Pocher 1/8 1933 Bugatti Type 50T

[Mike C]

This is an old build. I built it from Dec '82 to Jan '83. I always had wanted to get a Pocher kit since I was a kid and used to see them advertised in the back of Car Model Magazine in one of those tiny ads. So after I had moved out of my parent's house into my 1st apartment I saw two Pocher kits at the mall in a K B Toy & Hobby store. This one and a Mercedes kit. The Mercedes was $300 (a sale price)and somebody beat me to it. The Bugatti had been $600 but the it got marked down to $300. So I bought it. I opened up that box and there sure were a lot of parts. As for the colors, well, black is black. As for the Yellow there was a GM Yellow available that was an exact match to the Bugatti color. I didn't have an airbrush in those days so I bought automotive touch up paint in spray cans. It was a brand called Tempo at the time. It was very good. I did polish it out with emery cloth and finished it off with liquid ebony (I still have that and use it today). So anyway, here it is. Everything works too, door handles, windows crank, the engine has the internals, the rear end has all the gears in brass, there are brake pads, the steering worls from the steering wheel. The leaf springs are too stiff to flex. The knock-offs work to remove the wheel and show the brake details. The seats didn't come with the stitching, I had it done on a sewing machine. I used that wood veneer that comes in those metal cigar tubes for the dashboard. I didn't know how to paint wood grain back then so I just left the steering wheel in the plastic color. You can actually now buy an aftermarket steering wheel for it made from real wood.

[atomicholiday]

That is just gorgeous.  Always wanted a Pocher kit. That’s my “grail”’.

 

 

[RSchnell]

Outstanding build! I haven't heard the name Liquid Ebony since my first entry into paint & body work back in the 80s, great stuff as long as you didn't let it dry on the surface.

[Kah puts]

Wooo.. I’m totally impressed ?

[Jim B]

That looks fantastic! Really well done. I must admit, these large scale kits intimidate me.

[PappyD340]

Impressive build!!

[redscampi]

Great job! This is a very convincing  replica. I love these kits' details.

[Perspect Scale Modelworks]

My hat's off to anyone who takes on a Pocher. Nice job.

[slusher]

Fantastic model!

[beeRS]

That is a beautiful Bugatti! Thanks for sharing it. Real stitching in the seats is very impressive.
It looks very well kept for 40 year old build (I have a few models that are nearly as old, and look trashed now).
 

[Bugatti Fan]

Very nice model. It is one of those kits that I aspire to, but now go for extremely high prices on ebay.

If I could get hold of an abandoned build at reasonable cost for restoration might be the way for me!

 

[peteski]

Looks great Mike!

Nice to see another fellow Pocher builder.  Interesting how similar our stories are.  Around the same time you got yours, I bought the Mercedes (probably the one you missed). I mail ordered it from Hobby Expo after seeing their ads in FineScale Modeler about how realistic the Pocher models were.  The most tedious part it was building 6 (yes, four plus 2 spares) wire wheels!  While the spokes came as a V-shaped pair, each spoke has a tiny metal nipple that had to be installed. I still have that model in a glass display case.  I was not a very experienced kit builder at the time. Funny seeing how my building skills have improved in those 35+ years. Looking at that model I would now do many things very differently.  Here is a snapshot of my Mercedes 340AK Kabriolet (scanned from the original 35mm film photo 4X6).  I should post my efforts too (I do have some WIP photos too.