Porsche Rothmans 961 Le mans 1987 1/24

[lovegt40]

ok, time to update and try to finish also this one.
As said in my little wip on the long tail 962, I had big problems using museum collection decals for rothmans car. After so much work on the body, nearly producing it in resin, I arrived at paint and decals and troubles stared.

The srange plastic tamiya used for this model react quite different than ordinary one. It always remains softer and quite oily. Probably is a kinda plastic they used in late 80s for slot racing bodies, before the carbon fiber or resin bodies arrived to race there.

Unfortunately as said in the beginning, it is the ONLY 961 available around in 1/24 ,and of course not of the wider 1987 car.
I must probably think of this when I bought decals.
There are no models around, so how can they draw decals for this un-existing model? Of course not, so I understood almost all rothmans main livery colors must be repainted. Unfortunately looking better at what Museum did, I noted too many mistakes in the decals and the overall quality of those was indeed a crap.

here some pics..



this is blue rothmans compared to deeper cartograph 962 decal sheet. Italian printer has a quality BRUTALLY higher than those japanese craps.













here finally glossy and polished....dont care if Calude Haldi become a swedish citizen. Sweden is famous to host a lot of strange people, including the ones not asking for citizen, like probably Haldi was in 1987.



Of course as much as I could I choosed to use the original Tamiya decals (frames and other bits around)








Now I just want to close her and forget this nightmare as soon as I can.

In case you didnt get it..my message is:

STAY AWAY FROM MUSEUM COLLECTION DECAL SET FOR 961 LE MANS 87

I dunno if studio27 ever did those decals, or anybody else. For sure I remember an old die cast metal kit from Bburago about this version, done probably over their 959 (undersized in scale) .
Despite wrong dimesions they were printed by Zanchetti, another good quality italian producer, surely infintely better than what I had to work with here...

[John18d]

Paolo - the paint work came out beautiful

Really nice to see you getting back to this one.

Cheers
John

[generationx]

Despite your problems this is looking really good!

On the subject of decals I think the set I have is Tabu - a possible alternative?

[lovegt40]

tanks John, Thanks Jc,

Jc, I hope really tabu design sheet could be better than mone. From pics i´ve seen online seems they re-admitted Claude haldi in swiss confederation, but I cannot see the main Rothmans logo on the front bonnet. Maybe is printed on a smaller second part.
Check anyway before use theme, cause it seems to me also this one has been drawn over the slimmer 86 car.

[lovegt40]

made some first test with wheels on. really just want to finish it now.

Misteriously there are no side mirrors in tamiya box. Had to build theme from scratch. Evergreen 5x5 strip was used..

[icon_modeler]

Nice work Paolo, The model is looking great. I know you are a fan of the BBS wheels but I think the car looks much more sinister with the black Dymags/Speedline style wheels. I have the Speedline decals from Strata Sports. They are drawn for a wider car. But my fear is that they were drawn by the same person who did them for Museum Collection Micheal Quarterman from UMI Models.

[lovegt40]

Originally Posted by icon_modeler

Nice work Paolo, The model is looking great. I know you are a fan of the BBS wheels but I think the car looks much more sinister with the black Dymags/Speedline style wheels. I have the Speedline decals from Strata Sports. They are drawn for a wider car. But my fear is that they were drawn by the same person who did them for Museum Collection Micheal Quarterman from UMI Models.

Yepp, I have to admit I love bbs toys (allover, for a period had 4 real ones in my bedoroom , coming from and Honda devastated at the ring..)and I was taken by this pic that looks pretty original:



As well as I note spark, usually quite precise on its models made the same, with such 17" bbs...



So I really think they could be historically correct for the car....before the big barbeque on her during the race.
Probably when they refurbished the cadaver burned they replaced the original smaller rims from 1986 car...and the (I think replica) car around in car shows uses the modern bigger spockets bbs so common today...

[Slash01]

I've cast a silent eye over this build for quite a while.
I was hoping you'd cast the body as I would have been very interested in buying one lol.
But I think I can manage to make my own following your build and a plan view comparison I have of the '86 vs the '87.
I have to say you have built one fine model there and you are correct in that the mesh BBS wheels are correct for the car. It started the race on them but the driveshafts kept breaking. So as a cure the car was reverted back to the '86 track and fitted with the black 5 spoke Speedline's. Not long after was the unfortunate fire that ended it's race.

Ashley

[Veyron]

I have decals from Speed Line printed by Cartograf for this car. I have no idea how well they will fit the body...but the sheet includes extra decals for if you widen the body for the '87 version.

[lovegt40]

Originally Posted by Veyron

I have decals from Speed Line printed by Cartograf for this car. I have no idea how well they will fit the body...but the sheet includes extra decals for if you widen the body for the '87 version.

my tip is anyway to make a paper copy of the sheet you got and try the fittings on the wide body (this car in this livery must be ONLY wide body).
I did with mine and started to cry that day I discover my sheet was a crap. Hope your one fits better Brian.

Final detailing on the 961.Mirrors on,just miss the last bonnet PE hooks,front grille and then, I hope she is finished.
The legendary unlucky of car 203 last night was little better here in sweden. A heavy button light from my "brand new porsche museum" showcase fall down on the cars . Thanks god I still didnt place mirrors on the 962lh , but 991 was damaged a little in the side mirror.









really this 961 rothmans takes and means unlucky (so nothing done with GTX cathegory, broken driveshaft, taking fire...)



But she looks deadly nice anyway..

[das_auto]

As always, great work Paolo!

[lovegt40]

Thank u my friend.