Citroën Traction Avant

[rob Lyttle]

I'm in a little bit of a doldrums at the moment with my "Schools Class" steam locomotive, and a change of scenery is required. I'll get back to that shortly. 

But I've got several options for this group, and some for the "less than a tenner" group - just unfortunate that these two are running concurrently 😶

Well, next up is this little item - 

A German Staff car..... ⁉️😲

I DON'T THINK SO....... 

This is the very essence of French motor car making! 

And I'm making a civilian saloon that could well find itself parked beside a 1.48 scale Lockheed Lodestar or similar. 

It's a simple kit that won't be long in the making, which is just what I need right now. 

I've looked at a few colour schemes for consideration but really the only way to go with this is gloss black, I think. 

 

I've made a start and the seats are in, with some kind of leather effect being worked on, and a wooden veneer dashboard. 

 

The other thing I'm trying is to get a bit of steering into the front wheel assembly 

The axle sitting on the framework there is trapped in position by the subframe and could be left to roll with the wheels attached. What I've done instead is just put a bit of turn on the stub ends. The Tamiya plastic is good stuff and seems happy to take the abuse. Plan B was to use a length of brass rod for the axle to take the bending, but the plastic original seems OK so far 👍

Obviously the rolling wheels aspect is out of the question but that's OK. This one is for posing sedately, not for trundling around the floor. 😇

I haven't done much in the way of Tamiya kits but their reputation goes before them and so far, everything is spot on and a breeze to build. 

[Brad]

Nice one, sometimes you just gotta bang out a Tamiya kit.

[rob Lyttle]

The bodywork has had a primer blast from the rattlecan and I'll have a go tomorrow with the gloss black if all goes well. 

I was surprised to find that the box contained a little pe and resin set for the kit by Voyager. I suppose I ought to say "pleasantly surprised" but this stuff evokes a feeling of trepidation..... 😬

The main feature is the front grill, composed of a resin outer ring and the brass fret. 

I've already had a go with the kit piece, covered with Ali foil tape and worked into the details on the front. I wasn't overly impressed with the results so I tried my luck with the detail set. 

And it doesn't look bad. 

It's not shiny chrome of course and it's going to be a paint job. I fitted a piece of stretched sprue down the middle of the resin piece to offer a bit of support to the etch piece and it has been well hidden by the brass detail. There should be a little flare on the top that curves back over the resin but I'm afraid that has gone missing in action. 

So I have 2 front grilles and I can pick the better of them when the time comes. 

The rest of the details are number plates front and back, and that's it. They may be useful. 🙄

[rob Lyttle]

I got a blast of gloss black on the bodywork, but the shine was less than impressive..... as usual. 

It looked good until it dried 🙄

And at this small size any texture in the paint surface is exaggerated. 

I'm going to try working up a finish with layers of Kleer, see if I can get a shiny result. 

First coat looked great..... until it dried! 😀

As for the front grilles, they got some shiny metal paint along with the headlamps, bumpers etc. 

 

The kit part had my Ali foil effort peeled off and cleaned up for paint. 

The resin pe item on the right didn't look too good around the joints. I've cut it apart and had a 2nd go, see if I can get the assembly done better. Jury is still out on which of the two will be used. 

[rob Lyttle]

So many distractions from the modelling, but inching forward with the little Citroën. 

Interior is done, front mudguard section is fitted to the chassis, and the main shell has a windscreen and other windows and is about ready to fix.

 

One other thing achieved is the fitting of the headlamp lenses on the lamps. It's a bit like doing contact lenses on a hamster..... 🧐🐹 The Tamiya parts fit in precisely...... sometimes that doesn't happen with kits by other makers 🤣

 

Shouldn't be long now..... 

[Andwil]

1 hour ago, rob Lyttle said:

like doing contact lenses on a hamster

😂 Love it!

 

AW

[Quiet Mike]

Looking good so far Rob. The little Citroen is one of my favourite cars and I've always hankered after one, since I was a teenager. Nearly 50 now ... I should really add this kit to the wish list!
I did get this book yesterday though!

[rob Lyttle]

That looks like an excellent book, @Quiet Mike. If you want a REAL treat, check out the 1.8 scale build by Bengalensis in the Heller Classic Group Build earlier this year. I think you'll like it.

It's a sad reflection on the global modelling community that Tamiya is obliged to market this little kit as a German military staff car.... 😶

 

Assemblage has taken place, 

 

I've been trying a few chrome details, some have worked and some not. Bumper faces, rear mudguard detail, and a bonnet hinge. Also trying with the hubcap centres - the one on the spare wheel is done. 

There's a little flash line detail along the doors and it's there in the moulding, but my thinnest effort with the Ali tape is too clumsy looking. Might try once more 

[rob Lyttle]

A few more details added. 

I've tried the resin grille on the front, fixed with acrylic clear gloss varnish. 

I say "fixed" but it's a bit iffy. Very removable though for a change to the kit part. No way am I putting cyano anywhere near it! 😧

The surfaces that it attaches to are quite an elaborate curved shape and the resin hasn't really got it. The Tamiya grille is a good fit - as I've come to expect - but doesn't have the see-through mesh look. 

 

 

Hmmmmm, yea, looking at those I'm thinking I'll try the kit part for a comparison. 

Nearly there 😎👍

[rob Lyttle]

OK finally done and heading for the galleries. Afraid my modelling time is a bit sparse at the moment. 

I've got my hands on a couple of Percival Vega Gulls by Dora Wings that I'd like to have a go at, time permitting. Just have to see how it goes..... 

In the end I decided to stick with the pe /resin front grill and the slightly iffy assembly joint around the bottom is tucked away nicely by the bumper. 

I'm not overly familiar with Tamiya kits but I have to say this was a pleasure to build. Not a scale I'm familiar with for cars but it's fitting in nicely with a couple of aircraft I'm working on. 👍

 

 

[Brad]

Very nice build mate. Hope to see you back with one of those gulls