Building the Pocher 1/8 Lotus 72D, Emerson Fittipaldi 1972

[cmatthewbacon]

Well, my family were very kind to me this year, so here goes...

 

 

 

 

Given how good Airfix (or Lego) instructions are these days, I reckon in this respect at least Pocher could up their game...

 

 

What could be in here?

 

 

Let's have a closer look...

 

 

 

 

Plastic sprues,

 

 

Wheels, and then...

 

 

 

...between the different photos I realise I've missed the pre-printed plastic sidepods, but they are in the box. Also, in a real "devil in the details" moment, there's a bag full of no less than 12 different sorts of screw, and another with 6 different types of tube or wire...

 

More in the near future, after I have finished the MGC Sebring...

best,

M.

 

 

 

[Coors54]

Oooo, colour me envious!

 

You must really have scored some Brownie points over the last year to get that from the family, my missus nearly choked on her breakfast tea when I told her the price. 🤣

 

I'm interested to see what you think of the kit as you go Matt.

 

Dave

[Stu_davros]

It's a really nice looking kit, I've been fondling the parts since I got mine.

One thing I noticed was that the end of the engine part DCA-21 in my kit is a little warped, the clutch bell housing face isn't flat and one of the cylinder head ends is also a bit bent.

Could you have a look at yours M. and see if it's the same please?

Not sure if it's a casting issue or it's just mine that needs straightening.

 

Cheers,

Stuart

[cmatthewbacon]

@Stu_davros mine looks dead flat, and both cylinder head ends are straight (though not aligned with each other, obviously). At that price, though, I'd be asking for a replacement from Pocher rather than DIY bending!

 

best,

M.

 

[k5054nz]

Hooo boy, that's one heck of a kit!!

[DFC]

_{With an Entex/Edai/Grip 1-8 Lotus 72D nearing the top of the build list, I've held off ordering the long-promised Pocher kit to see some review comments.  These are the first production kits so some problems, although unwelcome, are perhaps to be expected and Pocher will have to satisfy customers' expectations after all the pre-launch publicity.}

 

_{I look forward to more details, especially about the fit of parts and the JPS livery.}

[Vesa Jussila]

I will follow this with great interest. What is general opinion about quality?

[cmatthewbacon]

@DFC was asking about the quality of the livery:

 

 

I'm going to say it looks very crisply done to me. It's the iconic gold livery rather than the slightly later beige/brown version, and the printing is very crisp. @Vesa Jussila looking at the parts in the box, they seem to be very well moulded and detailed. I haven't yet started comparing them closely to the real thing, though...

 

 

I think I have enough reference material, even for one this big!

 

best,

M.

[Noel Smith]

That will make a very impressive model Matt. Your build should be very interesting to follow.

I can remember building one of the very old Pocher classics and needing to tap out all the threaded holes as the brass screws had a tendency to shear off.

 

Wouldn't be surprised if some after market extra detailing stuff starts to appear soon for this kit.

[JamesP]

I think everyone down to your wife’s second cousin must have chipped in to get to this mate 😄

 

Are you going to be building it OOB or adding some extra detail - though I doubt there is much missing. 

[Kitkent]

This looks lovely! I happened to buy Motor Sport magazine the other month,it’s all about this car. I haven’t looked inside it yet though! 
Chris.

[andymyn]

Hello all. I also was surprised to get my model without any prior clue from Hornby, however who cares when it is such a work of art!!!   

 

So, I  opened the box, arranged the now free dining room table, with my wife's approval, and dived in. First impressions were good, well made, well presented and clearly labelled parts. Like some of you I was not impressed with the 'instruction booklet'. It lacks detail, is vague in certain aspects and just wrong in others, more guidelines than instruction.

 

I started with page 1 etc and found an anomaly in hour one. Page 5, the exhaust pipes labelled DCA 25,27,29,31 did not locate properly into the engine block. After experimenting I found they should have been labelled DCA 24, 26,28 and 30, 30, they were the wrong way round. Also, Part N11 should have been labelled N7.

 

The engine assembly on page 8 also required some fettling.

 

I decided to move on to page 22 as my eyesight was beginning to fail. Very fiddly, 2 sets of tweezers and a modellers light/magnifying glass but did it. Next problem, front brake shafts . Again after 20 minutes trying to get the UJ's to fit, I realised that again the wrong label had been printed, K6 should be H6 . Page 27, H6 should be K6 and DC 11 should be 12 and vice versa.

 

Seatbelts !!Very unclear, the lap belts are a mystery as are the crotch belts. Luckily after consulting a Demon Tweeks catalogue and my own  experience I managed to come up with a satisfactory solution. I think the labelling is an instruction booklet issue but beware there could well be others lying in store. The kit is a brilliant one but the price should have included at the very least far more detailed builds. I wonder if anyone at Hornby has made one yet? 

 

All that took two days off and on, so a days rest then onwards. Will post more later.

 

Hope this helps anybody.

 

Andy

 

 

[cmatthewbacon]

Instructions duly amended! Thanks, Andy…

best,

M.

[czaralko]

Wow what a kit!

[nick]

Interested to see what the DFV comes out like.

[moxie2207]

Been building this since just after Christmas, and have found many of the same issues that @andymyn has, the wrong part numbers shown in the instructions. I just noticed that parts DC-11 and DC-12 are clearly swapped around as well (page 27), and it occurred to me that perhaps they've been laid in the packaging incorrectly, that perhaps the instructions are correct, but that we're picking the wrong bits out of the box - this is the only reference to the metal part numbers.

 

Couple of other points, hopefully saving someone some time (and pain!):

 

- Page 5: @andymyn's comments about the reverse part numbers are correct - the exhausts do fit the way the instructions indicate, with some fiddling, but you end up having to take apart the entire assembly to resolve (wish I've have seen this post sooner!)

- Page 5: I believe the parts are incorrectly manufactured, no idea what's happened here, but it does appear that N-11 and N-7 are correct in the instructions, as everything aligns later, but the rectangular holes are the wrong way around (please correct me if I'm wrong)

- Page 6: couldn't fit K screws in A#3, had to use D screws

- Page 24: not sure about @andymyn's comment re K-6 being swapped out for H-6 - mine appeared correct as per the instructions

- Page 24: do not glue parts DC-37 onto the discs until the callipers are screwed on, otherwise you're in a position where you can't screw in the callipers and you can't put in the disc assembly because it's an impossible angle to fit with all other components

- General: when screwing into holes such as those in DC-23 and DC-25, test fit the screws first, which also serves to loosen the screw sufficiently for actual fitting - I'm now in the unenviable position of having sheared a screw in DC-23, so have to either drill out or obtain a replacement part

 

Hope this helps, bound to be a lot more to come!

Edited January 8, 2023 by moxie2207

[Dinky]

I also saw on Facebook that the manual is full of flaws and ambiguities, it shouldn't be that difficult.
Thanks for the info, @moxie2207

Makes me doubt to buy it, do you think its worth the money?

[triumphfan]

A work colleague had this delivered recently, been on pre-order for about two years apparently. I joined in the grand opening after work, quite an event really, as layer after layer of parts came out of that huge box.

He has been keeping me abreast of his progress, and made very similar comments to those above. He also said the tyres are extremely difficult to get on the wheels!

 

Looking forward to seeing these come together, it's going to be a handsome model straight out of the box, even outstanding with some decent highlighting and extra detailing.

 

Atb, Steve.

[moxie2207]

Hey @Dinky, I'd say it is worth the money, despite the problems. The trick is to test fit everything first, "dry" fit the screws in the holes, think about the order of things, (e.g. if I assemble this first, will I be able to fit the related components?), and just generally take your time, not forcing anything, just easing the parts in. I ordered the kit almost a couple of years ago, waited patiently for it, and was probably one of the first to get it (at the original, lower price, thankfully!), so the instructions clearly haven't been tested, and often, they simply don't provide enough detail. I would imagine that Pocher (/Hornby) will be revising the instructions quite quickly to eradicate the issues, so perhaps it's worth waiting for that to happen.

 

Given how stunning it'll look on completion, I wouldn't hesitate to spend the money all over again! And, to be honest, overcoming these issues is part of the enjoyment, if it was just a matter of screw and glue, then it might be a bit boring :)!

Edited January 8, 2023 by moxie2207

[Dinky]

Thank you @moxie2207

The manual of most Pochers is crap and they really don't learn anything from it, the green Lambo still has the same manual as the red one with all the errors like left wishbone goes right etc. Same with the Ducati which also has some confusing stuff in it.
The manual is manageable if the rest is good, unfortunately, that was not always the case either but I must say these pictures look good.
If you are not an experienced builder and you spend a fortune on something like this, you probably won't get it together easy.

Big change I buy it anyway, even if building is a struggle, the end result looks very sweet 🙂

[moxie2207]

It's strange @Dinky, you'd have thought that because Hornby/Airfix now own Pocher, they'd have got their act together re the instructions. Because I inadvertently damaged a couple of pieces (due to the instructions being incorrect and, dare I say it, a bit of clumsiness), I called up the Hornby spares department today. The good news is that they didn't have any issues with asking for replacement parts, although there's a long wait post-Christmas; the bad is that they had no idea the instructions were so lacking, so not sure if that will change in the foreseeable future.

 

I've been building Airfix kits for the best part of 45 years now, so have masses of experience there, but this is in a league of its own given the incorrect sequencing, wrong part numbers, lack of detail, etc. However, as I say, as long as everything is "dry" fitted first, screws loosened in their holes prior to fitting, etc, then it's definitely doable - the actual parts are of a very high standard, the casting is accurate and they fit together extremely well - no lining up issues as yet (touchwood) - and the paintwork is superb. And, as you say, it will look so sweet, even the wife won't complain (not so much, anyway). 

 

Also ordered the display case, seems like an even longer wait there, but definitely worth the additional expense.

[elderly]

17 minutes ago, moxie2207 said:

 

 

Also ordered the display case, seems like an even longer wait there, but definitely worth the additional expense.

I needed display cases for my 1/8th Pocher Bugatti and Alfa.

 

There are people who can make you quality made to measure acrylic cases for a fraction of what Pocher charge (£340?).

[Dinky]

I put the 1:8 models that I stack in hard glass aquariums, which are relatively cheap. I put the other ones in Eaglemoss display case, they are also not very expensive compared to the Pochers here
Custom ones are in the middle but I dont like the corners compared to the Eaglemoss display case which is rounded.

 

I don't want to pollute this topic too much but I have a question for those who are building the Lotus. In the photos on Facebook, the caster of the wheels seems rather positive. Maybe it's an optical illusion but it looks pretty strange

Edited January 9, 2023 by Dinky

[ITRtypeR]

The kit looks great! I have one preordered...not expected to arrive until later this month...so the pics in this thread are much appreciated! I have worked on several Pocher models in the past (Alfa Romeo Monza and a few F40s) but I have not worked on a "recent" Pocher release. The parts count on the box indicates 477 pieces...I thought the Hornby website indicated over 600 pieces...maybe I have that wrong.

 

Regards, Joe

[Dinky]

I was also amazed when I saw 477 parts, I'm sure I've seen a higher number before