Fujimi Porsche Carrera2 EVO - with 3d Printed Rims

 A little while back (maybe last Christmas) I got myself a small 3d printer, and have been experimenting with printing of different parts for model kits.

I had this older Fumiji kit laying around, and decided to try printing up some simple wheels for it. Nothing crazy, or overssized.  I actually ended up using the kit tires, so it worked pretty great. 

Found some RUF style 5 spoke wheels and had a quick print of them.

They are a little hard to see in black... but I really liked the way it changed the overall look of the kit.

Painted in a color-correct hue know as Rubystone Red.. I am really pleased at the overall finished look of this one.

Kept the overall build pretty clean and smooth.  Avoided the temptation to put the giant wing on the back, or huge over-fender flares. (Don't get me wrong I love the Rauh-Welt style, just not what I was going for here).  Even used the "spoiler down" rear end for the very classic 911 style and shape.

The paint finish is growing on me. Used a urethane 2k clear for that super deep, high end clear look. This is actually how it came out... no polishing...no buffing... In the past, I would have stayed away from this finish as I always felt it was "too much" for a scale model (especially a road car), but it does look really nice.

Maybe I'll have to do a quick post in the coming weeks on the paints I used for this one.

-More to come.

A couple more custom Hotwheels - Porsche 911 Targa and VW Drag Bus

 Just a short post today of two customs that I finished up.

The first is a Volkswagen Drag bus.

This was a relatively quick custom that turned out to be a little more "Christmas" themed than I had intended.

The drag bus started life and a Premium line, which means it already came with the metal base, and rubber "Real Riders" wheels and tires... so all I had to do was the paint.

After a quick dip in the stripper, I had a nice and clean casting... so I decided to try something a little different. Rather than straight paint, I had a can of clear green... and I thought why not.. let's see what happens.

Give it kind of a Candy green color... you can still see some of the sanding marks from where I cleaned it up after the stripper.

I also have some candy red that I tried to apply a "scallop" flame design to the side.

If you look close, you can see what looks like an outline on the scallops... this is actually where the red and green overlap.

As a relatively quick custom, the graphics were hand painted, along with headlights, taillights, rivets...

And some engine detailing on the base... just to make it look a little less toy-like.

Engine block, valve covers, fuel tanks were all painted, and I even added a little "heat staining" to the exhaust pipe.

The other custom I completed was a little more involved.

This one started as a Porsche 911 Carrera, and I decided to make a Targa out of it.

So out come the saw, and removed the center section of the roof.

With the interior a little more exposed, I though a nice hoop rollbar would be a nice addition.

So a small hoop made of bent brass rod was shaped and fit to be just behind the seats, and still be low enough to fit under the roofline.

A little selective painting brings out the details like headlights, taillights, exhaust tips, door handles... Again all in an attempt to make everything look a little less toy-like.

A set of resin 3D printed "FUCHS" style wheels completed this Porsche Outlaw looking creations.

I even modified where the axle fits on the base to "lower" the ride height of the car. With the lower profile tires, and raised axle location... this finished piece just barely still rolls without the tires getting hung-up.

Tamiya Porsche Carrera GT

 Up next in the completed a while ago list....

Tamiya's beautiful Porsche Carrera GT. This German masterpiece is powered by a mid-mounted, 5.7Liter V-10 engine.

 

Offered originally in only 5 colors, I went a bit off script and chose a British racing green shade, with a maroon color for the interior. The multi-piece interior helped with all the small pieces that needed to be different colors.

The kit also came with metal transfers for the script on the rear end, and the mirror reflecting surfaces.

This is one more that went together without any major issues of flaws. Exactly what you would expect of a Tamiya kit.

They are definitely worth the price in my opinion!

Thanks for looking, and keep watching for even more to come!

Hot Wheels Porsche 356A - Custom Convertible

Several weeks ago I posted the custom Ferrari 599 that I did as a police car for the monthly "get-together"...
Well, this time the theme was Porsche... and beyond that it was pretty open.

Well, I had this sweet little Porsche 356A that just came out, and couldn't help myself. I just had to tear in to it!

Here it is already separated from it's base and most of the black paint has been stripped off.
A few molding lines that needed to be cleaned up, but other than that, a solid starting point!

Out come the POWER TOOLS... A Dremel with a small cut-off wheel made short work of removing the roof and making the spider version. Some clean up and shaping with small files and we were just about done with the major surgery.

A quick mock-up to make sure everything still fit back together.  The clear plastic "glass" was cut down so that only the windscreen remains. It took some special care, and a lot of metal filing to leave the windshield frame. Luckily... the clear part was molded in such a way that it would stay in place when it was all sandwiched back together.

And with a lack of progress pictures, here is the final product.
The wheels were swapped for a set from Matchbox that I felt looked more correct for the basic roadster look I was going for.
Simple medium grey paint with details picked out like the headlights, leather hood tiedowns...

The interior I left red plastic, but added a little dark wash to bring out some of the details, and make it look a little more used, and less factory fresh.

And the final piece is the "boot" covering the retracted top.
This was molded from a piece of polymer modeling clay.... It stays soft and pliable until you bake it in the oven... (don't throw the whole car in there, just the clay part).
I could have spent more time getting it symmetrical, and smoothed it out some, but time was running short and I wanted it done for the meeting.

So there it is, my latest custom creation.
Not sure if there is a theme for this month's or not... I may not have one ready in time for this month.

But starting on a new 1/24 kit from Tamiya... very excited, but all of the decal work will be a project in itself.

Thank for stopping by!