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1970 Porsche 917K


Mark

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Hi all,

With just under a week to go I have sorted out all that I need to get the first of my two (maybe three) builds underway for this long-awaited Group Build. I have always had a passion for motor sport and having grown up not too far from Brands Hatch, had access to some great racing. From Formula One to BTCC, British Superbikes to trucks, we had a great circuit just over half an hour from my home,

But Le Mans was always a special event and although I have never been to a 24 hour race there, I have followed every race since the early 1970s. The Gulf sponsored Porsche 917Ks were, to me, the epitome of this great race and here is my first build based on Fujimi's 1/24th kit. It will be 'enhanced' but until the 'race' actually gets underway, here's a box shot to start this thread off.

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Nice choice, I've got this one too and the Rennaisence PE set for it. It was going to be my second build but may try something else.

The enhancements have me intrigued.

Cheers,

Warren

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Hi all,

OK, a little bit more time today so will let you know about those 'enhancements'!

There are basically two injected plastic kits of the Porsche 917K doing the rounds and they are the Fujimi, in several different boxings representing different cars and years etc, and the old Heller kit which can be found under the Union label. The Fujimi is the sharper kit of the two with the older Union kit being quite soft in detail. The main problem with the Fujimi is that, when viewed from above, the sides are parallel and the front and rear wheel tracks are equal. On the actual car the rear is flared out slightly as can be seen on the drawing below:

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So first off there is a replacement rear engine cover from Renaissance, very nicely cast in resin, which will improve the shape. Then there is the Studio 27 etched detail set and various types and shapes of Model Factory Hiro hoses and piping etc. Brass tubing will replace a lot of the internal framework but the big challenge will be to include the Model Factory Hiro multi-media engine as this really is an incredible little kit in its own right! A set of after market decals for car no.20 driven by Jo Siffert and Brian Redman

Here are a few photos of the after market stuff and the sprue shots of the Fujimi kit:

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I can't wait until start time now!!

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Another cracking project! I remember visiting a racing car show around 1970 and seeing one of these beasts - AWESOME!

I've got the very similar Daytona version tucked away in my stash - and a certain Steve McQueen film in my DVD collection.

Good luck with the build!

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A few days late, but better late than never! I have now 'started my engine'!!

The Porsche 917K is underway and the first thing that I started was the engine, an incredible collection of pieces of white metal, etched metal, resin and wire that will hopefully fit into the Fujimi interior somehow!

The MFH kit is simply astounding and yes, they are expensive, but I have found that aftermarket car detail sets are disproportionately expensive compared to their aviation cousins. But cost aside, the set is beautifully detailed with the cylinder heads even having cast representations of the valve heads! The majority of the engine is cast metal and detail is added with etched parts. The prominent fan and intake trumpet mounts are cast in a brown resin that captures the look of the original far better than could be represented by paint. Anyway, enough waffling, here's where I've got to so far:

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After a bit of primer:

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And then painted. The block is semi-gloss black and the heads are a very dark metallic grey:

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The Fujimi gearbox was added to see if it fits, and yes, it's near perfect!

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Lots of work to do still, so I'm now off for an evening at the work bench.

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The MFH stuff is expensive, even the kits but boy is it worth it.

Great start, will look fantastic once it's in the chassis.

Cheers,

Warren

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  • 3 weeks later...

Another cracking project! I remember visiting a racing car show around 1970 and seeing one of these beasts - AWESOME!

I've got the very similar Daytona version tucked away in my stash - and a certain Steve McQueen film in my DVD collection.

Good luck with the build!

I think you'll find that #20 was "Delaney's" car in the film...

Rich

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Right, now that the Motorbike GB has ended (and yes! I actually finished an entry for a GB!!) I can now devote more time to the 917K, but I'm a bit modelled out today after a 6 hour session this afternoon, so the mighty Porsche will take shape, but not tonight. It must be Vin Rouge O'Clock by now?

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Morning all! So, I went to bed last night at 3 a.m. after doing some work on the engine. I'm personally quite happy with this and the MFH stuff is just stunning in terms of quality and fit. Off to the workbench for more torture...

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WOW, that look great Mark. The detail is excellent, a great kit all on its own.

Hoping to get my build off the grid today.

Cheers,

Warren

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Blimey! Is that a working throttle mechanism????

Not quite a working throttle but, when I finish the model and put the key in I'll let you know! Would you believe that there's an etched metal ignition key included in the Studio 27 set?!

I think I'll need a stronger glasses prescription after this build though!

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I've had enough for today! I'll be going blind at this rate, but the engine is almost complete with half of the ignition wiring completed and just the other half to do and a few details added. Then it's the fuel lines and exhausts I'll be calling it complete.

I played around with a few other components as well whilst various bits were drying or setting. The suspension is moulded as a solid block and I thought that if I'd taken enough time with the engine, then I should really replace the solid shock absorbers with after market ones from Top Studio. They certainly improve that area by a huge amount!

Day off modelling tomorrow and then back to work for a few days, but I hope to get a sneaky hour or two in during the evenings!

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Wow. What a great improvement the coil over dampers are. I've got a bit of that braided line in the supplies box; it looks really fine in real life but these pics make it look slightly over-scale. Probably because the model is so damn small!!

Plug wiring looks great too. Are you planning to run the lines to the fuel injectors?

Kirk

Edited by Kirk
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Hi Kirk,

Yep, all the fuel lines will be done, the braided line was just an experiment and is hidden as it sits right up against the firewall, so not really bothered.

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