kensar Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 (edited) Just finished this Heller Talbot Lago Grand Prix racer. Even though this kit is lightyears better than the SMER version, it still needs some help. The typical main upgrade in kits of subjects from this era are better wire wheels. I took the opportunity to do this by machining some brake drums and wheel hubs from aluminum and rims from PVC pipe. The spokes are nylon monofilament fishing line. The spinners are not exactly correct, but I think are passable. The grill in the front was replaced with wire mesh. The dashboard is aluminum tape that I did machine turning on using a grinding stone in a Dremel tool. The instrument bezels are machined from aluminum with aftermarket instrument faces. I added a few extras in the engine compartment to make it more interesting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. If you have any questions just ask. Thanks for looking. Edited February 17 by kensar 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 Really an excellent build. Thank you for posting it as it provides inspiration for the rest of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyK Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 A very nice looking model! Great extra detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan31 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 Beautiful job on that, excellent. I wish you would do a tutorial on how you did those wonderful wire wheels as CLEARLY... you know what you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbowser Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 Outstanding work! Great job upgrading the Heller kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeah Nah Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 Gorgeous build and additions Ken. I have the Atlantis issue of the SMER/Merit version you mention and if I ever get around to building it somehow I don't think it will be up to this standard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bartrop Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Heller's kit builds up very nice right out of the box, and you've turned it into a real masterpiece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 (edited) Yes, very pretty, and as Gramps 46 said, inspirational. I have this one and a coupla Smer kits in line, and it's great to see how good this kit can look without going crazy. Edited February 18 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89AKurt Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Welcome to the forum! Outstanding. I got the SMER kit of the Alfa Romeo last year, the way they represent the spokes is horrible, but there wasn't photo-etch back then (I assume). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger U Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Very nice. The details, especially the wire wheels, and the paint are beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave B Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 That's a really nice build and thanks for explaining your upgrades, never too old to learn something new!! Dave B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mittagskind Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Very nice looking racer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Rivard Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Congratulations Ken for this beautiful build. The kit may have humble origins but what you have done with it is outstanding. The wheels and dash panel are so creatively crafted. The essence of model building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Fabulous job. That's very well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kensar Posted February 18 Author Share Posted February 18 Thanks for all the kind comments, everyone. I was motivated to do a good job on this because I have been wanting to do a subject from this racing era for awhile now and there doesn't seem to be any very good kits. The box art from the Heller box is also very cool looking. I just hope some company would do a decent Alfa Romeo 158 or a Ferrari 500 and not want an arm and a leg for it (like MFH does). As for the wheels, I basically try to duplicate the kit rim and hub. A lathe and mill are needed for this kind of work. I find that the hub can be made of aluminum but the rim is better made with a softer material like PVC or polyurethane resin, which machines good and won't break the 0.013" drill bits used for the holes. The hub is not drilled for the spokes, but the spokes lay in a slot or on a ledge, then superglued there when the lacing is completed on that side. The monofilament spokes are threaded in a pattern that enables me to use one piece of monofilament for each set of spokes (inside and outside spokes). This pattern requires the number of spokes to be an odd multiple of 4 spokes: 3x4=12, 5x4=20, 7x4=28, etc. On this model, there are 28 spokes on the inside and 20 on the outside. A jig is also needed to hold the hub and rims in alignment when lacing the spokes and I make this from aluminum usually. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1959scudetto Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 (edited) Excellent detailing on the old Heller kit, Ken - your upgrades lift this to another level and give us some new ideas (f. e. dashboard) Edited February 18 by 1959scudetto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gluebomber Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Outstanding build, Ken! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drodg Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Very nice job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattlecan Dan Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 That is just plain beautiful. You really did an excellent job. Thanks for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 Beautiful work on this old kit. The wheels and added details really wake it up. A very interesting era for grand prix cars, but like you said, very few good kits available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 Awesome built! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phildaupho Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 I have always enjoyed looking at these models and yours definitely sets the bench mark with the upgrades you have made. Both the grill and wheels look fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 Excellent work, Ken. There's something about these older kits, built well, that I find kind of moving. As mentioned, earlier, because they're inspirational, there's some nostalgia, to them, and they're just downright cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Scully Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 A lot of really nice work in this , well done . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugatti Fan Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Nice model and upgrades to this Heller kit. Very impressive build. The old Merit one is nowhere near as good. It survived along with the Alfetta kit via SMER for ages, but think the moulds may have gone to Atlantis? However, I have seen both those old kits turned into very nice fully detailed models in the past, so the potential is there and they are relatively cheap kits to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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