Porsche 914-6 GT Resin Transkit

[jbwelda]

I bought this transkit a couple years ago and had been chomping at the bit to get into it, so thought I would share my experience with others.

Historic Racing Miniatures' Porsche 914-6 GT resin transkit uses the Fujimi/Testors Enthusiast Model Porsche 911, in any of its many variations, only for selected parts; for the most part everything you need is supplied minus the engine and some suspension bits and a few details that can be added. It is also helpful to have the Revell 914-6 kit at hand, most conveniently reissued not so long ago, for a few things like decals and interior detail. This transkit varies quite a bit from the Revell item from which it was drawn, both in obvious body proportions but also in many small details only really noticed when building the transkit and directly comparing.


The first thing I tackled was the engine, using the recommended Fujimi block and a few misc parts, but mostly supplied with the transkit. Finely molded three barrel carbs, with debris shields are a highlight. The actual car this transkit emulates is a Lemans car that ran a dual plug ignition system, but I only figured that out after I wired the engine with the normal 6 wire distributor, but since I am building this as a street racer, that's acceptable in my book and avoided having to make a 12 (13 actually) wire distributor! Here are some photos of the finished motor, and with it installed in the chassis:














You might notice in that last photograph, of the engine installed in the chassis, the reinforcing rod I glued crosswise across the rear of the engine compartment. Hopefully its not going to interfere with anything but it was necessary to attempt to cure some extreme chassis warpage. Solidly epoxying in the interior shell, with contact in as many places as possible, helped a lot but there was still a nasty twist in the rear. It looks flat and square now and test fitting hasn't revealed anything that cannot be cured with final assembly involving some epoxy and clamps, but it remains to be seen...


here is another shot of the rear area and the reinforcements I installed:





On to the rolling stock: transkit came with very finely cast wheels and tires. I did a quick job of magnesium centers and chrome rim, using a chrome pen. (edit: did not use the resin tires that came with transkit. instead I used these Pirellis that I believe are SATCO, possibly Fujimi, but I think SATCO. The resin tires that came with the kit are slicks, no tread, and I am not sure they fit the rims without some work, its been awhile since I built the wheels so the memory is a bit fuzzy. Suffice to say I used rubber tires instead.) Came out ok:





Note the open lug nut holes...nice. Added some valve stems and weathered the tires a bit.


Interior is sparse and Spartan like the real thing. Used details like steering wheel, shift lever and mount and e brake handle from the Fujimi kit and found some inside window cranks for the otherwise bare side panels. Passenger seat is from transkit but I believe I sourced the drivers seat from a different aftermarket seat set.





Finally, the body. Tamiya orange with Tamiya semigloss black highlights. Body was multipiece, main body and front and rear clips. The front clip was a bear but in the end I got it to fit pretty right. Its ready to fit the windshield (instructions say most challenging part of build and I believe it. gonna try to be careful)











At this point I need to install the windshield, then dashboard to inside of body shell, then mate up the body to the chassis. At that point it will be time to build the exhaust system which I plan on using only the actual headers from the transkit and making my own exit pipes. Then will come an interesting juncture: fitting the wheels and tires to the completed car. You may have noticed the rear brakes are installed and ready for the wheels, but the fronts are not. That's because I am saving the best for last! No, really, I want to be able to adjust the front of the car for what I think is pleasing stance. So I will attempt to attach the brakes and wheels/tires to the shock columns while posing the car in the stance I like. I would have liked to do that in the rear as well but it was too messy to contemplate...


thanks for looking and any comments, questions, critiques cheerfully welcomed!


jb

[fordrodnkustom]

Wow very cool and ambitious project. Don't see many of these ever built so it really stands out on it's uniqueness. Your engine engine detail looks very realistic. Good luck with the warp in the frame, I know how frustrating that can be but sounds like you have all the bases covered, these cars should sit low and wide! Nice work, thanks for posting.

[Bernard Kron]

Take my breath away, why don'tcha. I've always wanted to do a 914-6 and this confirms it. Can't wait for more...

[harron68]

One of Porsche's failures, it was meant as an affordable "starter" car. Partly looks and partly because it also came with a 4, it never got much respect. Since then I've seen fotos of some in 'club races' with huge tires and w-i-d-e fender flares. Thanx for a rare one!

[spex84]

Sweet build so far JB! I like the color and the detailed engine is fairly spectacular.
I was always a 944 fan and thought the 914 was just too odd...but as the years go by, the "pocket rocket" appearance of the 914 is becoming more appealing. It has real personality, and I can't wait to see it sitting on all 4 wheels (nice job on those btw).

[mack2856]

Sweet Porsche you will be so pleased when you finish it and so will we love the WIP.

[patw]

Nice one jb! Look forward to the rest of the build.

[jbwelda]

Well an update is due: for the first time in about thirty years I have totally trashed a model. I will not even embarrass myself by posting pics (though I might later after the depression wears off) but in an attempt to fit the chassis to the body (chassis was warped and not fitting in the rear quarters) I epoxied the chassis to the body and clamped it to dry. Looked fine until I removed the clamps: since I placed one of the clamps square on the rear deck, it mooshed in the center of said rear deck and made it look like a fat chick sat right down on it. Unfortunately there is nowhere underneath (unless I start drilling holes) to push the dent back out and even if I could I think the whole area would be distorted and will never look right. My last gasp at this point is decals (some racing numbers inside roundels) but that is going to be hokey at best. Right now I have it sitting in my southern bedroom in the hopes that some midday heat from the sun might relax it, but that's such wishful thinking as to be naïve. So I think I will finish this mess up by putting on the wheels and tires and rest of the trim and hide it in the back of my display cabinet. A shame too, put a lot of effort into this model but in the end I screwed myself by not thinking clearly when it came to final assembly and clamp placement. Let that be a lesson to all. Maybe I can get a model figure of a fat chick to illustrate the problem even better.

Fackin hell.

>One of Porsche's failures, it was meant as an affordable "starter" car.

Not a failure at all, and certainly Porsche has had its share of failures. Was never meant as a "starter" car, was a joint venture between Porsche and VW and was meant as a serious car, especially the 914-6. It may have been meant as a "starter" Porsche, but it was a mean machine for its real audience: VW owners and drivers.

>Partly looks and partly because it also came with a 4, it never got much respect.

Again we disagree. Always loved the look, always got a lot of respect around here (California) although Porsche purists didn't like it but then again, whats the difference between a Porsche and a Porcupine? I have owned three 356s through the years and always wanted a 914 bad. Though "it" came with a four, the 914-6, available for a few dollars more, obviously came with a six, and even the fours were pretty capable, boosted out to two litre or more from the factory. The midengine design made it corner flat and fast. The 914 was a capable car and now is even more envied and desired than in its day.

Too bad I screwed this up so bad, would have looked nice otherwise. damm.

jb

[Bernard Kron]

BUMMER!!!!!

Nothing for it but to begin looking for another copy of the transkit and take another bite at the apple. With all the delicious interior details, especially the drive train, I was so looking forward to seeing this come together!

[fordrodnkustom]

OUCH! Well if it makes you feel any better JB that sort of thing has happens to all of us, I know it has me! I just walk away from it for awhile and then a solution usually presents itself. Could that awesome engine fit in a VW bug?

[jbwelda]

One thing about situations like this: they give you complete freedom from the point of ruined on. Nothing you do can really make it any worse so go ahead on with it!

Truth be told this was only one of many problems here, the primary one being ride height. But there are others as well: the mounting of the dashboard to the underside of the body is a wild ass guess, no scientific about it, and there was no way the engine cover was going to fit and be hinged. And there was practically no way to test fit any of this stuff, and believe me I tried. Plus the tires were too large for the wheel wells, since I used the fujimi from the donor kit, so those need to be fixed. If I actually was interested enough, a second try at the whole thing might turn out better, but I am afraid my interest in the kit has pretty much drained away.

That said, right now I have drilled some holes, poked around with minimal positive reaction on the bodywork, but also noticed that even the clamps I used on the edges caused indentations in the body. So I am seriously thinking of putting a big ed roth shop truck weird people decal (if you know the one) right on the trunk and call it art.

But more seriously I think I am going to finish up the exhaust system, maybe put some numbers and roundels on the car, switch the tires back to the resin ones from the kit and call it a day. A back of the shelf day. A kinda sitting too high off the ground day. A maybe I ought to just stick to snap-tite models day! ;-)

I might start on the Cheetah I also have by them. These transkits are a real challenge though, in many many ways. I am not really happy at all with how this one turned out but I am writing it off to user error. A good lesson in how not to do it. A lot of the problems are endemic to the base kit this thing is patterned off of, the Revell Porsche 914-6. That thing is supposed to be a real bear to get together too, so the complexities here were more or less inherited from that kit, I think.


jb

[jbwelda]

Got tired of the topside so I built the exhaust system:




Here is a shot that shows another shortcoming of the build: the persistent warp on the left side of the chassis plate. Numerous attempts were made to remedy this...it always came back. Its pretty slight now, and confined to the very edge of the chassis, but nonetheless, it persists. Just can't get any respect, I tell ya.




And the rear deck may not be as bad as it looked, some distractions up there might largely mitigate the damage. Might actually pull a decent build out of this mess yet.

jb

[patw]

Hi JB sorry to hear all this. Yes I've trashed two of the original Revell kits, twisted chassis etc. and daggumb it all I've gone and bought another one! I just won't learn. But seeing you're 3D printed Uncertain T, you can start that instead. 

[harron68]

There's the possibility of adding damage to the body and having it as a car under repair. I feel the 914 got criticism for having the VW 4 cylinder engine and purists attributed the cheaper version as tarnishing the whole image. Then there's the mid-engine position. Porsche fans had mixed reviews of the location and limited space, in cockpit and engine bay. The design, called "boxy" ran counter to the super-swoopy regular Porsche profiles. I believe if the cars had dominated racetracks, the criticisms would've quieted. Still,if I remember, they were good in gymkhanas.
Around that time, the U.S. importer "Entex" (?) brought out the kit in 1/20th scale. I bought it and the Fiat "X 1/9" kit but never did anything with them.

[jbwelda]

yes harron68, that's why its best to have an automobile apocalypse diorama around, to populate with mistakes like this!

The more I look at it the more the damage seems to go away. Might be going back to its original shape. Not enough for bright lights, but there is still hope.

Pat I actually have enough real Uncertain T parts around to do one without the resin, and will probably get to that this year. Been on the back burner for sometime now. I do like how the resin body is already made into one piece with the seams sealed. That's a real plus on getting it painted. The original is two (or three?) pieces and is hopeless to get a nice paint job on it without modification, namely to glue it all together, seal the seams, then cut out the side of the body to let it slip over the axle. I noticed that was very nicely done on your resin body.

alright, getting the transkit tires onto the wheels and back into it...

jb