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Revell Porsche 356B Coupe, 1/16 scale


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I saw these built up on the Revell stand at Telford, where they told me that they'd be available by "the end of the month" so I put in an order, and look what turned up today...

 

box-open-2.jpg

 

It's a VERY big box, and could probably be 2/3 the size and still work fine...

 

I went for the coupe because both build-ups looked very good, but I don't really like the clumsy hood on the convertible; for me the coupe has the classic lines. As it turns out, the couple is officially the new "Easy Click System" like the Porsche Tractor from earlier this year. Still many of the parts are exactly the same as the more conventional glue-together cabriolet.

 

bodyshell-1.jpg

 

bodyshell-2.jpg

 

The price you pay for the easy click system is a few slight sink marks where the various pillars and sockets are found on the insides of parts.

 

filler-in-progress.jpg

 

Quickly removed with dab of filler and some sanding sticks. The worst areas are the lower front corners, where the fenders turn round into the front valance. They aren't sink marks, I don't think, but actually some distortion when the body came out of the mould, leaving a wavy lower edge and a sunken depression.

 

vs911-1.jpg

 

vs911-2.jpg

 

Despite the small size of the 356, it's going to be quite a sizeable model!

 

So, now I need some advice. The plastic, as you can see, is red. I think I want to model a silver car with a red interior. I can use either Tamiya sprays or Zero 2K colours. If I use the Zero paint I'll probably want to put some sealer primer on first to be sure the red doesn't come out in to the clear coat. With Tamiya, and many light coats of paint and TS-13 clear, I think I don't need the primer. Because of the fact that this is a clip together kit, many of the tiny chrome details need to click into precisely cut slots and holes with a high precision fit. If I use the Zero paint and 2K clear, I'm worried that the thickness of the paint layer will mes up the fit of some of those details (the chrome bonnet centre strip, for example). So what would you guys do? Tamiya or Zero? Any ideas about how best to get a silver car, clearcoat untainted by red dye, and still be able to fit the detail parts?

 

best,

M.

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Yes.

1. Brush paint the areas of filler with Future - that's a barrier. Light coats will self-level.

2. Polish the red bare plastic as smooth as you can get it.

3. Light fog coats of Tammy lacquer silver, wet sanded just enough to have an even color coat. This is a BARRIER coat too, but it keeps the red from bleeding/shading your light top color.

4. Prime if you like just lightly and evenly. May not be needed.

5. Apply your top coats.

6. Final is Testors Wet Look Clear to your taste - does not need much.

7. Optional - run a file through areas of fit interference if needed to get added parts to snap fit.

 

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Sadly, I don't think Wet Look Clear route is going to be viable. The supposed "Testors UK Distributor" isn't any more, and the guy I spoke to there had to go and check who Testors was. Although a few places do sell Model Master paints, none has the spray clears, though most sell the dullcote in a glass bottle. There's one can available on eBay, but it's £13 from a New jersey seller that I've never heard of, with not much feedback, and I'm suspicious about whether they can actually ship to the UK, since air freighting aerosol cans is a no-no these days.

 

I think I'm gonna have to stick to Tamiya TS-13 over Gloss Aluminium for the final coats...

 

best,

M.

 

 

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Nice, I've been waiting for the release of this kit (I have just finished a 675hr rottiserrie metalwork job on a RHD 365c and need a mini version) but I am put off a little by the snap fit element. I look forward to following your progress and thoughts on the kit!

 

Andy.

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Interesting build will follow it closely. I will buy the Convertible once it is released, even though I prefer the Coupe, because I am not interested in the easy click stuff. I hope the Coupe eventually is released as a regular kit.

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To be honest, I misunderstood the guy at the Revell stand at Telford and thought that the cabrio was the easy-click kit, not this one. I'd still rather have the coupe body, though. FWIW, I really couldn't see a significant difference in the display models, though looking at what's in this kit, my guess is that the engine and suspension in the cabrio are more detailed. For sure, many of the sprues are shared by both kits, with elements blanked off in the instructions for parts not used in the coupe build. So my guess is that the level of finesse on the parts I'm using here will be the same as in the cabrio kit, even if I end up using fewer parts altogether!

 

best,

M.

 

 

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basic-engine-parts.jpg

 

Only four parts to the first stage of the engine, but they are nicely rendered, especially the engine block and transmission.

basic-engine-painted.jpg

 

basic-engine-from-above.jpg

 

And this is how they go together. Humbrol Metalcote Aluminium and Steel, and a bit of Citadel wash.

engine-runner.jpg

 

chrome-sprue.jpg

 

Some sprue shots to feast your eyes on. The chrome is particularly finely rendered.

tyres.jpg

 

Tires, and the essential super-sharp DSPIAE cutters and fresh #11 blade to cut out the middle part

wheels.jpg

 

Wheels made up: note the recess for the outer wheel rim. I didn't, at first 😜

front-axle.jpg

 

Front axle. The pins on the wheel carriers are a tight fit. And fragile. Don't ask me how I know. Make sure there is no paint on either the wheel carrier pins or axle bearings before fitting them together. Doh!

 

engine-bits.jpg

 

The parts on the left are alternatives, of which the top one is the one for this kit. I'm guessing that the glue-fix cabriolet comes with separate coil, coolant reservoir and thingy.

 

WTF.jpg

 

Talking of thingies, does anyone who knows Porsche 356s better than me know what this is? It's made up from some "unused" parts from the engine sprue which clearly fit together to make a... loud-hailer? 😜

 

engine-in-place-from-front.jpg

 

engine-in-place-from-rear.jpg

 

engine-in-place-from-back.jpg

 

And that's it for tonight. A bit of restrained weathering to come on this side, and the rest of the engine up top.

best,

M.

 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Jo NZ said:

Going back to the paint, I find that the best way to kill red is with grey primer. Unfortunately it's also usually quite thick.

Quite true Jo. That's why I've found thin silver hides very effectively and is thinner.

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Little recap... these are the engine parts:

engine-back.jpg

 

I was going to live with the moulded in detail, but the more I looked at it, the more I thought I couldn't. It's not even a "because God can see" thing... the engine is pretty visible, and accessible: even in this clip together version the rear engine cover hinges open. So I thought I'd investigate those "unused parts" on the sprues...

 

engin-refs-and-bits.jpg

It's not hard to find Porsche 356B engine bay pictures online, and even better, on the right is a picture of the made up engine bay of the cabriolet version from the box side. This is very useful...

 

engine-parts.jpg

 

On the left, the half-moulded engine part we're supposed to use; in the centre, the empty half I'm going to use, and the other parts marked "for use"; and on the right, all the parts I can find that are marked "not for use".

 

lash-up-1.jpg

 

Immediately useful: those little conical nubbins and the generator mounting bracket. So what do we need? Coil, oil filter/header tank and filler reservoir, distributor, and some miscellaneous wiring and pipe work...

arsenal.jpg

 

Assorted tube of various diameters, coloured bits of sprue (look how neatly those clippers slice through even thick rods of the stuff!), plastic card, solder, and a bunch of coloured wires. Let's get started...

coolant-tank.jpg

 

On further investigation, this is too tall. That's what you get when you copy the moulding without looking closely enough at your pictures of the real thing. I can cut it down with a razor saw quickly enough!

The bodywork and interior are on hold while supplies arrive from the paint shop, so this will be the focus of activity for a few days.

best,

M.

 

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7 hours ago, cmatthewbacon said:

I was going to live with the moulded in detail, but the more I looked at it, the more I thought I couldn't. 

 

I have to agree with you on that one, the half moulded parts really look kinda crappy... I'm sure you'll be able to improve that look!

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Back in action:

ts101.jpg

 

A new thing to try out: Tamiya TS-101. It's specifically designed to cover and seal coloured plastic. It's slightly odd, and definitely different from the regular white primer. It cures to a shiny and very tough coat.

silver-bodyshell.jpg

 

Which provides a good base for the Gloss Aluminium...

 

bitsnbobs.jpg

wired-up.jpg

 

Engine parts taking shape: oil filter/reservoir, oil filler, distributor and coil. Turned in a drill chuck to shape the sprue as needed.

 

red-interior.jpg

 

Interior parts... mostly painted with Citadel reds and washes, and some drybrushing.

 

best,

M.

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OK, I think I'm calling the engine done: let's open the bonnet...

 

engine-from-low-rear-square.jpg

 

engine-from-above.jpg

 

engine-from-right-corner-closeup.jpg

 

engine-from-left-corner-closeup.jpg

 

engine-from-left-fan-belt.jpg

 

I love the decal for the fan belt...

 

engine-with-easykit-piece.jpg

 

I don't think any amount of detail painting and stickers is going to make this look much like the original...

 

best,

M.

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Got the interior together now:

interior-from-back-right-2.jpg

 

interior-from-front-left.jpg

Nice little Porsche decal for the gear shift... the decals in this kit are excellent, actually, even though the stickers are probably more what they expect you to use. One important point, which I should have guessed: you need to make sure that the all the tabs and slots for the snap fit parts are paint free. The engineering is very precise, and unforgiving...

 

bonnet-installed.jpg

 

Bonnet fits very well, opens and closes smoothly, and has pretty tight shut-lines!

best,

M.

 

 

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Thanks, you two! Dashboard is done now. The instruments are chromed discs that pop into place, with decals over the top, and finished with Citadel 'ardcoat varnish:

dashboard-2.jpg

 

dashboard-3.jpg

 

dashboard-underside.jpg

 

Clearly there's a version on the way with some kind of console under the dash. There's no sign of it in the regular cabrios I can find online, but it looks like the Dutch Rijkspolizei had a radio down there, which probably also explains why the glovebox door is a separate part.

 

interior-complete-high-rear-right.jpg

 

interior-complete-from-back-left.jpg

 

interior-complete-low-left.jpg

 

interior-from-top.jpg

 

So, that's the interior tub completed. The doors are built around the framing in the bodyshell, so I hope popping the interior in will be straightforward!

 

best,

M.

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