Tamiya Porsche 959 1/24. Photographs.

Tamiya Porsche 959 1/24 completed June 14th, 2020

Background:

For a change, I decided to experiment and buy a model I'd not normally choose and build it immediately. This 959 is the result. I'm not an admirer of Porsches especially but I certainly understand the significance of the 959. It's shame that the exterior and the interior of the car look little different from a 1960's 911, even with all that cutting edge engineering underneath the aesthetics.

Pros:

For a 33 year old kit it's remarkable. Full engine, suspension, more or less perfect fit and plenty of detail with good proportions. Tamiya often give supercars the superkit treatment; this may be among the first of those. There are pedals - even though Tamiya must've known that you'd never see them once assembled. There are other such hidden details too.

Cons:

It can be tricky getting the body onto the chassis as it's a tight fit and has to snap over the exhausts as well. I wish this kit came with two door mirrors as this one-side version looks lopsided. The single door mirror has a tiny mounting point. The engine cover fitting is only OK. Could be more snug. The rear wing needs filler once the two halves are joined otherwise there's an unnatural joint line.

Verdict:

Great. As a kit it's not quite up to modern standards but it's not that far off eiher. Build it if you're a fan of Porsches or even if you just like building engines.

Build notes:

Completed in three weeks during May/June 2020 and painted with TS-17 Tamiya Gloss Aluminium. This is the first kit I've ever tried with Mr Hobby gloss top coat and it works pretty well. Whilst not quite as shiny as Tamiya's clear, it does not act as a solvent on the paint below it so I can spray and wetcoat with confidence. I enjoyed building the engine as much as the rest of the kit put together - the engine is the only part of the kit that has extra details added beyond what came in the box - pity you can't see it once the car is assembled. Although I'm (at best) indifferent to the car's appearance, it was remarkably photogenic once I got it in front of a lens. I had considered making this blue, but in the end I went with classic silver.