The Porsche 906 was produced after
the Porsche 904 with the intent of getting some international glory. However,
the goal was not to get mere class wins, Porsche was way over that, they
now needed some overall wins. The 906 had multiple class wins. Le Mans wasn't
an exception, and in 1966 this Porsche 906LE #30 driven by Jo Siffert and Colin
Davis came in 4th right behind a trio Ford Gt40s. Still not an overall
win, but Porsche looked determined to be next in line.
The model is made by Minichamps,
availible in 1:18 scale and widely considered as a medium range model.
Minichamps have issued a wide range of different 906, some of them still
in the waiting list. Some others long sold. Minichamps also produces a 906
in short tail version (See
my Porsche 906 Daytona Winner here) which
is very similar to this model. Minichamps did fairly well with the paint job,
it is mostly thick, but my version does have a couple of imperfections. I
believe that with the exception of the Porsche badge in the front, the livery
is all made out of tampo printing which is quite a bonus on these Minichamps.
The sponsors look akward as they are only partially depicted, luckily I found
some 1:1 pictures of those spots and it looks like Minichamps replicated them
correctly. Stance looks great and proportions look spot on. Another worthy
mention is the lights, no attachment stubs can be seen and the realism is quite
good.
Regarding opeining parts, it is
important to note that panel gaps are quite irregular in some spots. The door
panel gaps are quite wide for my tastes. Hinges are small though and
realistic. Engine cover and front compartment cover can be removed
completely, no hinges and they sit flush with the rest of the body.
The front compartment looks quite
realistic with a front spare wheel, rubbers ducts and and air filter which is
connected to the cockpit (presumeably). As expected, this area is exactly like
my other Minichamps 906.
The engine was very hard to compare
with the real car since I could find very few pictures of the car in question,
I did find some engine pictures relating to other 906. The real car had a flat
6 cyclinder engine and raced at Le Mans in the below 2000cc category.
From what I can see, the engine
looks very well detailed with a number of soft black ducts, a large number of
pipes and a multitude of different coloured wires connected throughout the
whole engine. It is a surprise how such a cheaper model is much more detailed
than the more expensive
Porsche 917/20 Pink Pig,
also made by Minichamps, but sold at almost double price.
From this area, one can also enjoy
the axle detail which is quite superb with a non functioning suspension and
brake system. The brake detail cannot be judged as it is quite hidden, but the
caliper is static while the disk moves with the wheel.
Before talking about the cockpit, I
must excuse myself as I really had trouble in finding a good setup to take good
pictures, in fact, I am still not happy with them. But for a good look, the
other 906's cockpit is quite the same as this one. Those pictures came out
better.
So refer to that review if need be.Other
than that, the cockpit isn't one of the best I have seen. The dials are
acceptable and the seats (2 of them as the Le Mans rules stated) have a
soft felt feeling. The steering wheel is not bad, but it isn't very good
neither. On the whole, Minichamps have made a good effort considering thir
previous attempts at doing cockpits. But the area still lacks, particularly
with some fine details.
Wheels are branded (difficult to
see) and look realistic with a cut thread. The rims are the same as the 904,
they aren't the best reproduction, may look a bit toyish in my opinion, but
aren't bad. Acceptable overall.The
undercarriage, which I couldn't find any pictures of, is completely sealed with
the exception of the two realistic but mostly sealed silencers.
In conclusion, Minichamps did a
great effort of not using attachment stubs and decals. Accuracy is good, but
cockpit detail still lacks a bit. On the other hand, engine is great. I
reccomend it to anyone who is a Porsche or Le Mans fan. A truely good model.
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