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Topic starter
02/03/2022 3:02 pm
The Citroën Traction Avant was a range of mostly 4-door sedans with four or six-cylinder engines, produced by the French manufacturer CITROEN from 1934 to 1957. Approximately 760,000 units were produced, remembering that World War II stopped production for several years.
Incorporating front-wheel drive and independent suspension, the Traction Avant added a crash resistant, unitary body. Additionally, the car was also an early adopter of rack and pinion steering. Although the car's name emphasized its front-wheel drive power delivery ("Traction Avant" literally means “front traction”), the car stood out at least as much by its much lower profile and stance – made possible by the absence of a separate chassis under the car's unitary body – sharply distinguishing it visually from its contemporaries.
This plastic model by the French firm of Heller is in the scale of 1:43, made of light plastic, is quite well formed and produced with very little trimming necessary. Some parts and their meeting places are quite small and delicate. Some joints simply abutt, necessitating cautious application of glue and continued pressure during the glue-drying process. Clamps help.
This is not a model to be rushed to completion. I have had fun with it over a period of about three weeks, usually in 10 minute intervals. It also helped to have a companion Citroen, a Solido 1/43 model, to use as a guide at times. And I have to confess that sometimes the research into the actual car and its times is great fun, too. (Pictures may be enlarged by touching them with your cursor.)
This topic was modified 4 years ago by David H
02/03/2022 3:10 pm
Nice work and thanks for the background information. Is this a relatively new kit or was it produced many years ago?
Ed Davis
Inverness, Illinois, USA
Topic starter
02/03/2022 3:36 pm
@ed-davis Ed, The kit is not dated. This is Heller kit number 159. I think it is several years old, and it probably remained in production for several years. The Heller company itself started making kits in 1958 and has had a very checkered corporate life. Many of its car kits seem to concentrate on the cars and markets of the 1960s and 70s. Heller kits often show up on eBay and other second-hand sites.
This post was modified 4 years ago by David H
02/03/2022 6:51 pm
Hi David,
You have done a nice job on this Heller Citroen 11CV. I built this kit years ago before I started working with resin kits but after my earliest effort with John Day etc white metal kits.. I'm fairly sure that it was prior to 1980.
They have issued it in a variety of boxes over the years. Your box is the much the same as mine from back then. Not sure if I still have the model. I did it in black.
My more recent Heller kits call the company 'Heller Humbrol'. I still have to complete a Jaguar XJS.
02/03/2022 7:06 pm
Nice build David, though red seems an odd choice. Maybe add a roof light and fire chief decals? I used to have a Solido like that. I have four Traction Avants, three of which I've made pics of. Here are an old Dinky 11BL, a Norev 11AL, and a Solido 11B decouvrable. The fourth (no pic yet) is a basic black 15CV six by Solido, an excellent diecast.
This post was modified 4 years ago by Harv Goranson
Topic starter
02/03/2022 7:36 pm
Thanks, David. I guess this kit is older than I had figured. I have three more, all still in their original boxes with the clear wrapping.
Harv, I chose the red because I wanted a red closer to your red convertible. Boy, did I miss it! I think my next one is going to be pre-painted. 
David H