NuNu Models 1/24 scale Porsche 935 K3 1979 Le Mans Winner plastic model kit review

We all have ideas of iconic cars that for whatever reason seem to have been overlooked by the kit manufacturers. For sportscar fans, the 935 K3 (Kremer Type 3) has to rank up there at the top of the list. Thankfully, the wait is finally over! NuNu/Platz new release is basically a modified reissue of the K2 kit that came out a couple of years ago with new parts to update it to the K3. (You can find reference photos for your K3 build at Canepa.com.)

The majority of the chassis is identical to the K2 with the main change being the upgrade from a single to a dual turbocharger setup. I did find it necessary to notch the engine front (Part A4) so the exhaust pipes would align with the turbos. The lower part of the engine is molded to the chassis; I cut it loose just to make painting easier. I used Tamiya NATO Black (No. XF-69) for the chassis to add a little contrast, along with a variety of silvers from Alclad II and Testors. The remainder of the assembly went smoothly.

NATO black was used as the base color for the interior as well. I assembled the roll cage and painted it as a unit with Tamiya Bare Metal Silver (No. AS-12). The kit contains decals for the instruments, but the white printing on my set was off register. (I have a second kit, and they looked fine in it.) Decals are also used for the seat belts, but I’d recommend replacing them with aftermarket items for a better overall aesthetic. Everything fit perfectly, and although spartan, it depicts the real car well.

There are several versions of the K3 planned, and each variant had slightly different ducting in the rear fenders. NuNu molded those as separate multiple parts and they were a bit of a pain. Most of the time I spent building this kit was assembling and removing seams from the rear fenders. While the fit is pretty good, make adjustment prior to attaching them to the body. The multipart rear hood and wing require the same attention to get right. I sprayed three coats of Tamiya Pure White (No. TS-26) on the body. Be cautious of paint buildup: Some of the body parts, especially the taillights, don’t have much wiggle room and paint will affect fit.

I’ve built several of NuNu kits, and the decals have been excellent to work with. No exception here! The most difficult decal to place is the hood stripe going over the louvres. I applied the decal as normal, making sure it was aligned perfectly, and then just let it set up for a while. Once it had dried enough that it wouldn’t slide around, I used a sharp new hobby blade to slice along the trailing edge of each louvre and then applied some Micro Sol to settle them in. That was the only place I used setting solution.

We may never know why some of these cars take so long to finally come out in kit form, but maybe the wait makes the release just a little sweeter. Is the NuNu/Platz Porsche 935 K3 a perfect kit? No. However, it builds up well with just a little effort and captures the look. I’d recommend it to modelers with at least a moderate amount of experience. The work required for the rear fenders would be daunting for a novice. Overall I’m extremely pleased with the final result and look forward to seeing more versions.