This was a very simple resin build, with the biggest problems arising around the vacuum-formed wrap-around windshield. It's one of those cases where I allow myself a curbside build because the topic is just so bizarre.
Posed here with the Alpine A210 and the Matra MS 640 prototype. The Matra is also curbside but the Alpine has a well-detailed engine bay.
Stay tuned! The stash has plenty more oddballs.
There's a saying that if you give a Brit a piece of sheet metal, he is likely to do something silly with it. I submit the French are equally capable in this respect. This 1959 Deutsch & Bonnet HBR 4 ran 3 times at Le Mans and finished 18th (2nd in the Sport 850 class) in 1961. Powered by a Panhard 702 cc aircooled twin making a whopping 85 hp if the Interweb is to be trusted -- the comparable Citroen 2CV only managed in the mid-30s. I love the way the Aston looms over it. Oh and the Aston DNFed in 1961 by the way.
The company was founded by Charles Deutsch and René Bonnet in 1937. The pair separated in 1962. Deutsch went on to found Automobiles CD, using FWD Panhard bits; Bonnet went on to build mid-engined Renault-powered vehicles under the name Automobiles rené Bonnet, which was later acquired by Matra. I assume this was the basis of the Matra Djet.
This is a basic 1/24 resin kit by Le Mans Miniatures -- no chassis or engine detail -- so a quick build.
Photos of a Djet and a later Matra Murena taken at a classic car meet in Bordeaux in 2019.
So the Peugeot 905 has been on the bench since March and I've gotten fed up. So I cleared the bench for a slump-buster, namely Heller's old build of the Alfa Romeo 1750 Zagato from the mid-1930's.
In contrast to the brutish Bentley with its 4½ litre four, this had the lovely supercharged inline 6 displacing 1750 cc and making in the vicinity of 80 hp. Double overhead cams offset the poor breathing of small valves due to the typical small bore, long stroke design common in the prewar period. On the other hand, it rides on solid axles front and rear, with friction shocks and rod-operated mechanical brakes.This was a proper little sports car in its day, the entry into the range of Alfa sports cars with supercharged inline engines.
As a slump buster, this kit has its advantages, namely it is difficult to build anything too good with these kits. Stuff doesn't fit, the chrome is ghastly, proportions are wrong... but expectations are low. So with that in mind it came out OK.
The body is in halves, so there is a big seam down the middle of it which I filled and sanded. The engine got wires and a distributor from the parts bin instead of the vaguely cylindrical lump from the kit. The steering all works, all the way back to the Pittman arm out of the steering box. I had to clean up the paint a couple of times due to sloppy glue work; the colour is Tamiya TS-8, Italian Red, over Tamiya's dark brown primer -- my stash of Tamiya cans is becoming depleted and I will have to make a decision to tackle the airbrush world eventually.
Overall not a bad kit, but probably frustrating for a beginner. Will I head back to the Peugeot? Maybe not right away. Stay tuned!
The issue of a completely new kit, with completely new molds, is always a cause for celebration. Even more so when it is of an obscure Lancia from the pre-Fiat era. So of course I had to have this new Italeri kit of the Fulvia HF in the 1972 Monte Carlo winning livery.
The kit is typical Italeri, not as high quality as Tamiya and with some bizarre decisions around where to mold parts together and where to offer a separate piece. But it goes together reasonably well, with one note on fit.
The oddball narrow-angle V4 is well modeled. Getting the blue stripe on the valve cover, unique to the HF version, was a bit of a struggle, and the distributor could be better detailed.
A tidy fit in the engine bay. The battery is moulded in to the chassis with the inner fenders.I added wires and fuel lines.
The hood hinge involves the cabin ventilation system and the firewall, and prevents to a certain degree easy installation of the chassis. In particular the leading edge of the front inner fenders had to be cut away to allow it all to be inserted.
Nonetheless the kit builds up nicely with a small PE sheet adding to the detail. I love the light roof pillars giving it a definite '60s vibe,
The Fulvia was a very successful rallye car. This 1972 version was the last one to won the Monte Carlo, with the Stratos taking over as works car in 1974. The Stratos was designed after the takeover by Fiat and benefited from Fiat's access to the Ferrari parts bin for the 2.4 litre V6.
The full set of Lancia race cars is shown next. The ESCi Beta Monte Carlo is not shown as it is an older build and not really up to snuff.
Behold the mighty, er, Giannini 650NP? Right then, fat little tires and fat little fenders all in the service of a rip-roaring air-cooled twin, 650 cc, about 40 horsepower, apparently driven by one M. Leonardelli to a number of European hillclimb wins in Group 2. KMP transkit for the Tamiya Fiat 500F. Loads of fun and a quick build for my second build of 2025.
Yes, I have completed only one kit in 2025. Life got in the way.
Posed here with my selection of 908 and 917 kits. The first 908, on the far left, was really a 906 with the new 3 litre flat 8 engine, but the 908/03 shared a chassis with the 917.
This kit was provided to me by a colleague who had painted it but didn't feel up to the engine and chassis. I've now boxed it up and shipped it back to him.
As always with these Model Factory Hiro kits, a lot of stuff doesn't fit or is excessively flimsy. The fit of the engine cowl and its ridiculously weak hinges are just one of the stories. I did get the doors to open and shut, however.
The body having been painted by my friend who asked me to finish the kit, I had to get it all to fit before putting on decals. But first I tackled the interior.
Front tubular chassis bits follow the usual excessively complex MFH approach.
Progress was slow but steady. Making sure every little 0.5 mm socket is drilled out is critical.
Front wheels are test-fitted and it all looks nice and square.
Rear suspension and brakes also went on in order to get it sitting on all four as quickly as possible.
The chassis is essentially complete and sits nice and square. The front clip fits nicely but some work will be needed to get the engine lid to sit on it properly. Stay tuned!
