stevehnz Posted October 27, 2021 Share Posted October 27, 2021 Nice work on the HA, NIIIIICE work on the Stratos, DB4 & the 356, pretty wee cars those, I envy you your skills. Thanks for sharing them with us. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricLightAndy Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, keefr22 said: neat work on the badges! The camera makes them look better, but thanks 😊 Thanks @stevehnz nothing to be envious about, it's not as glamorous as it seems, it's still getting covered in rust, cuts, grinding sparks and burns! Just at the end of it a lovely looking thing emerges, but to do it correctly it's yeeeeeears of practice and patience as it's very time consuming, the DB4 body for example was made free hand, templating the original knackered skins and was around 1000hrs just for the outer skin, then there was all the other bits like trims, mechanical fabrications etc! Cheers, Andy. Edited October 28, 2021 by ElectricLightAndy 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 11 minutes ago, ElectricLightAndy said: it's still getting covered in rust, cuts, grinding sparks and burns! Son & I still get those when working on the Mini - unfortunately there's little lovely about what results from our 'skills'....!! 🤣 Keith 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 14 minutes ago, ElectricLightAndy said: it's still getting covered in rust, cuts, grinding sparks and burns! Just at the end of it a lovely looking thing emerges I did a fair bit of the first bit de-skanking a couple of old Ford's, without the satisfaction of the second bit, but I guess being self taught & lacking the years of practice would have a fair bit to do with that, in the end they came together ok & gave me much fun & satisfaction. I can't begin to imagine what restoring a superleggera bodied car must involve, but the Stratos rear framing is a thing of beauty to my eye. Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klubman01 Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 Looking really good now. All the bits of trim, etc. are the dogs. I had my first driving lessons in a Viva HA - white, or pale cream colour. Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR2Don Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 1 hour ago, klubman01 said: I had my first driving lessons in a Viva HA My dad bought one years ago - an SL90! Ridiculously fast and had the most vicious servo assisted disks I've ever experienced. It just wasn't my dad's sort of car, if you see what I mean. I last remember seeing it rusting away peacefully in their back garden in Crail!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricLightAndy Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 Thanks chaps, I don't think I've actually ever seen a Viva HA on the road. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anteater Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 Top skillz in both scales going here. I'm good at taking all cars apart, but only really good at putting them back together again when they're desktop sized. I have a go but I know my limits... The Viva is looking lovely. My father bought one in 1966 but by the time he traded it in in 1971, it was apparently hanging. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlambert Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 5 hours ago, ElectricLightAndy said: Thanks chaps, I don't think I've actually ever seen a Viva HA on the road. Andy Funnily enough I saw a HA Viva (in pale green) last week at the local supermarket. It was driving in as I drove out so I couldn't take a photo. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricLightAndy Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 Hello, Small update, Humbrol Gloss Cote was chosen as I know it doesn't really affect the Alclad chrome, will need de-nibbing and polishing but I'm quite happy with the outcome so far! Grille and front valance just placed for looks. Next up rubber black around the windows and maybe some slight rust spots? Andy. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 13 hours ago, ElectricLightAndy said: maybe some slight rust spots? Will give you something to repair when they develop into big holes in the future....!! Keith 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnlambert Posted October 30, 2021 Share Posted October 30, 2021 That looks really good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malpaso Posted October 30, 2021 Share Posted October 30, 2021 Very nice job on this HA. I somehow didn’t know this was one of the kits Airfix did. A friends dad had an HA which was in excellent condition, though to us in the mid 70s compared to most cars around it looked like something out of the Ark! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toftdale Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 That does look very smart and I'm fairly confident I've never complimented a Viva before 😂 Andy 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricLightAndy Posted November 1, 2021 Author Share Posted November 1, 2021 Thanks everyone, but alas, Disaster has struck! I left it a few days to dry, followed my usual process of de-nibbing, T-cut then polish. for some reason (new tin of T-cut that I haven't used before... maybe new formula?) this time, the T-cut reacted with the paint, making it go gooey and ruined it. I decided to do what I have never done before and strip the paint, oh well there were a couple of things that I wasn't quite happy with anyway! Here we go again! Cheers Andy. 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anteater Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 Frustrating... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Gutted! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricLightAndy Posted January 6, 2022 Author Share Posted January 6, 2022 OK, it's sat on the corner of my desk for long enough having a think about what it's done! it's made a frank and sincere apology and we're ready to make a mends and have another go, primers on, I shall update when it's up to the stage just before it went boobies up. Cheers 🍻 Andy. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepboy Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 So looking forward to seeing this finished. Dad had a pale blue and rust HA Delux. He later upgraded to a Super Delux in two tone dark green, pale green side strip and with rust included. Actually nice simple little cars for their day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 @ElectricLightAndy this is bringing back some memories. One of my primary school teachers had a pale blue HA until it was rammed from behind by an East Kent AEC Swift single-decker. The HA wound up being pushed over 100 yards inverted down a 1-in-something-silly hill before coming to rest. Miraculously my teacher and his wife were released from the wreckage alive but rather badly injured (it was many weeks before he returned to the classroom). My dad drove an HA-derived yellow van (DFN 984L, but I can’t remember breakfast time) in the 1970s with “Post Office Telephones” emblazoned on the doors (after it replaced the similarly-emblazoned Morris Minor van that he’d used for work) which he preferred greatly to the Morris Marina van that replaced the HA when it was discovered that it had terminal corrosion in the front sub frame. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricLightAndy Posted January 7, 2022 Author Share Posted January 7, 2022 Thanks @Jeepboy and @stever219 seems a lot of people have great memories of these largely forgotten vauxhalls. Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatW Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 Lookin' good! A neighbour had one of these, I had an Austin Devon, a friend up the road had a Triumph Herald as did his brother, his neighbour had the six cylinder version, the Triumph Vitesse, tuned by Sid Hurrell from nearby Leighton Buzzard. Sid also tuned three cylinder two stroke SAAB's to do about 130mph. Lots of blue smoke in the process! As had Erik Carllson world rally champion in the day. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Juliet Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 Nice build! I hope you are going to add the appropriate amount of rust and holes as per the original! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Smith Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 This little kit really brings back memories. A bagged kit when first sold by Airfix. I passed my driving test in one back in the day! Favoured by British School Of Motoring in the 60's. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 1 hour ago, Noel Smith said: Favoured by British School Of Motoring in the 60's. You must be a tad older than me. The car of choice for driving schools when I learnt to drive (Very early 70s) was either a Mk1 Escort or the HB Viva. I passed my test in an HC Viva (Jan '73). I also built this (The HA Viva) back in the day. Oh those lovely little plastic baggies! You could actually see all the bits. Those were the days. Cheers, Alan, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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