One of my goals in 2019 is to have one model from the Japanese Master Builders such as Momose, Hayakawa, Kamimura, or Shimoma. Last November of 2018, I was offered by a fellow collector an opportunity to own a Hayakawa Porsche 908/3. During that time, I didn't have the funds to purchase it right away so I asked the seller to reserve this model for a few months. For the next couple of months, I tried to raise funds by selling some of my models. Fortunately, I was able to sell a number of my AMRs, BBRs, a Barnett, 2 Albercas, among others. It was hard for me to let go of these models but it is rare to see a Hayakawa model live, let alone own one.
Fast forward March 2019, I almost had the funds (few hundred dollars short) for the model when I decided to email the seller to ask for few more pictures. I received an email with the pictures but the seller wasn't to eager to let go of the model. To be honest, I understood because in the past I agreed to sell the model but deep inside there was the feeling of not wanting to let go. This may attributed to the sentimental value of the model. Two months later, he agreed to sell the model.
Between November 2018 and April 2019, I did an extensive research on the Japanese Master Builder to find out who is the best model builder in the world. Before doing my research, I thought that Akihiro Kamimura is the best but this is not the case. He may be the most popular because of his models were featured in magazines and of course his gdist blog. One thing is for sure, he is in the top 5 in the world. It is widely accepted that Matsuyoshi Hayakawa is the best model builder.
Hard to imagine that this model was built from a Starter kit. Lots of scratchbuilding were done on this model. The details are on a different league especially the engine. This could be mistaken for a bigger scale. Paint is flawless, as close to perfection as you can get.
Porsche and Gulf livery = perfect combination. The Porsche 908/3 may be overshadowed by its more famous brother the 917 but the success in tight tracks such as Targa Florio has made the 903/8 a true Legend.
I told myself that this would be my last high end 1:43 model. This would make sense since it would be hard for me to find another one that could beat this. Easier said than done, I recently obtained another JF Alberca model and commissioned Jean Francois to built me another one. I would quote a collector that once told me "collecting model cars is never-ending". I couldn't agree more.
