Author Topic: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant  (Read 35022 times)

Offline kpnuts

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Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« on: September 06, 2015, 08:20:18 PM »
Hi all some of you may know I sold a couple of my ships builds so I had 400 quid burning a hole in my pocket, so I've ordered this and Roy fitszimmonds cd to build it with, my plan (as I'm sure by now you all know I don't build normal builds) is to have it languishing in an old barn or in a garden or yard with maybe a tree growing out of it.

Offline ChernayaAkula

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #1 on: September 06, 2015, 09:40:55 PM »
Good plan! Love it!  :)
Cheers,
Moritz

"The appropriate response to reality is to go insane!"

Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2015, 03:44:45 AM »
Hi all I just ordered the revell 1 / 12 mustang gt 500 and the foose camaro, these and the Citroen Traction Avant and the italari mefistofeles I am going to be a very busy boy ( and that's not counting my on going builds )

Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2015, 01:07:00 AM »
Hi all well it arrived today and it is mahoosive

that is a 1/12 kit box on top of it
just to give you an idea of its size


these are the sprues there are 3 or 4 sprues to each bag just for comparison (the rule devides the too model kits) the camaro has 1 sprue to each bag apart from the black sprues and that has 2 sprues


 one tip I've already learned do not take the sprues out of the box as you wont get the all back in and shut the lid (unless you have a degree in astrophysics) that is, this is one case where the box is not big enough.

Offline jcf

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2015, 06:34:01 AM »
Page about TA factory colour schemes, in case that interests you.  ;)

http://www.cats-citroen.net/citroen_tractionavant/ta_colors.html
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Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #5 on: September 13, 2015, 03:50:07 AM »
Hi I've been given a superb idea for this, I am going to have it in a barn being readied for a mission by the French resistance with the cross of lorraine and a tricolour on it, the possibilities are endless, need to find some 1/8 figures and things like bren guns or make them from scratch I've been doing some research (thanks to jcf)and this was available in blue irise (which is apparently a course metallic where the flakes aluminum were bigger than modern colours) if I can find I will do it that colour or ac615 blue marine which it was also available in, since I'm on hols from Monday I won't be starting it for a while (lots of other stuff to finish first) but (assuming I can get internet) being on hols will give me lots of time for research.

Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2015, 03:39:24 AM »
Hi all well I've made a start on this mammoth build (and thats without putting it in a dio) tbh once I looked at the instructions, without Roy Fitzimmonds aka roymattblack dvd I would have closed the box and put it away again.
I've read loads of reviews on this and they've all said the engine is badly warped and had to use some reinforcing or some such to make it square, I recon I've been lucky as mine has been a perfect fit (so far) I've even taken pics inside so you can see I've used no tabs or reinforcments ats all (I just hope this continues for the rest of the kit.







Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2015, 12:45:04 AM »
Hi all been working on the engine, this kit is awesome, the engine alone has more parts than the whole Shelby kit, just as an example that little nut is a separate part I've put the tin of humbrol paint there as a refrence I had to use my PE pencil to place it, thank god I got Roy's dvd the instruction are so vague (there's a little do hicky lever sticks out the side its only about 3mmx2x2 and from the instructions I had no idea which way up to put it)
I've primed it and now I can see a few bits if filling I've missed.









Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2015, 03:21:07 AM »
Hi all more work on this I've not been able to find a definitive colour for the engine (every pic I've seen has been a different shade of green but since I'm using CAT's info for the bodywork I will use that for the engine as well.




Thats a 1/24 scale car just to show how big this engine is




Offline Frank3k

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2015, 06:18:38 AM »
That engine is huge! It looks like it could almost fit a small 2 cylinder inside.

Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2015, 02:44:59 AM »
Hi all a bit of an update, weathered the engine and tried to emulate the oxidization on the ally manifold.







Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #11 on: October 24, 2015, 03:44:19 AM »
Hi all here is tonight's episode, there seem to be a lot of these on the go at the moment (no surprise really it is a superb kit)














Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2015, 03:51:47 AM »
Here is todays update
these parts were bent so using Roy Fitzimmods dvd I corrected this problem with stretched copper wire











Offline Buzzbomb

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #13 on: October 28, 2015, 05:41:53 AM »
wow that is swift and great work on the donk.

With that scale you have plenty of scope to up detail and what you have put on looks great

Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #14 on: October 29, 2015, 03:46:40 AM »
Hi all well the engine is done (well as much as I can do without putting it in the car)
The next bit is the front chassis and suspension (to be honest I keep looking at the instructions and I'm tempted to box it back up and put it away) looks to be way beyond my meagre abilities, I would start somewhere else on the model and come back to this part but that may cause problems later on I've no idea whether I can start the body without causing problems with the chassis, I will see how brave I'm feeling, this may be as far as this kit goes for me, really not feeling confident at all on the next bit.










Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #15 on: November 01, 2015, 02:39:49 AM »
Hi all here is the next update









Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #16 on: November 02, 2015, 12:29:51 AM »
Hi all another update, quite pleased I've managed this part (very fiddly though could have done with another set of hands)




Offline Kerick

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #17 on: November 02, 2015, 02:49:24 AM »
You are clearly doing it right as I had to go back to the beginning of this thread to see what you were building! I thought at first those were real metal parts to a motorcycle or something! Your painting and weathering is just right!

Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #18 on: November 02, 2015, 04:05:14 AM »
Hi all thanks kerick here is an Idea of just how huge this is, I thought the GT was big but, and dont forget it still has the rad and bumpers to go on, just look at this.







Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #19 on: November 03, 2015, 02:37:32 AM »
Here is tonights episode. I really, really, really, really love this kit cant wait to start the Mefistofeles if its anything like this.
















Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #20 on: November 04, 2015, 04:46:15 AM »
Hi all here's tonight's bit







Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #21 on: November 06, 2015, 04:42:31 AM »
Hi all well here's tonight's bit, that steering rack was a real pain the ball joints are supposed to push through and be an interferance fit but I had us a dremell tool by hand to gradually open it up enough to get the ball joint through without it just falling back out again, very sloooow gentle work with lots of checking to make sure the ball joint didn't just fall through. got to paint it and weather it now, would have painted it first but it is a tight fit and wasn't sure it would slide through the shaft after it was painted will now use very thinned down paint and hopefully if I keep moving it as the paint dries it will remain working.



Offline jcf

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #22 on: November 06, 2015, 02:53:23 PM »
Looks good. Nice job on the tin-worm.  ;)

The big Italeri FIAT is a redo of an old Protar kit, originally released in 1975 with a metal body,
chassis and wheels.

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/4/t/164570.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=2

“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #23 on: November 09, 2015, 01:44:07 AM »
Hi all well this steering rack has driven me to hurling this against the wall, I've re-glued it on no less than a dozen times only for it to come off almost as soon as I turn it over, fingers crossed its on for good now, tried a test fit of the engine (I have to say it fitted before, but someone stood on one of the engine mounts (my fault I shouldnt have left it on the floor)when I took it off to do the breaks and clutch pedal linkages) now the engine dosnt lign up on that one so it will have to come off and see whats wrong with it.



























Offline kpnuts

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Re: Heller 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant
« Reply #24 on: November 10, 2015, 03:52:07 AM »
Hi all engine mount sorted some work on the engine bay and a quick try of the body