Porsche 904 GTS Carrera

[Bernard Kron]

As I add sports cars and road racing subjects to my modeling mix (having been almost exclusively an old skool hot rod modeler up to now) I’m going through my mental list of favorites and the Porsche 904 rises to the top of the list. Not only is it a beautiful car and a classic example of the early 60’s “streamline” style, but the model is available in a good quality kit for a relatively affordable price in the form of the classic Monogram kit, the basis for this project.

In researching this project there were two versions which served as inspiration The red Scuderia Filipinetti car, in its restored form, is striking in its pure simplicity with its oversized white roundels contrasting against the striking paint. A modern competitor in the European vintage road racing and rally scene is Jean-Marc Bussolini, CEO of French agricultural coop and hypermarchè chain E.LeClerc who is somewhat of a Porsche specialist. His 904 is the centerpiece of his collection with its striking Bleu de France and silver livery.

I’m going with the Bussolini color scheme combined with the pure simplicity of the Filipinetti car. Because the interior is finished in flat black in the 1:1 I shot the interior surfaces in black primer before going to the outer body surfaces in blue and masked the interior off. Unfortunately, until the exterior paint is finished including clear coats any body mockups will necessarily be a bit dodgy as the photo below will attest. The basic exterior scheme is finished in Tamiya TS-10 French Blue. The racing stripe is the classic French bleu, blanc, rouge in the form of a homemade decal printed to white decal paper. I’m congenitally unable to build a true replica model so I have invented a fictional 60’s privateer (in a tip of the hat to the Swiss Filipinetti outfit), the ostensibly Paris-based Equipe Lutèce (Lutèce is the ancient French version of the Roman name for Paris, Lutetia). The team badge is based on the Paris coat of arms and adorns the fenders and rear Kamm tail. I still have trade decals and roundels to apply and then it will all get clear coated and polished. Then on to chassis, interior and motor.

Thanx for lookin’
B.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Bernard Kron

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Ready to follow 

[Dave B]

Looking good Bernard.

Dave B

[Gramps46]

Great start on one of my favorites.  I currently have on the bench the Filipinetti car being built from a rescued first version of the Monogram kit based on their slot car.

[Italianhorses]

Oooo, that looks really good.

[Dann Tier]

This IS off to a GREAT start!!!

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks to you all for the interest and kind words!

It’s been several weeks since I last posted on this project. I got sidetracked by a second Porsche project, a 356A Speedster, which I completed. In some ways that distraction was a good thing since the funky Revell kit I used required more of the kit bashing style that I’m used to from my hot rod modeling and served as a transition to this far more sophisticated and higher parts count kit for the 904. Researching the detail for that project also got me more firmly ensconced in Porsche lore in general.

Having has some time to study the history of this kit I am surprised by the ambitious detail it has, especially now that I know that it was originally an Aurora kit from 1965. Aurora is not a name I associate with kits of this order.

This update is about the back end of the model, the engine compartment, transmission and rear suspension, all modeled from a complex array of small parts, which, with care, present a fairly faithful replica of the 1:1. Given than this is the only 1/24-1/25th scale full detail kit of the 904, I’m grateful for the care and effort that Aurora put into this kit well over 50 years ago. The rear portion of this model constitutes a model in itself. I spent time researching the 1:1 and added some small details and modifications, but most of what you see comes in the box. I added some 4-cyclinder pre-wired distributor caps from Morgan Automotive Detail which I grafted to the kit’s twin distributors, along with dual ignition coils, also from Morgan. I replicated the correct ignition wiring, which turnout out to be challenging since, with the dual distributors, each distributor is wired to both cylinder banks. I also fabricated a simple facsimile of the carburetor linkage.

The combination firewall and suspension brace cum roll over bar that comes in the kit is an odd piece. It’s designed to extend above the rear deck into the rear window area to act as a roll hoop, but it’s too short and narrow to conform to the roof panel and floats somewhere in the middle of the window opening. Research showed that 904’s often either had no firewall brace/rollover hoop at all, or if they did, it was a shorter piece that served primarily to act as a structural brace and ended just below the rear deck. I decided to fabricate my own replica of this shorter hoop using butyl coated wire and styrene rod. The shorter version is what you see in the composite summary picture of the rear end posted below.

Next up is the front suspension and interior., much of which has already been painted and detailed. This should prove somewhat simpler that the back end. Then comes the final assembly. In some circles this kit has a reputation for being fiddly and difficult to assemble. Hopefully the multi-piece body will go together without too much melodrama.

Thanx for lookin’,
B.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Looking really good, sir. Early Porsches are one of my passions, an area of extensive experience, so I'm very interested in this build. 

I have this kit but don't recall ever really looking at it closely. You're certainly doing it justice though, and if your air horns were drilled out, the first impression of your engine would be of the real thing. Nice work.

Edited April 28, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy

[Straightliner59]

Looks great, Bernard! Been thinking about picking one up, myself.

[89AKurt]

I got that kit a few months ago, gonna lurk.

[curt raitz]

Porsche - Bernard???

This isn't a Hot Rod...

Glad to see you're building a sports car, I will check in now and then to see how you're doing.

I've built a couple of these, nice kit for it's age.

Getting ready to for GSLXXVII, you need to make the next and last one in 2022!

c'ya Buddy

[Bernard Kron]

18 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Looking really good, sir. Early Porsches are one of my passions, an area of extensive experience, so I'm very interested in this build. 

I have this kit but don't recall ever really looking at it closely. You're certainly doing it justice though, and if your air horns were drilled out, the first impression of your engine would be of the real thing. Nice work.

Thanks Bill. I'm only now discovering kit lore - model kit history is not one of my strengths. With my expansion into the sportcar world I'm discovering both modern kits and the surpsing group of early kits with truly impressive styrene engineering. This ex-Aurora 904 kit is definitely one of the latter. It may get a knock for "fidliness" but from my limited exposure to high-detail modern kits, it's certainly no worse than those. And it appears it will reward those ambitious enough to add some contemporary detail and to spend time worrying about colors, textures, etc. I've had to do a lot of research to get this thing to look "real", but Aurora gave you plenty of detail to work with. Now if I only could find a full-detail kit of it's successor, the 906, which I consider to be Buzi Porsche's most beautiful design...

17 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

Looks great, Bernard! Been thinking about picking one up, myself.

Thanks! This kit is right up your alley, Dan. Some research will provide tons of fodder for your fabrication magic. I would love to see you tackle something like this in your build style!

3 hours ago, curt raitz said:

Porsche - Bernard???

This isn't a Hot Rod...

Glad to see you're building a sports car, I will check in now and then to see how you're doing.

I've built a couple of these, nice kit for it's age.

Getting ready to for GSLXXVII, you need to make the next and last one in 2022!

c'ya Buddy

Thanks Curt, this isn't my first sporty car, I finished a 356A a couple of weeks ago. But it's certainly my most ambitious attempt. I know a thing or three about this era of sports cars so it's nice to be branching out.

I wish I could go the GSL, and you're right, the last one will no doubt be a must-do!

 

AND...

Thanks to all who are following along. Hopefully I can see this project through successfully...

Edited April 28, 2019 by Bernard Kron

[B-Ram]

Looking great. Great detail on the engine.

[iBorg]

Based upon this kits history, I am quite surprised by the overall detail level. I'm looking forward to this build.

[Gramps46]

25 minutes ago, iBorg said:

Based upon this kits history, I am quite surprised by the overall detail level. I'm looking forward to this build.

There are two versions released by Monogram.  The first was a slot car based simple body kit in1/24th.  The second release was based upon the Aurora 1/25 very detailed kit which is pictured here.

[iBorg]

I've known the kits history. Growing up, there was a store that seemed to have five or six of each Aurora Battle Aces of the Road. Like most drag racing obsessed kids of the era, I foolishly ignored them. The Ferrari GTO has been re-released by Monogram several times. It seems nicely detailed but the body is typically derided. Another is the Ford GT40, which I also believe has issues. There was also a Chaparral which I know nothing about.

Very likely, the Porsche is the best detailed of the lot. Your build looks masterful.

[Bernard Kron]

Thank you everyone!

After being sidetracked by two new projects, both completed, I’m finally getting back to the 904. I continue to be impressed by the fine detail in this kit, and by the similarity in construction to the 1:1 the original Aurora kit designers chose as their strategy. The kit has a reputation for being “fiddly”, and that’s why. Lots of very small parts made to emulate the corresponding parts in the real car. It’s not quite the exhaustive detail you’d find in a large-scale model, but more than sufficient to create the experience of “constructing” the car. What has surprised me is that for a kit that’s over 50 years old the parts fit and alignment is really very good indeed. And this 1992 edition from Monogram is  totally flash-free.

One outcome of all this detail is, just like in a real car, much of it is hidden under other parts or bodywork. Once the model is completed much of it will never be seen again. So it’s there for the enjoyment of the model builder and, ultimately, no one else.

I’ve managed to complete the entire front end and the interior. The composite photo below features a “ghost” shot of the front compartment showing some of the highly detailed suspension which is hidden behind the fuel tank. Oddly, despite all this detail the kit doesn’t come with a spare wheel and tire as required by the FIA rules of the period. The spare you see in the picture is from a Gunze Sanyo Beetle and is the closest thing I have to a 904 spare.

The interior is simple, but a faithful rendition of the race-car interior of the 1:1. At this point what’s left to do is install the glass and lighting and complete the final body assembly. My main concern now is with body panel fit. The front upper half of the body, comprising the front fenders, doors and roof, has been repeatedly test fit so I’m hopeful it will go in place with minimum drama. But how well the huge hinged rear body panel will align with the front half of the body will remain a total mystery until the final stages of assembly. Fingers crossed all goes well!

Thanx for lookin’,
B.

[89AKurt]

After working on mine, good to see how the better kit looks.

[Straightliner59]

Fantastic, Bernard! I HAVE to know how you're doing that steel. I'd swear I'm looking at the real thing, both here and with your hot rod. I expect to see them begin to rust!

[Rusty92]

Wow! That is great. As a collector of Porsche kits (builder too!) I like seeing another build them. 

Looking very realistic. I enjoy your work. Thank you for sharing!

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks again guys. Your encouragement is appreciated.

The main chassis and belly pan are all buttoned up now so the front suspension has now disappeared under the fuel tank forever. But before it’s gone here’s the photo I took of it without the “ghost” overlay in my last post. The exposure is boosted somewhat to highlight the detail

And here’s the final summary of the interior, front end and motor before most of them disappear under the bodywork:

Now comes the tough part – fitting the upper body panels. This is truly the make or break moment for this project. Wish me luck.
B.

[Italianhorses]

Lots of work done on that engine!

[Bernard Kron]

The upper body assembly and fitting is completed.  This is where the kit earns its reputation as fiddly, even more so than the suspension and motor assemblies. Even in the 1:1 904 panel gaps are not the tightest, but in 1/24th scale, on a model that’s been engineered to closely resemble the original car in terms of parts and subassemblies, getting the upper body to mate with decent alignment is a hit or miss proposition not so much because the parts are molded accurately to size – they are – but because of the way the original car was designed. The rear engine cover and the front body assembly simply rest on top of the bellypan with no interlocking surfaces. The front fenders and main body structure are molded in one piece and fitting the front compartment cover is very straightforward and the fit good. But the rear cover will always “float” and shift because it has nothing to definitively align it. There are two sets of hinges that allow the cover to pivot rearwards to reveal the motor, but they are loosely retained by pins and don’t want to hold in place, so the cover can shift regardless. When displaying or photographing the model it will always be necessary to set the cover in proper position.

The hinges don’t let the engine show all that much so I’m leaving the hinges taped away inside the cover if I ever want to use them. The picture below shows the hinge pieces and the cover pivoted open on them.  Also included are a side view and a view of the front compartment. I still need to make a proper prop for the front cover since none is included in the kit.

Here are some views of the assembled body. The body work has picked up a good deal of dirt and polish residue during construction and will need a thorough cleaning. I also have to decide on how much of a race car look, as opposed to a show car, I want to give it, which will determine things like numbers and trade decals. So, along with mounting the wheels and minor details, there’s not much left to do

Thanx, for lookin’,
B.

[Matt Bacon]

That looks absolutely fantastic, Bernard. Amazing quality and detail throughout... it’s a shame so much is hidden at the end, but I guess we’ve all been there with some kit or other. This’ll be vital reference when I finally come to build mine.

Brilliant!

best,

M.

[Bernard Kron]

Thank you so much, Matt!

The project is now completed and can be seen Under Glass here: