Carrera Revell Porsche 934 RSR Jägermeister (05669) 1:24

[Mike]

Porsche 934 RSR Jägermeister (05669)

1:24 Carrera Revell

 

 

Everyone knows the Porsche 911, and it’s a design classic for reasons that are already clear.  The 934 was the race-prepped variant of the 911 Turbo that was produced for two years, and began its racing career in 1976 with a grand-total of only thirty-one made from start to finish.  It drove to success in Europe and America at the hands of some talented drivers, and continued to win late into the decade.  The 934 and 935 were highly successful until after the turn of the decade, which when looking at its statistics is hardly surprising.  It began with 480bhp, but was later tweaked to produce 550bhp, with many fibreglass panels giving it a great power-to-weight ratio as well as an aggressive stance, requiring some additional weight to be added for it to comply with some competition requirements, hurling itself to 60mph from a standstill in a shade under 4 seconds.

 

The 934 and 935s both raced in the garish Jägermeister colours, and Jägermeister’s relationship with motor racing is a long-standing one, starting in 1972 and now spanning 50 years, which is at least part of the reason for this boxing that celebrates that anniversary.  Also, who doesn’t love a bright orange Porsche with wide arches?

 

 

The Kit

This is a reboxing of the 2017 tooling of this type, which was also first issued in a similar bright orange livery under the Jägermeister banner.  The kit arrives in one of Revell’s medium-thick end-opening boxes, and inside are several bags containing two sprues and the bodyshell in bright orange styrene, four sprues in black, one in muted aluminium, one sprue of chromed styrene, a clear sprue, four flexible slick black tyres, a bag with six thumb-pots of acrylic paint, a small pot of glue with needle applicator and #2 paintbrush.  The package is rounded out by a handsome decal sheet and the instruction booklet, which is printed in colour on matt stock, with profiles on the rear pages.  Detail is as you would expect from a modern Revell tooling, and should be more than adequate for most modellers, with a depiction of the flat-six engine in the rear, and the 30+ gallon fuel tank and ancillaries in the front under the bonnet/hood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the transmission, which is built from halves, as is the flat block, which is mated to the wide end on a large peg.  The airbox and intakes are added on top, and at the front the pulley system and engine mount are fitted, along with the turbo system and other ancillaries, then the twin exhaust manifold is inserted into the block from below, mating with the turbo system where the two become one pipe.  Another set of pulleys are added to the rear of the motor, and the drive-shafts and their gaiters are inserted into the transmission block, which has moulded-in checkerboard strengthening ribbing all over it.  The floorpan has its details painted, then has the front axles added onto turrets, to be linked together by the steering arm, which has its end-pins mushroomed by applying a hot screwdriver blade and some pressure to the tip.  Just don’t use a screwdriver you’re fond of, as the heat might soften the metal of the blade.  A section of the floor pan is applied over the axle, and a bumper iron is added to the front, then at the rear, another engine carrier beam is placed across the front of the bay, with the block and transmission assembly dropped onto it, then layered over with suspension arms and anti-roll bars.  There is predictably a wheel in each corner, and each one is made up in a similar manner, but each one is handed plus differently sized fore and aft.  Each wheel has a three-part brake disc with a free-rotating (hopefully) cup in the centre, into which the thick pin on the rear of the chromed rim is pushed, with the flexible tyre snugged over the rim, and a large chromed nut inserted into the centre.  Carry that task out four times, then put the relevant wheel on the pertinent corner to finish off the rolling chassis.

 

The interior is begun by detail-painting the tub, then adding pedals, gear stick, hand brake (remember those?) to the driver’s area on the left, and a box under the parcel shelf at the rear.  The bucket seats have separate headrests, and there is a choice of one or two seats to be fixed to the floor, both of which have deep lateral cushions moulded-in, and decals supplied for the four-point ‘Autoflug’ seatbelts.  Around that fits a four-part roll-cage that has the two door cards slotted into the grooves in the sides of the interior.  Before it can be inserted in the bodyshell part, there are a number of substantial sprues carriers between the front and rear windscreens, and one more in the engine bay, all of which will need carefully removing from the part, taking care not to damage the edges, as those of the windows at least will be very visible once the model is finished.  There is detail painting to be done around the bodyshell as well as inside the front compartment that is known colloquially as a ‘frunk’ in modern parlance, where there is also a trio of decals and a couple of additional detail parts, plus another chunk of roll-cage that fits beneath the bonnet cover, which was probably non-structural fibreglass on the real machine.  One of the extra parts in the frunk is an intake, which corresponds with a thinned section of the bonnet lid, which can be optionally removed after a quick check of your references.    The rear bumper has additional detail painting to do, as does the clear full-width rear light strip, which is painted transparent red and orange to depict the lights before they are inserted in the rear of the vehicle.  The boot has the big spoiler moulded-in, with a drop-in louvre section on top, and small chromed ‘button’ inserted into each side of the boot lid.  It has two large V-shaped hinges that clip into place on two raised areas per side, which will trap it in place once the interior is inserted.

 

The dash is a well-moulded part that is shown with detailed painting instructions and seven decals to give it some extra realism, plus the steering column and wheel, the former having stalks moulded-in.  Another stalk grows from the centre of dash, almost out of range of the driver, and I will admit to having no idea what that is.  The completed dash mounts inside the bodyshell under the scuttle, and once the glue is dry on that, the interior can be popped into place, trapping the boot lid/spoiler.  After that, you can mate the bodyshell and floorpan assembly together without needing glue before completing the structural work and detailing parts of the model.  This starts with the front bumper, which has three black mesh styrene inserts pushed into the front before you hang it on the front irons, adding a pair of indicator glasses in the corners, and a towing eye to one side.  Above them are a pair of cut-outs for the main lights, which have separate reflectors with trim inserted, then are covered over with a clear lens after painting the bulbs.

 

Glazing the windows is next, with each part having black rubber seal or trim painted around the edge, then the windscreen and rear screen both insert from outside.  The side windows are each in three sections, pre-painted with their trim before they are inserted into the cut-outs around the doors, adding a wing mirror with chromed lens and a door handle under each one.  The final act is to insert the emergency cut-off handles on the scuttle in front of the driver’s side, and pop the twin windscreen wipers into their sockets in the scuttle after painting them a suitably black/rubber colour.

 

 

Markings

There are two decal options included on the sheet, both from vehicles that raced in 1976.  Both are a bright lustrous orange shade, which if you use Revell paints will require some mixing on your part.  I believe that there is a specialist colour available for Jägermeister orange somewhere, so that’s always an option if you exercise your Google Fu.  From the box you can depict either of these two race schemes:

 

• DRM Eifelrennen, 1976
• 1000-km-Rennen Nürburgring, 1976

 

 

 

Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

 

Conclusion

A nicely appointed reboxing of this recent kit from Revell, in a fascinating scheme celebrating Jägermeister’s 50th anniversary of sponsoring motorsport.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

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[Rob G]

1 hour ago, Mike said:

Another stalk grows from the centre of dash, almost out of range of the driver, and I will admit to having no idea what that is. 

 

 

Turbo boost pressure regulator knob aka the 'Fun Control'. 

[Mike]

1 hour ago, Rob G said:

 

Turbo boost pressure regulator knob aka the 'Fun Control'. 

Aha!  Good to know, thanks Rob