Alfa Romeo 179C
I love Italian cars and motorcycles, and Alfa Romeo somehow seem to be the most Italian of the manufacturers.
This is the Italeri 1/12 kit for the Alfa Romeo 179/179C Formula One car, entered for the 1979 to 1982 seasons.
The kit was originally issued by Protar in 1983 and reissued by Italeri in 2018.
Not much has changed in that time although the transfers (decals) must have been reprinted.
The kit shows its age in some ways, lots of flash for example, but can be built into a respectable model. There are some nice details.
The kit gives you some options between the the 179 and 179C models, and four different drivers. The variations are mainly in the front aerofoils and the tobacco sponsor's colour schemes.
I used Tamiya TS-36 Florescent Red from the spray can.
The car was not the most successful entry, its main claim to fame was obtaining pole position in the US Grand Prix in 1980. It was never a winner or even a podium finisher, despite the best efforts of some very talented drivers including everyone's favourite Italian-American, Mario Andretti.
I couldn't get the ignition wires or fuel pipes to go to my liking so I decided it was going to be a “kerbside” model.
Many of the parts are fitted with screws ensuring a reasonable fit. Unfortunately they are not crosshead screws making it difficult to tighten them up.
It's interesting to compare the car with a Moto GP bike from roughly the same era.
So, I've added an Alfa Romeo to my collection. Thanks for looking and happy modelling.
Nice Alfa, George! I’d love to get a chance to drive one of those.
Hi John @j-healy, I’ve owned four Alfa Romeos over the years and driven a couple more, but never a F1 car. Thanks for taking the time to look and comment.
Beautiful paint and decal work George.
Thanks, Tom @tcinla, I’m an anti-smoker but I still like the colour schemes from that period.
@chinesegeorge - Fantastic work as usual George! Looks great next to the bike as well.
Thanks, @brithebuilder, they are both “smokers”.
Very nice work. That Italeri kit is NO Tamiya F1 kit!
YOU made it into some thing nice. Great work!
Steve
Cheers, @sjcorvi, you’re right, the trouble is that the Tamiya kits are showing their age these days.
Looks pretty darned good, George @chinesegeorge. Those 4 wheels look good next to your other two. Always great to see a F1 build on these winged pages!
Thanks, Eric @eb801, I agree, shame there are not more F1 kits available.
You definitely got a fantastic result out of this kit, George @chinesegeorge
She looks great in this well known livery.
Nice comparison with the bike.
Hi, @johnb, thanks for your kind comments, I don’t think cars of this era were the best looking F1 cars ever, but, I agree, the markings are very attractive.
Excellent result, George! A fine looking Alfa, back from those Great Times!
Great times indeed, Spiros @fiveten, thank you very much.
Great job George! Nice painting for this real Alfa Romeo…not like the actual in F1 championship 😉
Thanks, @tarantinopaolo, yes, a real Alfa Romeo.
Awesome work, it’s a beauty
Thanks, Pedro @holzhamer, much appreciated.
Molto bene!
Ciao, Bryan @plasticslave.
Wow, nice job George, especially since Italeri kits aren't known for their precision fit. However, your Alfa does have some really nice detail.
Thanks, Tom @tom-bebout, the fit wasn’t that bad, there were some fairly crude, old fashioned things though, like fixing parts with a heated up screw driver blade, I haven’t done that for a long time.
Bellissimo! Looks great, wires looked OK but... oh smoking is bad for you.
Cheers, Bill @billkoppos, I couldn’t get those wires to go as they should.
Beautiful Alfa George @chinesegeorge. Very good racecar with a V12! But horribly unreliable.
Thanks, @beauslx, yes, unfortunately, you’re right, it hardly finished a race.
Wonderful work, as usual, George @chinesegeorge! 🏆 You really do build the nicest car models and this is no exception! It's a beautiful racer and looks great finished here. 👏
Wow, thanks very much, @garybrantley, you’re too kind, but it’s much appreciated.
Excellent !