Porsche 917K (MFH): Complete, finally (#6 for 2023)

Porsche's road race team in 1970: the 917K for high speed tracks and the 908/03 for the twisty ones. Both versions here were driven by Brian Redman and Jo Siffert in 1970: they DNFed in car #20 at Le Mans, but took first place in car #12 at the Targa Florio. 

There are lots of similarities: the chassis are essentially identical, with the same wheelbase, suspension and cockpit layout; the 917K makes room for the flat 12 by hanging the gearbox out behind the final drive, while the gearbox is between the flat 8 and the final drive in the 908/03.

 

 

 

Both are classics. The 908/03 in particular was a minimalist little go-cart, with 380 hp and only 650 kg curb weight; perfect for twisty tracks with lots of tight corners and very short straights.

Among Model Factory Hiro 1/24 scale kits, these are among the most detailed but also the most difficult to get right, and I am glad they are finally both on the shelf, major flaws and all. I opened up the box for the 908/03 in October 2014, and finished it over four years later in January 2019; I opened up the 917K in January 2021 and completed it today (#6 for 2023). 

Jerry Seinfeld, a noted Porsche collector, owns both these cars today. Shows massive levels of good taste, I'd say. 

So the bench is (almost) clear. The DB3S is almost done and I may as well tackle it. Stay tuned!  

Porsche 917K (MFH): Paint, finally

Finally got the paint halfway decent, a good thing as I am running out of my stash of Testor's 1108 (bottle) and 1208 (spray can) Light Blue and 1628 (spray can) Orange enamels. Any future Gulf Oil cars will require the appropriate Zero Paints airbrush colours. 

The final coats of blue went on with my new airbrush, the orange went on direct from the can (a mess), and the black was done with a brush after taping it up. I think I am going to skip the clear coat and go straight to the decals and detail final assembly. 

I'll leave you to find the flaws, some due to not having sufficiently cleaned off the mould release agents. I should know this by now.

Readership data

Hello, fellow modellers and readers of this blog! I've got some interesting data to share. 

From my first post, in February 2014, up to roughly July 2023, I had a total of about 55,000 views of pages of this blog, or about 450 to 500 per month. Some months the numbers were under 100, and there were occasional peaks at 1000 or 2000 per month. Although there are readers across the planet, few or none of these views were from Singapore. 

That all changed in August 2023. In the last three months, total views has surged to 107,000, driven entirely by 46,900 new views from Singapore alone.  

So: Who are you? What are your interests? What do you like about this blog? And most importantly, how did you find it? Drop me a line using the 'Comment' button; if you don't want it published, just say so and I'll keep it between us. 

I will point out this is not the first time there has been a surge from a specific geographic location; several years ago there was sudden interest from Russia which doubled total page views in a few months, then died down. But in any case feel free to initiate a conversation. 

Best, 

    Tom

Porsche 917K (MFH): Chassis (VI)

Calling this part done. There are some flaws that required cutting and filing, due to the engine actually being mounted slightly crooked to the cockpit tub. But it will do, and the body fits as it should. 

Piping for the gas tank (right side) and oil tank (left side) and associated pumps has worked out well.

Next is the paint. I have been fixing flaws using an old bottle of Testor's enamel diluted for use in the new airbrush; stay tuned for more. In particular I'll have to decide on painting the nose orange or fighting with the decals, and whether to put the clear on first (recommended by most) or over the decals (protects them).

Stay tuned!

Alfa 8C 2900B Spider: Intro

Given the Japanese yen has dropped to a value of 0.91 cents, down from a peak of 1.32 cents in May 2020, the Model Factory Hiro kit, in 1/12 scale, of the 1938 Mille Miglia-winning 8C 2900B Spider is now cheaper by approximately $380 and so I found myself unable to resist acquiring it before a) it runs out of stock, and/or b) the yen recovers some value versus the Canadian dollar.

[Photos from the MFH website]

Of course this means several hundred more spokes...

 

 

UPDATE! Having hit the Purchase button, the kit is now listed as sold out, so I got the last one. Hah! Stay tuned.

Porsche 917K (MFH): Paint and Chassis (VI)

I recall some years ago having trouble finding a Tamiya paint that matched the light blue typical of the Gulf Oil cars, and discovering that there is a Testor's enamel (1208C Light Blue) that is 'close enough'. 

I also know enough to know one should not spray Tamiya over Testor's, so that in turn implies using a Testor's colour for the orange as well. In this respect I was lucky to find a can of Testor's 1628C, Competition Orange, at a recent model car swap meet.  

So with blue paint on the body, enamels need several days or a week to harden enough that I won't leave a big fat thumbprint in the roof.

This provides time to finish up the rear chassis and subframes, a case of two steps forward and one (sometimes three) steps back. But the end is in sight and I'm tempted to get it done and on the shelf. 

Photo shows the left side lower body, with orange paint applied a week ago, installed. This covers the gas tank and supports the fibreglass inner fender. What is not shown is the struggle to get a reasonable amount of camber and toe adjustment for the two rear hubs. Some fairly major surgery was required... and when it's all done, there will be paint touch ups all over the tubular frame.

So progress is being made, slowly. 

 The Aston Martin DB3S is waiting for my initial attempt to paint with an airbrush. Stay tuned!

Porsche 917K (MFH): Chassis (V)

With the Aston Martin DB3S on the shelf while I await delivery of a compact airbrush, I decided to resurrect the 917K as devised by Model Factory Hiro. This will be the car in Gulf Oil livery in which Redman and Siffert did not finish Le Mans in 1970. 

I worked on this from January to March, 2021, then again in November and December of 2022. I parked it to do something 'easier' which turned out to be MFH's 1/12 scale Auto Union Type C. So that gives you an idea of how challenging these builds can be...

A quick review of the rear suspension mounting points reassured me that it wasn't as bad as I recalled. No, in fact, it was worse, because there were a number of weak joints to be repaired. But I got the hubs mounted temporarily and the whole thing sitting on blocks; the axles may not all be pointed in the same direction but at least it can be made to sit flat on its A-arms. 

Furthermore, the major body panels all seem to fit, at least so far. So progress is being made. 

Stay tuned!

Aston Martin DB3S: Engine and Chassis (II)

Got the chassis complete. It's a simple ladder frame, must have flexed like crazy, although to be fair it used torsion bars rather than transverse leaf springs as some of the competitors (the AC Ace, for instance, which became the Shelby Cobra) were using. 

 

As always the spark plug wires provide in MFH kits, while reasonably accurate in terms of thickness (0.014" = 0.35 mm, or about 0.350" at full scale), are too limp to be easily pushed into a small hole. The Detail Master wires are nice and stiff, given they have a metal wire core, and are preferred in my opinion.

One of the wire wheels is damaged but I've got a range of spares in the boneyard. At least it sits square on all 4!

 

 

Next is the interior. Soon I'll be getting to the point of needing the body painted, which will require someone with an airbrush as there are no close approximations of this metallic green in spray cans. 

 

 

Stay tuned!