Raven Morpheus Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 (edited) This is the kit, the box art varies and it was also issued by AMT in the US with the actual L&M Penske livery, but this is the boxing I have - Ok, so first up this is not an all singing all dancing Tamiya =>1/24 kit or a MFH kit (oh how I wish I could afford one of those), but I bought it because I had one, along with an E Type of a similar scale, when I was about 15, some 24 years ago, and I made a mess of it. The kit itself is even older than that... This is the only car I've done since. So with that in mind, and the fact it's an old and not very detailed kit, please don't expect too much from it. I'm sure it's nowhere near the class of kit seen regularly on these pages, nor are my skills, but I bought it because I love the 60's/70's era Can Am and Le Mans cars, I had this as a kid, and wanted to make a half decent attempt of it seeing as I botched it first time around... Most of my source pictures come from this article on Speedhunters - http://www.speedhunters.com/2013/06/face-to-face-with-the-destroyer-porsche-917-10-canam/ I'll be using the kit decals, which I believe are fictional/erroneous for this car, being of a Martini Racing livery found on either a 917/20 or 917/30, driven by Herbert Muller, or based on the 1971 #3 Vic Elford Martini Racing 917K, winner of the Sebring 12hrs that year. Just in case the decals don't play ball (they are 30 odd years old) I will be keeping the main bodywork white, so that if I need to I can buy decals for the L&M livery and use those instead... Apologies for the blurriness and quality of the photos, they were only quick ones and not my best... The start (to the point where I needed to start painting stuff, the white piece of bodywork in the tub is not fixed in place) - Some time later (after some rudimentary airbrushing and hairy sticking) - Wheels (have a couple of stubbon pieces of blu tack to remove from the wheel hub on the bottom right) Rear frame (upside down) Engine (minus 2 parts that I need to paint/attach, you can see those in the first picture) Tub (needs more painting but the aluminium colour is done) Not sure I have the colouring right on the various bits of pipe work on the engine, but I'll see in proper light what it looks like, these photos were taken under a daylight bulb... It'll get a coat of matt varnish anyway to dull down the shininess. The Tamiya Flat Aluminium on the tub seems to be drying rather slowly at the front, or it's gone glossy, which is quite odd. It'll get a gloss coat anyhow. The chrome on the wheels and tubular frame has come out rather well, should look great when it's got a coat of gloss varnish on it, I'm quite pleased with how that's turned out although I can't help feeling I should have at least left the original kit "chrome" on the wheels... The tubular frame in the kit seems a bit lacking, or possibly even incorrect (even though I have a couple of parts still to add to it), so I would like to take some 1mm styrene rod (although that might be too thick) and create the part of the tubular frame that's in the front end of the tub, so that I can have the front body work loose as well as the back and perhaps also add some of the rear tubular frame that is missing, but I have no scale drawings of the framework and don't really know where to start, so I might not do that and just have the front bodywork glued on as per the kit instructions. Which is a real shame because this kit is crying out for a little bit more detail, especially in the front. I do plan on drilling out the two grey bits at the end of the pipe that connects to the central exhausts - they are what I assume are the turbo intakes on the real car. Can't believe they were moulded solid when the exhausts aren't!?! Edited July 25, 2016 by Raven Morpheus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 It's actually quite a lovely kit and I'd buy a couple of them if I could find them at prices I could justify. I built one many moons ago and still have it hanging around somewhere. You're doing a fine job there, keep up the good work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VMA131Marine Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Nice, ...but the Stig needs some arms. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Morpheus Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 (edited) More progress made this afternoon/evening - Yes, I left the Lesney/Matchbox stamp and the number on the seat showing, you won't see either of those once the bodywork is on. Wheels might not be straight, I think, as the wheel hubs don't seem to have gone on straight. Also ignore the wooden toothpick piece between the turbo intake manifolds, it's there to hold them apart while the glue sets in a couple of places. Edited July 22, 2016 by Raven Morpheus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Moon Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Very cool! I'm excited to see the bodywork come on, I love these older 1/32 kits. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vontrips Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Wow...my first car model over 40 years ago! I loved that kit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Morpheus Posted July 23, 2016 Author Share Posted July 23, 2016 (edited) Body work is undercoated. Rather than use Vallejo Model Air Grey Surface Primer (which is what I have been using and not having good results with if I get the subsequent paint layers wrong and have to strip the model...) I used Vallejo Model Air Gris Claro, or Light Grey, #050. It worked fine for me on a 1/48 Huey and a couple of other models and it sprays lovely. Probably Vallejo's best paint for spraying straight from the bottle in the model air range. I have masked over the two intake grills on the rear, they'll get painted flat aluminium and gone over with a black ink wash, hopefully the detail is deep enough to take the paint layer and the ink wash... Need to do a little touch up on the top part of the bulkhead where I was holding it in my "helping hands" tool though. The top part of the wing (believe that might be called a Gurney flap?) needs removing from the runner. Minor things though. Now I just need to get a nice smooth even layer of Tamiya X-2 Gloss White, when it arrives, Royal Fail this morning failed to deliver it, will have to wait until Tuesday now unless I venture out in the heat to my local sorting office, grr... Edited July 23, 2016 by Raven Morpheus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 My first car model too and that started a lifelong love of the 917 family. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Morpheus Posted July 23, 2016 Author Share Posted July 23, 2016 (edited) Probably a bit late at this stage to be scratchbuilding stuff but I've found a more close up photo of the front framework, close enough that I can make out most of it and combined with the top down pic of the car without bodywork in the Speedhunters article I feel I can have a go at replicating that framework. As luck would have it I have some 1mm styrene rod which is the same diameter, or appears to be, as the rear tubular frame parts so it shouldn't look too out of scale (it is a bit bendy and flimsy though). I'll also try adding a couple of parts that are quite obviously missing from the rear frame also. I might be able to have the front body work removable... Edited July 23, 2016 by Raven Morpheus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Morpheus Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) Ok so I had a go today at creating the framework in the front end, mostly using the overhead shot with the car minus the bodywork in the Speedhunters article and another picture taken from the front of the L&M car... It's not 100% accurate, and I'm not entirely convinced all the crossover/meeting points are dead in the middle, which they should be, but it's an approximation and as best as I can do given what I'm working with. Need to finish it off (mostly green stuff work at the joints to simulate welding and then paint), add some more at either side at the front also, and then I'll start on adding to the rear frame which I'm sure is missing a few tubes. Oh, and the front bodywork still fits! I'll also be closing up those two "luggage" compartments with flat slabs of styrene sheet, as on the real car that's where the doors are and the surfaces are flat. I don't like the way the driver figure sits though, his feet seem to be too high, I need to sand his back/bottom down a bit anyway as his head is a little too high. I might also have a go at making a pedal set but I'm not confident of doing it well. I may also put a couple of bits of styrene rod in the rest of the cockpit to approximate the parts of the tubular frame in there, but I'm not sure there's enough room now I've stuck the seats down... Edited July 24, 2016 by Raven Morpheus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Morpheus Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) Couple of updated pics to show the rest of the framework I've added on the front end. Just need to tidy up the green stuff a little, and perhaps add a little here and there, and it should all be ready for painting, which will probably be a nightmare... My reference pics - Edited July 24, 2016 by Raven Morpheus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplasticsurgeon Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Another Kit that I remember building - but where is it now? I remember seeing one of these racing at Silverstone in 1974. Blistering and dominant, bit of a one horse race. See this page:- http://www.retro-speed.co.uk/gallery.asp?ip=sf&gid=sf&pid=9118 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Morpheus Posted July 25, 2016 Author Share Posted July 25, 2016 (edited) Added some of the rear frame tubing and painted all the bits I've added with Tamiya Chrome Silver - Edited July 25, 2016 by Raven Morpheus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Morpheus Posted August 7, 2016 Author Share Posted August 7, 2016 Now posted in RFI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzulscha Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 That looks rather better than I expected. Just found a ratty box with one of these in a collection I bought recently.  Nice work.  I found the link to your build while looking up prices.  LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 The RFI for this build, I liked it in spite of the troubles Raven had with his bodywork.. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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