Harry P.

A little more progress. Now you see them... And now you don't!

A little progress...

As you all know by now, I skip around when building model. I rarely (if ever) follow the instruction's recommended sequence. So here I'm starting with the feature that makes this kit unique–the differential. Here are just a few of the parts... the brass gears are beautifully machined... Here is the planetary bevel gear set assembled. The level of precision of these gears is amazing. Building this is more like watchmaking than model building. Pocher must have spent quite a bit on these parts. No wonder all of the differential's internal gears were quickly dropped from subsequent releases of this kit...

A little history lesson before we begin building. Follow along, this gets confusing... Bugatti was a French auto manufacturer founded by Italian Ettore Bugatti in the German city of Molsheim in 1909. Yes, you read that correctly...a French company founded by an Italian in Germany! As many of you know, borders in Europe have traditionally been very fluid, depending on which world war was going on, which empire we're talking about, and who was invading/annexing who. Molsheim is in the extreme northeast corner of France, just across the German border, but in 1909 it was actually in Germany. It was within German borders between 1871-1918, then back to France, then again to Germany from 1940-1944, then back again to France, where it is today... hence Bugatti being a French company. Anyway, Bugattis have traditionally been very exclusive, not meant for the average Joe. The Type 50T was no exception, and their exclusivity was guaranteed by their extremely low production numbers. Just 65 were built during the model's lifetime (1930-34). Power came from a supercharged straight eight (very Mercedes-like). They were very fast for their day, and today one of these cars is worth a fortune.

I have finally found my holy grail. I have been lusting for a Pocher Bugatti kit for many years now to complete my collection of Pocher "classics." I already have the Fiat, two Alfas, two Mercedes, and two Rolls Royces... but until now never had a Bugatti. The price of a Pocher Bugatti was the problem. I just kept hoping that I would somehow stumble across one on ebay for a cheap price, listed by someone who didn't know what he had. Well, let me tell you, I've been waiting for years for that to happen... and it still hasn't. So I finally bit the bullet and paid the market rate for one. This is the kit... Pocher actually produced three different Bugattis (same engine and chassis, different bodies), This is the earliest release of the first one, and includes the ultra-rare internal gearing in the differential, a feature that Pocher dropped very quickly (my guess would be due to the cost of manufacturing the gear set). This particular kit is in absolute pristine, factory-fresh condition...none of the plastic bags each of the parts trees are packaged in had been opened, none of the smaller bags of metal parts, nuts, bolts, and screws had been opened. Even the instruction manual is as crisp and fresh as the day it was printed decades ago. A totally untouched, complete, factory-fresh kit that I am very lucky to have found in this condition. But not for long. I'm a builder, not a collector...

Try posting in the "Wanted" section. Can't hurt to ask.

Speaking of ripoffs, doesn't this Jethro Tull song sound a lot like the later song "Hotel California?"

They ripped off a lot of songs and gave no credit on their albums. All you have to do is go on youtube and type in "Led Zeppelin plagiarism." It's amazing how many songs we think of as "theirs" are actually slightly reworked versions of other people's songs, including "Whole Lotta Love," which "borrowed" heavily from Muddy Waters' "You Need Love." And it's obvious that the intro to "Stairway to Heaven" is basically the Spirit song "Taurus." In fact, there have been lawsuits filed over Zeppelin's plagiarism... most settled out of court.

Here's an interesting one. Most of us think that "Dazed and Confused' is a Led Zeppelin song. Not so! It was actually written and recorded in 1967 by a little-known artist named Jake Holmes on his debut album. This is the original "Dazed and Confused"... Well, interestingly enough, Jake Holmes was the opening act on a Yardbirds tour, where the Yardbirds (including then-member Jimmy Page) obviously heard the song. They reshuffled it a bit and did their own version, with Jimmy Page's influence. Check out the very young Mr. Page on lead guitar in the puffy shirt! And finally, with a reworked arrangement and different lyrics, it appeared on the first Zeppelin album with absolutely no credit or mention of Jake Holmes, and is the version all of us thought was a Led Zep original!

Almost the entire engine is polished metal, so I'm building as much as possible and then painting as a unit. Block, heads, timing case, transmission... all will be sprayed as a unit. I might want to give the valve covers a more polished look, so I may paint those separately. Also the supercharger is more of a cast, dull finish, not polished, so that will also be painted differently and separately from the block. As far as adding the differential gears back into a later release... on subsequent releases of this kit Pocher simply eliminated the internals. The outer casing is identical to the earlier kits, so theoretically yes, you could add the gears back into a later release. The problem would be finding them somewhere...

No, everything is super tight and smooth. That rear end is more like watchmaking than model building... the machined gears are beautifully done and mesh precisely. No wonder Pocher dropped that feature quickly... all of those machined gears and bushings must have been expensive to produce.

That's kind of like saying you are new to eating and wonder what the best food would be. No answer to that question, just as there is no answer to your question of which model you should start with. It's all a matter of personal preference, and you'll get a bunch of different answers, all of which are equally valid (or invalid). My advice: get a model of a car that you have an interest in. That alone will make building it more fun.

I think we all understand you just fine! Welcome aboard.

It's just amazing to me what you can do with Legos!

Wow. That's impressive.

Also.. don't know if everything is in final position, but it sure looks like the air cleaner housing is up above the hood line,

Those are cool wheels. Where are they from?

I have to admit, I already started building it. No way could I put this baby aside and ignore it while I finish my RR woody. The woody will have to share time with the Bugatti, as I have been lusting after a Pocher Bugatti since I knew what Pocher kits were. I already have much of the engine built, as well as the rear end (with those cool internal gears), and I've been shooting photos along the way. I guess I ought to start up a new WIP topic on this one.

Wow! Matt, that is a thing of beauty. No wonder why it's destined for a magazine feature. So crisp and sharp... excellent work. And Allan... same for yours. Excellent work, very slick and clean. Man... this is what model building is all about! To me, at least...

Another beauty from Tulio's shop...

Built way back in 1980... and still looking spectacular today. (but ya gotta find those headlight lenses!)

I still don't get your point. Yes, I say why bother fixing something that can't be seen on the finished model. How that applies here, with the brake cables obviously visible on the finished model, I don't understand. If you want to make a point, just come out and say it. Otherwise, I just don't get what you're driving at.

? I don't remember the reference to the Coronet. And I still say why fix something that won't be seen on the finished model. But these cables will be seen, so if he's going to the trouble of adding them, might as well make them right.

Never assume that another model is correct. Your best friend when detailing a model is a Google image search, especially "for sale" listings, which generally have a lot of photos of the car, engine, interior, and chassis that make great references. That's how I found the image of the brake cables.

My favorite Foreigner song...