happy grumpy Posted January 17, 2023 Posted January 17, 2023 Older Hell-er kits have a well deserved reputation as being unorthodox in their design and subject mater. This one had me pulled a few hair of an increasingly sparse hair scape. But this is such a beautiful car, and being a fat fender lover, I had to build one. Much to my dismay, the body and frame were badly warped so I had to try fix it the best I could but it's still apparent so I chose angles make it less obvious. Not an easy kit but glad it turned out kind of ok. Paint is Tamiya brilliant blue and french blue to approximate the box art. I did not have a lighter blue, french blue seemed right for a french car.? As always , thanks for looking. 10
beeRS Posted January 17, 2023 Posted January 17, 2023 Such a beautiful shape! Sounds like a tricky kit, but this came out looking fantastic.
Claude Thibodeau Posted January 17, 2023 Posted January 17, 2023 Salut Mario! Wow, you made the most of a finnicky kit, and it looks "very French"! Bravo. I always wondered if this kit could be used to replicate the famous WHATHEHAY custom rod that Boyd Coddington built about 15 years ago... I envisionned the Heller fenders and grille, somehow mashed with an Aluma coupe main body and a Prowler rear section... But your account sobers me LOL. Plus this very kit is not so common anymore. We'll see. CT
Joe Nunes Posted January 17, 2023 Posted January 17, 2023 Now this is a very good looking model wearing a great color combination. Well done! ? Joe
Phildaupho Posted January 17, 2023 Posted January 17, 2023 Beautiful car. Beautiful model. I watched a tour of the Mullin Museum last night so French cars were on my mind this morning. I had this kit in my stash for many years and after your description of the build it will likely stay there longer. Your build will keep me satisfied for quite awhile.
Gramps46 Posted January 17, 2023 Posted January 17, 2023 Well done. I always enjoy seeing the old Hellers built up and yours is really fine.
cobraman Posted January 17, 2023 Posted January 17, 2023 Very clean and tidy model. Great choice on the colors.
1959scudetto Posted January 17, 2023 Posted January 17, 2023 Very nice replica of a car where you don't see built kits very often - one of the famous French "Grandes routières" before WW II.
Rich Chernosky Posted January 17, 2023 Posted January 17, 2023 Nice Job Mario...your perserverance paid off,
happy grumpy Posted January 18, 2023 Author Posted January 18, 2023 19 hours ago, beeRS said: Such a beautiful shape! Sounds like a tricky kit, but this came out looking fantastic. Thanks Sonny, would have been much easier if not for the warpage but I'm glad it's done. 14 hours ago, ChrisR said: Very nice! Thanks Chris 11 hours ago, Claude Thibodeau said: Salut Mario! Wow, you made the most of a finnicky kit, and it looks "very French"! Bravo. I always wondered if this kit could be used to replicate the famous WHATHEHAY custom rod that Boyd Coddington built about 15 years ago... I envisionned the Heller fenders and grille, somehow mashed with an Aluma coupe main body and a Prowler rear section... But your account sobers me LOL. Plus this very kit is not so common anymore. We'll see. CT Merci Claude, I looked at the "whathehay" custom and that's definitely not a project I would even consider doing but knowing your work and skill set, I'd say if anyone around here is capable of pulling this off, it's definitely you. I bought this kit a few years back on Ebay from a french vendor it cost me $40.00 plus 17.00 shipping. Don't know if it's still available, everything has gone up. Cheers ! 9 hours ago, Joe Nunes said: Now this is a very good looking model wearing a great color combination. Well done! ? Joe Thanks Joe. 9 hours ago, Phildaupho said: Beautiful car. Beautiful model. I watched a tour of the Mullin Museum last night so French cars were on my mind this morning. I had this kit in my stash for many years and after your description of the build it will likely stay there longer. Your build will keep me satisfied for quite awhile. Thanks Phil, if your kit has no warpage, then you should be good to go, old heller kits had a weird building sequence and the assembly instructions remind me of some AMT kits but overall it builds into a beautiful model. 9 hours ago, Gramps46 said: Well done. I always enjoy seeing the old Hellers built up and yours is really fine. Thanks Gary, as far as French cars, Heller is pretty much it Ebro does some but they are real pricy and rare. Newer Heller kits though are a different story, they are much on par with modern kits color instructions and really good engineering. 9 hours ago, cobraman said: Very clean and tidy model. Great choice on the colors. Thanks Ray, 9 hours ago, thatz4u said: Mario, well done sir, nice work.. Thank you Al 4 hours ago, 1959scudetto said: Very nice replica of a car where you don't see built kits very often - one of the famous French "Grandes routières" before WW II. Thanks Helmut, these cars were about design and elegance. The 135 is a good example. 4 hours ago, Tom99 said: Nice! Thanks Tom. 4 hours ago, Rich Chernosky said: Nice Job Mario...your perserverance paid off, Thanks Rich, when i found out about the warpage, i close the box and opened after almost 2 years, but once I started I did not want to stop for fear of never finish it. Glad I stuck to it.
Stingray wes Posted January 18, 2023 Posted January 18, 2023 Beautiful car and fantastic work. Love the color scheme.
bonehead23 Posted January 18, 2023 Posted January 18, 2023 Nice. I have this kit, along with 12 others I got in the 80's. Quirky and unorthodox for sure, but unusual subjects nobody else did. I built the Talbot-Lago record a while back. 1
Zippi Posted January 18, 2023 Posted January 18, 2023 Looks like it came out pretty nice Mario despite the issues. Those Tamiya colors go together well. Another nice build. 1
Bainford Posted January 18, 2023 Posted January 18, 2023 Nicely done, Mario. I think this may be the first time I've seen this kit built. I've been curious about these for quite some time. You did a nice job on this one, despite the problems. Turned out great. 1
bbowser Posted January 19, 2023 Posted January 19, 2023 Great job on this, love the colors. I built one of these awhile back and can attest to the difficulty factor. Well done. 1
jaymcminn Posted January 19, 2023 Posted January 19, 2023 Great job getting this to fit together as well as you did. These old Heller kits aren't for the faint of heart! 1
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