Cars: Other Racing
For automotive racing topics not already covered.
Pretty in Pink - Porsche 917/20 (MFH)
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 06, 2020 - 02:50 PM UTC
Another page of instructions completed.
Exhausts installed, engine installed in chassis, coils added, chassis extended for brakes and suspension.
Getting the engine in and aligned was troublesome. Very tight fit, engine mounts weren't perfectly aligned, and so engine not straight. Draw back of self tap screws for holding parts in place. Once the hole is wrong that's it. Anyway, I think we're there but won't know for sure until the wheels are on.
Plenty of remedial paint work required for reset joints in the chassis - another drawback of white metal frames.
Step 2 was installing the exhaust headers. Didn't get a photo before the engine went in the frame.

Step 3 was installing engine in the chassis. As said a very tight fit. The photo above shows the engine about 1mm out of alignment. I needed the second stage frame to pull in back in line. Though I have learnt a lot about the order of things. For example, despite instructions, don't install engine mounts before it goes into the frame. If I build another, I think it would be a way lot quicker.



Next step was gearbox and exhaust pipes


Last step on pg2 is stage 2 of the chassis for rear body work and suspension and wheel mounts. The unpainted piece is to help keep it square and part of the third stage of the chassis.


I think once the chassis is complete the build should go a little faster.

cheers
Michael




Stickframe
#362
_VISITCOMMUNITY
California, United States
Joined: December 01, 2013
KitMaker: 1,661 posts
Auto Modeler: 431 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 06, 2020 - 03:55 PM UTC
Hi Michael,

Your progress sure looks good, and thanks for posting the series of images.

Your challenges along the way sound familiar. Thinking about this a bit, in the context of my experience building MFH kits at a smaller scale, and your comment about the engine alignment being out by about 1mm made me wonder. In a regular kit this slight misalignment might not matter, here though, you just can't tell.

Maybe the combination of slightly out of aligned motor mounts, wrestling the engine in, and the hit-or-miss challenge with the self tapping screws, could also lead to slight torquing of the white metal cage or some part of it?

The torquing speculation/question comes to mind because at least on the smaller builds, I found it was hard to see if or where things were slightly bent. Meaning if something, or some combination of parts were slightly bent, an error could "grow" without you (or me!) being aware that the potential problem even exists.

On my 908 build, it turned out that the "torquing" didn't affect the car sitting flat on all four tires, but it did result in headaches getting the body to sit flush, and I could not identify precisely what the problem was.

I noticed you were able to install the diagonals over the top of the engine and they look to be straight! congrats on that! Maybe the chassis is indeed all squared up!

So - we are all counting on you to solve this challenge and to tell us how you did it! haha - Keep on building!

Cheers,

Nick
Dixon66
_VISITCOMMUNITY
New Hampshire, United States
Joined: December 12, 2002
KitMaker: 1,500 posts
Auto Modeler: 645 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 06, 2020 - 11:38 PM UTC
Wow, just wow. Great work even with the minor fit issues.
SpeedyJ
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Bangkok, Thailand / ไทย
Joined: September 17, 2013
KitMaker: 1,617 posts
Auto Modeler: 134 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 07, 2020 - 01:12 AM UTC
Hi Michael. With respect. You picked up one of the most complex Hiro Kits and you do it justice. The engine is a piece of art, hope with some weathering, it will look like the 1/1 scale.
Keep them coming.

Joel_W
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
_VISITCOMMUNITY
New York, United States
Joined: December 04, 2010
KitMaker: 11,666 posts
Auto Modeler: 2,974 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 07, 2020 - 02:29 AM UTC
Michael.
I'm just blown away

The installed engine/transaxle into the chassis is beyond words. Like I said in the GB post, if one didn't know that this was a model, they'd swear that it's a picture from a real restoration. It's that good.

Joel
AussieReg
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
#007
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Victoria, Australia
Joined: June 09, 2009
KitMaker: 8,156 posts
Auto Modeler: 2,953 posts
Posted: Monday, June 08, 2020 - 12:57 AM UTC
Absolutely stunning Michael! I've just gone back over and re-read this thread from the start a couple of times and I keep picking up new details that just look so real.

Keep up the great work, and keep the updates coming!

Cheers, D
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Monday, June 08, 2020 - 01:06 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Michael,

Your progress sure looks good, and thanks for posting the series of images.

Your challenges along the way sound familiar. Thinking about this a bit, in the context of my experience building MFH kits at a smaller scale, and your comment about the engine alignment being out by about 1mm made me wonder. In a regular kit this slight misalignment might not matter, here though, you just can't tell.

Maybe the combination of slightly out of aligned motor mounts, wrestling the engine in, and the hit-or-miss challenge with the self tapping screws, could also lead to slight torquing of the white metal cage or some part of it?

The torquing speculation/question comes to mind because at least on the smaller builds, I found it was hard to see if or where things were slightly bent. Meaning if something, or some combination of parts were slightly bent, an error could "grow" without you (or me!) being aware that the potential problem even exists.

On my 908 build, it turned out that the "torquing" didn't affect the car sitting flat on all four tires, but it did result in headaches getting the body to sit flush, and I could not identify precisely what the problem was.

I noticed you were able to install the diagonals over the top of the engine and they look to be straight! congrats on that! Maybe the chassis is indeed all squared up!

So - we are all counting on you to solve this challenge and to tell us how you did it! haha - Keep on building!

Cheers,

Nick



Thanks Nick.
It's the down the track that I worry about.
A good way to describe the chassis is a six sided box. Only the front facing section of the chassis, which is more substantial with the members being square and thicker than the rest which is round, came out of the box flat. Every side had to be straightened, the drawback I guess of white metal. This was especially so with the rear section which holds the engine mounts. It took me a while to figure out how that should look let alone fit.
The more I worked on it I just decide that MFH had not provided the right size for some pieces. The top diagonal bracing struts, where just not long enough. One is brass rod, the other had an adjustable extension pin put in so I could adjust the length to fit once the engine was in place. Then I filled it in and painted it.
Another example is the second stage chassis on the right. The lower diagonal had to be slightly curved to get around the transaxle. The engine is now sitting straight in the frame so I think from a design perspective it was never going to fit. It may have repercussions for the storage boxes in the next phase.

cheers
Michael
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Monday, June 08, 2020 - 01:08 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Wow, just wow. Great work even with the minor fit issues.



Thanks David. I always like "wow"s so double appreciation for that.

cheers
Michael
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Monday, June 08, 2020 - 01:11 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Michael. With respect. You picked up one of the most complex Hiro Kits and you do it justice. The engine is a piece of art, hope with some weathering, it will look like the 1/1 scale.
Keep them coming.




Cheers Robert.
The weathering of the engine is giving me plenty of pause for thought. I will probably start lightly and get some feedback. This car had a pretty short life and it's hard to find colour photos of the engines after use from the original cars.

Michael
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Monday, June 08, 2020 - 01:18 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Michael.
I'm just blown away

The installed engine/transaxle into the chassis is beyond words. Like I said in the GB post, if one didn't know that this was a model, they'd swear that it's a picture from a real restoration. It's that good.

Joel



Joel,
Coming from a Porsche fan I will take that as the highest form of compliment. The kit does take a fair amount of the credit and it does look good once you have wrestled it in to place

cheers
Michael
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Monday, June 08, 2020 - 01:21 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Absolutely stunning Michael! I've just gone back over and re-read this thread from the start a couple of times and I keep picking up new details that just look so real.

Keep up the great work, and keep the updates coming!

Cheers, D



Thanks Damian, and now that I've noticed you stepped up into the 1/12 world I am looking forward to your work on that little red Corvette!

cheers
Michael
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 04:45 PM UTC
Finally, finally, finally...
It is two weeks since I posted this photo


What a colossal stuff up on my part.

It took me way to long to figure out that I attached the chassis cross member in the wrong slots. The side bars should have been spread about 1cm wider each side. The mistake was simple to make because MFH had only put slight dimples to indicate the attachment points (which had to be drilled out as usual) and the existing holes looked just right. So much time wasted trying to understand why things didn't fit before I discovered the mistake.

As you'll see a fair amount of damage done to paint work and attachment points that will need to be fixed. Anyway the engine section is complete. In these steps I finally correctly added the third stage of the chassis, the suspension and drive parts, and the requisite storage. If you don't know, LeMans cars had to have a spare wheel and storage, hence the boxes.








You may have noticed the red is quite bright. I think I will need to weather the engine area. I had been debating whether I should but it may also help disguise the mess I have made of the chassis paint work.
So the cockpit is next. More tubular framework
Still, a whole new world to explore.

cheers
Michael
Stickframe
#362
_VISITCOMMUNITY
California, United States
Joined: December 01, 2013
KitMaker: 1,661 posts
Auto Modeler: 431 posts
Posted: Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 06:14 PM UTC
Looks nice Michael - I can’t see any indication of the troubles you had - very clean build! (as you usually do!!)

Cheers
Nick
SpeedyJ
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Bangkok, Thailand / ไทย
Joined: September 17, 2013
KitMaker: 1,617 posts
Auto Modeler: 134 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 12:27 AM UTC
Some extraordinary works going on here. Bravo. Takes a lot of courage to pick up a Hiro Kit. You're doing great!
The year 2021 will be dedicated to my Hiro Kits. Going to build the Monaco GP MacLaren Mp 4/4 cars. Training and race version Senna used 1988. Best cars ever designed IMHO.
Looking forward to your next update.

AussieReg
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
#007
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Victoria, Australia
Joined: June 09, 2009
KitMaker: 8,156 posts
Auto Modeler: 2,953 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 12:30 AM UTC
Looks amazing Michael! That spider-web of tube framework is downright scary!

As Nick said, it's really neat work and it's hard to pick up where the rectification works were made.

Cheers, D
Dixon66
_VISITCOMMUNITY
New Hampshire, United States
Joined: December 12, 2002
KitMaker: 1,500 posts
Auto Modeler: 645 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 07:14 AM UTC
Michael that space frame is just plain amazing looking.
Joel_W
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
_VISITCOMMUNITY
New York, United States
Joined: December 04, 2010
KitMaker: 11,666 posts
Auto Modeler: 2,974 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 11:52 AM UTC
Jan,
That's going to be one duel epic build for sure. I'm completely in agreement with your that the McLaren MP4/4 were the best of the best, or darn close to it.

Joel
AussieReg
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
#007
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Victoria, Australia
Joined: June 09, 2009
KitMaker: 8,156 posts
Auto Modeler: 2,953 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 11:58 AM UTC

Quoted Text

The year 2021 will be dedicated to my Hiro Kits. Going to build the Monaco GP MacLaren Mp 4/4 cars. Training and race version Senna used 1988. Best cars ever designed IMHO.



I totally agree with Joel here Robert, that will be an amazing project to undertake and I really hope that you will share it here with us.

Cheers, D
SpeedyJ
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Bangkok, Thailand / ไทย
Joined: September 17, 2013
KitMaker: 1,617 posts
Auto Modeler: 134 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 01:06 PM UTC
It will be a challenge Joel and Damien. Have the kits for about 5 years now. Made a start, but put it away because the mindset wasn't ok the finish such project. So now, first finishing my recent builds, campaigns and continue improving my work / hobby room, I will start my builds. In preparation I will start a " research & building thread" somewhere round September / October I guess and have good year of building.
Now back to this fantastic Porsche Build, otherwise I'm hijacking it.

Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 07:08 PM UTC

Quoted Text

It will be a challenge Joel and Damien. Have the kits for about 5 years now. Made a start, but put it away because the mindset wasn't ok the finish such project. So now, first finishing my recent builds, campaigns and continue improving my work / hobby room, I will start my builds. In preparation I will start a " research & building thread" somewhere round September / October I guess and have good year of building.
Now back to this fantastic Porsche Build, otherwise I'm hijacking it.




No problem Robert. It would be great to see another MFH build here and the McLaren MP4/4 is a good a F1 car as any.
Thanks for your kind comments. I understand completely your comments about mindset and it would certainly help that you are keen to build the McLarens. I think if I had not invested so most energy and research into this build I may have shelved it to come back to but I am determined to see it done.

cheers
Michael
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 07:11 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Looks nice Michael - I can’t see any indication of the troubles you had - very clean build! (as you usually do!!)

Cheers
Nick



Thanks Nick, I learned to ditch the macro and go with the wide angle. All sorts of sins can be hidden that way
As you know a builder always knows the flaws in his build and they will always be glaringly obvious to him or her and invisible to all others.

cheers
Michael
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 07:13 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Looks amazing Michael! That spider-web of tube framework is downright scary!

As Nick said, it's really neat work and it's hard to pick up where the rectification works were made.

Cheers, D



Too kind! There is more to come at the rear once I get the cockpit attached as the fuel tanks and pumps are hung off the sides.

cheers
Michael
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 07:15 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Michael that space frame is just plain amazing looking.



Thanks David. Some more for your edification just below
Cosimodo
#335
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: September 03, 2013
KitMaker: 1,808 posts
Auto Modeler: 701 posts
Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2020 - 07:21 PM UTC
Well here we are at the front.
Some good news. MFH have cast the floor of the chassis into the resin. Given it's triangulation that is a big plus.


I started to test fit the frame above. It was almost Tamiya-esque, a mere hour to convince these five pieces, after some questioning of their parentage, that they could fit together. Or maybe I'm just getting better at it.



Hopefully I have avoided the hubris curse because there is plenty more to go in.

cheers
Michael
AussieReg
Staff MemberAssociate Editor
AUTOMODELER
#007
_VISITCOMMUNITY
Victoria, Australia
Joined: June 09, 2009
KitMaker: 8,156 posts
Auto Modeler: 2,953 posts
Posted: Monday, June 22, 2020 - 12:24 AM UTC
That's a neat looking piece of resin casting! Good work on the tube frame continues, and I'm very pleased to see that the language didn't cause the parts to curl up. I'm fairly certain that it's come close a few times at my bench

Cheers, D