for many years was an MG Magnette saloon, all in gloss black. And it looked fantastic. The slightly later version came out in two tone, or Varitone as it was known, and they were OK, but nothing on the gloss black allover style. So I was thinking about an all-black decor..... And then I remembered that old fashioned styling combination of dark blue and black. With a rich royal blue against the black it can really "sing"! And the various chrome stripe details would spark the whole thing off. The dilemma is..... Blue body and black wings....? Or black body and blue wings....?! 🤔 I just shrugged in a very French manner 🤭😎🇫🇷 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 A little anomaly has turned up with the kit. It's sorted now, but strange. The inside door panels and side windows are made in one transparent piece each side. They are moulded with an open slot between the main window and the quarter-light. As if ready to locate onto a dividing bar moulded into the body shell. But there's nothing there! 🤔 Several reference pics show cars with a one piece side window, but earlier Chapron built cars can have a divider. So I filled the open slots with 1mm strips, ... and they will get some foil. I've been to work on the other side panel. It's a slightly messy work-in-progress but the main thing is, I've cut the window open. This is strange plastic, thin, hard and a bit brittle, being transparent. While I was messing with the sticky back foil, I did some around the outside frame. I think chrome detailing would be appropriate here and it looks like this from the outside, I can always paint it or even peel it off if it looks like it is too much, but I'll carry on for the moment. I kind of like the opened window look..... I haven't decided about the other side yet. This is the driver's side, by the way. It surprised me how most of these French cars are right hand drive and I mentioned it on someone's thread once, and it was a popular layout at that time. It'll be interesting to check through all the Heller cars on here to see how many are right hand drive 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 Sticking with the interior for a bit, I made 3 pedals, seeing that the kit floor merely has embossed shapes moulded on. There's a piedish Ali accelerator upstanding and 2 styrene pads on stalks. Now........ As I prepped and primed the back seat I came to the realisation that I had made quite a good representation of of an old derelict junk sofa that is ready to be thrown away! Put behind the kit front seats, it was all wrong. Total mismatch! So I stripped the upholstery back to the bare plastic for another try. So far I've left the shoulder rest piece on and we'll see how it goes Some more on the door inners with high gloss dark wood veneer, involving a sand/buff base, like the leather, and then washes of watery acrylic in fiery red and what Heller call Buckingham green. Then Humbrol No.1 I didn't cut the other window open after all. One will be enough, I think. Right, better stick a few more bits of upholstery on..... 😎 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 13 hours ago, rob Lyttle said: As I prepped and primed the back seat I came to the realisation that I had made quite a good representation of of an old derelict junk sofa that is ready to be thrown away! Put behind the kit front seats, it was all wrong. Total mismatch! I actually thought you were going for that derelict look, thought you had it down pretty well. But you weren't 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 4 minutes ago, JeroenS said: I actually thought you were going for that derelict look, thought you had it down pretty well. But you weren't 🙂 I was OK with some wear and used look, but when I saw it next to the front seats I realised I'd gone way over the top. And there needs to be some kind of matching up between front and back upholstery. But I'm all tooled up for when I want to do an old clapped out motor or a barn find! 😅 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 The sofa has had a refurbishment and I think it's more compatible with the front seats and the Delahaye standard of quality. I've added a line of piping around each seat area to tie the styling with the front. I think the big shoulder rest can stay although it's a variation on the style, and there's scope for a central armrest...... 🤔 Who knew that furniture design could be so enthralling ⁉️🤩✂️ Some paint required to bring this up to speed, for a comparison with the front seats, but I'm happier with this item now. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Great work Rob, I especially like the patina you have achieved on the seats Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Superb work Rob! It all looks very characterful and spot on. Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 19, 2020 Author Share Posted October 19, 2020 Starting to look more like a matching set of seats. Once those wheel well inner panels were added to the floor pan, it started to make sense. I'm trying to make some kind of carpet effect on the floor, keeping it a bit light and neutral, but having a hint of blue. That's Mig acrylic sea blue stippled over a light grey. I don't want it to match the seating as everything will then disappear. That doesn't seem to be the style of the Delahaye coach-building. But I don't want a big clash of colours going on in there either. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 19, 2020 Author Share Posted October 19, 2020 It's time to face the music..... It's SUSPENSION time....! Mon Dieu‼️ Let me show you this, Ha, that's nothing. Have a look at this... There's copious use of the hot blade /soldering iron on the pivoting connections. The crazy thing is, it all worked 😇😲😀 To complete the front wheels to kingpins though, requires the fitting of the brake drums. They have little grooves in the back that should fit over the pivots on the ends of the..... things 😜 You know, these..... However, on finding the no.9 items on the sprues, you can imagine my surprise to notice that no stub axles were there 😳. Nothing....... So the final steering assembly will have to wait a minute, while I figure out some kind of solution with rods, tubes etc 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Nice work so far. It is odd about the lack of stub axles, I'll have to check mine and see if it has them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 20, 2020 Author Share Posted October 20, 2020 9 hours ago, TimJ said: I'll have to check mine and see if it has them I'll be interested to hear what you find, Tim. There's no evidence on mine to suggest poor moulding or "short shot". There's every chance I would have redone them with metal anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 20, 2020 Author Share Posted October 20, 2020 Something that bothers me a little bit..... just a little..... is the business of using the wheel wingnut to glue onto the tip of the stub axle to retain the wheel, so the wheel turns OK but the wingnut is stationary. I know these are static display models, and I've done a few cars in this method, but I've always wanted to overcome the "problem". That is, keep the wheels on and let the wingnut turn with the wheel. Back axles are easy, but with front wheels that have steering it all gets complicated. But it's something that keeps me entertained, trying to visualise a solution.... 🤔😜🧚♀️ Well, in my efforts to sort out the missing stub axles on this old girl, I think I may have got close to solving this riddle. I'll take a couple more pictures as I'm doing the 2nd one, but basically I have a brass rod cyanoed into the brake drum to replace the missing plastic. Then I drilled out the centre hole in the wheel to fit the rod. Next I tapped the hole on the outside of the wheel to the diameter of the tube that is a sliding fit on the brass rod. Just to a depth of maximum 1mm. I made some O-ring circlips by winding brass wire round a piece of the rod. The stub axle needs cutting to just enough length to come level with the outside face of the spoked wheel. An O-ring is fitted on the end of the axle and it sits in the little recess. So far so good....... The real test of the method came with fixing the O-ring. Solder is obviously out of the question. But can it be superglued?!? The answer is...... Yes.... 😎 With a sewing pin and a steady hand for application of just enough ca to set the ring to the axle and not leak through onto the wheel "bearing" surfaces. I think I can taylor the inside face of the wingnut to accommodate the fitting, and wheel no.1 is now assembled to the front axle and setting in position. "Back of the Net.... ‼️" 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimJ Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Nice work on the wheel attachment. I had a look at my Delahaye and it does have the stub axles. DSCF1758 by timothy jones, on Flickr It looks like yours might have broken off at some point as you can see where they should be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 12 hours ago, rob Lyttle said: Back of the Net Watch out, you will be wanting to fit a motor and micro R/C next! Super solution. A thin slice of the outer tube would work as a retainer too, I’m guessing. Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 1 hour ago, AdrianMF said: A thin slice of the outer tube would work as a retainer That was my original thinking Adrian but I couldn't cut the tube thin and tidy enough. Then I tried the wire for simplicity 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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