Porsche 356 pre A Carrera Panamericana 1953

Here is a Fujimi 1/24th 356A kit I just finished for Ferrari Expo 2011. I modified it to make it a pre 356A model and put on the brand new Scale Designs SD38 Carrera Panamericana decals. This car ran in the 1953 Pan Am race. The sponsor was Canada shoes of Mexico. The owner of the company entered the car and drove it. The "new" Scale Designs SD38 will be available as of March 19th 2011 and includes 3 356's from the Pan Am 1952 and 1953 race.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd85/F1tommy/019.jpg
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd85/F1tommy/023.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd85/F1tommy/025.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd85/F1tommy/021.jpg


The decals were printed by Cartograf, Italy. I did do alot of work on this model including making aluminum window frames just like on the real car.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2011-Chicago March 19th 2011

Here is a very rare 1953 Pan Am photo of the real car to show the accuracy of the color and the decals:


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd85/F1tommy/00aaCarrera20Panamericana2019532003-01.jpg







Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2011-Chicago March 19th 2011

Beautiful work and amazing livery. Nice job you did on this.

Count me in for a sheet and whatever else you have coming. This is a beautiful car. Great job on the decals and the kit!
Nic

Count me in for a sheet and whatever else you have coming. This is a beautiful car. Great job on the decals and the kit!
Nic


Thank you for your comments. This Fujimi kit is amazing on its own. The chassis and engine detail are unreal for a plastic kit. The engine has a crank and pistons!! It is the most complicated car kit motor I have ever seen in 1/24th scale plastic.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2011-Chicago March 19th 2011

Great detail the rear open window

perfect!

Wow,

That's a unique project. :grinyes:

Beautiful build of a great looking subject!!
I wasn't even aware of these until you started posting about doing the decals. Nice work!

Thanks for all your comments. The Pan Am 1950-1954 was an amazing race. I know they did alot of the cars in 1/43rd and a few in 1/24th but not the cars on the Scale Designs SD38 sheet. This Canada 356 has never been done in any scale. That is because no one could find good color photos of the car.


I will also do the Peron 356 and early low roof #199 356 from 1953 on SD40, my third sheet along with the cars on SD38 resized to 1/43rd scale. My next sheet will be SD39 for the Alfa 1900TI Carrera Panamericana 1954. It will include 3-4 cars and is for the very nice Quattroruote Alfa 1900 diecast in 1/24th scale. I have plans to do 3 or 4 sheets total and maybe a model for the Carrera Panamericana.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2011-Chicago March 19th 2011

This 356 as well as the others from the Pam-Am races are beautiful. I look forward to the decal sheets. Could you post a brief summary of the major mods to the Fujimi kit to postdate it back to a pre-A?
Thanks!

Beautifull work Tom!

Thank you for making it now possible to us, to build these cars.

I agree with you on your comment about the 356 Fujimi series, I can still remember when the first series arrived here at Portuguese stores, and "enthusiast series" was really a good definition for these kits. I was really "Enthusiastic!" about them, as I am about the real car.

These are still one of my favorite 1/24 model-kits, ever!:biggrin: even if they are a bit "demanding" on our building skills!

How, or where can I order one of these decal sets Tom?

Thank you.

Nice idea and fine build, Tom. I had already seen some more in other forums but too bad, that you never reveal where to buy these decals...

Here one of mine FUJIMI conversions:
http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/212_121/159_34/paris119-vi.jpg (http://hotimg23.fotki.com/p/a/212_121/159_34/paris119-vi.jpg)

I should have a dealer list in a week or two. I am sure Stradasports, Island Collectibles and Raccoon will get them. I also am adding a 2 sheet Ferrari Daytona Competition sheet also printed by Cartograf that will include the Lemans Feraud #36 car and 2 NART cars(Lemans 1972 #74 and 1973 #37).


The main modification on the Fujimi 356A body is to remove all the trim below the door. You also have to blank the tail lights and front turn signals. The early cars just had round bike lights(clear front and red tail).
The other part is the dashboard. The were very crude on pre a models and had flat faces with instruments mounted directly. In the middle of the dash was a radio/radio speaker. They all did come with a radio:) This was basically a hotrod Volkswagen with a lower and lighter body.

Here are a few photos of the first 2 new sheets:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd85/F1tommy/002-2.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd85/F1tommy/001-7.jpg

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2011-Chicago March 19th 2011

I should have a dealer list in a week or two. I am sure Stradasports, Island Collectibles and Raccoon will get them. I also am adding a 2 sheet Ferrari Daytona Competition sheet also printed by Cartograf that will include the Lemans Feraud #36 car and 2 NART cars(Lemans 1972 #74 and 1973 #37).


The main modification on the Fujimi 356A body is to remove all the trim below the door. You also have to blank the tail lights and front turn signals. The early cars just had round bike lights(clear front and red tail).
The other part is the dashboard. The were very crude on pre a models and had flat faces with instruments mounted directly. In the middle of the dash was a radio/radio speaker. They all did come with a radio:smile: This was basically a hotrod Volkswagen with a lower and lighter body.

Here are a few photos of the first 2 new sheets:



Thank you for your reply and pictures. I will wait for these decals to be available.


The main modification on the Fujimi 356A body is to remove all the trim below the door. You also have to blank the tail lights and front turn signals. The early cars just had round bike lights(clear front and red tail).


Windscreen shape was very different too, but I am aware that this part could prove to be difficult to reshape for the average skilled modeler.

Anyway, it will look quite good as it is.

Please remember to post here some pictures of the coming event, OK?:biggrin:

Best regards to all.

Hi,

The 1952 #11 cabriolet was a split window, the other 2 1953 cars were not. I had alot of trouble with the 1952 split screen getting it right.
The #162 car was the the latest car and used bumpers during the race. The Peron car that I will be doing soon also had bumpers during the race.


I did see that a few slotcar companies made several Pan am sheets for 1/32nd and 1/24th scales, but not of these cars. They also did not have them printed by Cartograf.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2011-Chicago March 19th 2011

Hi,

The 1952 #11 cabriolet was a split window, the other 2 1953 cars were not. I had alot of trouble with the 1952 split screen getting it right.
The #162 car was the the latest car and used bumpers during the race.


Hi Tom.

The Panamericana still enclosures a lot of misteries to me!

I guess the original car picture you posted before is then of the 1952 Panam? not the '53?...however numbers of the car were the same (151) because in your picture we clearly see that the car is an early "Stuttgart" series, not a true "split-windshield" but the rare one piece "kinked or bent in the middle" version.

The 1953 car does match your built version, with the later one-piece "normal-rounded" windshield.

The Peron car that I will be doing soon also had bumpers during the race.

Would that be the 1954 Panam. car of Jacqueline Evans de Lopez?

Because I believe that would also be a "Stuttgart" car with the "bent-kinked" one piece windshield?

Hi,

The #151 '53 car pictured was a one piece(looks like maybe slight kink early car). The '52 #11 cabriolet is a 2 piece with brace in the middle. The Peron car I am doing is the 1953 Evans car wich is not a low roof aluminum body car like her 1954 car. Her 1953 car is a 1 piece windshield early 1953 production car. The #162 Guatemala car is also a 1953 production 1 piece windshield car.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2011-Chicago March 19th 2011

The blue cab was a "52" with the split windshield and body mounted bumpers. Jacqueline Evans "54" Eva Peron car was also a "52" with body mounted bumpers but the split windshield was replaced with a 1 peice unit that they started using in "53"(the window opening was the same fro the bent & split windows). The 151 & 162 cas were both "53-54" body cars where they started using bumpers that were mounted seperate from the body but still used the 1 peice bent windshield. Porsche did'nt start using the curved windshield until the A body cars after "55".

Thanks for all the information. Just one note, the 1952 Pan Am cars(#11 cabriolet and #10 coupe) had the bumpers removed for the race. I have only done the #11 cabriolet.

Good to have a 356 expert on the forum for these cars.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2011-Chicago March 19th 2011

Yep... The bumbers were removed from those cars but there is a seam where the bumpers mount. There were also a few of the early aluminum cars that ran too. Those cars were each unique and had a handfull of things that were different from the steel cars.

Got my tickets and I flying out in a few hours. My flight out tommrow is at 5 so I going to need to leave early. See you in the morning.

Got my tickets and I flying out in a few hours. My flight out tommrow is at 5 so I going to need to leave early. See you in the morning.


Sounds good. I am looking forward to seeing your amazing models in person.


Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2011-Chicago March 19th 2011

That's a truly beautiful scale model of the Carrera Panamericana Porsche and the decals look SUPERB!!!! Will be on the look-out for these when they become available, will love to have this race livery Porsche in my small collection.

Again GREAT work!!!

The Scale Designs decals will be available by the end of the week from Stradasports, Corner 5 Hobbies and Raccoon. More dealers coming soon.


Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2012-Chicago March 2012

Interesting livery !!

What happened to the white cover of the front lights, some problems with the masking? Did you paint them after gluing to the body?

Interesting livery !!

What happened to the white cover of the front lights, some problems with the masking? Did you paint them after gluing to the body?

Its supposed to be tape not paint. Its included on the decal sheet.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs

Add Island Collectibles to the list of dealers with them in stock or on the way.

Tom Tanner/Scale Designs/Ferrari Expo 2012-Chicago March 2012