Merc-57 Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Has anyone bought and/or built one and would like to share some light on the quality of the model? I'd appreciate the info very much. Thank You in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randx0 Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randx0 Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 It's a.pretty good kit for it's age , they were ahead of the curve when it came out . I haven't seen the new release yet ive only had the AMT boxed version . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atmobil Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 A friend of mine brought his latest Heller reissue to our modelclub meet last week. I had a look at it and it looked quite good. Only thing I can put my finger on as an issue is that they have put the rollcage, seats and bits of the exhaust on the same partstree as the tires and therefore they are molded in vinyl. A vinyl rollcage, as much stability as cooked spaghetti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatW Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 I bought one of the original kits in the day and a Ford GT kit as well. The Gordini soon had wide arches ,a Ford V8 in the back and the wheels as well from the GT kit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Tuttle Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 On 2018-11-21 at 10:45 PM, Atmobil said: A friend of mine brought his latest Heller reissue to our modelclub meet last week. I had a look at it and it looked quite good. Only thing I can put my finger on as an issue is that they have put the rollcage, seats and bits of the exhaust on the same partstree as the tires and therefore they are molded in vinyl. A vinyl rollcage, as much stability as cooked spaghetti Well, I doubt that I would want to try a rollover with a polystyrene body either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atmobil Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 On 4.12.2018 at 8:44 AM, Cpt Tuttle said: Well, I doubt that I would want to try a rollover with a polystyrene body either... No, a rollover in that thing would not be nice, but it's not very nice to rollover in a 1:1 R8 either. But I still wonder how they think one can get the rollcage to look good inside the model when it is all soft and bendy like that. And what glue works on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 (edited) I wonder whether the roll cage is made that way to make sure it doesn't break when you put the chassis inside the body with some flexing... EDIT: looking here https://blog.hobbydb.com/2016/05/13/renault-r8-gordini/, it seems that the original kit didn't have a roll cage. I guess the tyre "runner" was the smallest and cheapest tool to modify to provide the roll cage, which is clearly a feature of the AMT issued version as well as the new Heller box... There are various glues like EvoStick Serious Glue or Zap "Goo" which will stick vinyl to polystyrene with a reasonably tough join. best, M. Edited December 5, 2018 by Matt Bacon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkman Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 (edited) The roll cage will be hanging down in no time. It's also not very realistic in terms of FIA approved rollover protection. The original rally cars, which this model was modelled after, did not have roll cages. Additional rollover protection in FIA rally sport only became compulsory in the late Seventies, which is a tad baffling now that I think about it. Don't forget that the kit is from the late 60s, but in its day, it was state of the art. Ironically a car like the one depicted in the box art never existed. The #68 entry in the 1967 Monte was the Lancia Fulvia HF of fellow Fins Jorma Lusenius and Klaus Lehto, which DNF. The event was won by Rauno Aaltonen and Henry Liddon on a works Mini Cooper with a legal headlight configuration for a change. Also, the background for the 1967 start numbers was a yellow rectangle, not a white circle. An odd choice even in Phantasyland, since no Renault 8 Gordini ever won the Monte Carlo Rally, whereas at the first Rally they were ever entered, the 1964 Tour de Corse, they placed 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th, followed by a Ford Falcon in 6th position, I bet you bunch of giffers appreciate that bit of trivia. I built the '64 TdC winning #91 car of Jean Vinatier and Roger Masson once, using an aftermarket decal sheet. Like all Heller kits, it's tough to build, so cue a not insignificant amount of unfit for publishing monologues here. In true 1960s European small car fashion, the R8s were tough beasts and could be rolled with a surprisingly high amount of gay abandon even without extra scaffolding added to the interior. Guess how I found out. Unsurprisingly their Achilles Heel wasn't a lack of mechanical stamina or inherent design flaws, but structural rot, because as my very original 1967 Renault 16 so delightfully demonstrates, if there was a corner to be cut at the assembly line, they cut it. Edited December 6, 2018 by Junkman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 Renaissance made a resin transkit to replace the vinyl parts other than the tyres. They also did the steel wheels in resin and a very nice decal sheet to match 1:1 rally cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bacon Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 14 minutes ago, ChrisR said: Renaissance made a resin transkit to replace the vinyl parts other than the tyres. They also did the steel wheels in resin and a very nice decal sheet to match 1:1 rally cars. ...though at €110 for the full set of "ameliorations", I think I might just buy the decal sheet, live with the vinyl seats, and either not fit or scratch build a "roll cage" (it's not exactly a complex shape to bend out of some wire or plastic rod)... best, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky 130 Posted December 7, 2018 Share Posted December 7, 2018 The R8 Gordini was raced quite successfully in SCCA in 66 & 67. The Renualt factory team brought over several cars to compete. The only real compition they had was the Mini Coopers, and a R8 prepared by Ed Zink of formula Vee fame. The cars did not come with roll bars,and were not "race ready" from the factory, altho they were supposed to be. With a little work(lol) they could be made very compitive. The Zink car could reach a top speed of about 140 mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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