Alfa Romeo 159 "Alfetta"

[Matt Bacon]

...from a Smer box, bought painlessly and very reasonably from Modelimex... This is for a display of classic British kits, so I'm doing it "old school", without any aftermarket, like wire wheels!

Here's the box 'o' bits:

Not the best presented kit in the world, I'll agree, but what's there looks pretty much the right shape.

A pretty large proportion of the parts go to making up the engine! This is only the main block - there's a supercharger, radiator and so on still to come.

This is the engine trial fitted in the (three-part) body. The only addition I've made is the supercharger air intake trunking, made from softened, bent and sanded sprue (it's a good job the runners are so thick!). Not all the Alfettas had this arrangement, which excuses the fact that it's missing (a much shorter intake is provided), but I thought it looked cool, and it's what the cars in my reference images have...

And here's the body finally assembled. It's not as much of a filler queen as it looks - there are no gaps to fill, it's just to make sure the step at the join disappears completely when I sand it smooth. I'm filing the outside of the tyres back (which are just propped in place) prior to fitting a band of plastic card to represent the tread better... There's more to do in the cockpit, but since it needs to be masked off, I'm leaving it until I've painted the body...

Talking of which, if anyone has any good ideas about how to mask the suspension and brake drums while I paint the body, I'm all ears...

bestest,

M.

[jedimastergary]

Nice one love the older cars looks like a good start

[62rebel]

good start! and for masking odd shapes, use a piece of aluminum foil. you can wrap it pretty snugly around exposed parts. use silly putty to mask the cockpit off. can't wait to see it in the showcase.

[iBorg]

While it's not an Alfa Romeo (it may also may be available), check the following link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Talbot-Lago-T26-Grand-Prix-Monoposto-/120563105049?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Race_Cars_Not_Street_Legal_&hash=item1c121efd19

If you're building the Talbot, this is the perfect reference link.

Mike

[Bernard Kron]

I built this kit as a kid. Wonderful to see modern techniques applied to it. Looks like your going to make a beautiful example of it. The engine and interior details are far netter than I remember them. Does it still comer with the clear plastic discs and decals for the wire wheels?

[Matt Bacon]

Thanks very much, folks! Not so sure about the "modern" techniques ;-P. I'm building this "old school" to demonstrate that some kits from the 50s are pretty good, so, yes, I'm gonna use the clear plastic discs for the spokes! I've reworked them by scribing on the BACK, filling the lines with silver paint, and then polishing the disk to remove the paint from everywhere except the scribed lines.

Not there yet, but definitely on the home straight:

I've put some Milliput around the seat to represent the padded covering on the pictures I've got. It'll be painted "chamois leather" colour when it's set. The wheels don't look so bad, IMHO... Real wire wheels would be better, but they're not a disgrace, especially in the right light...

bestest,

M.