Pochering, Pocher Alpha Romeo Spider Part 3

Correcting a wrapped part was easier than I expect it might be, due I think to this soft, old type of plastic. The parts can be heated in not quiet boiling water for about 45 seconds at a time. They become slightly malleable for a few seconds and can be straightened out!

The kit uses 4 or 5 slightly different types of plastic, each with different properties. For example, a given type of glue will work on one type of part but not on another. I have three types of glue on hand (so far).

​A pulley from the generator assemble (I think it's the generator, I'm not actually much of a car guy) was truly badly molded. I chucked it up in the lathe and made it as it was supposed to be using a very sharp graver, and 800 grit sandpaper. This worked great!

It's hard to see, but the lower part of the engine block is masked off so that the upper part can be sprayed a different color. Painting is a time consuming process - primer coats, sanding, more priming, 3 or 4 dust coats of color (sometimes different colors, particularly for a metal look), finish coat and then touch up.

The carburetor is the first component completed.

Here is a huge problem, or at least I think it is a problem. There is a back plate on the end of the supercharger here. It is a flat, round disk-like piece with a squared off side. With the assembly in place, it stands out a good quarter of an inch from the extending part of the engine block. There is a giant error someplace as all the photos of the real engine I have seen show these pieces are extending out the same distance, all lining up. Also, if assembled as is, the bolts in the plate (on the side not shown in these photos) would go into nothing, making no sense.

This error does not interfere with anything, but looks pretty dumb. I decided to make the plate line up with the engine block.

The part that need the alteration first gets its flat side cut down significantly more so that it goes inward further on the engine block and lines up (here we see those bolts by the way, they make no sense with the piece hanging out in space as far as it did). I also cut away the large semi-circle that fit this part to the end of the supercharger. Now this plate will be attached to the engine body instead of the supercharger. The supercharger of course still falls outward pretty far when in place, but in the final assembly it will be pulled in some toward the engine as it is held by a screw from inside the engine block.

There are many errors or fit and casting on this thing, but this seems to be a rather large error of scale, probably of the engine block. That's strange some a model so accurate and detailed everyplace else.

These parts are not fully secured because after fixing all the fit problems, it all has to be taken apart again to put the crankshaft and pistons in.

The complete album for this project is here. See all my posts on Pocher models here.

For more on scale models, look here.