The first Model Factory Hiro (hereinafter MFH) kit I purchased was the Porsche 908/03 as driven by Jo Siffert and Brian Redman to a win in the 1970 Targa Florio. What a lovely car! What a monster of a kit! I was in no way up to the skill level required, and while it looks good, the body panels don't really fit well even though it took me about 5 years to build it (purchased August 2013, started October 2014, completed January 2019). The biggest issue was getting the tubular chassis straight; all the itsy bitsy teensie weensie liddle widdle spun-cast white metal struts were bent and/or I hadn't appreciated how thoroughly you have to drill out all the dowel and socket joints.
Probably my second MFH purchase was the similar 917K driven by Siffert and Redman at Le Mans that year. The car failed to finish, but that's OK; the two make a lovely pair. (Jerry Seinfeld apparently agrees with me as he has both these cars at 1:1 scale). Here the chassis is essentially the same as the 908/03; in the 908 the final drive is behind the transmission but in the 917K it is between the engine and transmission, thus allowing for two more pairs of cylinders and another 1.5 litres of displacement. So I have been putting off starting this kit as I expect it to be as challenging as the 908.
Since starting the 908/03, I've built almost a dozen other MFH kits. Given what I've learned since 2014, maybe it's time to take the leap. So here goes! Everyone into the (acetone) bath!
Let's see if I can complete this faster than the 52 months I spent, on and off, on the 908/03. Stay tuned!
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