
Anyhow,
the overall work was very entertaining since besides building up the
model,
I had to solve a couple of puzzles that arose due to the mechanical
problems.
For example, I chose the working suspension option and was disappointed
to have the car with a fully flat dead suspension since the poor
plastic
torsion bars could not give the required torque. My solution was to
open
up the shock absorbers and put helical springs on their pistons to take
the load.

This
is the bottom-rear view showing the rear suspension details. The
transverse
reaction bar is also another weak item that buckles and tends to break
if you be a bit careless. However, the hoses and electrical harness are
from soft rubber and give very good detail if you can stick them
properly.
I used cyanoacrylate adhesive for fixing rubber for its definite fixing
properties.

The
door handles both in and out, are connected to the door lid that keeps
the door in place. The door-glass raiser arm is dummy. The original
model
suggested 3 fixed level choices for the glass; I made it variable by
putting
a soft padding within the door so that it exerts some force on the
glass
and keeps it at where you left it.

Very
fine dashboard panel details. The glovebox lid opens as well and has a
turning lock to keep it in place. It
was a pity that the model had to be painted black all over for the sake
of authenticity. The black color simply disguises all the fine details
put into the model.

The
engine compartment is also full of details. Another physical weakness
here
was that the center hinge of the two-piece engine hood came out of its
glued position whenever one of the sides was opened. My solution was to
drill the ends of the hinge through the body panel, insert a steel pin
(cut to the appropriate length ) and fix it at the back with epoxy
adhesive.
The headlamps were also standing on a very weak connection, so I
inserted
a brass rod through its base to take up the load.



The
speedometer is a replica of the original in the sense that
you mount
it layer by layer as if you are mounting the real one. The
steering
box and the whole system would work if the long plastic steering shaft
could withstand the torque. I now regret that I did not substitute a
brass
rod for that item. So now you can only steer by using the front wheels
themselves.

Not
every fault came from the model itself! It was perfectly me
who cut
the roof lining somewhat short. To make up for that
mistake,
I tailored the lining from artificial leather, put brass rods for
tensioning
tranversely and fixed the whole lining to the pillar construction by
the
aid of that tension...
Well,
that was how it was originally made . At least, it may be considered
authentic
by the way of manufacturing!
Unfortunately,
looking closer to the ceiling lamp shows that excessive tension has
released
the texture from the backside of the lamp.

This
is the frontal view of the front suspension cradle. You notice that on
the left, the pivoting bar of the lower wishbone is greyish in color.
The
reason is that, while trying to apply greater torque to the torsion
bars,
it broke and I made an identical part from aluminium. It was then I
inserted
steel springs in the shock absorbers and made the suspension work.
This
is the front wheel drive system detail. The double cardan universal
joint
not only works radially, but slides along its shaft keys with
suspension
motion.

And,
finally, this is me and my 1 / 1 scale Citroen(1949) in 1980.
Unfortunately,
I don't own this car now and I regret that I sold it. It has a distinct
place in my memory and what I now have are its pictures plus 1/8 - 1/24
- 1/43 scale models.
