DoctorB

Taking a break for the moment. Re-stocking enthusiasm with a Tamiya 1/12 Ferrari

Thanks Tankerman. I'll see how it goes with CA. Most of the joints feel very solid. The top front ones not so much. Hoping that on balance all will be well. Otherwise it'll be a crash-course in soldering.

Next two parts added to engine subframe... no drama... a few parts need straightening and the overall shape is not fully square, so I'll tackle that once the glue has completely dried.

Forgot to mention in my last post when the swearing actually started. I had decided to use epoxy glue to start assembling the engine subframe. First part went on well. Second, too. Then the third turned everything into a gluey mess. I was in too much of a hurry, the first parts hadn't fully set... you can imagine the rest. Anyway, all parts cleaned up. First try with superglue. Taking my time. Will allow these parts to fully set then move on.

Thanks, Mumbly. Sounds like glue is the way forward.

This weekend... Ignition wiring started. Getting the wire through the holes was a tight fit but it does go. Also started the workaround on the fuel pipes... photo not great but it seems to have worked out well. Then started working on the engine subframe. This is when the swearing started. I can get the parts to dry fit fine. Gluing looks like it could be a challenge. Any of you guys solder? Never tried it myself. Worth it?

Hi kpnuts I’m guessing body decals are coming soon? The area around the radiators and sills was more difficult than I thought it would be. If I was doing it again, I’d get better prepared on my reference points and I would have slowed down/better avoided distractions. It’s definitely a 100% focus task. Forgot to say… looking good.

Today's update... 1) Getting the rest of the parts for the build organised. As I'm sure most of you know, the parts really do arrive as a 'bag-o-bits'. So I decided to tackle getting these organised in preparation for when the engine is done. Thanks to Homebase for the very handy storage solution, and 3M for the ever-useful Post-it. In the end, the process of sorting and identifying the parts went faster than expected. I now feel like i've got more control over the situation. While I haven't done a part count, it feels like most of them are in the engine and its subframe! There are certainly many steps in the manual which use only a few parts. 2) Progressing on the engine wiring. This will be familiar territory to MFH 'old hands'. For those of you that have never tried one of these kits, there is a lot of drilling out. I am starting to find it very therapeutic. I've also put on the first of the wiring loom 'holders'/brackets. 3) Testing out wire lengths etc. I bought some spare wire of the approximate thickness to test out wire lengths etc. Long story short, the wires from distributor to spark plug need to be 7-9cm, so I'll measure how much comes with the kit to see how careful i need to be in preserving supplies. 4) Testing out the wire spigot solution for fuel lines as recommended in Brexitmodeller post. I bought some 0.4mm wire which I've tested on one of the fuel line brackets. Seems ok in principle. Overall, I have recovered from my wiring mental 'wobble' and it's time to crack on. Let's see how it goes over the coming days.

Thanks, Ron

Afternoon, everyone... today's progress is in the planning phase. Ive looked at the wiring and fuel pipes plus the one thread where i could find a 917 engine build (another forum, link https://brexitmodeller.com/forums/topic/412-mfh-112-porsche-917k/ ,hope that's ok to post), and i am slightly in despair. This is going to be right at my limit of skills, possibly beyond. Can I ask for some help? The red wiring for spark plugs is - as the post says - wire and i can both drill a 0.6mm hole and get the wire through. I can get 0.6mm holes drilled into the distributor and spark plugs. So the challenge will be patience and layout of the wiring. Plus buying some extra 0.6mm red coated wire if i need to. The fuel lines look like a whole other level. As the post says, it is not really possible to pass the tube through a 0.6 mm hole. The proposed solution was to insert small lengths of 0.6mm wire into holes and wiring looms as needed, and proceed on that basis. Haven't looked for an extra supply of off-white 0.6mm tubing but I'll guess that it or something similar exists. Please send positive thoughts and advice 🙂 plus also some extra supplies of patience and encouragement. Especially any guidance on good suppliers for modelling wires etc., if there is any guidance on that. (Assumption is that it's all standard stuff so it doesn't matter where I buy it from) The above link also shows the difficulties in fitting engine to frame.

Progress on the engine today... Next step - air intakes. Lucky me! There are 12 of the fiddly things which need quite a lot of clean-up for part-lines, flash etc.

Instructions...

Small amount of progress on suspension parts in the last few days... plenty of small parts ready for priming and then gluing these parts. I'm also taking the precaution of washing all parts. The metal ones to make sure that all of the sanding residue is gone. The resin parts because... that's what everyone says is needed!

I added a second MFH 1/12 to the stash. It's going to be a while before I start it. Thought I'd share the statutory box etc. pics to get the thread started. Link to MFH website: https://www.modelfactoryhiro.com/SHOP/K742.html Instructions, decals and PE in a plastic folder on top of contents Nicely protected with bubblewrap Bags of resin parts on top Then the stretch-wrapped 'bag-o-bits' at the bottom along with the tyres.

Thanks Nick will take a look at those later

Mpfiend, not 100% sure why it didn’t work so well for me with Tamiya extra thin. One contributing factor is definitely the weight of the finished model. It’s a good point you raise about painting then gluing. It’s so long ago now I can’t remember but it’s quite possible. Point noted for the next 1/12 build.

Progress on the engine this weekend. Generally good; problem attaching one of the throttle springs (the wire loops at the end of the springs didn't seem big enough, ended up over-stretching the spring). Added a few more details with some silver paint on nuts. The way I've fitted the (?) throttles is asymmetric. I believe that this is right as the parts are definitely not symmetrical and the intake manifolds (? not sure whether I've correctly identified these... the long pieces of the engine?) Going to take a breather, re-group and start to gather and prepare the final pieces needed for the engine... pulleys, etc... There is one area where I'd value some advice, please. The instructions say build the frame then slide the engine in. I remember reading the only 917/20 build that i ever found (which only got as far as the engine) which stated that this sliding the engine into the frame is a well-known fit problem. Anyone who has built one of these... any reason why it's not possible to assemble the frame around the engine?

Strong glue for the suspension... especially the rear... i made the schoolboy error of using tamiya extra thin... just not strong enough

Looking good, kpnuts... just suggest you test fit the engine exhaust through the rear bumper... that was a minor annoyance for me as i hadn't done it and the fit required a bit of 'encouragement' at final assembly

Small amount of priming and painting of small parts mentioned above. Trying to keep going 'one day at a time' on the engine. Little bits when i can. Lots of tricky small parts.

Hi kpnuts... what skill level does this model need? too much for a 12-year old?

Thanks for all of the detail, Silver911. I have this in my stash and am very much looking forward to it

Thanks, CrazyCrank... I think I need the Haynes manual for the 917/20. Should such a thing exist. A little more preparation this evening. If I couldn't tell the difference between the alternator and the distributor, my eternal gratitude to anyone who knows what these are 🙂 ! Sanding, drilling, straightening... I used epoxy to glue the heavy engine parts. I am assuming that superglue will be best for the smaller engine pieces, e.g., the throttle? I will also take my first dive into the photoetched components tomorrow.

Weighing in at a mighty 220g!

Today's update... Alternators primed and sprayed silver. I had to fill a massive gap between the 2 lower halves. Came up much better than expected after painting. That seems to be a lesson I'm taking out of this. The white metal parts don't look great unpainted. A bit of preparation and paint, and the detail really pops out. Then I test-fitted that cylinders etc. The air intakes didn't fit so well into the clear piece if the clear piece was fitted to the engine first. So tried the reverse and that seemed to work better. Finally, glued the cylinders and heads into place.