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Seeing if I can stay sane building two models at the same time. The Paris Dakar 959 is a really nice resin transkit, and I could not let the donor kit just sit in the box, so I am also building something different. The fun thing about a project like this, I need to be accurate with the race car, but can design as I go with the Speedster. A disappointment is how Tamiya left out the intercoolers and piping, and the transkit ignores that feature too! The Paris Dakar 959 pushed the envelope in it's day, and I have seen 1:18 die cast models. But it really needs to be done like it was rode hard and hung up wet, perhaps scraping it along the ground will add appropriate texture. I have found some fitment issues, otherwise so far so good. The Speedster, I know it would be sacrilegious to hack up a real 911 Speedster and 959, but that's what's fun about models! I built a 930 slant nose Turbo Speedster with some of the parts, other parts are in another project (stalled for some time). I'm thinking of hinging the door on the bottom, so it could be used as a camera car. It's also just a Curbside. Good & Evil Twins.

I'm really keen to make a dent into my stash this year. I've spent soooo much of my time doing DIY in the house, or fixing mistakes in my builds that I don't get to finish a model too often. I am part way through a Rally car build that requires too much scratch building and additional details to make it half decent, so I thought I'd start another. This will be pretty much an out-of-the-box build with very little details. Maybe plugs and seat belts, and that's it. the joy for me in model building is engines and chassis, this has a full engine, so i'll start with that. I do want to get an F40 completed next too, as I think they will go well together. Wife is after a new House project, so i've got to move quickly.

Started with getting the resin transkit of the Paris-Dakar, which requires the Tamiya Porsche 959 for the engine, windshield, and some other critical parts (posted both before as another topic). So that left a perfectly good body, and no engine. I also had the funky top from the Tamiya Speedster, which I have never seen as a popular option. So how much more sacrilegious can one get, to chop up a legendary 959 and a Speedster? The concept is to have a camera car for filming race cars on the track, or historic road rallies. I stopped working on both last May. So I'm documenting only this WIP here, now that I feel it's safe to say the construction phase is 95% complete. The Dremel is the essential tool used. I used JB Weld for massive gap filler and glue. I've been jonesing to use the foil from a baking soda can, for the belly pan (Lexus uses dimples under the body to make a quieter ride). The reason I halted, was the challenge of finishing the interior fillets done with epoxy putty, which I will disguise with a thick Rhino-liner texture, but the opening door mechanism had to be invented/engineered using seat-of-the-pants ancient pencil and paper drawing. I use aluminum newspaper printing plate because it's soft and does not break when bent, and it's easy to drill. My idea was the door is used as the platform for the camera and videographer, bolting plates are salvaged from an old transistor radio, and I will add tie-down loops so the guy doesn't fall out, it's sort of like a motorcycle sidecar. My plan is to paint semi gloss black, so it won't reflect on the cars being filmed. Will try black tinting the lights. Interior color I'm still thinking about, first choice is Africa Korp yellow, or red, maybe blue, something that pops should be cool.

Kitbashed the Tamiya Porsche 959 with the Tamiya Speedster 'Club Sport', because the kit was the donor for the resin transkit of the 959 Paris-Dakar project. This was intended for fun, and to experiment with a different hinge, and doing Rhino Liner. It's a curbside because the engine and some of the suspension parts were used for the other project. The intended use is camera car, to be used on the race track or historic rally (but not WRC rally LOL). I managed to bugger it up in places. Salvaged parts are transistor radio speaker grill, guitar string (wire), aluminum newspaper printing plate, Fujimi steel screen, various parts box pieces, resin copy of Vehicross gas cap, baking soda can seal lid (not seen, should take bottom picture). I had also raised the wing with 0.1" plastic, and added scoops. I also tried out the new 18-300MM lens on the Nikon, not happy with the lack of depth of field. Gives new meaning to "let's roll!"

I started this a few weeks ago and finally got around to posting. It’s mostly done at this point except the interior. I had that painted and didn’t like it so it went for a soak. It’s now just primer white waiting for color.