Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Heller kits ----- Alfa Romeo


gtx6970

Recommended Posts

Thanks , I had the opportunity to work on a 1/1 a few years ago that belongs to a local collector ,,, pretty cool lady that actually drives it , a lot . And that car struck a cord with me, so this will be on my to do list later on.(maybe sooner once bench space clears up )

I don't need a 100% perfect or a kit that falls together with little to no effort on my part. From what I can see so far when viewing open kits, it looks decent . And I don't think the 2 piece body will be a problem provided the edges all line up and it fits together like it's supposed to , I'm good.

Plus, I'm in it less than $20 so if it's a pos, I'm not going to loose sleep over it .

I have one other Heller kit of a Hispana Suiza and it looked pretty good so when I seen the Alfa I thought , oh why not.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Edited by gtx6970
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have one. it's typical heller quality, will look good with some work.

What do you consider "typical" Heller quality? Personally I find Heller all over the place from very good to rather poor as is common with most companies that have been around for decades.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Typical from what ive seen, is fairly accurate body shape though often multi-piece. adequate chassis and engine detail, though some what simplified and often lacking engraved surface detail. takes a bit of work to look good. In short not as nice a current revell, not as bad as early revell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally, I consider this one a real little jewel. It is one of my all time favorite model kits and a favorite to admire on the shelf. The car is simply beautiful and the model offers a good reflection of that beauty.

So, you have had a chance to work on a 1:1 Alfa of this vintage? What a treat! Isn't that about a $2-3 million car? WOW! While I have messed around with some Duesenbergs and Rolls Royces I have never had the opportunity to work on an Alfa. You are a lucky guy indeed.

Eric

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes a real one. I used to work for a local restoration shop that specializes in brass era / pre war car restorations. They do extremly high end restorations ( Pebble Beach quality ) and Real High end street rods .

And I was in awe everytime I worked on it. Especially when I was told it was worth upwards of 1.5 mil

Cool part is , the owner is a lady thats not afraid to drive it ., She actually used to vintage race it , now retired btw

The actual car is about 2/3rds the way down this link

http://www.ohioconcours.com/2003/sa.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just looked at mine and it gives every impression of being build-able into something really outstanding. The proportions look good, and there's enough engraving detail so that added wiring, fluid lines, etc. should really make it pop. It would definitely benefit from hand-laced wheels and better clear parts.

The only problem I noticed is a lot of heavy sink marks in the frame rails that will require filling.

Must have been a treat to work on the real one. That's one car I've never even seen up close.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

not here yet.

my guess is end of the week

The more i know about the kit , the more I want to push some others out of the way and move this one to the ft of the line.

The actual car was just that cool. Plus I'll probably access to the real one for references for the moment . A couple weeks back I was at my former place of employment and saw it's back in the shop having some work done over the winter. So I may seize the moment so to speak .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mine went together well . The two part body , as like any of my multi-part portioned kits , I pre-assembled and painted as a unit . It looks great on the shelf next to a 1500 Alpha made by Nitto (? IIRC) . I did not recall a blower . It is un-accessible to me , but I can see it when the flashlight is in just the right angle .. lol .. Thanx ..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I built this one decades ago and it's pretty much what you see, comparatively simple. The worst part is the wire wheels, which will never look right out of the box. Needs Rosso Corsa or dark red paint, not typical Italian red.

If you don't replace the wires with Herb Deeks wheels from eBay, at least use needle files to thin down the outer parts as much as possible.

Edited by sjordan2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Typical from what ive seen, is fairly accurate body shape though often multi-piece. adequate chassis and engine detail, though some what simplified and often lacking engraved surface detail. takes a bit of work to look good. In short not as nice a current revell, not as bad as early revell.

Thanks, I have the Heller Bentley which looks very nice, but have mostly built Heller aircraft kits. Most recently their Caudron 714 which was awful (maybe as bad as the 1-1) and their Morane Saulnier 406 which was pretty good for an older 1/72 kit.

The Alfa sounds like a nice kit, will have to add it to my wish list.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to all for the feedback. I really appreciate it. I've never heard of , built or even had a Heller kit till recently, now I'l have 2

With the luck I've had on drag car builds lately I may take a break from them ,,,,,,and build the Alfa-Romeo sooner than I had originally planned. Especially while the 1/1 is so close and readily avail to ck details if needed.

I'll look into the wheels once the kit arrives then decide how to procede.

Thanks again

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got it today. and it's still sealed inside. Looking at it I REALLY like it and it may coem to the ft of line asap.

Tires themselves seem kind of rubbery though , not sure what my options are to get a similar size and shape for this car. I don't have anything in the parts box that even comes close

Edited by gtx6970
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

the kit isn't to bad to build, the areas I found wanting are the frame & engine lacking fine details, but with some effort and detailing they can become quite good though, the front grill is one piece and the slits are not very deep, so multiple washes to darken them will help give it a more realistic look

good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many thanks,

Thats exactly what I was hoping to find.

I was looking at the 1/1 car yesterday and the only thing I saw that was an obvious difference were the vents on the sides of the cowl near the ft edge of the door opening

I want to get started on this one soon,, very soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...