The good: Once again I simply polished the styrene body and sprayed it with clear. This only works, obviously, if you are happy with the colour the kit is molded in, and if the cleanup required is minimal. But it does eliminate runs, drips, orange peel and all the rest, and provides the best finish I've ever managed. Unlike the Alfa, there were seam lines that needed removing, so there was some sanding needed, starting with 1200 grit.
The not so good: The engine is essentially invisible once it's in, which is unfortunate as it is a beauty. (The kit comes with an engine stand so you can display it out of the car). And the engine lid didn't close properly, so I had to carve out some of the inside structure to get it to close. This meant sacrificing the hinges, which are really only for show anyway.
In terms of other little issues, the license plate decals turned to goo with the Micro-Sol solution. I'll be looking for new ones, possibly from the spares bin. I'll leave identifying the other little screw-ups as an exercise for the alert reader.
I worked on all of these back in the day (except the 356, although I did work on an early 912 which was a 911 with the 356 motor), and got to drive all of them (except the Europa, because I couldn't get into it, although I did drive several Elans). Let's see how the 356 stacks up against the competition:
356: 2-litre, DOHC, twin-plug engine making 130 hp. The combination of a rear engine, swing axles and power that comes on with a bang at about 4500 RPM means beware sudden oversteer! Otherwise a focused, serious drive. Thorough, detailed German engineering effort has once again triumphed over one bad design idea that should have been challenged at the start, namely basing all this on what is essentially a 1949 Beetle floorpan and 36-hp engine block. (OK, I fully expect plenty of mail from offended 356 owners). But honestly, the 911 continues the trend: why they left the engine out back when they had the chance at a complete redesign in 1964 is beyond me, because the 911 motor is a gem. At least they got rid of the swing axles, unlike Mercedes who kept putting them in the 6.3 right up until 1973.
Giulia: 1.6 litre, DOHC, twin-plug engine making 113 hp. Typical Alfa handling, which is to say excellent in spite of a solid rear axle. It may well be the only one of the three with a 5-speed. Passionate and involving, with little axle hop or any of the other issues around a solid axle, partly due to the aluminum center section and the A-arm preventing the axle stepping sideways. Treat the second gear synchro sympathetically and it will provide delightful, direct shifts for a long time. Plus it probably has the biggest back seat of the three, and certainly the most generous trunk.
Europa: 1.6 litre, DOHC, single-plug engine making 105 hp. The least powerful of the lot, but the most surgical in terms of go-kart cornering, if you can get into it -- I'm 6'0" and it's tight. But once in it is impossible to upset it -- just point it where you want to go and squeeze the throttle. And I am guessing it holds its own in terms of hp per tonne. The luggage room is surprising, even if it is strictly a 2-seater.
So if I had a million dollars? I'd have to get one of each, obviously. With 356's in Carrera 2000 guise going for $500,000, it might be tight, but doable.
I'll close with another photo of the gorgeous little motor under construction.
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