Jigs, Patterns, Fixtures and Other Dance Steps
In the course of building Pocher models, there will come a time when additional construction techniques will become all too apparent by their absence. We are all familiar with the frustration of trying to un-do a bolt without the aid of a correctly sized wrench, or trying to achieve a smooth surface with the incorrect file. At some point, ambitious builders inevitably encounter tasks for which simple hand tools are inadequate. The result can be frustration and irritation. A few power tools, a drill press here, a sanding disc there, even the occasional lathe or mill may seem to be inadequate to some tasks. ‘How can this be?’, one might ask, in a high-pitched wail of despair. A room full of tools, and still stuff can’t be done. The answer may be not in the music itself, but in the dance steps.
Too often in trying to build something for our beloved Pochers, we lose sight of the fact that the doohickey we are trying to build is not the real challenge. The challenge is to duplicate the doohickey. We have all had the experience of gaining speed and accuracy as we work through assembling duplicate parts—wire wheels, seats, brakes. Sometimes there is a considerable difference between the first item built and the last. For some of us, this is the reason we build more than one Pocher. After having struggled to learn how to assemble one, we are anxious to take advantage of our newfound skills. Our friends at Pocher were aware of this phenomenon, and the wire wheels are proof of their concern: we are provided with a jig to assure that we get the assembly correct. With any luck at all, the jig allows us to get a consistent and attractive result with a minimum of frustration. This principle can be widely applied.
The trick is to shift our focus from the doohickey we need to the design of a jig to assure an accurate result. The more time spent on the jig, the less time will be spent on building the part. An added benefit is that the jig will be reusable and may serve in future projects. Jigs, like the box step in dancing, are a basic requirement of the Pocher dance. Simple engine details, dashboard accessories and chassis components are good candidates. Unfortunately, the builder is often confronted with a construction project for which building a jig will take more time than the effort to build a simple pair of components. For six or eight components, the jigs the thing.
Patterns, the seamstress’s friend, are another matter altogether. Patterns are ideal for one-off items. Using paper to establish the shape of a headliner or the shape of a window is a sensible way to establish dimensions without relying on the trickiness of measuring devices or the risk of wasting material. Furthermore, cutting paper is much more easily done than cutting styrene, brass or leather. Patterns may be less sexy than a jig, but they are a treasure nonetheless, especially when it comes to one-off projects with complex shapes.
Jigs and patterns are old friends for most of us, but closely related are the rarely seen fixtures. Ah, now here is something we can sink our teeth into. A fixture is for those times when several elements need to be coordinated for proper fabrication. A fixture can hold different pieces together in preparation for soldering. A fixture can guarantee that dimensions will be identical, or nearly so, and a fixture can guarantee that pieces will fit together. Fixtures are a Pocher builder’s friend. Well, perhaps not a ‘friend’ but surely a ‘helpful acquaintance’ in the way that learning the Lindy can be helpful to a dancer. Not often called for, but when it is, it is essential. Like the Lindy, the effort to create a fixture has to balanced against the effort to construct it. The juice may not justify the squeeze, but when accuracy is paramount, fixtures are essential.
Finally, the pinnacle of thingamabobs and whatnots, we come to the Proof of Concept, or the ballet in our pantheon of dance steps. This is the idea that some things are so important that we must construct a ‘prototype’, complete with working components and precise dimensions. If it succeeds, we will build it ‘for real’ out of actual materials and install it in our Pocher. Things like spare wheel brackets, dashboards, hood louvers, seats, and windshields are all complex and visible, the twin challenges of scratch-building. Screw up one of these projects, and the model can be compromised. When there is no room for error, failure is not an option. In these cases, there is no alternative but to construct a proof of concept that will allow the testing of not only various aesthetics, but of the very techniques of construction. Yikes. Sounds like fun. Big fun.
As is so often the case, reading about something runs the risk of sucking away all of the joy, so this treatise will end on a high note, a pirouette as it were. What follows is a series of photos that show a catalogue of thingamajiggers and doohickies that have served Model Motorcars through the years. The point is not to torment the unsuspecting Pocher builder, nor to turn model building into hard work. The idea here is to suggest another way to enhance and to refine our wonderful Pocher adventure. Sometimes it is important to remind ourselves of what goes on behind the scenes. Like dancing, model building is all about making things look easy.
Alfa Leaf Springs
Rolls-Royce Axle
Rolls-Royce Headlights
LeGrand 1:8 Mercedes 300 SLR Coupe Kit news
Update
The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe kit is delayed until January 2024.
More info directly from LeGrand: "we recently learned from the supplier that delivery of the LEGRAND Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR will unfortunately not take place until January 2024. Mercedes-Benz requested an addition in parts, which pushed our schedule back by 3 weeks. To show customers what to expect, we have created videos about the individual construction phases that we will publish regularly over the next few weeks here: https://www.youtube.com/lemkecollection"

Conduit
Model Motorcars is happy to announce we’ve finally found a replacement for our famous Conduit used for our headlights, and we now can offer it in three sizes!

The 1.0 mm outside diameter Conduit is perfect for small applications, such as connections from dash gauges. The inside diameter is small, but it is possible to run a single strand of magnet wire through it to make an electrical connection or to hold the Conduit in a specific shape. The 1.5 mm outside diameter Conduit is ideal for use with our headlights and spotlights. The 2.0 mm outside diameter Conduit is perfect for large applications, such as mechanical connections or large wire harness connections.
Below are some examples of Conduit in prototypes.

Part No. CN10 $2.00 1.0 mm Conduit, 4 Inches
Part No. CN15 $2.00 1.5 mm Conduit, 4 Inches
Part No. CN20 $2.00 2.0 mm Conduit, 4 Inches
Click Part No. to purchase.
Award Winning 500K
By Dalt Nyberg

We at Model Motorcars are always delighted to see the models sporting our components get the recognition they deserve, and few models deserve accolades more than Dalt Nyberg’s version of the Pocher Mercedes cabriolet. No stranger to award winning models, Nyberg’s Mercedes is a reminder to all of us that radical changes are not at the heart of a successful model. What always gets the acclaim from fellow model builders is attention to details. Smooth paint, neat engine compartments, and yummy leather seats help, too, but when it comes to awards, there is always that something extra that is hard to define. In Nyberg’s case, it seems to be balance.
The Pocher Mercedes kits are tricky. For decades, the cabriolet has bewitched and befuddled in equal measure. The Internet has done a lot for its prototype, chassis #130859, which was not well known in the US., but since it came out of Bernie Ecclestone’s collection in 2007 (Automobiles of London, RM Auctions, 2007) lots of photos have appeared. Identified as a Special Cabriolet by the Mercedes folk, and correctly identified by Jan Melin in his Supercharged Eight Cylinder Cars, Volume II, chassis 130859 is quite accurately represented by our Pocher friends. The challenge for Nyberg was to capitalize on that accuracy.
Adding some Model Motorcar doodads always helps, and the whitewalls rarely fail to gather their share of oooo’s and aaaahhhhh’s. But it is the color combination that does the trick. The original colors of the prototype, accurately captured by Pocher, are so familiar that it is no surprise they have limited effect on viewers. Black and tan may have been the bee’s knees in 1935, but the Twenty-First Century begs for more pizzaz. Nyberg chose to go with a rich dark blue and elegant gray leather. Perfectly in keeping with the traditional colors on Thirties era classics, but also a nod to the current era and such show-stoppers as the Warner Brother’s 540K that wow’ed the classic car world in the naughty-aughties. You can hardly go wrong when you bridge the decades.
Click here for more photos.
AN IMPORTANT NOTICE TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS:
Shipments of new orders may experience temporary delays. You may continue to browse and place orders on our site, but please be advised that it may take longer than usual to ship your order. We sincerely appreciate your patience. Thank you for continuing to support our small business in these challenging times!
Clearance drill for 1 mm threaded rod or bolts, and also as a pre-drill for 00-90 tap or screw
Part No. Z010 $2.00
Pre-drilling for #301, #302 or #303 Pocher screws. Clearance drill for 0-80 bolts and pre-drill for 2.0mm tap
Part No. Z01.6 $2.00
Pre-drilling for #301, #302 or #303 Pocher screws. Clearance drill for 0-80 bolts.
Part No. Z052 $2.00
March's Feature Exhibit
Jon Evans's
Alfa Romeo Monza
The great thing about Model Motorcars is the fact that we get to meet such dandy people and to see what they are getting up to. This month we have the pleasure of revealing an Alfa 8c 2300 Monza which can serve as inspiration to us all, and Jon Evans has told his own story with his thorough photographic record.
Most of us are well aware of the Pocher Alfa Romeo in its grand prix form, and many of us have
tried our hand building one version or another. After thirty years, the kits have managed to build up quite a reputation, so there is no reason rehash the challenges and shortcomings. Instead, we are pleased and delighted to introduce the following photographs into the record as proof that at least one of these Pocher Alfa kits has been the launch pad for a positively wonderful result.
It should be noted that part of the success of this model is the photographic presentation. Just the idea of using monochromatic images should be cause for celebration, and should inspire us all to give it a try. Details like an aluminum shifter gate, the floor and pedals, and the firewall mounts which would be informative in color are positively magical in black and white. Of course, discerning some fine details are enhanced by color, but few color photos can so successfully evoke a period photograph. Combine that with a scale back drop (whose great idea was that?) and the result is sure to be a success.
Whether or not there is a prototype for the sky blue (Ford Bermuda Blue, we are told) paint, it is clear that the paint works beautifully in either color or in black and white, where it appears white, as if by a conjuring trick. Very clever, whether intentional or accidental. The images of the rear of the instrument panel are memorable and impressive, and the idea of hiding data behind the seat back support borders on the obsessive, which, of course, is fine with us.
As remarkable as this Alfa is, we at Model Motorcars want to stress that the great lesson here is that taking pictures of our models is a vibrant and inspiring component of our hobby, not least because it is through images that we can share our passion for miniature cars. Digital images can transform a completed model from a completion to a beginning, from a personal accomplishment to a compelling invitation. A good thing, to be sure, but even better, digital images can transform our models into what we had dreamt in the first place.
Click here for more photos.