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1:18 Minichamps Porsche 906E "de-badging" and minor upgrades.

1K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  P A D 
#1 · (Edited)
Having recently discovered the Minichamps Porsche Carrera GTS and purchased one, the Minichamps Porsche 906E also popped up on my radar. 1960s/early 70s cars that raced at LeMans, Sebring, Daytona etc. are a favourite of mine so this had to be added to my modest collection. It's been around for a while so is well know in the diecast fraternity and highly rated. This is the 'BP World Records Run' version which took place at Monza in 1967 and as such comes decked out in sponsor logos with white bonnet cover and a white stripe down the middle on the all red body.

My intention was to remove the sponsor decals, the white stripe and if possible to find a close match to the red colour, repaint the bonnet cover. Two reasons, 1 I prefer plain single coloured cars especially red ones. 2, the 906 although starting the world record run was withdrawn after it broke down twice with shocker failures on the very bumpy and potholed Monza circuit. A couple of 911s were rapidly dispatched from Porsche, one to make the record attempt and one to provide spares, so the 906 while having a very successful race career, doesn't deserve any of the glory for world record run.

I didn't take any photos of the model as it came so all images in the WR livery are downloaded from retailers websites.
Here's how it started out.
Tire Wheel Vehicle Car Toy


Notice the silver wheels. Mine came with the wheels painted more of a dull metallic grey. Also note rubber retaining catch on the lower edge at the front side of the engine cover. In the previous image there isn't one. Well there is, but it's tucked inside the cover as they tend to do when you close it. As you will see, I've taken them off mine. Headlamp and tail light detail is very good as are the wheels and tyres which are decorated with gold line and Firestone scripts. On the downside, the wheels on mine are screwed on very tightly, particularly the rear ones. If the wheels came glued and fixed I could accept that, but these wheels are meant to rotate and are alsmost identical to the ones on the GTS which spin freely, so the worker that assemble this car must have been on steroids!
Car Tire Wheel Vehicle Automotive design


Tire Wheel Vehicle Car Automotive tire

The engine as it comes is very well done with much more detail than the Carrera GTS and AutoArt 917K. The cooling ducts are nicely represented with very soft extension springs and all the fuel lines, plug leads and twin carbs (hidden) are there. The cooling fan and belt drive are also present at the front of the engine along with some of the oil hoses, although none of this detail can be seen until you take it apart. Another difference compared to mine is the black painted filler cap on the left hand tank in this view. The luggage tray is only loosely glued to the frame and is easily remove to get a better view of the transmission. Does anyone know what that contraption is in the tray? It looks like something you would use to prop up a bicycle.
Tire Wheel Vehicle Toy Automotive tire


Not the best of images to show it, but the spartan interior is well done with nice details and flocked seats. There are more details behind the seats which can only be seen when dismantled, namely the battery, the coils and a silver electrical box. The coils are painted brown with black tops, when they should be blue with red tops. I repainted the coils on mine but they are barely visible and don't bring much to the party. The handles for the engine cover retaining catches are separately applied plastic mouldings, but the vents in the rear canopy are only moulded in relief and not open. The doors hinges are very nicely done and have a simple device to ensure they stay open which I'll show later.
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And a view of the front and rear to show the lights. Apologies for using downloaded images for the review but I overlooked to take any before I dismantled it and began the work.
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Land vehicle Vehicle Tire Car Automotive lighting



Ok now we are onto my images. Not much to see underneath with the solid floorpan apart from the inset tail pipes. Rear suspension is nicely represented with dummy springs/shocks, whereas the front just has the wishbones. Dismantling is quite straightforward via the two screws at the front, two about mid way and two tucked up in the front wheel wells behind the wheels.
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The base plate is plastic which makes the model very light at about 440 grams.
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Engine front detail
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The spare wheel is screwed (and glued????) to the floorpan with the screw hidden by the hub cover, which wouldn't be on the spare. Unlike on the GTS, I was able to pop out the cover with a pin and remove the screw.
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There's no need to screw in the spare as it fits very tightly into the storage space as can be see by the indents in the tyre, so I dispensed with the screw pillar so I could remove the spare if desired. Incidentally, the running tyres are branded front and rear, whereas the spare is only branded on the outside. There are no air valves.
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Now the moment of truth, removing the decals. This is what I used, Acetone free nail polish remover from Boots. Although Acetone free, it still contains organic solvents so you need to ensure good ventilation when using it and avoid any contact with the clear parts which it will cloud up.
Liquid Drinkware Tableware Dishware Coffee cup


To be on the safe side I masked of the clear parts when working on the decals close by and I removed the cover over the fluid reservoirs. Unfortunately, removing the stripe also looses that nice little identifier plate but such is life.
Hood Automotive lighting Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Bumper


The oil cooler and piping were also covered for safety. Before I started I checked out whether the solvent would damage the paint by making a trial on the inside of the body, which was fine. Application is by cotton bud and the solvent works very quickly. There are several tutorials on YouTube showing how it's done.
Packing materials Rectangle Material property Tints and shades Fender


My wife has just made lunch, so I'll be back later.

Cheers,
Peter
 
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#2 ·
As well as loosening the wheels I wanted to respray them so it was necessary to get them off. I managed to remove one of the rear hub covers but had to drill out the other three. So with the one from the spare wheel I had two and needed to make two. This was done by punching out some discs from plasticard for the cover and washer, then drilling centre holes and adding M1.0 cheesehead screws from rear and M1.0 hex nuts on the outside.

Dunking the wheels in boiled water for a minute or so softens the tyres so that they can be removed. While they were off I resprayed the wheels with Al paint and removed the white lettering from the tyres with the nail polish remover. For safety I masked of the gold lines to avoid damaging them. Here they back together again with the air valves added from M0.6 hex nuts and bolts.
Tire Wheel Automotive tire Light Motor vehicle


Here, two of the tyres have had the treads sanded which makes a big difference.
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Here's the car after removal of the decals with the wheels off. Suspension details visible at the rear. The discs are static with moulded calipers.
Vehicle Car Tire Hood Wheel


Another point to note is that if the car is tilted downwards at the front when holding, the hatch cover slides off after only a few degrees of in line. Sooner or later I foresaw paint damage occuring if it landed on something hard, so I added some fixing pins to the cover to locate in holes drilled in the body. Here the car is propped up almost vertically but the cover stays I place. Roof stripe and BP logos removed from the roof along with the other logos on the wing tops and sides. I found that Tamiya Bright Red TS49 is a close match to the car colour albeit slightly yellower/flatter, so I resprayed with that after sanding and priming. I also filed of the fixings to replaced with some PE parts that I had.

Land vehicle Vehicle Tire Motor vehicle Vehicle registration plate


Here you can see the fixing pins from 0.4mm NS rod. I was going to add one to each corner but found that two at the rear did the job and it is easier to locate 2 pins than 4 when refitting the cover.
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The PE fixings were drilled and fitted to the NS rod.
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The colour match is not perfect, but I can live with it.
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I've removed the nut and bolt detail from the spare and drilled out the mounting holes. I really must do this on the GTS.
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You can see the mounting holes for the cover pins which I have counter sunk for easier insertion. I'd already drilled the lower ones before I decided not to fit pins at the bottom edge, but they give the impression of the female part of the fastenings, which is good. I have some 3D Porsche badges so I've replaced the one lost when the nose part of the stripe was removed. An M0.6 hex bolt has been added just to the right of the wiper to represent the screen wash nozzle.
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Some views of the engine. So far I've not added any extra detail but may do when I've studied my reference images.
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I think maybe the strap on the oil tank should be black and also the lid but I need to check that.
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And a close up of the wheels. This is the rear with the original centre cover.
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And the replacement at the front.
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Some more views of the competed car.
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The inner panel on the engine cover also had to be resprayed as the nail polish remover cut into the red paint.Its only held in place with screws so easily done. This part is plastic not metal, so maybe that had something to do with the paint being removed.
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Wheel Tire Vehicle Toy Hood


As you can see in the above images, no problem with the doors staying open. This is why. The front hinge on each door has a tiny grub screw which I assume is adjusted during assembly to give the required free movement whilst being tight enough to keep the door up when open. Note the remains of the sprew attachment on the steering wheel rim, since removed.
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The tailpipes are OK but a little chunky.
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Some views of the interior.
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The battery is behind the seat on this side but is barely visible even in the flesh.
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But the little electric box can be seen on this side.
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It's not visible in any of these views, but the moulded frame tube that traverses the cockpit floor has a representation of the fibre glass strapping used to secure the body panels to the metal frames.
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Before I forget, I added the brake lines to the calipers.
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A few more general views taken before I added the Porsche badge at the front.
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That's it for now but if I add anything more to the engine I'll do a post script.

Cheers,
Peter
 

Attachments

#3 ·
Does anyone know what that contraption is in the tray? It looks like something you would use to prop up a bicycle.
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Peter, your remodeling posts are so informative! I've learned something new about each model that you've documented here and I consider myself very well informed about the racing world and its modern history. I admit that this model never appealed to me since in its current configuration it represented a car not involved in regular circuit racing, but your pics highlighted that extended nose that I never noticed before. And the story you tell about the "World Record" makes it clear the labeling of this car is a perfect example of false advertising - LOL!

Here's a detailed telling of that World Record effort: World Record With Obstacles

By the way, here is a photo of what that mysterious contraption (which I've seen in some of my Minichamps Porsche models as well) is in real life which shows more clearly its function. I found it in an ad under the heading "VW Classified" as an "Original Spyder, 906, 907, 910 Fulcrum Jack":

Wood Triangle Metal Composite material Font
Triangle Wood Font Automotive exterior Metal


The ad's closed now, which means it was apparently sold. A shame; you could've gotten it for a mere $6000 (!).
 
#4 ·
Thanks, I thought it was possibly something to do with jacking up the car. Just couldn't see how it would work.

I'm glad you are enjoying the posts. As to them being informative, what little I know is only from books and what I find on Google, in this case the same page that you posted the link for.

Never been into motor racing of any sort, hence the reasons I'm not interested in race cars covered in sponsor logos and numbers, so where they raced, who drove them etc doesn't bother me, its purely the aesthetics that matter. Having said that, the exception for me is the Porsche 917K. That just has to be in JW Gulf livery.

Yes the World Record run is a fascinating story. Can you image walking the track before the 911 arrived, marking out where the pot holes were so they could be avoided.

Minichamps do/did several versions of the 906 mostly in actual racing liveries, some with long and some short noses. Also in long tail varieties. Personally I think the short tail/ long nose set up is the sexiest. Somewhere on here there is a review of one in plain white with short nose which looks pretty cool as well.


Cheers,
Peter
 
#5 ·
Peter - -

I think Minichamps was more concerned about making the jack stay in the trunk rather than about making it functional, hence the dysfunctional configuration.


And one of the attractions of this site is the opportunity to interact with people with any number of different preferences in their target cars. I, for one, think it's immoral for a race car to be naked (without livery and numbers) and was always horrified at one of our members (can't remember who) whose first act after buying a fully decked-out race car model would be to remove all vestiges of its livery - BLASPHEMER! 🤣🤣🤣🤣.

At one time or another I have owned several 906s, a 910 and multiple 917s variants. Feel free to check out my (incomplete) collections posts (links under my signature) - they're not in any particular order so you may have to go through a lot of pages or do a search or two....

- Red
 
#6 ·
And one of the attractions of this site is the opportunity to interact with people with any number of different preferences in their target cars. I, for one, think it's immoral for a race car to be naked (without livery and numbers) and was always horrified at one of our members (can't remember who) whose first act after buying a fully decked-out race car model would be to remove all vestiges of its livery - BLASPHEMER!
Absolutely Red.Each to his own. The blasphemer sounds like a man after my own heart though. As to the livery on race cars, I view it as graffiti to be scrubbed off whenever possible. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:.

I'll now go and view your garishly decorated collection. ;)

Cheers,
Peter
 
#7 ·
Red beat me to the quick jack explanation, but I’ll opine on the spare.

Contemporary to this model, vehicles prepared for competition had to comply with Appendix J of the FIA Sporting Code.

Every class, and make and model of vehicles that competed on the international level were covered within Appendix J.

For sports prototypes of the era, they were required to have equipment which could allow them to be driven on the open road.

Two particular requirements were that they had to have room for luggage (the famous Ford GT Le Mans suitcase) as well as a spare tire and a means by which the driver could employ it if needed.

I can’t remember how well the “spare tire” was defined, but if you look at the various diecast models produced for that era, you see a wide disparity between and among the manufacturers.

Clearly it was never assumed that the spare would ever be used, so I’m guessing that the size of the tire was dictated by the area available for it.

You need only to look back at the 917 you just completed to see the Porsche interpretation for that particular car, with the 906 being earlier and also intended for rallying, therefore a more representative spare being incorporated.
 
#8 ·
Hi Jim,
Yes, you're late to the party. 😁 Red was quick on the draw and despite me offending his sensibilities by removing all the "graffiti" from the model, he was still willing to enlighten me as to the purpose of the $6000 bicycle stand! I found these two cutaway drawings of the 906 which both show this jack contraption apparently stowed between the frame and rear floor pan by a bungy cord. That would make more sense than having it loose in the tray when the driver braked from 150+ to 30 on the Mulsane straight to negotiate the corner at the end. If that flew forward it would play havoc with the fuel injection!

I note that both these drawings show Weber carbs rather than the Bosche fuel injection on my model and I think Minichamps made/make 906s with the carbs as well. Both also show an oil breather tank to the right rear that I've noticed on images of the real cars and the cooling ducts are the opposite way around to the model. That is, in the drawings, the the upper ducts feeds cool air to the transmission and the lower duct to the brakes. The model has them the opposite way around. I need to do more research to find out more about the layout of the engine bay to see what else may be missing. All part of the fun.
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I mostly take photos of the model on my bench in our spare bedroom but though I'd try some under the kitchen lighting to compare. Here's a few more shots of the car under the different lighting.
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This shows the small hex nut used to represent the washer jet.
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The tray and Jack can be just placed on the frame tubes if desired. There's no need to glue it.
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Couldn't resist a couple with the 904.
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The lower roofline clearly shows the out and out racing intentions of the 906!
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Cheers,
Peter
 

Attachments

#11 ·
Thanks Jazzy. Me to.

The thing I couldn’t rationalize was the fact that the driver would have had to be leg less, if you look at the placement of the steering wheel compared to the seat.
That must be the purist in you Jim, being a racer. But I agree there doesn't look to be any room for the driver's legs. So far I haven't been able to find anything that tells me the diameter of the wheel to check it out. However, the actual wheel does look quite large in these images courtesy of the interweb. There is however room for the drivers legs, so Minichamps appear to have got the relationship between the seat and the steering wheel wrong, but I can live with it.
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Quite a few 906 owners seem to have replaced the original with a momo type with padded rim, maybe for safety reasons???
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Been searching for images of the 906e with fuel injection and found out that the 'e' stood for Einspritzung or injection.

Cheers,
Peter
 
#10 ·
I just remembered why I got rid of the one or two of these I had in my collection.

The thing I couldn’t rationalize was the fact that the driver would have had to be leg less, if you look at the placement of the steering wheel compared to the seat.

I think the size of the steering wheel is out of scale.
 
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