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Yes, another Revell Porsche Junior Diesel 108! It's been discussed a lot on this board so I'll try not to repeat stuff from other reviews.

Here's a simple mod using the fender seats provided in the kit.  The kit gives us both a wooden bench seat and a simple "hoop" rail seat to mount on top of the fenders.  The pic of the restored tractor below shows another option; it uses only the bottom of the wooden seat, with the "hoop" rail curved around it.  

My only complaint with the kit is SOME of the decals. Most decals are really sharp, and the "Porsche Diesel Junior" hood decals are in both silver and yellow, to harmonize with any paint job.  On the real tractor those are 3-D nameplates, not decals, so I was careful not to chip them during the weathering.

My decal complaint: the back of the wooden bench seat is decorated with lots of badges. Farmer Of The Year awards?  The badges are decals. Unfortunately, those decals are blurry and soft, not razor-sharp like all the others. This appears to be a problem with all these kits. Chuck Most mentioned it in his review, and I checked a second, unbuilt kit. The decals are the same in that one. 

MODS:

EXHAUST: when I went to mount the exhaust pipe and muffler, it was missing the pipe that connects to the engine. I probably lost it while stripping the chrome.  I saw some pix on the internet of these tractors with vertical exhaust stacks, and decided to make my own.  If you have a lemon, make lemonade...

The exhaust stack was cobbled together from random junk parts: a 1/35 scale tank muffler, an HO scale train exhaust pipe and a piece of perforated brass for a heat shield. And finally, a "flapper" cover on top. The exhaust pipe from the cylinder head is a piece of heavy insulated wire.

BENCH SEAT: The planks in the wooden bench seat were smooth, so I carved wood grain into them, using a small needle in a pin vise. I also shaved off the molded-in mount for the rear view mirror, since I opted not to use it.  I decided my farmer sometimes carried a lot of passengers, so I also installed the "hoop" seat rail on the right-hand fender.

BATTERY: the battery looked too modern for my taste. I replaced it with a parts-box battery that had terminals molded in. I added the BOSCH decal, a blue hold-down strap from tape, and red/black battery cables from the wire stash. And some corrosion to the positive battery terminal.  While I was fooling around under the hood, I also added some wiring, terminals, nuts/bolts and other details.

TOOLBOX:  I used the kit toolbox, thinned down and dented to look more like thin sheet metal, minus the lid.  Added tiny HO scale hinges, and a hasp to the front. And of course, a toolbox needs tools so I added some of those.  And a greasy rag!

I'M GOING NUTS: I added MENG nuts and bolts to perk up the simple, toy-like front axle. This is a little tricky if you want to keep the working steering.  Also added big hex bolts to the rear axle backing plates. And finally, 2 small nuts/bolts and a hex bolt to the fender brackets, after sanding off the nearly invisible items on the kit.  Most of this stuff can barely be seen, but I know it's there.

PAINTING:  I used the salt technique, with Kosher salt. The first base color was Tamiya Red Brown for the old rust overall, then a light coat of Testors Dullcote that dried overnight.  Then I applied the water/salt mix on areas that would stay rusty, and let that dry.  The next paint coat was Tamiya Flat Red, lightened with a little Tamiya Flesh on upper areas that get more sun.  When that dried, I used a damp paintbrush to scrub off the salt crystals.  The "dark and greasy" areas are washes with Raw Umber oil paint. Finally I did some dry-brushing with Abteilung Brick Red and various lighter oil paints.

And the photos show me some goofs I need to fix...g-r-r-r...

 

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Edited by Mike999
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Hey Mike!  I like that a whole lot. Right in my rusty zone!   :D

I own one copy of the kit, and haven't found an extra just yet.  I'd love to build it and use the second one for parts.  I have a Doodle Bug that would benefit from some of the parts as well as the hood and other accessories for some rat rod!

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17 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

I own one copy of the kit, and haven't found an extra just yet.  I'd love to build it and use the second one for parts.  I have a Doodle Bug that would benefit from some of the parts as well as the hood and other accessories for some rat rod!

Thanks for the comments, guys!

Tom - HobbyLinc has the Porsche Tractor in stock for $15.92.  They also have the Revell of Germany kit, which is nearly $8 more!  So be careful if you order. I think the only difference is the boxes; the U.S. regular squarish box, versus the longer RoG  box that opens on one end.  This link goes directly to the U.S. kit:

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/rmx/rmx4485.htm

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