Correct the body.
Rebuild the fuel filler and openings, thin heavy edges, and correct door gaps and major sink marks.
299 MODEL WORKS / JOURNAL 027 ARTICLES / APR–JUL 2026
VINTAGE KIT / CAR MODEL / 1:24
MARUIPORSCHE 935-77TO COMPLETION
I built and ran a Marui 935-77 once as a junior-high-school student — and eventually destroyed it. This is the record of taking the more-than-40-year-old motorized kit through body corrections, 3D-printed parts, custom details, and decal repair to finish it as car No. 41 for display.
SCALE1/24
MAKERMARUI
ARTICLES7
CAR NO.41
01 / WHY THIS KIT
A kit more than 40 years old,
built again.
REVENGE BUILD
I did not choose it because it was old.I chose it because I loved this shape.So this time,I would finish it with the methods I have now.
PROPORTION
The body pulls inward at the sides and tapers tightly toward the rear. Among the many 1/24 Porsche 935-77 kits, I had always rated the Marui proportions highly.
OLD GIMMICKS
Motorized running, opening doors, and grain-of-wheat bulb lights — it has the kind of features that made car kits exciting when I was a kid.
SECOND CHANCE
I built one in junior high school, ran it, and destroyed it. This build became a second chance to finish what I could not complete back then.
02 / REBUILD
Fill the gaps with today’s methods.
WORKFLOWReplace unusable parts.
The deteriorated tires and decals were not usable, so they were replaced with other products and custom-made parts.
Add 3D-made parts.
Wheels, tires, brakes, seat, radiators, and other visible details were made to fill what the original kit omitted.
Adapt the decals.
Italeri decals were cut and combined, with mismatched lettering and stripes corrected. Replacement sheets were obtained from overseas support.
Add the missing detail.
Gauges, mesh, lights, fuel filler details, a kill switch, and other small items were added to move the model closer to the display car.
03 / ARTICLES
Read the seven build posts in order.
APR–JUL 2026
01↗
02↗
03↗
04↗
05↗
06↗
07↗
PART 1 — UNBOXING A RARE KIT
Inspect the kit condition, motorized and opening-door features, and the unusable tires and decals.
PART 2 — BODY CORRECTIONS
Correct openings, heavy edges, sink marks, and door gaps with sheet plastic and putty.
PART 3 — CUSTOM PARTS & DECALS
Make custom wheels, tires, and brakes, then cut and combine the Martini stripes.
PART 4 — INTERIOR
Add the seat, headrest, and tanks, then return to corrections after noticing specification differences in the display car.
PART 5 — REPLACEMENT DECALS ARRIVE
Replacement decals requested from Italeri arrive. Reapply and correct them, then move on to clear coating.
PART 6 — TO COMPLETION
Finish the interior, radiators, mesh, light covers, and kill switch, reaching the completion that had waited more than 40 years.
PART 7 — FINISHED GALLERY
A gallery of the completed No. 41 car — and another look at the 935-77 shape that made the kit worth returning to.
04 / REPLACED PARTS
What was replaced.
OLD KIT / NEW METHODSThe tires were
remade.
The badly deteriorated white rubber tires were not used; new tires were made together with the wheels.
The decals were
repaired.
Italeri decals were used as a base, cut and combined to replace missing lettering and correct size differences.
Omitted details were
3D printed.
Brakes, seat, radiators, and other parts were added to improve the visible detail density.
The lights were
rebuilt.
The oversized light openings were closed and rebuilt with reflector surfaces and small lamps for a more convincing appearance.
An old favorite,finished with today’s methods.
The goal was not to turn it into a modern super-detailed kit. I kept the Marui 935-77 proportions I liked and used current methods only to replace broken parts and restore omitted areas. The result is still a 40-year-old kit, but also a model that could only have been built in my present workshop.