bbowser Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I searched the forum but came up empty. I see these on eBay going for fairly reasonable money and wondered what's in the box. Do they have an engine, any chassis detail? Or are they basically curbsides? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) is that a reboxed merit kit? jb Edited August 6, 2014 by jbwelda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landman Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I built that before. If I remember well, it has an engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) is that a reboxed merit kit? jb Apparently not. This is the Merit kit built, complete with the odd clear wire wheels and plastic tires... And this is the Heller kit built...considerably different, inny louvers, spoked wheels, sorta-correct tread pattern... Here's the Merit kit detailed... Edited August 6, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) Another shot of the Heller kit built-up. It has an obviously opening hood, so there's most likely an engine in there. Older Heller kits are, in my opinion, usually pretty good representations of their intended subjects. Their 1950 Talbot-Lago Drophead Record (2-door convertible production car) has quite nice engine and chassis detail, if I remember correctly. Edited August 6, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Another shot of the Heller kit built-up. It has an obviously opening hood, so there's most likely an engine in there. Older Heller kits are, in my opinion, usually pretty good representations of their intended subjects. Their 1950 Talbot-Lago Drophead Record 9@-door convertible production car) has quite nice engine and chassis detail, if I remember correctly. Yup, it does have an engine. I don't have my one to hand, but from memory, it is full detail, but things like the differential, which are completely hidden, are not included. I agree that the Heller kits of this series are excellent, with loads of detail. Some very unique subject matter too. Worth noting also that Heller (or reboxes of) did the only decent Jaguar E Type / X-KE coupe kit in 1:24. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 thanks Bill, that's very revealing being able to see build ups of both for comparison sake. I always assumed it was a Merit. it does look like the Merit kit has a smooth cowl while the Heller one it is split with a seam up the middle. you didn't build the Heller but you built the Merit? did you fill that seam or was it a complete piece from the box? jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) you didn't build the Heller but you built the Merit? did you fill that seam or was it a complete piece from the box? I didn't build either model in the photos (found them on the web) but I have several versions of the Merit / Smer kit. I've started one as a post-war smallblock-Chevy powered left-coast road racer, and I have the Heller Record Drophead in stock. The Merit GP body is split the same way the Heller body appears to be, but fits together remarkably well, and the hood fit is quite good too (especially for really really old tooling). Because the Merit body halves fit together so well, finishing the seam is relatively easy. I was seriously thinking of poaching the very nice engine and whatever mechanicals might be appropriate from the Record, and building a full-detail GP car combining the two. Edited August 7, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I just found this link to a guy doing an incredible detail build of the SMER / Merit kit. Lotsa old detail photos, too. http://www.pwm.org.pl/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=18063 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Anderson Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Heller's kit was tooled in the late 1980's, or about 30 years after the Merit kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miatatom Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 The SMER was one of the first kits I tried when I returned to the hobby. I thought it would be easy but the seam did present problems for my limited skills. I may create something different with it some day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZIL 111V Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Not a bad kit, made in the late 70's, when French Heller was expanding its 1/24 classic car line, kit was also reboxed in the Humbrol/Heller boxes in later years.Great & unique subject, the level of detail(s) is pretty good, but like many Heller kits, will demand a lot of patience, nicely detailed parts BUT ...fitting of some of the assemblies are not always the best!!!...need to be patient, but as we can see those kits can turn out in real nice replicas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Not a bad kit, made in the late 70's, when French Heller was expanding its 1/24 classic car line, kit was also reboxed in the Humbrol/Heller boxes in later years. Really interesting "war stories" from the designer here: http://www.tsrfcars.com/toys-heller.htm bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZIL 111V Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Yep already read it, amazing to see the high level of details/complexity of all those Heller race car kits...45+ years ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) Here's another article (in English) on building the SMER kit. http://www.arcauto.com/Gal01/001-100/gal006-Talbot-Dalton/00.shtm Here are some incredible reference pictures on T26 cars (the 4L5 is also known as the T26C. The Heller box seems to have a typo, corrected in the instructions, which should probably be 4.5L). http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/474-Talbot-Lago-T26 http://www.classicdriver.com/de/car/talbot-lago/t26/1949/162974 The Heller kit appears to have a very simple engine. Here are the trees: http://www.modellboard.net/index.php?topic=42440.0 Edited August 7, 2014 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordairgtar Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Awesome kits in the way that old IMC kits are awesome. Very technical and lots of small bits. I enjoy building them. I and Mssr. DeLespinay had on occasion conversed about Heller kits. I was asking things about my Alpine build. He needed an AMT boxed double kit of the Matra and Brabham kit for his collection, so I sent him a kit. I had two of them and he did not have any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbowser Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Here's another article (in English) on building the SMER kit. http://www.arcauto.com/Gal01/001-100/gal006-Talbot-Dalton/00.shtm Here are some incredible reference pictures on T26 cars (the 4L5 is also known as the T26C. The Heller box seems to have a typo, corrected in the instructions, which should probably be 4.5L). http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/474-Talbot-Lago-T26 http://www.classicdriver.com/de/car/talbot-lago/t26/1949/162974 The Heller kit appears to have a very simple engine. Here are the trees: http://www.modellboard.net/index.php?topic=42440.0 Great links, Skip. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 (edited) I might add that the reference links no longer exist as searchable at the original host site (Fantasy Junction) and it took me a while to find them. You may want to bookmark them or, preferably, download the images into folders. No telling when they'll completely go away. PS: You'll find over 70 more images here... http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame.php?file=search.php&keys=talbot+lago+t26c&method=0 Edited August 8, 2014 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 THANK YOU SKIP !!! I'm really fired up to build one of these now, having all those beautiful pix to work from. Man, that's some car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 (edited) THANK YOU SKIP !!! I'm really fired up to build one of these now, having all those beautiful pix to work from. Man, that's some car. Thanks, Ace. That's why I post stuff like this, hoping it will encourage curious people to go ahead and build the car, and blow us all away based on the information. As I've mentioned on a couple of other threads here, if you find any of this information valuable, scroll to the bottom of a reference page and make a pdf, or download each shot individually to a folder or your desktop. I've had enough links go away to know how important that is. Edited August 8, 2014 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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