Let's review Tamiya's 1/12 Porsche 910

"It all started with this one..."

12 years ago, in July, I received my first big-scale model, Tamiya's 1/12 Porsche 910, as a birthday gift from my dad. It was several days after my 20th birthday, a young Larry who had too little money and too much time. Way too many things have changed in the past 12 years. I earned myself a self-studied university degree through a college-university transfer program, which the degree itself is generally considered inferior (because it is considered "self-studied"); I then crossed the ocean to chase a Master's dream in pursuit of knowledge and a new life in which I not only finished my Master's with a somewhat outstanding result but also met the love of my life; We decided to stay and everything went smoothly despite all the impacts brought by the pandemic; in 2022 I was admitted to a PhD program - hey, that one worst kid is doing a doctorate now, for real? - a dream finally came true. It's about opportunity and effort, really. I am a lucky enough immigrant - let me explain - I have a family supporting me with a mortgage payment and everything, although I am far, far away from the stereotyped crazy rich Asian family. My economic status is currently strong enough (ofc my bank account disagrees) to support my modelling enthusiasm. Well, if I can find a decent job after graduation, this little household will likely not collapse!

Just another summer. Last week, another box of Tamiya's Porsche 910 arrived at my local post office, waiting for me to pick it up. I was really worried because after winning the auction, I accidentally chose the wrong delivery method, which consequently made this box sit in, likely a ship, for a month from Japan to Maple Land. For comparison, I usually use the Small Air Package option, which takes roughly 1-2 weeks and is surprisingly cheaper than the Seamail option. I am not complaining here, as my item took only a month to arrive instead of the estimated 120 days, and the box received no obvious damage. So, everyone, please welcome today's protagonist - Tamiya's 1/12 Porsche 910.

So, what did you do to your first 910? I've heard you asking. Well, we did have digital cameras 12 years ago, and here you are - I do want to apologize because I did not have a good camera back then, and these pictures are small.

Back then, I did not know auctions existed. I got the 2010 re-release version with a different box art from the old motorized version, Cartograf decal sheets and some photo-etched upgrades. It wasn't exactly expensive if my memory serves me right. 

I even have open-box photos! This re-release included a huge decal sheet.

Although I did not follow the historical-correct livery. I decided to create my own number 17 Porsche.

I also did not use any after-market parts.

I was blown away by how complete and complicated the engine bay was. Hey, that was my first 1/12 kit, after all.

Okay, a spare tire with rubber. Tamiya's 910 > Doyusha's Stratos. lol!

Anyways, on a hot summer Sunny day, like next Sunday, I brought the model with me to this park:

Trust me, I could not even believe I still had these two photos on my hard drive.

Come on! I definitely heard you saying, "holy moly, the paint looks extraordinary!" That is because I used real car paint on this Porsche 910. Due to its big scale, the paint does not appear grainy as it would otherwise be on a smaller scale model. How I wish this car was with me right now so I could show you more pictures! I do have a see-through photoshopped photo proudly made by 20-year-old me:

Now, allow me to show you what this kit offers out of the box. 

Gladly, a 2000 re-release. The box is surprisingly good. 

Even better, I got it for 6500 Japanese Yen, even 1000 Yen cheaper than the box price marked by Tamiya (7500). I have no idea why there was no other bidder, and it wasn't a short auction, either. It was 60 Maple Dollar, an amazing deal I've had in years. Regardless, the kit did not miss anything, and everything was in its original plastic bags. I guess that was a win?

Some 24 years have passed. Of course, this photo was taken after I opened the car body bag like an ape (I also removed the little sprue on the windshield area).

I believe this is the first re-release type manual. The newer re-release I bought 12 years ago had a more modern type manual. The original 1968 version was also unique. 

Unlike the 2010 re-release, the decal sheet is smaller and doesn't have the red stripes for the No. 28 car. However, it is extremely impressive that after 24 years, it is still relatively white! It feels like it is still usable.

Aha, I missed you, old pal.

No, not joking. My 56-year-old pal.

Seems problematic here...Keep reading, and you will learn why this doesn't really matter.

I somehow still have a photo of the 2010 re-release body from almost the same angle. The windshield header looks a bit better, at least from the picture. It seems that the Porsche emblem is a bit too big. 

(Photo credit: Rev Institute 1967 Porsche 910/6)

This impressive photo of the actual car can be found on Revs Institute. What a beautiful, elegant racer. It is as attractive to me as the first time I saw it. I think Tamiya did a fantastic job replicating its charm. 

The '60s and '70s beauty at its best.

Okay, I know, I know. Here's what you gonna do to fix all the hinges. You sand all of them off and use photo-etched ones from the mighty Acu・Stion.

Not like the 1974-released Lola T70, you do not get moveable doors from the 910 unless you do it yourself.

Huge one-piece chassis with built-in details. Yep, get your masking tapes (and gel) ready!

These are...floor mats? 

(Photo credit: Petersen Automotive Museum 1967 Porsche 910/6)

Supported by this reference photo from the Petersen Automotive Museum. Funny, they do look like radiators, but come on, no radiators are placed on the floor!

Sprue A, mostly body structural parts.

Perfectionist (including me), good luck trying to fill all the ejection mark pins here.

It is such a shame that all these stunning structures can hardly be seen once the model is complete. 

Literally half of the B sprue are wheels!

The wheels look fine. Not surprisingly, the air valves are missing. Top Studio offers some aftermarket air valves, which can be used here.

(Photo credit: Board Arrow Auction)

Here's a reference photo I found on Board Arrow Auction. What do you think? The 5-spoke wheel looks fairly simple. 

I don't remember where I learned this - but I believe this is a small luggage area that was required. You can't really find this in any of the existing cars on Google. Not sure if I am being accurate here. Also, this part needs some cleanup, as it comes a bit rough.

Sprue C. 

The steering wheel looks vintage. 

(Photo credit: Conceptcarz)

Steering wheels are highly individualized in each car, but I was able to find this photo on Conceptcarz as a reference.

I assume the brake calliper manufacturer was ATE from Germany. Unfortunately, I was not able to find much information about this. But the ATE logo here is very crispy. The complete brake system for this kit is actually fairly simple (you can see in this photo), with plenty of detail emitted (my assumption).

 

Surprisingly, the D sprue is the clear sprue, whereas usually, the clear sprues in other kits have to wait until later letters, like M or N, for large-scale kits with several sprues (Like U and T in Tamiya 1/12 Porsche 935). 

The windshield is packed and protected separately. Maybe now you understand why the deformation of the windshield header does not matter too much? Yep, this huge one-piece clear part will support all the A and B pillars, as well as the deformed header. As someone who has built this kit once, I guarantee you this will be OKAY.

For certain cars, you may want to paint the windshield to recreate the window film. The 2010 reissue utilized decals to replicate this, which was one million times easier to use. Here, the 2000 reissue marked the to-be-painted area in the instruction manual. 

The 2010 re-release offers a pre-cut masking template for painting the windshield, which, to my memory, was very convenient. Both Tamiya and Acu・Stion provide photo-etched parts for the hinges on the window.

The real, and probably the biggest, problem of this kit to me is the headlight cover. The fitment of these two covers is pretty bad. At this point, I'm sure you've probably already seen that in my earlier photos. 

Tamiya did not try to hide this in their own photos of the 2010 re-release:

Yep, this is from the Tamiya USA website product introduction page. This can be very hard to deal with because these covers are clear parts, meaning that you better leave them alone. Any kind of sanding work can lead to more chaos and ugliness. The EASIEST way to hide the awkward gaps is to cut and paint your thin masking tape to do this:

 

(Photo credit: Stuttcars Porsche Road & Race Cars)

I believe teams have done this in the past to prevent the glass from falling on the raceway and shattering into pieces. You don't necessarily need to tape the entire headlight cover, though; just to cover the awkward gaps would be good enough. Not bad, eh?

Here comes the E sprue. Here comes the engine work, baby!

910's heart is a 210hp SOHC 6-cylinder 1991cc engine (according to Tamiya's instruction). Multiple engines have been used depending on individual cars. Here, the detail doesn't look bad despite being an almost 60-year-old model.

The following sprue, F, is chrome plated. Ugh, my least favourite type of chrome plating!

I believe this is the fuel injection pump. There is a pretty big hollowing-out spot here on this part, which I have not yet seen on Tamiya's big-scale models. I wonder why. 

Even in the instruction manual, this part is also honestly depicted.

(Photo credit: Petersen Automotive Museum 1967 Porsche 910/6)

Here's a reference photo from the Petersen Automotive Museum. On the bright side, you can deeply modify this part using aftermarket goodies to make it look authentic!

The early brake disc. Looks okay.

The cap is well-detailed! 

(Photo credit: Rev Institute 1967 Porsche 910/6)

And you might want to drill four holes there...

Sprue G, more mechanical parts.

Depending on individual cars, the seats can differ vastly. Tamiya's offer has a pretty nice texture. You can choose to use flocking powder to carpet it if you want.

(Photo credit: Board Arrow Auction)

The gas pedal looks like someone cut a piece off on the bottom left. The other two pedals look fine.

The dashboard doesn't look bad at all! Lots of room for modifications.

The wiper looks...fine. Maybe a bit too thick. Tamiya's 2010 photo-etched upgrades missed this critical detail. Ugh, but thankfully, Acu・Stion did not.

Parts to assemble a simple jack are also included on Sprue G.

Silver sprue H. It's engine work, baby! Part 2.

Remember what I said earlier? I was blown away when I saw all the amazing details 12 years ago.

(Photo credit: Board Arrow Auction)

The air funnel mounts look incredibly authentic. Tamiya even replicated the little cable guide. The rivet details of Tamiya's sprue look stunning.

It's a shame and crime that this beautiful fan blade is almost completely invisible after finishing up the model.

Gearbox detail. Not bad.

The engine is fairly complicated and well-detailed for a model that was first issued 56 years ago. 

Sprue J is in white colour. 

My memory did not serve me wrong; the fitment of this front plate is as poor as I remembered. Might need to use the hair dryer to bend this piece.

The additional tire is for the spare tire. Nice!

Sidewall letters are super-duper clear, although the tires themselves are in need of a good wash. Or I will try to boil the tires for a few minutes.

Wasn't kidding. This is what I did with my Tamiya Clodbuster's old tires. Worked like a champ.

Lastly, the accessory bag. See the long and thick tube, which has quite a bit of white residue on it? That looks very similar to the Clodbuster tires I boiled in the photo above. They can be removed if you boil the rubber. Also, note that the rear brake intake tube is included, but the front ones are not. The engine intake mesh covers look a bit too thick.

Braking lights. 

Now you have seen everything in this box of Tamiya 1/12 Porsche 910. This is truly a special kit for me. Some might find this kit is not the typical "Tamiya" standard, particularly due to the bodywork fitments. But just take a moment to look at the one I built 12 years ago - it is very solid proof - that with patience and effort, you can surely handle this beautiful model from 1968. It can also be easily brought to a new level if you pay a bit more for aftermarket detail upgrade parts, such as 3D-printed/metal fasteners and switches, hoses and tubes here and there, and more! 

 

I highly recommend this kit if you are interested in this rare but extremely successful racer of Porsche.

(Photo credit: I remember it was from Pinterest, but I no longer could find the link)

I assume this was at least part of the reason why Tamiya made this kit? Testu Ikuzawa, the first Japanese driver to win the British F3, is in the picture with his No. 28 Porsche 910. The pair won the GP-II class in the 1968 Japan Grand Prix. The overall winner was a No. 20 Nissan R381, which was also converted into a 1/18 (eh?) scale model kit by Tamiya. I will write a review of that kit later as well. You can build Ikuzawa's No. 28 Porsche 910 - much easier with the 2010 reissue, as the red stripes are provided in the decal sheet - if you want to. If you want to learn the story, you might want to go to this page - same car, but a diecast model by Exoto.

(Photo credit: Rev Institute 1967 Porsche 910/6)

Okay, let me use this photo of the box art car to end this post. The mighty 1/12 Porsche 910 from Tamiya, the kit that once blew me away with its stunning yet primal (compared to the latter 1/12 offers from Tamiya). It is the kit that started the fire inside me...It all started with this kit...