Heller's 1/8 Citroen Traction Avant

[Guest]

Thanks so much glad you like it.

[Guest]

Hi all started on the drive train (grrrr its so fiddely took me nearly 2 hrs to install the drive shafts)

[Jambo]

I'm a little late to the party here, but this is really quite phenomenal. Mostly I'm cheerfully trying to paint straight lines on budget aircraft kits and am just considering a little weathering. I am really very surprised how authentic the rust and wear on this kit look. I'm following with interest along with everyone else!


Jambo

[Marc Stock]

Good work on those suspension wishbones Ken. Looking very nice. Its nice to hear its taking 2 hours per side. It shows that you are really putting alot of effort into this build..well done mate

[Guest]

Hi all well I got £100 off my boss for xmas so ordered some gold leaf for the infamous ship a 1/16 revell VW Karmenn Ghia and managed to find German 1/8 machine gun for this dio 29.99 (bit pricey and it's not even a kit) I figure the effort I've put into this and the cost of the kit it will be worth it (yes it's a German machine gun but I figure they could have stolen it)

[Guest]

Hi all well I got a couple of hours in, here are my efforts

[Guest]

Well I've been told again I'm ruining "an expensive kit, I can't understand why someone would do this to such a beautiful kit" maybe I'm wrong, they did say no offence, but I felt so strongly I had to mention it, that's twice am I doing something terrible to this kit, anyone who knows me knows I like weathered or different to the box or instructions, I find it weird how I get lots of people saying it's great and others saying I'm ruining it, are the people saying it's great just being kind, I mean the people saying it's rubbish have nothing to gain saying that, it's not too late to strip it all off and do a showroom kit of it (admittedly would be awkward but not as awkward as when its all permanently glued together, there is nothing I can't unglue yet and no paintwork I can't strip, please honest amswers am I ruining this kit (caveat) I won't do original colours if I strip it, it will be candy colours as a custom job.

[Robert1968]

Ok Ken I can only speak from my own experience on what I have heard about this vehicle from others.


I only hear positive vibes from this forum on your skills to date on what you have acheived. If I could reproduce the time and effort in a wetheing mission like you have I would be proud ( never ashamed or guilty and I would never let others guide me into the wrong choice.


If anything Ken I would agree with your skills getting better and your influencing quite a few modellers on here positively.


We all on here ask guidance and advice but at the end of the day it's our model and we show a bit of ourselves in the kit build and paint stage.


Here's an e.g


I started out again in model kits with aircraft that's all I did then I progressed into armour and figures but I thought my skills were poor. I join here and my skills have increased slowly , my technique. I've spent a lot of hard earnt cash on kits and thrown a lot away, but not now my skills are getting better and I'm more patient with my modelling. I take what others say but with a pinch of salt as I'm not building this kit for them it's for my pleasure.


Personally Ken I'm glad I joined this forum and not build just what the manufacture suggested


I enjoy your builds and how you get into the depths of the kits and show wear and tear beyond any others I've seen


Kindest regards


Robert

[Guest]

Hi all well I've managed to get a bit in today, here is the first coat of the dirtying of the underneath

[Guest]

Hi all I've pretty much had it with car kits, Ive been told I'm ruining a classic kit, again, feeling pretty deflated now, I thought this was some of the best work I had done. will stick to ships in the future.

[Paul Davies]

Hi all I've pretty much had it with car kits, Ive been told I'm ruining a classic kit, again, feeling pretty deflated now, I thought this was some of the best work I had done. will stick to ships in the future.

You haven't ruined it. Your doing amazing work with it. So what if it not shiny. If its what you wanna do go for it

[Guest]

Right, let's get this straight. Building a kit the way you want cannot be ruining it. Every technique there is available in this hobby gives us the tools to portray kits in whatever way we want to whatever level we are capable of.


Don't feel deflated because you are demonstrating good modelling skills. Maybe not everyone likes the end result, that is their personal choice but that is not your problem.


I personally could not do what you are doing with this because I don't have the skill set or the artistic vision to do it. Having said that, I wouldn't have the skills to make it as a showroom finished car either. But, if I could pick a skill set to be able to have endowed upon me, it would be the ability to do with it what you have.


Keep going Ken, you are doing a fine job.

[Guest]

Hi all well this will be my last post on this one till at least next friday as off for the funeral in Scotland tomorrow.


I broke and lost part of the steering last night so had to make a new bit


















gave the bottom another coat of muck and added a bit of grease


















also (although my art days are way behind me nowadays)(and I never could do portraits)this is supposed to be Rene from Allo Allo, he will be behind a dirty window in the dio so I may get away with it, if not there's always plan B.

[Guest]

Love it lol, great portrait of one of my favourite characters.

[takeslousyphotos]

Ken......... Pretty much anyone can, with a little effort, and able to follow the instructions, produce an out of the box kit, with a nice shiny body. What you've done on this has taken real skill and a lot of knowledge. This nice shiny ones with that "Fresh, Just Out of the Showroom look" can be good........ But this is much more like how you'd see an old motor tooling around Lyon or Marseille ......... The rusted, got dirty and pissed oil everywhere. You're building it how you want......... So, ignore whoever is carping on about "Ruining it" and keep going mate......... This is a real cracking job you are doing.