Porsche 904 GTS Carrera - Updated 6-13

[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.

[fordrodnkustom]

Wow this looks great Bernard! Your change of subject direction here is an inspiration.

[patw]

Superb start! I've seen a few of these here in the UK, racing a classic car events.

[Mr.409]

I see what you mean about mixing up things by building something different from time to time. I've also done that, by building a few '70s Rally car models between the Traditional Rods, Customs and Racers that I mostly build. It's actually pretty fun to try something else, or at least I've had a great time while building the rally cars that I did.

Anyway, your start with this Porsche looks really good. That color looks really good on it, can't wait to see more pics.

[Bernard Kron]

Thank you everyone!

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.

[mack2856]

Bernard do you ever sleep? What a great idea about the team crest and a history lesson too. The Porsche looks awesome.

[kpnuts]

Superb modelling I must say. Keep up the great work.

[harron68]

Proof of your skills! Among the line of classic sports cars monogram released, the 904 was to my mind the poorest. What you brought out and improved is nothing short of a silk purse. Congrats on another success. If there would be one thing I'd change, it would be hollow velocity stacks on the carbs. Thanx for helping the hobby and the sites you share your talents with.

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx for all the generous comments!

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.

[fordrodnkustom]

Looking good Bernard! Even though that magnificent front suspension detail is hidden you know it's there. I get that as that is my philosophy...to a point. I like the realistic metal finish on that tank too. You're getting good at that!

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks a lot, Ron! As I commented on Motorsports.com, the Aurora guys did a fabulous job building rich detail into this kit. Anyone who can put up with the fiddliness, which is undeniable, will be rewarded with an ultra-faithful replica model. I'm in the thick of getting the upper half of the body glued to the bellypan portion. It's tricky and will make or break this build. Below is the close-up of the front suspension unencumbered by the "ghost" shot overlay. As you say, it truly is magnificent. And like the rear suspension, it basically goes together like the 1:1, shocks, springs, roll-bar, tubular A-arms and all.



Before I hid everything under fuel tanks and body panels I made sure I got one last set f photos of all that detail. I even made sure to add some seat belts before buttoning all up. Here's the final summary pic:

[mack2856]

It's a good thing you took all the photos of this amazing kit, it's certainly a paradox to cover it up , but it is a beautiful body , and another competed model is a good feeling.

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks Mack!

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 hot 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.

[kpnuts]

I love the blue colour scheme