1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

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daves
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Re: 1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

Post by daves »

You are correct. The rear cowling does not fit. To make it fit, some of the frame and the roll bar need to be removed. I choose to display mine open.
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sky1911
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Re: 1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

Post by sky1911 »

The thing is. After getting extremely annoyed with the doors (actually with trying to get only one to fit for a change) I started taping the back together and trying to make it fit. I got the bottom piece of the tail and the rear cowling to line up just fine in the "dry" after sanding and shaping to match. However, I do not know how much that'll change with the hardware installed. But then again I do not intend to use the wm frame pieces but instead use aluminium tubes.

@Dave
in what particular area did you encounter the most issues with the fitment of the rear cowling? From what I remember during my dry assembly trials, the two tail pieces can be made to fit, but the sidepods where the tanks are located were another thing. My plan then (haven't touched it in a long while) was to tape all the bodywork together in such a fashion, that all the gaps and panel lines and contours match up. If necessary by adding internal bracing to push a part slightly to the outside in one area and use rubber bands around it to get other parts to push slightly inwards - all in the hopes that it will all match up and keep doing so until final assembly.
Cheers,
Roman
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daves
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Re: 1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

Post by daves »

It was the side pods

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mvc
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Re: 1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

Post by mvc »

Did some (very casual) test fitting, and I must say I'm optimistic...

Sorry for the bad pics btw (low light, using phone)

I don't see any major issues to make the rear cowling fit. Of course, nothing is perfect at the moment, but at least the frame is not in the way. There one blocking area (see arrow) but that looks like an easy fix. I did spend some time reshaping the rear cowling using hot (off-boiling) water to match to rear cowling to the front. I still need do to some work to get the front part in the definitive position, and then I really know how good/bad it all looks. Anyway, it could have been way worse :lol:

First fit
First fit
Still some aligning to do
Still some aligning to do
That's the blocking part
That's the blocking part
Could have been worse?
Could have been worse?
Even the doors are not that far off ;)
Even the doors are not that far off ;)
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gp-models
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Re: 1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

Post by gp-models »

Count in the paintjob Marcus, this can cause trouble when everything fits tight. It`s not an impossible job, but also not a funny one as far as i see.
Take a stand!
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Re: 1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

Post by mvc »

Don't worry, I will not underestimate this job by thinking it's going to be easy! And I will keep your advice in mind.

Today I cleaned up the front body and did a more thorough test fit. First conclusions:
- the side pontoons are .5 mm too wide towards to middle and the back (can be sanded down);
- the engine sits a bit too high (fixed by removing the left vertical panel on the rear cowling, needs tidying up of course);
- the engine sits a bit too far to the back (can be compensated by enlarging the opening in the rear cowling and/or thinning down that part of the cowling from the inside);
- the doors are crap.

Main problem with doors seems to be that it's nearly impossible to control the angle of the crease in the middle. I'm playing with the idea to cut the doors right at that crease. I think the top and bottom parts, individually, can be made to fit. And then when they do, bring them together with some bracing construction on the inside. I also consider rebuilding the lower parts (from wire frame/sheet material/putty) so it's lighter and puts less load on the join. Maybe I'll do a little experiment first, before I destroy the doors :)

Any thoughts on that?

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Re: 1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

Post by mvc »

Hi all,

Decided to cut the doors in order to get a better fit. No regrets so far, it makes the whole fitting process so much more manageable! Of course this rises a new challenge -- how to put the parts back together in a strong and not too bulky way -- but there is load of other work so there is a enough time to think of a way.

No way back...
No way back...
First impressions: positive
First impressions: positive
IMG_5084.JPG
Dug out the outer edges, to make sure the door panel is not too thick.
Dug out the outer edges, to make sure the door panel is not too thick.
Next step will be to thin down the inner door seals on the body, these are a bit too wide in some places and prevent the door from comfortably falling into place.
Next step will be to thin down the inner door seals on the body, these are a bit too wide in some places and prevent the door from comfortably falling into place.
This feels like the right time to test fit the windows, as some fellow members noted that fitting these can be tricky
This feels like the right time to test fit the windows, as some fellow members noted that fitting these can be tricky
IMG_5103.JPG
So the next step will be to remove the bodywork to trim the door seals; then reinstall the body and refit the door parts with more precision. And start thinking of the best way to bring the door halves together again. As always, suggestions are welcome!

Thanks for watching!
Last edited by mvc on Thu Aug 04, 2022 8:56 am, edited 2 times in total.

ah100m
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Re: 1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

Post by ah100m »

I would try soldering the doors. Experiment first on some other white metal parts from the kit, if you have them, to get the right temperature. A liquid flux will be needed. The best thing about soldering is that it will allow some flexibility afterwards that a glued joint wouldn't. I haven't tried to solder together parts from an MFH kit but I have used solder to build up low spots and fill small voids and holes.

Good luck.
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Re: 1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

Post by jorgeralvear »

I’ve soldered white metal on MFH and Tameo kits and my suggestion is lots of solder and little contact time with the pieces. My soldering iron does not have an adjustable temp and it can melt the white metal if in contact for too long. Extra solder allows a quick join and you can sand or file off the excess easily.
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allnie
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Re: 1/12 MFH Porsche 917 LH

Post by allnie »

Scary move to cut the doors. Now you will optain very weak doors. Doors are already fragile in the kit.
Br
Allan
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