1959 Alfa Romeo 159 'Alfetta'

[Snowman]

I've decided to step away from my 1/35 "Pink Panther" build, which though very rewarding with all the PE work was proving to be a bit too fiddly at the moment. I wanted to do a classic open wheel racer and stumbled on this cheap kit that offered possibilities. No sooner had I bought it, did I spot an build in the Airfix - Scale Modelling Road & Track magazine by Toni Canfor of the exact same kit - magnificent work.
This galvanised me in wanting to step up to that level of bringing a "dog" of a kit to life.
I will not be too concerned about engine detail for now, even though it has a pretty decent engine to start off with - the problem is the thickness of the old molded parts - body panels., so this will be concealed. But, I will do the grill and as much as possible on the visible bits. I have purchased Profil24 wire wheels and tyres to match, the drum brakes will need more attention as will the cockpit. Let the games begin!![ATTACH]294769[/ATTACH][ATTACH]294770[/ATTACH][ATTACH]294771[/ATTACH]

[papa 695]

Very nice Gavin. I'm in watching this.

[Snowman]

Cheers Ian! Did you spot the clear "wire" wheel insert in the first photo? Laughable, but that is the nature of the kit!:cold-sweat::tears-of-joy:

[papa 695]

Cheers Ian! Did you spot the clear "wire" wheel insert in the first photo? Laughable, but that is the nature of the kit!:cold-sweat::tears-of-joy:

I didn't at first Gavin,

[yak face]

I was wondering what they were for gavin! Ill be watching this one , gotta love an alfa, cheers tony

[Bugatti Fan]

This Alfetta kit was originally issued by Merit in the UK in he 1960's alongside a Lago Talbot and a Cooper that both had very basic engine detail. Merit issued a series of Kerbside kits of F1 racers of that era all in 1/24th scale as well as a Lotus 11 plus a LM Aston and Jag D type. All the merit moulds were sold on to a toy company in Italy and were never heard of since, apart from the Alfa and Talbot Lago. These two were produced for some time by SMER in the Czech Republic and have since been sold on to the present manufacturer.
Merit's way of depicting wire wheels by transfers onto clear plastic inserts fitted to the wheels certainly did not look at all realistic. Nowadays plenty of after market suppliers of photo etched wheel replacements are available, unless the builder would like to scratch build with real wire for a more realistic appearance. The basics are there with these two kits for the modeller to make splendid models if prepared to do some work on them. It would be nice if someone brought out a photo etched grille set in 1/24th like a scaled down Model Factory Hiro as in their 1/12th scale Alfetta. The article about detailing the model in the Airfix Scale model world special does this little kit justice

[Snowman]

The article about detailing the model in the Airfix Scale model world special does this little kit justice

Quite right Noel, that's the article I was referring to initially.

With a little attention she'll shine up nicely!:tongue-out3:

[Snowman]

I've done some work on the drum brakes in preparation for the PE wire wheel from Profil24. I have created the external vent holes and started to fit the brake line fittings on the rear drums, these will need to be reattached to the rear axle. The front drums are still connected so doing the extra bits will be interesting.[ATTACH]296650[/ATTACH][ATTACH]296651[/ATTACH][ATTACH]296652[/ATTACH]

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I have included the side tank and chassis frame down the sides of the cockpit for a bit more detail. Above is the replacement rubber from Profil24 - a vast improvement over the old molded tires.

I've used these fittings in the past on the 1/12 Ducatti NCR racer.

Thanks for looking.:thumb2:

[Bugatti Fan]

Taking shape really well Gavin. Nice to see you bringing on this very elderly kit with all your extra detailing. The Alfetta is a lovely looking racing car and I will be following your build with interest. Hope that you fully detail the engine bay. The one in the Airfix special felll a bit short in this respect, although it was a well built model.

[Guest]

Well done Gavin, what a good idea!

[papa 695]

Nice work Gavin

[Snowman]

Thank you for the positive support!:thumb2:

[Guest]

You're certainly doing a much better job than I did on mine. There is a thread somewhere on here of my finished model (http://www.scale-models.co.uk/thread...2/#post-347627) yours is going to look exceptional in comparison!