Jaguar XJR5-2, 1/43rd Provence Moulage resin kit

[Fastcat]

Hot on the heels of the Lotus comes a Jaguar XJR5-2 this time from Provence Moulage, a maker once at the forefront of 1/43 kit production and based in France.

 

The XJR5 was the brainchild of Lee Dykstra at the behest of Bob Tullius, a US Jaguar dealer and met with some success on the US race circuits. So much so that Tullius sought to reintroduce the Jaguar factory back to Le Mans and the circuits they'd ignored since the success of the D Type back in the fifties. Jaguar saw the potential and involved Tom Walkinshaw, but he thought that the XJR5 didn't have enough development left and proposed a much more radical solution which culminated in the XJR6. Meanwhile, Tullius and Dykstra were quietly left by the wayside and eventually dropped from the race effort. A poor reward for their enthusiasm but TWR would be vindicated in the end, the XJR9 winning at Le Mans and marking Jaguar's successful return to racing.

 

I've always liked the XJR5, together with its distinctive colour scheme and the Provence kit is a good one. In keeping with my preference for something a bit different, I chose the Miami car which had unique wheels, most XJR5s having gold BBS wheels. The wheels from a Honda GP car (I think) were used and proved to look just right. Also, the car had a baffle fitted to one of the vents on the left of the body and a different headlight arrangement to the kit. I also added as much detail as I could to the front spoiler just to make it more individual. PM had the habit of issuing generic cars and just varying the race numbers.

 

 

 

 

Overall, a nice little model with enough scope to add detail and personalise as far as resources allow.

Dave

[klubman01]

That is a lovely model of an under-rated car.  Nice work.  Love the extra cockpit details such as the instruments, etc. and nice to see that you have modelled a specific race.  Always good to see a variation of the basic kit.

Trevor

[TommyOneTwoFour]

Beautiful build of one of my favourite Group C cars (although in this case it's an IMSA), well-executed in a scale that is not always easy to make it look right. But you sure managed! 👍

(Personally I am desolate as I cannot seem to find any 1/24 scale model of it nowadays. For years, my favourite shop used to carry several versions of it by Le Mans Miniatures, but unfortunately, i waited for too long... 😔)

[Fastcat]

Thanks Trevor,

                           Although I had to raid the spares box quite a bit, it was worth it in the end just to have something that PM would never produce. I would guess it's the price of having something a little unique but it was enjoyable and PM's kit was a nice one.

 

 Thanks TommyOneTwoFour,

                                                   I'm guessing you're referring to the Profil24 model. It's one I would have liked too but it was expensive at the time and, like you, I never got round to it. It was an early model from Profil and I heard that it wasn't at all a straightforward build. But it's a nice looking car and there's nothing that couldn't be overcome with a bit of skill and enthusiasm. Profil have improved a lot since then and while they're still demanding compared to plastic kits, they make some cracking subjects.

 

Dave

[TommyOneTwoFour]

7 minutes ago, Fastcat said:

Thanks Trevor,

                           Although I had to raid the spares box quite a bit, it was worth it in the end just to have something that PM would never produce. I would guess it's the price of having something a little unique but it was enjoyable and PM's kit was a nice one.

 

 Thanks TommyOneTwoFour,

                                                   I'm guessing you're referring to the Profil24 model. It's one I would have liked too but it was expensive at the time and, like you, I never got round to it. It was an early model from Profil and I heard that it wasn't at all a straightforward build. But it's a nice looking car and there's nothing that couldn't be overcome with a bit of skill and enthusiasm. Profil have improved a lot since then and while they're still demanding compared to plastic kits, they make some cracking subjects.

 

Dave

Hi Dave,

 

thanks for the correction, you're right, of course. It was Profil24 and the shop even had a kit by "UMi modellwerke" of the '84 LM version on sale. If I had known then what I know now... I'd probably be broke. 😆

[keefr22]

That's another cracking little model Dave, beautifully built and finished again, really good to look at!

 

Keith

[Vesa Jussila]

One more little wonder from this factory. Nice to see this built we see more often later TWR cars. And I think this XJR5 deserves more fame than it usually gets.

[Fastcat]

Hi Vesa Jussila

                          Thank you

Yes, the TWR cars do get built more often, mainly because they won at Le Mans and the held the World Sportscar Championship. In fact I've built the larger Tamiya kit myself but I do like the Group 44 markings and like most things from across the Pond, the influence of the XJR5 tends to be forgotten. Maybe Jaguar management would rather they were but without their influence, Jaguar may never have returned to racing.

Besides, it's a good looking car........................

 

 

Dave

[Kitkent]

That’s just beautiful! Love the dashboard and the interior especially,it definitely raises the Provence kit. I have an AMR kit,I never thought of making an IMSA car,but I will now! Chris.

[Fastcat]

Hi Chris,

                  Thanks. There were some great IMSA cars. Some were very similar to their WSC counterparts, just a bit more colourful. Glad to hear you're going to give them a try.

 

Dave

[desert falcon]

That is looking fantastic 👍