On the Bench: Citroen 2CV Part 4 (Finished)

 

 

 

The simple Revell Citroen 2CV project I started while waiting for my house move to go through is finally done.
 
Last time in Part 3, the 2CV’s main assemblies were fitted together leaving me with a recognisable, but still unfinished, 2CV. Over the last couple of days I have finished assembly (this was just a case of fitting the glazing, bumpers, roof and trim parts) and applied some weathering to make the car look how I wanted: a used and probably much-loved but rather uncared-for old 2CV that might still be in use somewhere in deepest France.

As had been the case throughout the build, the last few pieces went together very well and fitted nicely. It is easy to forget that things like door handles and windscreen wipers were commonly moulded in place as part of the body shell on older car kits, and the improvement in the finished model thanks to the use of separate parts for such things in this kit is apparent.

The only thing I’m not really happy with is the lights. Firstly, I used Revell ‘clear’ colours for the amber indicator and red rear light lenses, and it really isn’t as effective as the Humbrol clear paint I normally use. Secondly, I was concerned that the headlamp reflectors looked a little too dark, as the chrome plating applied during manufacture had not coated the insides of the light reflectors very well. I brushed some silver paint into the headlight reflectors to try to improve it, but after fitting the clear lenses I still think the headlights look too dark.

On the other hand, this was my first time using Humbrol’s new washes and weathering powders, and I am pretty happy with the result. I wanted the wheels and bodywork to look used and to show an accumulation of dirt together with a suggestion of rust, and though it’s not a show winning job the end result is just about what I wanted. Dark grey wash was used to darken the panel gaps and to make a dark stain beneath the fuel cap to suggest fuel spills, and rust wash was applied sparingly along the door bottoms, beneath the windscreen and under the bonnet sides. Dust was then brushed gently along the lower panels and bumpers.

Overall I'd recommend this kit. There are various ways to build it - a smart Charlston edition like the kit was designed to be, an old hack like the one I have built, or perhaps a racer or a family car loaded down with groceries or luggage. Quality is good and you should encounter no real issues with this kit.