Porsche RSR
1994 LeMans 24 Hour. 1st (GT-2)

Fujimi, 1/24

Reviewed by Ian Hartup

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The Fujimi Porsche 911 series have long been one of my favourites. I built a number of them in the late eighties and early nineties before they became unduly scarce and expensive. In those days the majority of the kits featured full and highly detailed engines and interiors, opening doors and such like.

After a long absence I have just returned to modelling cars in the last twelve months and had had a hankering to renew my acquaintance with these kits, so when I espied this kit on the shelf of my local model emporium I leapt at the chance and picked it up straight away.

The box declares, and I quote directly here;

“This kit is an assembly model of the Porsche 3.8 RSR which participated in the 24 Heures Du Mans (sic) on June 18-19, 1994. The rear spoiler and wheels are created from a new high tech mould. Assembled model can be steered”.

It continues with:

“We have reduced the number of pieces in the set, to enable everyone to assemble this model with ease, while achieving a precision of realism normally found only in large scale kits.”

Hmmm, some of that is a bit wrong I’m afraid. For a start the box are is a very nice picture of the real car in action on the Mulsanne Chicane, this clearly shows the wheels to have gold centres not the single colour silver recommended in the kit. So armed with the Internet I set about finding pictures of the real car at rest. Imagine my surprise to find that the wonderful new high tech wheels were completely wrong for the car. As can be seen in the picture of the real wheel sported by the sister car to no 52 at the same race and the garage shot of 52 the wheels in the kit bear no reference to the real thing save that they are both round and carry tyres!

My suspicions aroused I sat down to further study the kit parts. First up was the new spoiler. You would have assumed that being a new “high-tech mould” it would be a very nice part. However that is simply not the case. The outline is clearly wrong, the main element features sagging on the top and bottom surfaces and the damn thing has to be adjusted quite a lot to fit the body moulding. Add to that the moulding seams on the side and both front and rear edges and it becomes less that high-tech.

This was getting annoying. As I was looking I turned my attention to the rest of the kit. So far I have identified the following;

• Distinctive night running lamps are simply not in the kit.

• Wrong wing mirrors detailed in instructions (correct parts in kit)

• Brake duct intakes in kit simply ignored despite the instructions advising you to shorted the front lamp lenses to they can be fitted.

• Decal colours wrong, I would not mind but the box top photo shows them all.

• Decals fonts wrong on some sponsor markings.

• Wheels are undersize as well!

So have I thrown it, nah. I never like to waste a kit. I intend to attempt to correct the kit outline issues and I am working on a new set of wheel centres myself.

Click on the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The kit decal colours are a bit of a bear but I have a method in mind to sort that.

So how do I close this little piece of character assassination?

Well by telling you to buy it of course! This is still the best Porsche 911 derivative on the market and if you are prepared to build it and put in the effort will reward any competent modeller. If you just fancy a snazzy 911 in your collection it will fulfil that role well.

So you win both ways.

Recommended.