Renault 4L from Heller and Ebbro

[Tom Geiger]

They aren't operational unless you make them as such, they're either opened or closed out of the box.

The doors or the windows? They did the same thing on the 2CV Van..

[niteowl7710]

The doors or the windows? They did the same thing on the 2CV Van..

Yes? Everything is one position or the other with perhaps the exception of the hood, which might hinge, it's hard to tell from the instructions exactly how that will work. Really nonsensical if it's like the doors, windows, back hatch and roof and fixes either open or closed. Edited August 13, 2014 by niteowl7710

[Tom Geiger]

Yes? Everything is one position or the other with perhaps the exception of the hood, which might hinge, it's hard to tell from the instructions exactly how that will work. Really nonsensical if it's like the doors, windows, back hatch and roof and fixes either open or closed.

well it looks like we'll have to fix all that! I am finishing up my Trabant Universal Van and will be looking for a new project... maybe that Ebbro 2CV van... and we'll figure out how to hinge them suckers.. prototypical or not. I want to be able to view and photo the model with the doors open and the doors shut.

[niteowl7710]

Supposed to be released in December, but out TODAY, the 4 Fourgonnette is stock.

Basically the 4L with new body shell and interior parts. Retains the ability to build a French or Export vehicle of two different generations. Also has nifty "paper craft" sheet so you can load the back full of EBBRO shipping boxes.

Edited August 19, 2014 by niteowl7710

[martinfan5]

For those that are interested, here is a look at the kit


All the photos are here
http://s1105.photobucket.com/user/irvan2836/slideshow/Kit%20reviews/Renault%204%20Fourgonette

And photos of the 4L here

http://s1105.photobucket.com/user/irvan2836/library/Kit%20reviews/Renault%204L

Edited November 8, 2014 by martinfan5

[Luc Janssens]

For those that are interested, here is a look at the kit

All the photos are here

http://s1105.photobucket.com/user/irvan2836/slideshow/Kit%20reviews/Renault%204%20Fourgonette

Thanks for the pics, this kit takes me back to the '70s, when they were all over the place, in my neck of the woods...

[Atmobil]

Has anyone gotten the Heller version of this kit yet?

I have had it on preorder for a while now and the original release date was late january but it has not arrived yet.

I already got the two Ebbro versions.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Atmobil

[niteowl7710]

Has anyone gotten the Heller version of this kit yet?

I have had it on preorder for a while now and the original release date was late january but it has not arrived yet.

I already got the two Ebbro versions.

Someone on here based in Europe posted one in the What Did You Get Today thread about a month ago. But they certainly haven't arrived in Japan where I've had mine on pre-order for close to 8 months now. I've never seen one pop up on eBay yet either.

[Luc Janssens]

What's in the box, Heller via Wettringer modellbauforum....http://www.wettringer-modellbauforum.de/forum/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=57925

[Atmobil]

Thanks for the link with the pictures.

Looks like it is a different tool than the Ebbro kit.

I made my pre-order at Hobby Search many months ago but I see now that they are cheaper in Norwegian hobby stores

[GeeBee]

I had my Heller version delivered last month, the body looks very fragile, but will be painted with the supports in place

Edited May 13, 2015 by GeeBee

[Atmobil]

Do you also have the Ebbro kit? If so, are they similar in proportions and details?

[Junkman]

The Ebbro kit follows entirely different engineering principles and I'm sad to say has some major flaws.
They might not be important to people who only have a passing interest in the car, but are severe enough to frustrate people like me, who not only grew up with these cars,
but also owned a lot of them and had to keep them going by sohpisticated tinkering at times when life wasn't that prosperous.

Here we go:

Body has only two opening doors and sills molded in:



Notice that on the passenger side, the door jamb is sqared off at the bottom rear, it should be radiused. Ironically, it is correct on the driver's side.

Next:


Notice the engine:


It is a five-cylinder, almost a six! It should be a four with the distributor housing in the middle. Heller has this correct!
Other faults are the total lack of a water pump, and the wrong shape of the inlet and exhaust manifolds.
Also, the R4 initially had a especially designed 3-speed gearbox, which was later replaced by the 4-speed from the Estafette.
The gearbox in the Ebbro kit resembles neither of them, it is pure Disneyland.


Next:


Note that the doors are not clear parts, as they are in the Heller kit, and the rear frame portion and the petrol tank are a separate unit.
Next:


The floor is a baseplate with the interior floor going on top of it, so you'll end up with a double-thick floor.
That's not a bad thing, just notice that Heller found a better solution.

A little bit of explainage is due here.

The R4 was semi-monocoque, i.e. a not entirely structural body was bolted to a platform chassis.



This was painted black chassis enamel. The boot (trunk) floor was part of the body and must thus be painted body colour.
This is easier to achieve with the Heller layout.

Next:


Again, the tailgate is not a clear piece, as in the Heller kit.


However, in the Ebbro kit, the door frames, door cards and windows are moulded combined:



Chrome pieces are correct for the early version:


The gear linkage wasn't chromed, though, and the grille lustre must be toned down to look right, it was made from stamped aluminium.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Junkman

[Junkman]

Apart from the few technical inacurracies I have mentioned, there is a fundamental problem with the Ebbro kit.
Whereas the Heller effort clear as a whistle depicts the latest incarnation of the car, the 1978-1992 GTL, the Ebbro kit can't quite decide on what it is supposed to be
and offers an eclectic mix of parts that will not allow you to build either version correctly.

If you want to build the 1967-1974 version, you will have to make the following corrections:

- The seats would need to be scratchbuilt. The kit only contains the seats for the later version.
- The parcel shelf for the earlier version is not included. Easy remedy: Just leave it off altogether.
- On the earlier versions, the battery was located in a tray in front of the passenger, that was recessed into the bulkhead:



This got later relocated to the front, as well as the radiator was put further out front, right behind the grille:

Furthermore, there is only a 6 Volt battery in the kit, which is wrong for the late version.

- Consequently, the bonnet (hood) lost its stiffening brace:



which would need to be scratchbuilt if you want to do an accurate early version.

- The instrument panel is only correct for the earlier version.


Similar things as all the above apply to the Fourgonette (van) kit as well, which has the added inacurracy of the fuel filler cap angle.
Also, the van has the same side-exit exhaust, as the passenger car, whereas to my knowledge most of them (at least in export markets) had
it extended to the rear, to avoid exhaust fumes entering the interior when driving with the "Giraffe Hatch" open.


/anorak mode

Edited May 14, 2015 by Junkman

[Junkman]

The black French plates are oddly out of period with the kit, which should have white front/yellow rear.

Also, the fonts used for the Belgian and the German plates are completely wrong.

[Junkman]

By the way, could this be the other tailgate in the Heller kit?

[Atmobil]

Thanks for the could walktrough on the Ebbro kit. I'm no expert in these cars so I would not pick up on the inacurracies in the kit. It sure looks like the other tailgait in the Heller kit could be the one you have pictured above. What version is that?

[Junkman]

Thanks for the could walktrough on the Ebbro kit. I'm no expert in these cars so I would not pick up on the inacurracies in the kit. It sure looks like the other tailgait in the Heller kit could be the one you have pictured above. What version is that?

LOL, thanks!

I became an "expert" in these cars rather involuntarily.

If that tailgate is the tailgate I think it is, it would open a whole new door (pun intended) for speculations about what Heller might have in the future of this kit.

This tailgate treatment was only available in 1962 and 1963 on the "Super" models (pun yet again intended).

The Super was an upmarket version that set itself apart from the "regular" 4L by having a better appointed interior, added chrome trim,

hinged quarter windows and this special tailgate treatment, which was actually quite a bit more impractical than the standard one:

It also has this peculiar grid you see behind the rear seat. This can be folded up.

With the tailgate being lowered like it is shown here, it makes a perfect ramp for dogs entering the car.

Since you can retract the rear window for ventilation, and fold out the quarter windows, and fold up that grate, you'd have a perfect dog carrier.

Note that this is just my interpretation, I didn't find any "official" statement that that was what it was intended for.

I must buy the Heller kit now for further analysis. I was hoping I could delay it until my holiday to France in July, thus save the postage...

Edited May 14, 2015 by Junkman

[Junkman]

OK, I'm getting picky here, but I wish Ebbro would have put the early type steering wheel with the clear parts.
It is the so-called Quillery wheel (named after the company that supplied them to Renault) and it was translucent.

My mother had several so equipped (I don't know which trim levels had it and which not) and I was fascinated by it as a kid when the sun shone.

1960 odd Mopar steering wheels were still unbeknownst to me back then, so this for many years was the ultimate in automotive sparkledom for me.

I later found one in a scrapyard and put it in each and every 4L I owned.

[Atmobil]

Translucent steering wheel....nice

Love your idea of the Super being a dog carrier. I sure can see that work well. Reading that reminded me of something that is quite off-topic in this thread but I write it here anyway. I got a 1:1 Mercedes W123 estate (well, I got two...) and they had an option that apparently is quite rare and today very sought after and that was a separate heater unit for the luggage compartment. I guess that the actual reason for it was that you also could get extra fold-away seats in the back and maybe the normal heater would struggle to heat up the air in the rear of the car well enough. I guy I know in the Mercedes community commented that it was also a very good dog heater and wondered if it was for dog owners that liked the smell of not only wet dog but hot wet dog

[Junkman]

In the 4L, you had glazed frost on the floor in Winter, so a wet dog probably would have frozen to the car.
Despite that, it was ideally suited for ski trips. You could push the skis in the back and they would emerge underneath the front seats.
Hence they weren't exposed to road salt and dirt, like they were when carried on a roof rack, and thus were always ready to use.
So when we arrived, we could proceed straight to the ski lift, while others first had to clean their skis and lubricate their fittings.

Low performance, narrow tyres and front wheel drive provided excellent traction in snow, too.

[Atmobil]

That means that building a model with a roof rack and skis on it would be pointless....

I think that a small winter diorama could be a cool way of displaying the 4L. I sure have to keep that in mind.

I just saw some pictures of a verions based on the 4 chassis that also could be a cool modellingproject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Rodeo

[Junkman]

How about the Plein Air?

[Atmobil]

That should be a fairly easy conversion.

[Tom Geiger]

Oooh! I need that one!