After more then 8 years of one aircraft model after another, and being a long time road racing fan from the early 1060s, I thought it was about time that I included racing cars into my model building schedule. And with time no longer on my side, now is the perfect time to start.

Rather then jump into the world of Formula 1 as it seems to be the most modeled series, I thought I'd model a personal favorite from the FIA Endurance races of yesteryear. For me the Iconic Porsche 917 series totally dominated the 1970's Prototype class, and was by far my favorite P type car. Unlike most makes, Porsche didn't race the cars under the Porsche factory banner, but rather had a team or a few teams that it treated as their factory teams.

My favorite team from the late 1960s through the the 1980s was the John Wyler Gulf Team. And so I set out to build one of the Fujimi 1/24 scale Wyler Gulf Porsche 917 K versions. Unfortunately, the kit isn't available except from the Orient, so I decided go with the Team Piper version which I picked up at the 2018 Noreastcon for steal. I figured I'd just buy new decals from IndyCal, but when I checked they didn't make any Wyler/Gulf Porsche 917K decals. So I switched "gears" and went with the Martini 1971 LeMans winning car decals. When I opened the box to start the kit, to my horror I discovered that the Piper version was a short track car, without the vertical Stabilizers that Porsche added for the 1971 race, which preceeded the long tail version. So I was faced with this:



The correct tail looks like this:





So I decided to just make my own out of .020 sheet plastic using a tracing of the decals as a guide.



I drilled holes for pins in both the rear deck and the bottom of the Stabs to add a little more strength to the joint. Also, the car doesn't have those intake ducts on the side of the engine fan housing. The kit does contain plugs, but the fit is pretty poor. So after the glue had dried I sanded them to shape, then a libral coating of Bondo, and when dry sanded and polished. Feels pretty smooth to me.



The rear of the engine deck also needed every seam sanded and puttied, and it's a sinlge piece molding in real life. Only the tail winglets were bolted on.

The front deck which is also the top of the cockpit, had it issues, none that weren't easy enough to correct. Fujimi has both radiator housing covers in the kit, so I glued the correct one into place. The cover was to tall, and the Zues fasteners were way out of scale. I sanded them off, and took down the radiator cover to be level with the body. Now I just have to figure out how to make new fasteners or buy some. Also there is another small intake right in front of the windscreen that wasn't used on this car, so I plugged, and then Bondo'd it. The last item is the cockpit top window. Fujimi gives you a plug for it as almost all the various 917s didn't use it. I glued the plug in. Then Bondo and sanded smooth.

Fujimi molded the front clip as a separate piece as I'm sure that it was due to how they made molds back in the 1990s, so I glued it on, then sanded, a nice coat of Bondo filler, and got the clip to look like it was molded with front boby section.





Final polishing is next to get ready for the primer coat. Unfortunately, my order from Gravity paints which inlcudes their complete painting process that I ordered on May 17th was 1st held up due to Mate' recieving the wrong bottle caps. Then on 6/1 he started to accept orders again, but everyday when I check my order status, it's still listed as being processed. Daily using he contact form, I ask for the status of my order and if he offers tracking. Unfortunately, he never has replied to this point. If I need to cancel my order through PayPal, then I'll go with MCW Paints as they get top marks as well.

Joel

Hey-hey: look who's here!

That's a nice surprise, Joel. Glad to see you here too. I barely can believe it!
To make the surprise even more pleasant, you have chosen a very interesting model. I absolutely like the old fashion racing cars but unfortunately the manufacturers of the new seem to ignore completely this segment. I not even dare to dream that one day I can build the Silver Arrow!
Adding to all above that you are a gifted story teller, this thread it's going to be a treat!

As usual for you, very good study on the subject leading to modifications for the sake of accuracy that only a veteran modeler can tackle. Goood!

It's a pity for the paints; I never tried Gravity Colors - I remain faithful to my Krylon or Rust-oleum enamels (less and less MM) for auto finishes.

I have to apologize for my ignorance, but I have no clue what color your first choice should have been... Martini livery looks very neat to me, but achieving a spectacular glossy white it's still difficult for me. And that's another reason to follow this tread.

Gabriel

Of course I'm following along Joel

Gabriel,
I've seen your posts here every so often, and knew that you'd be along for the journey. Welcome my friend.

My "Love Affair" with European road racing and sports cars started July 1963 when I got my 1st copy of Road & Track magazine. Back then they carried all the European Road Racing series as none was on TV other then Monaco F1 on ABC's Wide World of Sports. I also saw my 1st ad for the Porsche 356 and it was instantly in love with that car. I always said that I'd own one some day, but as I just passed 70, it sure doesn't look that way. I did own a 1967 MG-B that was heavily modified for street/track.

As you alluded to, most manufactures aren't interested in the glory days of Road racing, as most modelers weren't even born yet. The 1960s for me was centered around the Ford Ferrari FIA wars, then in the 1970s when Ford pulled out as they won virtually everything with both the MkIIs and MkIVs in prototypes, and with the Shelby Cobras in A & B Production, Porsche moved up to the big time to challenge Ferrari.

Strange, but my all time favorite Porsche race car is the little 908/3. No models other then in 1/43 scale were ever made of it. So like your dream of building a Silver Arrow, many of the cars I want to build will be just dreams as that scale is to small and the kits are way to expensive.

The paint issue is that Gravity and Zero paints are real automotive lacquers cut to spray directly from your AB like Alcads. Their primer is also lacquer, but will protect the plastic if applied in light layers. Their range of colors are extensive and added to as new cars or old cars in kit form become available. Car guys demand the perfect color match. There are more shades of white listed then I ever imagined, but each is correct for the car it's intended for.

My issue with Mate, the owner of Gravity paints in Florida is simply his horrendous service. He takes way to long to ship your order, never responds to emails, or messages left for him, and doesn't answer his listed phone number. My order was placed May 15 and listed as being processed from the 16th on. Still is, but no paint, no tracking, and no information. So today I requested a refund as I want to cancel my order, and have opened a claim with Pay Pal. Lets see what happens.

A gloss paint finish has to be the hardest finish for modelers. There is no hiding errors, goofs, or screw ups with weathering. Hence, I was going to use Gravities complete system which is Matt paint and Urethane Clear coat. If I opt to go with MCW paints, their paints are Glass and their clear coat is a lacquer. Plenty of opportunities for me to screw up.

Joel

Russell,
It's great to have another friend along for my journey. I can promise you one thing, it won't be boring as I'm in new waters for sure.

Joel

Always interesting to watch your builds Joel

Sorry to hear about the paint issue. I hope it gets sorted soon.

I'd have never known about so many different paint types for car models til now. I always just picked a best match from my stash of Humbrol Enamels Ah, live n learn

The 917K is my favorit racing Porsche of all time. Will be following with great interest.

Joel! As always: you can run but you can't hide !

Glossy will be a new challenge but I don't think it is impossible. Probably more a question of patience (paint, sand, paint, sand, paint, sand, polish, polish, polish...)



Magnus

Joel, I will be following along for this build. I already like your alterations. Very neat.
As for gloss finishes, they never lasted past the first hour. Pictures of the winning Porsche show a very grubby car indeed. A weathered car would be an interesting project.

cheers
Michael

Hai Joel,

Just to let you know:

I have been a Porsche fan all my life, and now you tricked me into wanting to build them as models.

Haha! Joel, you thread is going to reach the proportions of a Russian classical novel, but I like it!

Let's get started...


Now that was a car! There's a Minicraft 1:16 model with spokes and all. No question here - a definitive head-turner.



Please allow me to agree only partially with you here. Many modelers's fathers weren't born yet when PZ.Kpfw.III was already obsolete and yet it's a very popular subject. There are some iconic cars (or aircraft or armored cars that transcend the narrow limits of interest of a specific group. Yes, if you go too specific for some Lancia Delta Integrale Stratos from a single rally you may hit that barrier; but I'm fire sure an iconic MB w196 streamlined (or Monza) will interest a much larger circle than a couple of nostalgic modelers like the two of us.
I don't want to pollute your blog with images not directly related to the subject, but I'll bite the bullet and show two of them, just for examples:





I know and I agree but in my case I do what I can with what I have, being at some 1200 miles of the closest hobby shop



I've got the same treatment from RB Productions, unfortunately. It turned out eventually that wasn't their fault but they're lacking seriously at business manner chapter. I received my parcel two days before PP case closure! (fortunately / unfortunately).



In my first post I meant specifically white colors and off-whites. For dark colors a decent amount of shine is relatively easily achievable. On the contrary, a gloss white finish is not only hard to get, but it's also very difficult to photograph - and that's one of the reasons why I decided to take a step higher and to buy a semi-professional camera (bridge). I intend to open a thread (whenever the opportunity arises) especially for the white finish: I have on my current shopping list a Plymouth Fury which I intend to make it ivory white (inspired by the opening sequences from the movie Christine). Currently I'm using urethane for the clear coats and I must say that it's a nightmare to work with but the results are incomparably superior to any other medium I ever tried. I still have left to try the Alclad gloss lacquer, due to arrive with the next shipment as well.

I hope I didn't get you bored with my lengthy comments - that's what you get for stirring my interest

Cheers!
Gabriel

Gabriel.
Some how I missed your post. for starters I'm going to search everywhere for that Model of the MG-B. I just have to have. As for those Mercedes, OMG Iconic for sure.


Feel free to digress anytime you feel like it. It's a treat for one's eyes.

Joel

Joel, you might be lucky with your search

https://www.murotoys.com/webstore/Aoshima-Model-Kit-1-24-MGB-MG-MG-B-1967-MODEL-Mk-I-RED-MIB-Made-in-Japan

or, if you want to go more classic:
https://www.amazon.com/Minicraft-1948-MG-TC-16-Scale/dp/B0074605UI

Gabriel

I'm trying to finish up my next update, so there should be some posted progress very shortly.

As to the issue with Gravity paints, the status was changed to claim status. I sent Mate two more emails, as well as Pay Pal requesting information. Mate never responded to any of them. Pay Pal gave him till 6/18 to send a response, which as I said he never did. So today Pay Pal issued me a full refund. I checked my order at the Gravity site, and it's still listed as on Hold.

Not sure what's going on there, but Mate has twice stopped accepting orders stating he's backlogged. I've never heard of any company doing that. My guess is that he's having issues getting needed supplies so he can fill his current orders.

Joel

Finally time for another update, small as it may be. I must confess that this summer, my 1st as a retired person, I've gotten the saltwater fishing bug again, and have been fishing both from pier and boat at least twice per week. That has cut into my previous day time modeling schedule for sure. But now that I've got most of the basics back and in some what control, I don't need to devote so much time to fishing 101.

Also, since the finish of the T-33A, I've slacked off some needing to recharge my Mojo batteries, as I've been finishing one build, then starting the next one, even on the same day for years on end.

1st up was replacing the Dzus fasteners. For that I just used some .040 sheet stock and punched out discs, then just glued them in place.



The prototype had two small electrical panels under the large dash panel, located right directly behind the front suspension A arms. You can clearly see them when looking through the side windows, so I scratched out both from sheet, a few bits and pieces, & rod stock. I've also drilled out the holes needed for basic wiring. right now they're just dry fitted to get a feel for how they look. You'll also notice that I glued in a piece of sheet to help block the opening to the wheel well. Fujimi really did a pretty poor job of recreating the cockpit, but I decided not to try and do a complete rebuild, which would be far to much effort, as I'm not so sure I can correctly emulate it.



There are two seats in the cockpit as per FIA rules, so the 2nd seat which was never meant for anyone one to seat in is as small as the rules would allow. Right behind it is the battery. I started to add some details such as the battery cell caps, a temp tie down strap ( for visual effect), and the back mounting bracket. I really need to scribe a separation line between the casing and the floor, as it now looks like the one piece it is.



I've taped up the front and rear body panels to the bottom tub to see if it does indeed look like a Porsche 917K. sure starting to have that look.







Next up my is to complete the cockpit with alittle more added details. as for the seat harness, I'm leaning towards the Tamiya 1970s F1 harness in Red. The price is half that of the fabric ones, and being inside the cockpit, I'm not so sure that cloth is really needed.

Joel

I'm loving your work so far Joel, I will definitely be following along as well.


Cheers, D

Haha!
Joel, you building this one the same way you'll build an airplane You should just call the windshield canopy and that's it! Seriously now, very good job and the different approach it's refreshing!

KUTGW!
Gabriel

Big D,
So glad you're joining the party. Haven't done much of anything as yet, as I'm really feeling my way along. Right now I'm working on the cockpit, and every little step is a mental question mark of just when to do what, and how to do it.

Joel

Gabriel,
I'm sure mixing up the names for just about anything and everything.

I primed the interior shell with AMMO Mig Gray acrylic primer, what a huge difference how the same details look. Just started painting the tube framing semi gloss Black and it's taking forever. Already detail painted both side electrical panels and the rear bulkhead electrical boxes. Wiring to start tomorrow.

Joel

Hi Joel , Dropping by to see how your 917 is coming along . The body is shaping up nicely with the mods . Have you test fitted the windscreen yet ? I have heard that it doesn't fit right if I understand correctly .




Terri

Coming along nicely Joel

those little custom touches are working out great!

One again I've finally got enough accomplished for my next update.

The most simple of operations was joining the two body sections, which I did with Tamiya Extra Thin and tape. Well, I really should have use a liquid type glue like Testors as the Extra Thin by capilary action worked it's way through the Z type lip joint, and when dry I had what amounted to dried melted plastic with a ton of CO2 holes. I started to rescribe the joint line, but it looks like I still have more to do.

I turned my attention to detail painting the two electrical side panels as well as the boxes on the back cockpit bulkhead wall, then wired them all up with lead wire from UMM-USA.

Next up was finally priming both the upper body sections and the chassis. I started with the inside of the chassis, and the inside of the the body. Since my references seem to show that the Martini cars had a gray primer color for the interior, I used Mig Ammo Gray primer thinned 1:1 with Tamiya X20-A. Came out just fine as it usually does.

Now I had to prime the outside of the shell and chassis. I'm going to be using MCW model Auto paints, as my order from Gravity USA became an excersize in frustration that eventually I had to get Pay Pal involved, and they issued me a full refund. Their gray Lacquer primer, like their paints come pre-thinned, and boy are they thinned. Mike, the owner, said that they thin them about 125%. Looked thinner then skin milk. You get a one oz bottle that just made it through both parts. The primer went on silky smooth until I deviated from even lite coats, and tried to get better coverage by going over the same sections without 5 min between coats. The end result was some really horiffic Lizzard skin, much worse then Orange peel. I let it dry for a few hours, then using warm water with a drop of Dawn, I very lightly rubbed it out in no time with 6,000 followed by 8,000 Micro Mesh pads. I also gave the rest of the body and chassis a smoothing out. Unfortunately, I rubbed through in several spots, so I had to re-prime.

The only trouble I had was that I didn't have any more primer. So using a clean 23ml Tamiya bottle, I mixed Tamiya Gray primer heavily thinned with Tamiya Yellow cap, till it was as close to the consistancy of the MCW primer as I could get. Stupid me didn't keep a record of the mixture. Next time I'll be trying Mr. Gunze 1,000 primer over the MCW primer just because I can thin it myself and make a lot more for less, and I'll keep records so I can duplicate it.

I also painted both the driver's seat flat Red, and the 2nd seat that only is there because the FIA ruling body said that the prototype class cars had to have two seats and a spare tire no less. The fire extingwisher was painted Tamiya Gloss Red, and line was added from the nozzle to the engine compartment, as that's how they dealt with engine fires back then. Usually when there was a fire, the car burnt till a safety crew got there.

Joel

Russell,
Sorry that I missed your post. Glad that you like my efforts to date.

Joel

Hi, Joel. I knew raiding with you in this build will be a pleasure and it's very safe: it looks like you manage always to find the best route .

Great attention to detail and gray / medium red scheme really pops out in "civilized" manner. And I have a sniff you improved the taking pictures as well (?)...

And yes, welcome to the alchemist's club! The complete lack of hobby shops in Sint Maarten led me to bubbling experiments (mostly failed). My "emergency" primer (tested and trusted in this case) is Rust-oleum enamel. I have always white and black in both satin and gloss and I mix the gray tone I need with the less part in satin. It has a very good grip and sands well.

Awaiting your following updates with live interest,
Gabriel

Really coming along fine there Joel. Excellent detail work.