1/8 Porsche 935/78 'Moby Dick'

Okay, I didn't post last weekend as I thought I would - not only was the race meeting at Brands a busy affair, but we've changed our ISP at home so I've only just got my connection back. So far, it's an improvement...

So, what have I been doing? The rear frame over the engine bay has been attached to the main cockpit sction - not easy when there are so many tricky diagonals to fit in-between, and you can't glue tham all at once. With that done, I started adding the supporting tubes for the main roll-hoop - the damper cross-tube has indeed become a busy place! The intersection on the left-hand side currently has seven tubes coming together at a point, and there's still another diagonal to attach...

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby077.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby078.jpg

To add to the complication I'm making the roof-section of the frame a removable piece - it's all pinned together, but I know I'm going to have access problems if I glue it all together too soon. Remember, this is the first car I've built with a roof...

The top corners of the main roll-hoop will be smoothed-out with greenstuff later, but for now you can see how I've drilled and pinned right through the brass to give a firm connection on both sides:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby076.jpg

The next challenge was to make the main roof-rails and A-pillars, without using the flexible fire-extinguisher tubing. The starting point was the supporting lego structure - a combination of the original drawing, the mk1 frame measurements, and the changes I wanted to make for the mk2. This gave me the two key points on either side that I wanted the rails to hit - the bends at the top and bottom corners of the windscreen.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby079.jpg

Hey - I've greenstuffed the corners of the roll-hoop by this point, too! I knew it was going to be difficult (and probably very frustrating) to bend the brass inner tubing as a single piece for each side, so I bent and cut three individual sections, then used the 3/16" styrene over the top to tie it all together. For extra strength I added short pieces of 3/32" ali tube inside the brass:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby081.jpg

The side rails were slowly glued together, making sure that the bends went in the right direction and that the bottom end of the leg was aimed at the right point on the front of the chassis - you can just see the short 'anchor' tubes I've fitted to the front corners of the cockpit. A final pair of small ali bends will connect the bottom legs of the A-pillars to the chassis.

The shorter piece across the top of the windscreen is another length of 1/8" ali tube bent to shape, with 3/16" styrene forced over the top. As usual it's pinned at both ends, but not fixed together just yet. A final diagonal tube will eventually be added to complete the roof structure.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby084.jpg

Right now the roof rails are only connected at the top of the main roll-hoop - there will soon be a pair of 'door bars' to give further reinforcement, and the whole lot will eventually be attached to the fibreglass front bulkhead and chassis. There's some more detail work required for the diagonal running behind the driver - a horizontal tube which mounts the shoulder straps, and a vertical which provides the head-rest - but these can be added in time.

Although there is clearly a lot of the chassis frame still to do, I'm nearly at the point where I will start working on the fibreglass bodyshell again. All the complicated work is involved with the cockpit and rear end, so there's not much point taking the frame any further until I know I have a shell to fit around it. My preparation with the mk1 suggests it is possible, so we shall soon see if that is true.

More next weekend - honest!

SB

I force myself not to write any more compliments, but I cant resist.
Too nice work sb. thanks for posting.

Hello everyone,

I've spent this week getting the main cockpit chassis section to the point where I can start working on the fibreglass bodyshell pieces (again). After working on the roof tubes and A-pillars last weekend, I realised that the rear part of the upper frame was slightly out of alignment - it had moved slightly to the left. I don't think it's obvious in the photos, but it was something I wanted to correct immediately in case it had knock-on effects elsewhere. So, I carefully cut the joint where the bracing diagonal tube meets the main roll-hoop at the base and this allows the top of the frame to shift position. When the whole lot is glued together further down the line, it should be okay.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby085.jpg

Next job was to add the diagonal tube across the top of the roof - again, this started as a length of 1/8" ali tube, bent at the end, with the styrene slipped over the top:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby086.jpg

The corners of the frame were given an initial layer of greenstuff - this will be tidied and fettled at a later date. The next photo shows the complete roof section of the frame - you'll see that I've also added the two long diagonals across the doorways. Again these are ali-reinforced and pinned to the main upright tubes at both ends.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby087.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby088.jpg

So, at this point I've got the frame pretty much how I want it - it's solid enough that I can take it out of the jig without it falling apart. Before starting on the bodywork I felt it would be sensible to re-do parts of the chassis drawing - just to make sure that what I've built still matches up with the external shape. Fortunately, it does! A few tubes have moved, and the gearbox frame has shifted quite a bit, but it appears to still be a buildable arrangement.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby091.jpg

I'm not planning to create the bodywork as a single mould - the inner panels will be developed from what I did for the mk1 frame, for example. The most complicated section will the the roof and windscreen surround - not because of the detail, but because of the overall shape. I've spent a lot of time this weekend working out how I'm going to tackle this - hopefully you'll see some results in the next update. Meanwhile, I made a simple mould for the door skins by hot-wiring three curved pieces; a layer of draughting film taped over the top gives a smooth surface to lay-up onto:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby089.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby090.jpg

This former can be used to make both doorskins - I only need to lay one up to prove that it will work okay, then worry about the other side later. The only detail that would otherwise 'hand' the doors is the recess for the door handle - but this can be added as a separate moulding (similar to the cooling ducts on the front of the 908).

I suspect the next update will include lots of foam offcuts, plenty of dust, and hopefully something that looks like the roof of a 911...

Have a good week,

SB

Nice, you're rolling on the bodywork already!

ianc

Yep, bodywork is very much the next item on the 'to-do' list! Well, one small section of the bodywork, anyway...

As I've mentioned before, I've always felt this project had certain 'make or break' elements - parts such as the engine, gearbox, etc, would be a challenge but not too dissimilar to the 917's or 908, but if I couldn't recreate the original 911 shell that would be a major problem. So, better to find out now, than two years down the line!

The main roof stucture mould started as four 50mm-wide blocks of my trusty blue insulation foam, with the centreline profile used to cut each one to shape. The remains of two of the blocks were used as guides for cutting the outermost two to shape - the starting point for the side window surfaces:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby092.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby093.jpg

Note how I'm just about at the limit of what my hot-wire can handle - fortunately this shouldn't be a problem for the rest of the bodywork...

To get the taper in the body sides as it moves towards the rear, more cardboard patterns were cut and taped in postion:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby094.jpg

At the front, yet more templates were used to cut the curvature of the lower windscreen edge:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby095.jpg

...and then I wanted to take the hard corners off the top edges. The final shaping would be done by hand, but there was a lot of material I could still remove with the hot-wire:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby096.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby097.jpg

With the basic shape just about there, I made more templates to mark the positions of the side and rear windows so that I could hand-shape the body to suit. I've used some of my thin masking tape here to give a better idea of the shape:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby099.jpg

I spent a good hour or so hand-shaping the left-hand side, trying to get a smooth transition from the sides into the roof above the doors, and getting a nice flow to the rear. Here you can see a comparison with the un-worked right-hand side:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby100.jpg

So after a similar amount of time spent on the other side (plus the insertion of a 4mm spacer in the middle), I have a mould which is certainly looking like the roof of a 911:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby102.jpg

No doubt I'll keep fettling and fiddling with the shape for a while, but right now I'm pleased with the result. Like many modelling jobs it has had it's 'that's not looking too good' moments, but I've stuck at it and gradually the shape has started to come out. It's a pain having to make all the templates for using the hot-wire, but it's the only way I can get accurate cuts!

I'm now working on the final shaping around the base of the windscreen - creating a small extension piece which will attach to the main mould and provide the transition to the front bonnet. If I can get this piece finished tomorrow, I'm going to start laying-up some fibreglass - then we'll find out how well it fits!

Oh, and before anyone mentions that the rear bodywork of the Moby Dick isn't the original 911 bodywork - I know! When I've got this section sorted out and made more progress with the project, I'll use the mould again to create the long-tail engine cover and roof extension - which will then be grafted onto the 911 panels. The Tamiya 1/24 kit just has the outer Moby bodywork, but you know me - it's all part of the fun!

More next week!

SB

SB - I am amazed at how you can turn plastic rod & tubing along with some foam into these wonderful scale replicas - John

Amazing!!

Great work as usual SB! Were you able to use the dimensions of the Tamiya kit at all when you were measuring out the foam, or is it just a visual guide? Does the Tamiya kit appear accurate?

ianc

Hi Ian,

I'm keeping the Tamiya bodyshell close at hand as it's always good to have a 3D reference, if possible. I'm trying not to use it for measurements, though, as I'm aware that kits are not always accurate! If I had better original drawings to work from, I might be in a better position to comment on the accuracy of the 1/24. I don't think I've found any glaring errors so far, not that I've particularly been looking for them! I've given up waiting for the 1/18 version (AutoArt?) to appear - be nice to add it to the collection, though...

My main reference for the body dimensions is the single set of 'official' drawings of the car (side, plan, front views) which I've photographed from a book and blown-up to useful size - then recreated at 1/8th scale. Yes, there's plenty of opportunity for errors to creep in, but that's why I'm trying to take things steady - if I can get the cockpit section and bodyshell right, everything else has a good chance of working properly!

...and I've put the first two layers of fibreglass on the roof and door moulds tonight - more to come tomorrow, too. It's looking promising!

SB

SB, I've tried a couple of times to send you a PM, but each time it doesn't show up in the sent folder so not sure if they've worked or something has gone wrong.

Just to say I have a few prints that might be of interest to you.

Let me know if you're interested :)

Simon

Early post this weekend - it's off to Silverstone tomorrow...

Firstly, Simon - I've sent you a pm; apologies for the slow response.

So, having made the mould for the main roof section, I added the small piece which would connect the base of the windscreen with the front bonnet - even this required four different hot-wire cuts to get the correct slope and shape. I had to resist the temptation to lay-up too many layers of fibreglass cloth at once - I was going to take my time with this one!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby103.jpg

This is five layers of 1oz cloth, giving a thickness of about 0.5mm. I laid the first layer on Monday night, two during Tuesday, then two more on Wednesday and Thursday night; any obvious 'lumps and bumps' were given a rub with fine emery cloth between layers to get a smoother finish. It'll still need work later on, of course, but hopefully not as much!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby104.jpg

The door skin was easier to lay-up as it only has the single curve, so I could put two layers on during a session to speed things up. It ended up with five layers of 1oz, plus two extra layers of 1.5oz cloth. With both pieces I varied the direction of each layer in an effort to increase the strength. Ideally I would have laid extra strips of cloth along the windscreen pillars, tops of the doors, etc, but this would have also resulted in more lumps and ridges. In time I will add internal strengthening to the roof, so it should be okay.

I left both pieces on the moulds until this morning, when I had the messy job of getting everything apart. Vaseline is great as a release agent to protect the mould, but it takes some cleaning-off! I was able to get both panels off without damaging the moulds, and after an initial trimming followed by a good scrub in warm soapy water, I finally had a shell:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby105.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby106.jpg

I used the cardboard templates again to add the window edges, etc - I'm not planning to cut anything out just yet, but it makes it look better!

The rest of the day has been spent doing a little more trimming and marking, and playing around with the parts to get a feel for what to do next:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby107.jpg

Adding the cardboard parts from the mk1 gives a little more shape:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby108.jpg

Okay, the bonnet looks alright but I'll need to improve the fit of the rear wings!

I think the next stage will be to build more of the front of the chassis, maybe just up to the front axle-line, so that I can add the detailing to the base of the windscreen and possibly think about moulding the bonnet. The roof section needs to be located so that I can remove and replace it without screwing up the measurements each time! Then I can start moulding the door openings and sill sections...

Progress at last, I think.

SB

I have no words for it!!

looking good, great progress.

I have no words for it!!
I got to say SB, I'm a little lost for words myself mate. :worshippy
Simply incredible does not even come close. An absolute pleasure to watch and witness probably describes my feelings at this time.
Subscribed.

:wave: :aus:

Firstly, Simon - I've sent you a pm; apologies for the slow response.



No worries, I sent you an email :)

Great update, looks like you've got a lovely finish with the fibreglass.

Simon

Looking great SB! Thank God no rain gutters, eh?

ianc

Hello everyone,

Not much modelling progress to report on this time - dad and I returned from Le Mans late last night! Once again we had a great few days - drive down Wednesday, out and about to Blois on Thursday, open pit-lane on Friday, then the race itself. I'd say the weather was better than we could have hoped for given how it's been this summer, and the campsite - although surprisingly full - seemed slightly more relaxed this year. We certainly slept better this time, compared to other years...!

So, a few photos to give a flavour of the weekend...

First up, Audi no1 in the pits on Friday. Unfortunately the hybrid drive system was covered here, but you can see the large 'cake tins' they're using around the brakes and hubs, similar to F1:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_3965.jpg


Audi no1 again, but this time at about 12.30pm on Saturday. I managed to borrow a pass from a friend (thanks, Jean-Luc, Eric!) which got me into the paddock and pitlane on Saturday. Different vibe compared to Friday - you can feel that the serious business of the weekend is at hand, the barriers are down, and everyone is in their pre-race routine:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4049.jpg

Aston Martin Vantage (GTE-Pro, no97 I believe) - again, Saturday:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4042.jpg

Toyota LMP1 no7 - also Saturday:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4052.jpg

Outside the pitlane they were preparing for some demo laps from three of the Matra sportscars from the early 70's. Behind the centre car you can see Henri Pescarolo and, I believe, Gerard Larrousse, and to the left with his back to the camera is Josh Hill. I used the stairs to the media centre to get a few shots, as there was no easy way to get close to the cars on the ground:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4030.jpg

On Friday we managed to get into the paddock for the supporting Group C race. Mmmmm....Group C! To be honest I took more photos here than anywhere else, of which these are a handful:

Lancia LC2 (1984). This is a seriously good-looking car - just a shame that it's period race performance never matched! At the end of Saturday's support race it nearly caused a major accident on the start / finish line as it ploughed through at full speed despite the fact that two or three marshals were stopping the cars and turning them back into the end of the pitlane. Could have been very nasty, especially as the track was wet; fortunately the driver found a gap through the cars (and marshals)...

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_3975.jpg

Nissan R90CK (1990):

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4002.jpg

Sauber-Mercedes C11 (1989):

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4018.jpg

Porsche 962 (1990):

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4006.jpg

...and this was just one of several 956 / 962's, most of which were easily accessible! As you can imagine, I took the opportunity to get some 'up-close' shots for future reference...

Finally, to steer this post vaguely back onto topic, I found this on a stall behind the main grandstands:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_3962.jpg


http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_3964.jpg

It's a 1/8 Jagermeister 935-K3, and it's fantastic! It didn't have a price attached (and I wasn't going to ask) but after investigation today it seems that it's by True-Scale Miniatures and it retails for about $ 3500! It made me realise what the Moby Dick could look like when it's finished, so it was a lucky find.

Also on the same stall, I spotted the Spark 1/18...Moby Dick! I've seen this advertised for the past few years but not actually found one for sale...so, as you can imagine, this one came home with me:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4059.jpg

The smaller version is the 1/43 white test car, also by Spark, which until now is the only die-cast model I've found of the 935-78. The 1/18 is a nice piece and will be a very useful 3D reference - I'm not going to start over if I find a small discrepancy in a measurement, but it's always good to have something solid you can view in person, rather than having to rely on photos.

So, that brings me back to today. I'll get back into the swing of things with the project and hopefully have more progress to show on Sunday.

Simon - as this is the thrid time I've made fibreglass bodywork for a model, I'm trying to remember all the little niggles I've had in the past. Each layer on the roof section was a single piece of cloth, rather than using separate sections, so I've avoided the build-up you get where the pieces meet. Hopefully this should mean fewer ridge-lines to sand down at a later date, and a less rippled surface! Adding a single layer at a time also helped, although it obviously takes longer - it's too easy to get movement or air bubbles when putting multiple layers on at once.

Ian - you're right, no gutters! Plenty of other little details to worry about, but no gutters! I don't think I could have moulded them successfully at the same time as the main roof, so they would have to be an add-on part. Hmm...probably some fine styrene detailing, perhaps? I'll worry about them when I make a regular 935...so in maybe three years?! By the way, your 917 is looking rather good, too!

See you all Sunday,

SB

WOW. you sure had a fun weekend. if i'd been there i would have drooled all over the group C cars and the audis!

and the progress...definitely waiting for more great stuff :)

Hi SB, glad you had a good time and sorry I missed you this year, but I'm 3,000 mile away. Still managed to enjoy it with Radio Le Mans though!

Those pics are magnificent - you are very lucky to have had the chance to get in pit lane without the crowds and thanks for sharing!:smile:

great pictures SB

Great pics SB, you must have had a fabulous weekend! Le Mans is definitely on my bucket list. It must have been great to see those old Matras out on the track; they had a 3 or 4 year sweep there in the mid seventies IIRC. Who owns those things now? Is that Larousse in the blue and white racing suit with his face hidden by the red brim of his hat? Great pics and thanks for posting!

ianc

Thanks for sharing a very good weekend!!

Great pics SB, you must have had a fabulous weekend! Le Mans is definitely on my bucket list. It must have been great to see those old Matras out on the track; they had a 3 or 4 year sweep there in the mid seventies IIRC. Who owns those things now? Is that Larousse in the blue and white racing suit with his face hidden by the red brim of his hat? Great pics and thanks for posting!

ianc

IIRC, at least one of them lives in the Le Mans Museum, next to the circuit.

It's been a few years since I last visited the museum at Le Mans, but I think Cinqster's right about at least one of the Matras being on display there - they had the three cars running on track, plus a fourth car sitting on display in the 'village' area. I remember reading about one or maybe two of them running in the Tour de France (?) historic rally a year to two ago, so they obviously get excercised from time to time! In period they won the 24H in '72, '73 and '74, although it's worth remembering that from 1972 the big Group 5 cars (Porsche 917, Ferrari 512, etc) were ruled out...

Anyway, here's a few more shots...

Front end detail of the Jagermeister 962:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_3978.jpg

...and the rear end:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_3989.jpg

Spice SE89 Group C2:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_3997.jpg

Business end of the Group 44 Jaguar XJR5:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_3998.jpg

According to the entry list this is a Nissan NPTI90:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4001.jpg

I believe this is another Nissan, an R88C. The gearbox and rear suspension was off, the engine out, and a mass of pipework and plumbing left behind:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4010.jpg

...and to finish with, this is about as good as I could get of the Matras with so many people around:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4028.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Le%20Mans%202012/IMG_4029.jpg

I was busy taking shots in the pitlane when they were actually running, but they certainly made a wonderful noise!

Must stop - I won't get any modelling done at this rate.

SB

cool pics.
suspect the Lancia lc2 is the latest evo (wide body) model from 1985, silv. winner.Great car, with ferrari formula 1 engine...

Wonderful work as always, and thanks for the awesome vintage racer pics!

Excellent work as usual SB.

Have you checked out www.gunnarracing.com (http://www.gunnarracing.com) ?

They have loads of vides and galleries with detail shots of rebuilds of racing Porsches of all types; might prove usefull for this project.

cheers

Al

Hello again,

The last week and a bit has all been about the front end of the chassis - although I had made some progress by last weekend, there wasn't much to show for it. The early stages were slow-going as it was important to make sure the main tubes running from the base of the screen to the nose were correctly aligned - eventually they will be tied-in to the fibreglass shell, but they also give me the shape of the bonnet. Once the front frame is sorted out, I can start making the moulds for the bonnet and the base of the windscreen.

So, the first job was to locate the fibreglass top shell so I could be sure of getting it in the right place every time - this wasn't a ten-minute job. I made a pair of support towers to add to the front of the jigframe, and drilled through the flange at the front of the shell - but only after more than a few measurements, checking, and double-checking!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby109.jpg

Once the shell was positioned I could continue adding the tubes to the floor of the chassis - all the larger ones have extra ali or brass internal reinforcement, as before, and the main joints are pinned for strength.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby110.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby111.jpg

In the next photo I've started adding the verticals for the main front suspension mounting frame, and the radiator supports:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby112.jpg

Throughout all this I was modifying the lego framework to suit, depending on what access I needed and where I had to add new tubes. Add in the extra internal reinforcement and the time required for each tube soon increased beyond my normal half-hour or so.

With a few more diagonal braces added, the front of the frame was now relatively complete:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby113.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby114.jpg

It's solid enough that I can now start working on the patterns for the new sections of bodywork - no doubt I'll add a few more tubes during the next week or so, though. There's a removable cross-brace which fits into the front bay, for example, but that's a job for later.

With a little trimming the mk1 front bulkhead was added:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby115.jpg

Still fits! It's not really needed for the next stage of the build, but it's pleasing to see it in place like this - the plan is working, so far. Most of it will be hidden by the fuel tank, oil tank, etc, but it still needs to be right!

So, now to start on the next round of bodywork moulds...

Hello Al - yes, Gunnar Racing have certainly done some interesting builds in the last few years - the 917 videos are rather good, too! They've done a few 935's, so there are some good shots of the more 'standard' parts of the car, even if it's not necessarily the same as the Moby. It all adds to the flavour!

Have a good week, everyone.

SB

...So, as with the earlier moulds the first step was to hotwire several foam blocks to give the bonnet some curves:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby116.jpg

A layer of thin cereal-packet cardboard was marked with the basic outline of the bonnet and taped to the foam:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby117.jpg

The outer edges of the bonnet had to be built-up to create the central channel - my original plan was to add these card pieces each side as a foundation then finish off with a layer of filler, but I decided against this. Instead, I added another layer of cardboard over the whole mould, and used greenstuff to create the angled sides of the channel:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby118.jpg

By the end of the week the mould was ready for the fibreglass, so on Friday night I started laying-up, and continued through the weekend. I also took the opportunity to mould the second door panel at the same time, plus to make another section around the base of the windscreen - this will be useful later on...

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby119.jpg

...and that's where I'm up to. The door and windscreen section have had the same number of fibreglass layers as before, so they're sitting on the moulds until tomorrow night. The bonnet could use another couple, so it'll probably be Wednesday night before it's finished. We're racing at Oulton Park next weekend, but I'll be back on Sunday and should be able to show some finished parts in the next update.

All the best,

SB

Yet Again.. WOW!!!
Also, love that the lego is all black, now thats not easy to do with so many colours available!

Hello again,

Firstly, I can confirm that there is no hidden message behind the...'All-Black'...colouring of the jig! I sorted all my bricks by colour several years ago and I just happen to have more black Technic stuff than any other...and trying to make it in red white and blue 'Martini' colours would have been a step too far!

Anyway, back to the 935. The last layer of fibreglass on the bonnet refused to harden, so I wasn't able to remove it from the mould until returning home from Oulton Park at the weekend. I think the problem was that I usually mix up a set amount of resin and hardener in the 3:2 ratio, and that's enough for several layers on two or three moulds. When I laid the last layer on the bonnet, I mixed up a much smaller quantity of resin to avoid excessive wastage, but couldn't have added enough hardener. Grr!

Still, once it was prised off the mould and cleaned up, I was pleased with the result:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby120.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby122.jpg

I've not trimmed it to the exact shape just yet, but it's close enough to work with for the next stage. It will need some internal reinforcement eventually, but not while I still might need to put it back on the mould.

Before I could make the pattern for the ridge which runs around the base of the windscreen I had to work out where the chassis tubes were going to be. You can see these in the last photo, and again here:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby121.jpg

I didn't want to glue these in place just yet, so more lego has been added to hold them in position while I sort out the bonnet. The thing I can't understand about the original Porsche frame is why they didn't continue the outermost top rails up to the main roof pillars (unlike on my frame right now). The Freisinger photos clearly show these tubes cut short once they have been bolted through the inner wheel-arch pressings - they don't run up to the pillars. The diagonal cross-bracing connects to the pillars, but not the outers. I assume that it was due to the way they assembled the modified 911 shell over and around the tube frame - perhaps there was no way to fit it with the tubes running through. It would make my life easier to connect these tubes to the roof pillars, but in the interests of accuracy, they'll be cut short before final fitment!

So, after getting the frame in place, I spent a long time measuring, checking, and working out how I was going to get the new mould made. I recycled a few foam pieces from when I made the main roof mould, added some cardboard, and this was the end result:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby123.jpg

A seam of greenstuff was added to create the transition between the two surfaces, and was given a final smoothing tonight:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby124.jpg

This mould is now ready to start fibreglassing! Trouble is, I now want to get some other moulds ready so I can lay-up several panels at once. I made a list last week of all the moulds required for this project - it's currently up to thirty-six! It's certainly the most fibreglass-intensive project I've done, and I apologise that there hasn't been much 'styrene action' going on so far - but I really want to get the fibreglass to the right stage before we get into Autumn and the weather turns cold (yeah, I know - it's been a lousy summer here in the UK...) Then I can spend the cold, dark winter evenings working on the engine, gearbox, etc. That's the plan, anyway!

So, I'm now busy trying to get a couple more moulds ready for laying-up over the weekend - I think it will be the mk2 sill panels, although I keep thinking about the inner doorskins too. Hopefully you'll see some progress on Sunday.

Have a good week,

SB

Looking really good as usual SB; very encouraging to see the body panels taking shape so nicely already!

ianc

wow. learning more about the build and the actual car with every update :)

Hello again,

A little later in the evening than usual, but it's still Sunday. It's been a productive week - after getting the mould for the bonnet edge finished on Monday, I then spent a couple of evenings making new moulds for the inner and outer door sills. I probably could have re-used the mk1's, but I wanted to lay-up the two outer sills simultaneously, so that meant a new mould. The mould for the inner sills was re-designed slightly to hopefully give a different cross-section once finished.

When the weekend arrived, it was time to start laying-up again. First, the outer sills:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby125.jpg

Inner sills and bonnet edge:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby126.jpg

So far I've added between four and seven layers to these panels - the sills have now had enough, but the bonnet edge needs another three layers at least - I'm having to use the thinnest 0.6oz cloth to make sure I don't lose the detail.

As I was planning to continue laying-up through the week, my attention turned to the next set of moulds. For a challenge, I decided to tackle the rear inner wings. This was probably the most complicated of the panels I made for the mk1, but differences to the back end of the mk2 chassis meant that I couldn't re-use the original mould. So, I started by marking and cutting a 50mm thick block to match the outer contour of the chassis:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby127.jpg

A second block was added to give the full height, and the front edge was cut at an angle to match the slope of the rear face of the door opening:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby128.jpg

The inner surface was then cut away to (hopefully) match the curve of the rear side-windows:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby129.jpg

The basic wheel-arch shape was removed:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby130.jpg

...and when the whole lot is put together:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby131.jpg

Okay - it still has to be fitted together and tidied-up, but this is pretty much 90% complete. Once it's laid-up I'll be able to trim the various edges to suit when I stitch all the pieces together. In all, this mould took around seven hours to put together during yesterday - every single surface that will be fibreglassed is a cut face. So what did I do this afternoon? I made the other side:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby132.jpg

Second time around was a lot easier - I could re-use all the cardboard templates I made yesterday, and I knew that the shape would be correct! It was still a good couple of hours work, though.

I reckon it'll take another evening or two to get these two finished, but if I can get a couple of layers on by Friday, I should have them fully laid-up by this time next week. The sills should be off the mould by Tuesday, and I can continue adding layers to the bonnet edge; to make use of some of the excess resin I mix up, I've also started laying another sheet of plain fibreglass - this will come in useful later on for panelling, etc, rather than always using styrene sheet.

So, that's everything up-to-date again. I've got a week's holiday booked for early August, so I'm now making plans for jobs to do - it'll be a good opportunity to make some progress.

See you next week,

SB

looking very good.

Good progress; looking forward to seeing more of those body panels churned out!

ianc

Amazing!!

Now heres a callenge for you, a Lego Moby Dick...
Might need more than Black lego tho.
check it out
http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/01/gallery_gt_gt_moby_dick_recreated_in_lego/
Ash

da ashman - that's very funny - amazing what they can do with legos - John

Yeah - that's really good; although I don't actively model with Lego these days, I do follow a couple of the websites - there are some truly stunning builders out there. One particular guy has made replicas of a whole bunch of classic F1 cars, and they're fantastic!

Meanwhile...

The next job with the two rear inner wing moulds was to tape everything together and smooth off the rough edges before starting to lay-up:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby133.jpg

The first layer was applied on Thursday evening, another on Friday, and then more during the weekend - another couple and they should be finished.

The panels I was working on last weekend were removed from their moulds, cleaned-up, and given a first trim; here's the transition piece between the windscreen surround and the bonnet edge:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby134.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby135.jpg

I've added some extra location fixings to the jig to support the top shell - the two original ones at the front will have to be removed eventually. I'll soon re-build the jig again to put the supporting structure inside the shell, so I can offer-up the door sills, etc.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby136.jpg

Here's the left-hand outer door sill panel, plus the mk1 version for comparison:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby137.jpg

There's a lot of trimming required, obviously. I might have to add some extra layers, as they're still a little flexible - however, there will be a styrene stucture running inside the sills, so maybe that will do the job.

Finally, here's the channel section I made for the inner sill panels:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby138.jpg

This will be cut along the centre-line and trimmed to make the two final panels. The next job will be to make some moulds for the front edge of the door opening - I didn't want to make the sills in one piece, so that I would have room for adjustment.

So, that's everything up-to-date again. A quick word of thanks - I needed to order some more fibreglass resin and hardener, so called Deluxe Materials late on Friday afternoon: it arrived here early on Saturday! Great service. I'll continue laying-up the rear inner wings during the next couple of evenings, and make a few more moulds in preparation for the weekend. I don't want to go too far with the trimming until I have all the appropriate panels to hand! Hopefully the next couple of posts should see the bodyshell starting to take shape...

All the best,

SB

Looking better all the time! Given any thought as to how you'll make the windshield on this one?

ianc

Hi Ian,

So far my only thoughts about the windscreen have been 'I'll worry about that later'! Seriously though, I'm hoping that I'll be able to make it from flat clear sheet, with the bodyshell giving it the shape. It's not a double-curve, so it should work - I won't know until I start trimming the shell and making the openings.

The moulded covers for the headlights are the parts which are giving me the biggest concern - I don't think I'll be able to do them in fibreglass as they'll have that slight yellow shading, rather than being clear (even if I make them really thin). I guess I'll end up making patterns and experimenting with heated plastic. I don't think I'll be making these parts until next year, so there's plenty of time to find a solution.

Other concerns? Making sure I get really good panel fit. Getting the doors to fit and work properly. Door frames. Putting enough detail in without having stacks of reference material. Painting the Martini stripes! Being able to work on the car once the bodyshell is in place...

SB

I'll definitely be interested to see how you make the headlight covers. Have you done any vacuforming? If not, document it for us?

As far as the Martini stripes, perhaps you can scan the Tamiya ones and have someone print them for you to scale?

ianc

Hello again,



I didn't have a lot to show last weekend, so I thought I would combine everything into an extra-large post today!



Throughout last week my focus was on continuing to lay-up the rear inner wing panels, and making preparations for the parts I wanted to make during my holiday - the front ends of the outer sills, and the new version of the front bulkhead, for example. The rear inner wings were off the moulds first, but I had to modify the jigging (again) to be able to get them into position:



http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby140.jpg



With the roof added I could start trimming the wings and outer sills to fit together - everything was moulded over-size where possible to make life easier at this point. First, here's the left-hand outer sill:



http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby142.jpg



...and the right-hand side rear panel:



http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby141.jpg



All the time I've been adding small extensions to the jig where required to make sure the panels stay aligned and level - something the lego allows me to do quite easily.



The rear inner wheel-arch panels will eventually be trimmed to match the line of the chassis tubes, but for now I'm leaving them at their full height - why make life difficult? The curve of the rear side-windows was marked and trimmed, but it will be some time before I start building-up the edges - I'm not ready to cut into the roof section just yet.



http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby143.jpg



Trimming the outer sills to match the front edge of the wheel-arches was quite straight-forward, and made easier by knowing that there will be internal detail added later which will cover and strengthen the joints. There will also be a crossmember added between the two sides (roughly level with the rear corners of the side windows) and a section of rear parcel-shelf to be moulded - I was tempted to make a start on these during the week, but decided it was too early.



As I've mentioned in other posts, one of my plans was to add a supporting structure inside the outer sills - this could be used to locate the fibreglass sections, and to give a solid base for the outer bodywork and running boards. I drilled three holes in both pairs of the main sill tubes, and used these to pin lengths of box-section along each side:



http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby146.jpg



The short verticals are 1mm thick spacers which allow me to slide the fibreglass into position, whilst the outer structure clamps it in place; of course, they also tie the top and bottom of the chassis together, which is always a good thing!



These structures will be added to during the coming weeks to help support the sills and door openings. After the 908, I have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't matter if any of the fibreglass needs to be filled or modified with styrene - it's all going to be painted, not left as natural.



Later in the week the front sections of the outer sills came off the moulds and could start to be trimmed to suit:



http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby144.jpg



http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby145.jpg



The transition from the base of the door sill to the vertical will be filled with greenstuff, and the area around the base of the front roll-cage mountings will also be built-up from what you see here. There's all sorts of internal panelling to be added around the car, but right now this is low-priority compared to getting the core shell sorted out.



The last thing I did before starting this post was to trim the outer edge of the sills:



http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby147.jpg



Not a great photo, but you can see how it won't be long before I can start thinking about trimming the outer door skins to match. The curved vertical section at the back edge of the doors needs more work to create some depth for the door latch mechanism, etc, and this will probably mean more small mouldings! Then there's the small lip for the door to seal against, and the angled section at the front, and the base of the windscreen pillars to worry about too...



I briefly mentioned the new front bulkhead at the start of this post - it's nearly ready to be removed from the mould, so that'll be in the next update. I decided to re-use the original mould but just be more careful during the lay-up. So far I'm pleased with the result, but it won't be trimmed and fitted to the chassis for a while until I have the front wheel-arch panels ready.



That's everything up-to-date for this week. It's been a little stop-start all the while, but there's not a lot you can do when you're laying-up fibreglass - it takes time. I'm resisting the temptation to make a start on styrene fabrication (engine, gearbox, etc) as there will be plenty of time for that over the winter months; the focus remains on getting the core body structure sorted out.



Hi Ian - no, I've not done any vac-forming during my modelling so far, so I'll have to do some research if that's the way I decide to go. Of course, if it happens, I'll put it in the posts! The Martini stripes pose another challenge - it would be nice to think the Tamiya decals could just be scaled-up to suit, but I suspect that there will be enough subtle differences between my bodywork and theirs that this would be a frustrating experience! However, the 908 makes me wonder whether I could mask and spray the stripes, rather than doing everything with decals...? The fall-back position is the all-white test-car (hooray for Porsche test-cars!) but we all know that it has to be the Le Mans livery. We'll see - that's a job for 2014!



Have a great week,



SB

Hello again...

Following Ian's question about vac-forming, I did some digging around online and found some interesting videos on YouTube, plus a few links to useful sites. It's not something I have considered doing on previous projects, but I'm beginning to think it could be useful here - I just have to think of enough parts I can make to justify the effort of putting a set-up together! Hmm...watch this space.

Anyway, back to the 935. Before I trimmed any of the existing front door-frame panels further, I wanted to make the front inner wings. The original mk1 mould couldn't be re-used as I wanted to change one or two measurements and angles, but with some cardboard and blue foam it wasn't a problem to make two fresh moulds:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby148.jpg

...and the opposite side, after a little filler to smooth out the surface:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby149.jpg

To give myself a little insurance (and to make sure I had enough parts to lay-up in one go) I cleaned-up the two chunks of foam cut from the wheel-arches and would cover them in fibreglass too. If I need to make any modifications to the positioning of the arches, I can use these panels and graft them onto the outer sections. Here's everything after a couple of layers of 1oz cloth:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby152.jpg

I'm also laying-up a pair of small detail parts to attach to the rear of the door opeings - these will create the depression where the door-latch mechanism sits. The problem with making these small parts in fibreglass is that even with the finest 0.6oz cloth it is still difficult to get crisp, sharp edges. I'm sure that once they're off the moulds I'll have to do quite a lot of re-working and filling to get them back into shape...which isn't a problem as they'll be painted!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby153.jpg

So, I'll continue adding layers to these parts through the next few evenings, and while I'm doing that I'll be working on the next batch of moulds - hopefully so I can fibreglass them during next week. First up, here's the seat:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby150.jpg

It started as two chunks of 50mm thick foam - I cut simple cardboard templates, as usual, to get the outer edge, then used the long strip shown above to start taking some of the width from the sides. Unfortunately, the size of my hot-wire tool put a limit on where I could cut, so a lot of the final shaping had to be done by hand with emery cloth:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby151.jpg

To get a little extra width across the shoulders I've added the two small foam sections you can see above - these will need some filler and more smoothing to get the required shape. Then, the shell should really have a moulded edge added, so I'll have to work out a practical way to do that - probably a combination of cardboard and filler.

Next on the list will be the dashboard top, and probably the rear parcel-shelf / firewall - again, it's a question of using up each batch of resin / hardener mix before it starts to go-off in the pot!

So, that's it for tonight. If the front wing panels are off the moulds at the weekend I should be able to continue trimming and start putting the front end of the chassis together - including the bulkhead. Again, apologies if it's all been a bit repetitive recently, but I promise that despite the apparent lack of progress, 'normal' service will be resumed soon enough!

All the best!

SB

Looking forward to seeing how those parts come out!

ianc

Hello SB,

Maybe I understood this wrong, then this should be considered as not said : " Then, the shell should really have a moulded edge added, so I'll have to work out a practical way to do that - probably a combination of cardboard and filler."
Instead of the combination of cardboard and filler, wouldn't it be easier to use a piece of wire to form this edge ? I'm thinking of electrical- or soldering wire here.
Again I'm sorry if I misunderstood this.

Keep up the nice work. I'll keep on following your progress.

Mark

This is just amazing man, all of your porsche builds are just perfect!! suprised porsche hasn't tried to buy your builds......

Hi Shovel - no problem: what I meant was, I want to add a curved edge to the seat moulding - not to add one afterwards. On the 908 I added thickness to the seat edges afterwards with a layer of styrene strip - once the seat was covered with cloth, it didn't matter that it wasn't a rounded edge. Attaching a length of wire would do a similar job, I agree.

However, for the 935 I want to get this edge included as part of the basic seat shape - so I need to add a small curved return to the foam block. It means more work - and I have to be sure the shape is right - but I think the moulded part will be better as a result.

...Actually, I'll make a start on this tonight! It will become clear once I post some more photos later in the week.

Thanks Hippie2 - I'm enjoying your 935 project as well. No - I haven't had any enquiries about the 908...but I wasn't really expecting any! I do my modelling for my own enjoyment - and you guys here can see what I do, and my colleagues at work, but that's about it. So far there has been no financial motivation!

SB

Hello again!

It's been a couple of weeks, and things haven't gone quite to plan, but I'm finally starting to make progress again. It feels like I've spent most of the summer going nowhere fast, but I think it's just the different nature of this project - fibreglassing is not a quick process!

The seat has been put on-hold for a while; I spent a couple of evenings trying different ways of creating a lip around the edge of the mould, but wasn't convinced I'd got it right. Then I dismantled the jig so I could try the seat in place...and found it was too wide! Okay, not a problem - before I waste any more time trying to add the lip I'll make a seat, then cut-and-shut it to suit the chassis. Or I'll just make another seat mould...

So, returning to the parts I'd laid-up a while back, here's the front inner wing panels after being removed from the moulds and given a quick trim:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby154.jpg

...and here's the two smaller panels to be added to the rear of the door frames:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby155.jpg

I've not taken these two any further just yet - my attention has been focussed on the front wings and bulkhead. I'll probably get back to them in a week or two. The first step was to start trimming the inner wing panels to shape, and fitting them around the lower chassis tubes - so plenty of cutting, snipping and filing. Here's a first fit:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby156.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby157.jpg

Each time the wings were trimmed closer to their final shape I had to make adjustments, check the positioning, etc, so it's not a quick job. The two small 'ears' on the front of the top-section (for locating it on the jig) were starting to get in the way, so they were eventually removed.

I've just realised that I don't think I've shown the mk2 bulkhead moulding so far - well, it's here! Again, it's been trimmed down and fettled to fit into place - around the floor, and the main upper roll-cage tubes. The tricky part has been the fit between the outer edges of the bulkhead and the inner face of the front wings - it's a little gappy in places, but nothing that can't be patched later and filled. Once the fuel tank, oil tank, etc are in position, most of the bulkhead will be hidden from view.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby158.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby159.jpg

Dropping the bonnet in place doesn't achieve anything, but it helps me to feel that the build is possible! One of the problems in putting this front end together is that there aren't too many fixed points to work with - I've deliberately left the chassis frame incomplete to make it easier to add the bulkhead, etc, but at the same time this makes it harder to line-up the wing panels. So, this afternoon I've been working on putting together the small chassis section which will connect the main roll-cage to the front suspension bulkhead:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby160.jpg

The outermost tubes will be cut short and the stumps will be attached to the front wings; the diagonals will be attached to the roll-cage with brackets and hidden by the dashboard panel. I want to keep this piece removeable for some time, as it will make further work so much harder if it is glued in place! The challenge of this project is as much about how to actually put the model together, as it is about creating the individual parts. I'm trying hard to not think about how I'm going to paint some of this...!

I want to get back to doing a regular Sunday-night post again, and now that this fibreglass-work is yielding results I think I'll be able to keep things moving along. We've got a break with the FF2000 racing too, so the next few weekends will largely be spent modelling!

Have a great week,

SB

You are the Fiberglass Master. Your patterns are exceptional. Great work SB.

This week I felt like a change from cutting and trimming fibreglass panels, so the first job was to add a few extra chassis tubes - the diagonals running down to the floor frame. The top X-frame is still removeable, so the diagonals below have been trimmed to support it at the correct angle.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby161.jpg

Later there will be some extra pipework snaking around the lower tubes, when I add the plumbing for the front radiators.

Next, I wanted to start fixing the positions of the door frame panels. As the inner sill structure was 'full' (in places) I didn't want to drill into it to pin the panels. So I glued a pair of small studs (cut from 1/8" solid styrene, about 1.5mm long) to the box-structure, and made holes in the fibreglass to suit:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby162.jpg

Later in the week I repeated this idea for the main sill panels:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby163.jpg

There's enough flex in the fibreglass that it grips the studs quite firmly, and once the outer box-section is attached the whole structure should be secure.

Finally, I've made a start on the second X-frame which fits into the nose of the chassis, above the fuel tank. It's not needed yet, but I wanted to work with styrene again! In real-life this frame is bolted into place once the fuel and oil tanks are installed, so I'm making a set of spigots which will fit into the corners of the chassis bay:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby165.jpg

Instead of shaping these from solid 1/8" rod to create the scarf-joints, I've used regular 1/8" tube, then added small lengths of 1.5mm half-round to give it some strength. The X-frame itself will be reinforced with ali or brass rod, and then drop into place (with some hex-nut detailing at each corner). Here's one of the spigots drilled and temporarily pinned in place:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby164.jpg

It's not stunning stuff, I know, but it's the early stages of adding detail and realism the the chassis. Another job lined-up for this week is to make attachments for the original X-frame to the roll-cage. Once the fibreglass body core is 'fixed', I can press-on with the styrene work; I've spent a little time this weekend making small adjustments to the positioning of the roof structure - nothing serious, just small corrections to improve the alignment (and stop me being frustrated later on...)

More again next weekend.

SB

I'm still amazed at how you build these scale replicas SB. I can't say enough about the work you Christian and Jaykay do - John

Hello everyone,

Not a big post this week, but things are still moving along. I started the week by finishing off the removable X-frame - the four mounting spigots were trimmed slightly shorter, and the frame itself could then be adjusted to suit. It's not glued together yet (just in case...) but it fits in the chassis okay:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby166_zpsdc5bd312.jpg

Next job was to make the connection points for the upper X-frame to the main roll-cage. I began by making some inserts which would fit into the ends of the 4mm tubing, but this plan was scuppered when I remembered that one of the diagonals also has a length of ali tube inside. So, plan B was to file the ends of the tubes to a width of about 3mm, and use 3/16" box-section to make the mounting channels:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby167_zpsfcaa8288.jpg

The channels have been reinforced with the small triangular plates you can see, and in time I will apply a little greenstuff to fill in the joints. There will also be mounting plates to support the dashboard structure, and to tie-in the front inner wing panels. The outer tubes of the X-frame have been trimmed short - sometime soon I will reinforce the fibreglass to make the connection points.

The final job for this week has been to start cutting into the rear of the door openings to add the small insert panels:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby168_zpsb13ed68e.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby169_zps630bb044.jpg

I rough-cut the holes as close to the edge as I dared, tidied the edges with file and emery cloth, then glued the insert panel in position with CA. As the panel was now 'stable' again, I finished cutting back the edges to match the inside of the insert. The left-hand sill is 95% done, as you can see, and the right-hand insert is glued but needs the final trimming.

...and that's it for tonight. A quick word of thanks to John and F40 for the 'positive vibes' - much appreciated: it still doesn't feel like I've really made much progress, but I know that's because of the way I'm structuring the build. I just hope you can all stick with me for a while until it really starts getting interesting!

As always, have a good week.

SB

Hi SB,

As always your updates are truly amazing. I do not always comment on your work, but that doesn't mean that when i get notice of your update, i'm always glued to the screen. Keep the updates coming please.

Best regards,
Lesley

SB - I cannot imagine anyone that has found this thread not sticking with it - every posting is a lesson for me - I was a "out of the box" builder until I came across the 908 build when I joined the forum - after seeing what you do and the explanations and pictures you provide, I have learned new things I want to try on my models. I think I can safely speak for others we will keep watching - John

I can only agree with John and Lesley here SB.
I thoroughly enjoy your work, so much so, that mostly I'm glued to my screen when reading your weekly or last update.
Very educational and I'm always trying to learn more from your techniques.
So please keep those updates coming (they're addictive:smile:)

Mark

Hello everyone,
I just hope you can all stick with me for a while until it really starts getting interesting!


Haven't commented on this build yet SB (I think I ran out of sensible comments on your 908 thread!) but I'm enjoying every update you post as it's always inspiring to watch someone as good as yourself at work! I shall also be sticking with you till the very end of this build!!

Keef

It´s always fun to watch this big porsche growing up!
Every little tube that find his place and its getting bigger abd better with every post.

This is real art in my eyes.
I didn´t trust my skills,and my patience, to do an complete scratchbuild like yours.

Wow!

kind regards
Christian

Hello everyone,

So, having made the connections for the X-frame to the base of the windscreen pillars, I wanted to create solid mountings for the two outer short tubes. I glued two lengths of 3/16" angle inside the tops of the fibreglass wings, then added a small fabricated bracket to the X-frame mounting:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby170.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby171.jpg

The wing panels still require extra detailing work, but I'm leaving that for later - I want to create an inner skin (either another layer of fibreglass, or maybe styrene), plus there's external features to add. The X-frame tubes will be glued and pinned in place...eventually!

The next job I wanted to tackle was trimming the rear of the top-section, but this resulted in a crisis of confidence - I was beginning to think that the rear window-line was wrong, and that it was neither true to the original 911 shell, nor to the extension panel that was (in real life) fitted over the top. After spending a while checking my drawings and taking measurements, I was happy that all was okay and that I could continue - panic over! Here's how it turned out:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby172.jpg

It doesn't look much, but it took a bit of juggling to get the rear window re-positioned - the corners will be cut-back some more in time, but not until I've got the side windows finalised.

By now I was getting to the point where I really needed to remove the chassis from the jig in order to work on certain jobs - but the top-section could still only be properly positioned when it was on the jig. So, the next job was to create mountings for the shell onto the roll-cage, so it could be self-supporting. I used small pieces of 3/16" box-section cut back to make small brackets, which were then pinned to the top rails of the frame:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby173.jpg

I didn't want to drill through the fibreglass (although it would have made life easier...) so I went through a slow process of drilling the brackets and using short lengths of wire to check the spacing between the inside of the shell and the mounts. I then made small styrene packers, checked the positioning, and glued them inside the shell:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby174.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby175.jpg

These are enough to hold the shell in place when the frame is off the jig, but will eventually be joined by more across the top of the windscreen, two at the back of the doors, and two by the corners of the rear window - the roof will tie the frame together!

Now that the side 'windows' were not required for locating the shell, I could trim them out and get the access I wanted:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby176.jpg

I was worried that the shell would start to flex too much with the sides removed, but it's not a problem (so far). I won't cut the windscreen just yet - I want to add some reinforcement to the screen pillars before that happens!

The next panels to be fitted to the frame were the rear inner wings - again, I fitted two small studs first for location, then added more drillings for security. With the positioning taken care of, I could trim the lower edge to match the line of the frame:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby177.jpg

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby178.jpg

These panels need more work - they have to be trimmed and cut to flex into place around some of the lower frame tubes, and to clear where the suspension trailing arms will attach. At some point I'll have to fix the rear wings to the door frame sections, too.

Now the frame is off the jig I feel like I'm making progress at last - trimming the windows out means I can work on the A-pillars, for example - and I'm quite surprised at how sturdy it is; the front X-frame connections seem to work well, and the stiffness will only increase as I add more tubes and the floor panel.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby179.jpg

...So yes, I'm feeling quite pleased tonight!

Have a good week,

SB