Porsche 935 K3 '79 LM Winner

Published on
Review Author(s)
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$41.94
Product / Stock #
PN24006
Company: Platz - Website: Visit Site
Provided by: Platz - Website: Visit Site

It was some time after 2:00 PM on June 10th, 1979 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, France. The 47th 24 Hours of Le Mans had concluded with Car 41, the Porsche 935 K3 from Kremer Racing standing at the top of the podium, having won the rain-soaked race. The car was driven by Klaus Ludwig, Don Whittington, and Bill Whittington.

The kit box and instructions indicate manufacturers as Platz Co. Ltd. and NuNu Hobby Model Kit by Si Nok Development Company Ltd., both of Japan. The kit is molded in white and black with the usual supporting parts in clear and two mirrors in chrome. We also have a fret of photoetch, a sheet of mesh, and two sheets of decals. The paint color chart is on the outside of the box. This allows the buyer to see what he needs before purchase. The box photos of the model were somewhat helpful during assembly.

There are two sets of instructions; one for the plastic kit, and one for the photoetch. The builder needs to review both sets before assembly to understand the photoetch substitutes and additions. Molded in black and white, youngsters could build a reasonable model by brush painting some details, assembling the parts, adding the decals, and maybe the photoetch (no spray painting).

Beginning assembly, I found minimal flash and mold line cleanup. Parts were prepped, primed, and airbrushed per paint chart. Personally, I found the paint mix of copper and steel for the exhaust system to appear odd, so I recoated these parts in steel. The fit and assembly of this exhaust system was fiddly (is this a real word?) and may not clear the rear of the body without some mockup. Remainder of chassis and interior parts fit without issue.

The body and air foil are molded in 13 parts, which makes assembly challenging. This is, however, unavoidable considering the complex shape of the body. With patience, care, and some strategic clamping, I was able to get it assembled. A coat of gray primer revealed a few small panel line imperfections that could be puttied and re-scribed. After some thought, I decided to go ahead with the extra work. Some modelers may be happy with their results without this extra step. After the extra sanding and priming (final coat in white), the body was painted Tamiya Gloss White.

I was very concerned about placing the black, red, and orange stripe decal. Not only are long decals like this difficult, but this one went over the multi-ridged hood louvers! I decided to put it on before the clear coat. If I messed it up, I could then tape and paint the stripes. But this decal, like all the decals in this kit, went on perfectly. I then used my hobby knife with a new blade to cut the decal at the louver openings. A little coaxing from MicroSol, and the decal laid down perfectly. Voila! The body was then clear coated with five coats of Testors Extreme Lacquer, set aside for 10 days, and polished with 2000 through 7000 grit sandpaper, and Meguiars Scratch X 2.0. Decals (did I say they were wonderful) were then applied per instructions. I used a circle template to cut the hood decals where they fit over the hood caps before installation. I then touched up the edge of the hood caps with semi-gloss black.

Final assembly was straight forward. It was necessary to file/sand the window perimeters in order for them to set into the openings after the body was painted (although I masked these areas before clear coat). The windows were then taped and painted semi-gloss black per instructions. Small parts (wipers, door handles, taillights, etc.) were brush painted and installed. The chassis/interior unit fits perfectly to the body. This is not always the case in many auto kits. The use of two male/female fittings at both front and rear to fit these two components together is a simple and ideal method that could be copied for many kits. I actually fit the body to the chassis/interior before most decaling and small body parts, but this choice is up to the individual modeler.

This is my first kit by Platz/NuNu and I found it to be a very pleasant and rewarding project. I recommend this kit to all modelers, no matter skill level.

Thanks to Platz for providing the review copy to IPMS.

Box Art

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