What
can I say about the 959 that hasn't already been said? This model
is a Holy Grail for almost any Tamiya collector. It was very
complex, therefore very expensive, and therefore not very many of them
sold. Couple that with the fact that it was also very fragile, and
you can imagine why it is so hard to find one in good condition
today. The 58059
Porsche 959 came out in 1986 in a time when almost all of Tamiya's RC
models had gone to 1/10th scale, but this one went back to 1/12th scale
like Tamiya's handful of original models from the '70's. The 4WD
shaft driven chassis used double wishbone suspension, oil filled
aluminum shocks, and a plastic chassis. I wouldn't exactly call it
a bathtub though. The front and rear gearbox and suspension
assemblies are modular and connect to a central core which is laterally
slotted for a battery. Mechanical speed controllers and separate
battery boxes for the radio system were still the norm at this time, but
this model has no room for such a battery and therefore required a
receiver with a BEC. This model came with the famed 21T Technigold
motor which was new at the time. Because of the unique way the
motor is mounted, it is very difficult to use any other type of motor in
this model. Although the Technigold is not necessarily a
screaming fast motor, it is more than adequate for this little 1/12
scale rally car. Another unique feature of this model is the blow
molded body. Unlike standard vacuum forming which uses pressure
outside the polycarbonate sheet to form it over a positive mold, blow
molding uses pressure inside the sheet to form it into a negative
mold. This allows undercuts that would not be possible with vacuum
molding. It worked great at producing the correct shape, but the
resulting body was as thin as paper in places so this molding method was
only ever used on one other model. The body included a bunch of
scale details like a rear wing, roof brake lights, headlight buckets,
and a full rally interior with driver and co-driver. The model has
never been re-released and probably never will be. One reason is
the Rothmann's logo, a bit of tobacco company advertising that wouldn't
be allowed on a "toy" today. In fact, later versions of this model
lost the Rothman's stickers and changed to a more generic "Racing"
logo.What about the real car? The all wheel drive Porsche 959 was the fastest car in the world at the time of its debut in 1986. That same year, the Group B racing version won the Paris-Dakar rally and was enshrined in legend.
The copy I managed to acquire was in used but serviceable condition with a cracked body and missing interior. I did a full restore of the chassis including replacing broken parts with the intent of creating an actual running car. I got it to the point that I was able to drive and enjoy it. I had grand plans for the model which included painting up a brand new Team Bluegroove aftermarket body, adding an interior, and upgrading the most fragile of the suspension parts.
Update: Unfortunately, this model was destroyed in the 2022 fire before I could finish the restoration.
 Page 1: Restoration |
 Page 2: Assembly |
 Page 3: Final Photos |