Pocher Models...

A few more Pocher models:

At this age and stage of my life, the hardest thing that I build by hand, is a sandwich. Even in the days of my car kit building, I wasn't up to putting together a Pocher.

But over time we HAVE had some fellas display their Pocher kits and final products here. I hope some see this and come forward.

@perrone1  So do I!

I'm finishing up a 375-piece model (first plastic model I've built in decades! ) and it was somewhat of a PITA (I much prefer doing my own custom & fabrication work ) but I'm VERY LAZY, so........ "NO,"  I've never attempted a 1/8 Pocher kit..... which has thousands of parts!        😬 😬 😬 😬 

If Pocher had released a few American cars then perhaps I would've "had to had one."     

I've only known two people that had Pocher kits:

- I think Marty started one - or sold one that was started but kept the same kit for himself - something like that.  🤔 🤔 🤔

- Another friend - a true car guy inside & out - gave up and sold the unfinished model "as is."

Needless to say, these kits are the quintessential labor of love.    😉 😉 

These are GREAT pics of Pocher kits!   Thanks!

I came to this post late. Yes, I have built or started six Pocher models, all in the late 1970s. I still have them all except the Fiat that I gifted to my son, although only two are currently in pristine condition. The others need some reassembly due to being unfinished, aging and storage wear and tear. 

My first was the 1907 Grand Prix Fiat and it was by far the easiest. It is still in excellent condition in a glass case with my son. My next two were the Alfa Romeo 1931 Monza and 1932 Gran Sport. Fun to build but the wire wheels were a devil to do. I did the Monza in black and it still looks fresh 40 years later.  I later did two Rolls Royce Phantom IIs in slightly different configurations. I still have both in some disrepair. 
My biggest failure was the Mercedes-Benz which at this point is a rolling chassis. My Bugatti is unbuilt and stored. I did start it.

For the times, these were fantastic models with literally thousands of parts. I have an often thought about returning to work on these but by now they are beyond my abilities. Size for display has always been an issue. I still have the original boxes.

@david-green   It was a long time dream of mine to find one of the Phantoms and have a go.  A friend in Omaha had several that he didn't quite finish and I don't know where they ended up after his departure.  Now, the prices for Pochers are beyond my reach.

@gdh 

Hi,

Here are my two Rolls Royce Pochers in their current state in my model storage room. As you can see, they are far from fit for display. The last image shows the one wall in storage. The other Pocher parts are in the large drawers at the base of this display. As you can see, I am some what of a hoarder having also a crawl space full of collection boxes and three other walls and drawers in that shown storage room.

@david-green   Gobsmacked is the word for my reaction to these photos.  Lack of space will never allow me to accumulate so many models and perhaps that is a good thing, in my situation.  Your chassis reminded me of a 1933 Rolls chassis I found:

GREAT PICS of everything!    Love to see other's "messes!"     😆 😆 😆     David, I salute you for even finishing ONE Pocher kit - that's quite an achievement!  👍 👍 

@gdh

Interesting chassis,GDH. I saw a similar one years ago in Acadia National Park, Maine. A remnant fron the great fire that destroyed several estates of the wealthy. The Pocher chassis looks similar except it has wire wheels.

Yes, my store room really needs attention.

@Chris is correct.  I have built Pocher kits.  It's important to distinguish between the Classic and Prestige series of Pocher models.  The Prestige models are cars like Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Lotuses, and Porsches.  Those models are by far the easiest to assemble.  They can be completely finished in under 30 hours of work.  I've done 3 of the Prestige series.  I will include another Ferrari 643 F1 car by Rosso.  It was very "Pocher-esque."  I completed one and partially built a second after the first was destroyed when it fell off a shelf.  

The Classic series, consisting of classic-era Mercedes, Rolls-Royce, Fiat, and Bugatti, is entirely different projects and an entirely different level of complexity.  They are not assembled; they are BUILT!  You will spend hundreds of hours building a single model.  It's not uncommon to spend a year or more completing a single model.  They are that intense!  Also, the Classic Series is extremely frustrating.  It is not uncommon for parts not to fit and to require modification so that they will.  The instructions do not come with text.  They are merely illustrations that show where the part is supposed to go.  You'll have to figure out a method for attaching it.  

I've only done one classic series, a 1933 Mercedes 540k, and it was so complicated that I only managed to advance to completing a running chassis.  What stopped me was the requirement to sew the convertible top fabric and upholster the interior.  Both of those requirements were outside my skill set, and the build stopped there.  Stopping at that point is common among Pocher modelers attempting to complete the Mercedes 540k.  However, I will say that my proudest Pocher Classic Mercedes moment was lacing the wire wheels.  The lacing of wheels was probably the most difficult modeling task I've ever encountered in my entire assembly modeling career.   

If you want to try building Pocher, I would recommend starting with a Prestige series car first.  If you can handle that, then you might want to consider advancing to a Classic series.  However, please allow me to extend this cautionary advice!  The Classic series is for the truly advanced and serious modeler.  It is NOT for the typical casual modeler.   

I'd like to add that I inherited quite a few large-scale models from a good friend of mine, who passed away last year.  They are from a wide array of current 1:8 scale manufacturers.  I did keep two for myself, but due to a lack of space, sold the rest.  They're just too big and too impractical for my small-ish (2100 sq ft) California home with no basement.  He also had tons of photo-etched detail kits and several sets of custom made wheels that cost approximately $100 each.  

These are the two models I've kept.  My wife is after me to sell them because they're displayed in our master bedroom.  I literally have no place else to put them.  I have three more Pochers (Ferrari F40, Porsche 993, and a Testarossa) that I personally built and stored in a cabinet in my garage.  I also have two unbuilt Pocher Lotus F1 cars.  

@marty-johnson Thank you for sharing your experiences with Pocher models.  As I mentioned, it would be my dream to build one of the RRs, but dreams don't always meet with reality.  I have yet to see a Pocher kit for sale on eBay, over here, though Amazon has some in the 700-1000Euro range.