Paul Koo photo.
I hate these decisions.
If I weren’t so cheap I’d just go ahead and do it.
Why on earth anyone would buy a model car and never build it is beyond me.
The fact that the famous Pocher Alfa 8C2300 is probably worth more unassembled may be a factor. Maybe $500 bucks on eBay, in the kit, preferably sealed. Maybe $300 if you have assembled it with some skill.
The fact that it contains more than 4000 parts give or take the 10 or 20 you may lose is another consideration.
If we do attempt to put it together, we’ll use a CD from Paul Koo, of Chino Hills, CA, who has put in one disc everything you need to know (and a lot more) about the Alfa 2.3 Pocher kit, assembly, photos of the real thing, and much much more. In fact I got sidetracked for hours just going through this fascinating CD. The images used for this story are all from Paul, who’s store can be found here: http://stores.ebay.com/POCHER-philes-FORUM
But, to counter that, owning a completed Pocher 8C2300 Touring Spyder is about as close to having the real things as we’ll ever get. And just looking at Paul’s images of a beautifully completed model gets the juices stirring again. Dangerous.
So, we’ll let you decide. You tell us. Should we build this Pocher Alfa or leave it in the box? Send your yea or nay to pete@velocetoday.com.
Paul Koo photo.
Paul Koo photo.
Paul Koo photo.
I can’t tell you whether to build it or not, but I can share my recollection of the amount of effort it takes to build. Of course, I never had the wonderful instructions you referred to in your article, so my effort was truly that of an amateur.
Each spoked wheel has individual spokes and hardware that require infinite patience to install, and much better eyesight than I currently am blessed with. Once the wheel is assembled, you are less than half done. Getting the tire to expand, and fit over the wheel is a monumental task. I remember several wheels collapsing on me while installing the tire, which pretty much meant that you would have to start over. And yes, there are six wheels to build. I think I spent a week on each.
I would guess that the rubber in these tires on a kit that has been stored for 20 or more years would be so hard that it may be impossible to get the tire on the wheel.
I enjoy looking at my finished model, with the admiration that it is one project that I could never do again. That was over 40 years ago. I certainly wouldn’t get that same warm fuzzy feeling if I was just staring at a box.
Don’t build it. Keep writing great articles. Take a vacation.
George
Build it.
It’s like having a classic car and not driving it.
The answer to your question whether to “box it or build it” can be answered by the question: “trailer it or drive it?”. Did you buy the model as a speculative investment or an investment in joy. I say build it.
Regards – “Wheelie”
Build that baby! Who buys them for an investment? You will have almost all the joys and frustrations of building the real thing and what a centerpiece that would make for a collection! It would drive me crazy knowing that car was sitting on my shelf in a box waiting to be assembled.
Plus, if you get halfway done and can’t finish you can sell it to me!
KC
None of us knows their shelf life, and it’s probably less than you hope.
Why would you buy it and not build it?
Though it’s nothing like the Pocher kit, I built the Tamiya 1/12 Porsche 934 Turbo RSR kit, researching the 934s extensively, putting about 350 hrs into this model: http://racecartoys.piczo.com/-porsche934turborsr?cr=1&linkvar=000044
I now love looking at this rolling sculpture that used to be just a box of parts.
There is a a lot to say about that feeling of accomplishment you get from building it.
Cheers!
Pete,
Build it! Models, especially ones as intricate as those made by Pocher should not sit in the box on a shelf. BTW, I have the very same kit and am about 1/2 way through.
Best Regards,
Joe Parlanti
Hello Pete. Oh wow… Thanks for running the article related to me! I’m honored. You got my vote, definately build it. It was a lot of fun and enjoyment. My DVD has since “grown” a great deal more, and now has even more stuff on it, including all the custom parts you can put on your model from Model Motorcars, such as leaf springs made from individual strips of metal (for a model car!). Here is a direct link to my DVD listng on eBay with more photos:
http://cgi.ebay.com/POCHER-1-8-ALFA-ROMEO-SUPPLEMENTAL-INSTRUCTION-DVD-ROM-/220453225792
Even if you don’t have the model, it’s a lot of fun to just look through the thousands of photos on the DVD, and see how one of these models are built, and see all the challenges involved. Money back guaranteed if not fully satisfied, thank you.
Paul.
Built or not, it ain’t worth nuthin’ if you don’t sell it! I had about six of these kits about 30 years ago… A local hobby shop owner went out of business and the bank sold off the contents of the shop at auction. I bought a lot of the the stuff… I kept the 1/24 and 1/32 scale slot cars, the modeling tools and some R/C equipment but I sold the rest of it. As I recall I had a couple of Fiats, a Rolls Royce and three or four Mercedes 540s… No Alfas though, I would have kept them…
Build it! Then my unopened kit will be worth more.
Build it!
I’ve had the Pocher kits, the two Alfas and the Rolls Royce, packed away for forty years now, still sealed and wrapped in black plastic. I hope to build them when i retire. Hope my eyes and hand dexterity can still do it. The article was a great reminder to get to it. GREG
I built one Pocher and never got the time to build the others, so I have the same dilemma. Mine are still in the box, stored in the closet. Anyone want to buy them, let me know. I don’t have time for ebay either! They are magnificant.
Pete:
I have two on the shelves and four in the attic. I like them up there. It makes me feel good to know I am not stupid or deluded enough to try to build them! And don’t wait til your retirement to try…the experience may wreck the rest of your life before you get over it!!!
Ed
Pete,
The very fact that you are asking tells me that there is only one answer unless you want to make reservations to the “funny farm”. You just have to build it…
I have 2 competed…one of which you can see as the first car on http://www.modelmotorcars.com/ I just love going to that site and seeing what I have accomplished. But you might not stop there when it is completed there a bunch of aftermarket up-grades at the same site. It can be contageous…be carefull. I have also invested in the Scuderia Ferrari…still sealed. Your going to need some shop room, adjustable lights, tweezers, a magnifying glass, etc. Have fun.
Guilty as charged.
A 75% made GTA Stradale and a 0% completed 1/16 33 Stradale.
Time management issues, I guess.
In the end you still have two types of collectors, those who use it, those who showcase it. So are a gatherer or a hunter?
Build it, build it, build it! The difference in value is probably less than you spend in gasoline for a couple of weeks or less than the loose change that falls out of your pocket in a year.
Enjoy it!
Chuck raises the all-important question. Can the model even be built today given the age of the rubber? Has anyone assembled it within the past few years? When the model came out 40 years ago I wanted one desperately, but was too broke as well as too inept to actualy follow through and buy it. Now is another matter. I have the money to buy it — but I may still be too inept to build it!
Mary Ann
Look at Modelmotorcars.com – new tires for the Alfa $25. ea.
This, to me, is the whole argument for building the thing. With the stuff from that company (and likely others as well) and almost 40 years of collective Pocher building experience out there and available online, this kit can be built with confidence and to a quality not imagined when they were new.
I spent the best part of a week’s pay in 1972 to buy one of these Alfa kits. It’s still around, with its 3rd local owner, having been traded for books or other car stuff over the years.
I built that one many years ago and added a few custom features including working head/tailights, pinstripes etc..
Be aware that despite the myriad of pieces it is crudely made and things often do not fit properly without a lot of fussing and filing. The wheels and tires, as stated are particularly hard, if not impossible.
No one without extensive modeling experience should even attempt it.