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Here's one more nice addition to your Porsche collection. The 911 Armel is a custom racing machine. Its features include flared fenders to accomodate wider tires, a special front and rear nerf/bumper system, custom styled front air dam with integral driving lamps and oil intercooler. The eye catching "T" tail and air scoop are decorative.Although not turbocharged,the 911 engine was updated to 911-S configurations with added horsepower derived from a free breathing special exhaust system. Painted in a light powder blue. its race livery really makes the car sparkle. Actually, what turned me on was the 1980 Monte Carlo Rallye signage as I have a small stable of those veterans starting with the '38 Citroen 15CV.
This is an older discontinued kit so expect to do the work Bburago didn't back then.... like chasing the mold parting flash and touching up and polishing out the paint. Shut lines have irregular and excessive gaps compared to newer releases, but they're not too distracting to the overall look. The exterior is nicely done otherwise with all plastic lenses, embossed Porsche script and all thecustom addons that snap right into place without gaps. The wheels are the generic Bburago mags and racing width tires but the 5 spokers look apropos on this model. THe only detailing I added were a pair of photoetched eurostyled wipers to replace the goofy 2-D ones molded into the glazing.
The interior has its plusses like the dash, steering wheel, fold down seats and embossed sill plates as well as its negatives like the molded in door panels, mold knockout pin markes and obtrusive dogleg hinges with the spring wire actuators. They engine compartment is competently done. All the basics are there and the different components are textured to simulated different metals and finishes. The touted "free-breathing" exhaust system is modeled fairly well and terminates into 4 brutish looking trumpets... a nice aggressive look.
As I said, the most labor intensive aspects of the build is the body prep work and finishing. To do it again, I would just strip, chase and reshoot the car. It would have been faster. The real nailbiting aspect of the build is applying the livery. Cartograf decals are outstanding, but 20 yr old Cartografs tend to be a bit brittle and as you can see with the hood and side spears, not only do they need to snuggle over compound curves, but the extend over shutlines. On the front, there are transfers that must mate with the intercooler mesh grill and wrap around the bumper. I recommend lots of Solvaset and lots of patience. They will work nicely without cracking too badly and ultimately, even the cracks can be rejoined. Once you're finished, you'll be quite happy with this model's presence. As to concerns about Bburago's fidelity of scale... most noticeable on their larger scale images... know that this scales right with FM's 911 diecast.
(04/03/2004)
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