Currently working on ... Porsche 917 K Le Mans 1971 winner

[Sennake]

I guess I'm about halfway now... And when it will be finished? I will get another kit from my 600 kits stock (see last picture)...

Here some pictures to see for yourself :







eidt by jay: picture spacing

[tonioseven]

Please keep posting updates! I think that was Porsche's greatest car ever!!!That's just my personal opinion! I got hooked on them while watching "Le Mans" with Steve McQueen when I was younger!:bandit:

[Focus2000]

Looking good! Who makes the kit?

and that's quite a stockpile you've got there!

[Sennake]

It is a very old kit (at least 15 years or more) by "The memorial collections", that I inherated from a very good modeling friend who passed away in 1994. He had just started building the engine block, and the kit has been sitting in my stock for almost 10 years now. I figured it was about time I finished off my friend's work now...

Here is a picture of the box :

[MR2_Lancer]

very nice! i like the website too...

[flyonthewall]

love that car! One of my fav Le Mans cars ever!

Which kit is this? Union, Wave? I can't remember although they used the same tool i believe

[Sennake]

Originally posted by flyonthewall
love that car! One of my fav Le Mans cars ever!

Which kit is this? Union, Wave? I can't remember although they used the same tool i believe

It's definately Union!

[Veyron]

Looks great so far, your 512TR is nice also. Your collection looks much like mine, about the same amount too.

[RallyRaider]

Super! You are making a very nice job of it! Any tips or cautions in the building?

I've got one of the Heller 917K kits making it's way to me in the post as we speak. Along with some Fred Cady decals for the Red Salzberg 1970 Le Mans winner. Can't wait!

[Sennake]

Originally posted by RallyRaider
Super! You are making a very nice job of it! Any tips or cautions in the building?

Yes : do not follow the instructions where they tell you to simply glue the bottom half and top half bodyparts together (and spraypaint the whole after assembly), because the nose of the car will have a seam line, and it would be very hard to avoid that. Instead, I cut the front of the lower body part away, and glued it to the top body part before assembly. That way I had all the time and opportunity to fill and sand the seam line away before spray painting the body. The picture will hopefully tell you more than what I'm trying to tell you...

[RallyRaider]

Thanks for that Sennake. I see exactly what you mean.

Kit arrived today, the red Salzberg version without the tail fins. Looks pretty nice considering it is by Heller and 15-20(?) or so years old. Not a big fan of the raised panel lines, especially the marking positions for the number roundels. And the kit tyres are rather weird!

Willing to live with those excentricities given the car is one of my all time favourites. Now I need to find another to build a baby blue Gulf liveried version!

Will be looking forward to your continued progress on this kit, you are doing a stellar job. Might be some time before I start mine.

[Sennake]

If you like 1/24 Porsche 917's there are alternatives, and they are absolutely stunning! But they are resin made and there is no engine detail, and they are quite expensive too... I will give you the info anyway :

Profil 24 (€ 100 or $ 100 for a kit) : pricelist here :

Some examples :





Le Mans Miniatures (€ 110 or $ 110 for a kit) : pricelist here :

Some examples :





Hope to be of any assistance?

[Sennake]

Well, well, well! Was I in for a little surprise!

As I told earlier on, this kit was an inheratige from a deceased friend Klaus, who had begun minor constructing things like putting the engine block together.



Now, when I was trying to locate parts 2-17 and 2-18 (see building plan) I could find them nowhere! I have no idea what Klaus has done with them, but they are NOT in the box!

So I decided to make them myself. I took an old credit card, put it in very hot water and bended it to give it the curved shape of the wheel arches. Then I cut it to the right size.

Next, I took a plastic hollow tube and cut it in half to form the shape that slides over the horizontal support of the car. I glued some plastic sheet to both ends of it, and cut the whole to the right size again.

I glued the curved part and the flat part together, and then the hardest part was to be done : the fitting of the whole to the existing model. I had to adjust quite some things, but finally I got it right to my great relief. Would indeed be stupid to come this far and then give up on a project because some important parts are missing! Maybe I wouldn't have had the courage to do it if I hadn't put pictures and comments on this forum in the first place, so that is an extra motivation!



I finished by cutting and glueing the vertical parts to the whole, and sanding it smoothly. I wonder how I would have done this without super-glue...

Here is how mt Porsche looks like right now, I will certainly keep you informed about the progress of my project!

[Guido]

Interesting project and VERY clever credit-card solution!

[RallyRaider]

Thanks Sennake I was aware of the LMM and P24 resin kits. Was definitely going to get one until the Heller kit showed up. Might still give in and buy one if the price isn't too high. I much prefer to work in plastic than resin. Although I have an LMM Audi R8 and P24 Peugeot 905 and they are both appear to be excellent.

Very imaginative use of a credit card there too! Your are most talented!