I thought about this body, it seems like a close enough match.
I like using this body, it also could be used for the MK3 Escort.
OK, I have roughly outlied a 928-ish shape here even if it looks more like a 924 IMO…
Closest I could find to the iconic teledials is in one of Aruna’s mod packs.
OK. I will work a bit like the other way around on this and start on the tail, and yes, you see a picture of it pretty far into the progress here since I had to try out some different things. All in all I can say it won’t be the most accurate representation of a 928 but hopefully still recognizable. At least the plate recess is rather straightforward.
Also the bumper gets a bit pointy here, which was solved with this body molding fixture.
So, to get the tail more rounded, I stacked multiple examples of this fixture on top of each other. That means there will be a consistant look to it. Far from perfect but at least it takes away the flatness a bit.
This modular light fixture for the taillight framing. Not all that accurate looking but it is what it is.
And another modular light fixture for the lenses.
Used thinned out side trim to close the bumper gaps, not 100% satisfied here either but we’ll see how it turns out in the end.
Added a seam for the hatch, it might need to be adjusted later on.
Some bumper seams, and god damn what a mess… One thing is for sure, this won’t be an accurate representation of a 928, but I am happy if I can even pull this off TBH.
Added pillars for the rear hatch/window arrangement. Again, only roughly laid out…
8 Likes
The recessed Porsche text will be hard to replicate, so another “quick” solution I am not all that satisfied with…
Fixed some tearing by using patchwork.
Used some decal patches to close the old seam to the hatch.
And made a new, more accurate one.
Used some single axis cutout patches to remove the “hump” it got under the rear window.
Negataped away the remains of the window trim that interfered with the new pillars.
Shrunk the rear window by using a wide piece of trim.
Used this bent trim piece to round off the corners of the window.
And this one to round off the side window. Yes, it looks really messy up close but I will do my best to see if I can make it smoother later on.
Also, reshaped the front lower corner using the same trim piece
And filled in the empty space with some single axis cutout patches.
6 Likes
I never thought that turning the '75 Orion into a '78 Porsche 928 replica would go along so nicely - in fact, you could take the idea further by creating other variants of the 928 (such as the '92-'95 GTS - the last and best of the line).
1 Like
This seems to suggest that a Porsche 928 body would been needed for the game 
Hm. I am not 110% sure that I agree. It is questionable after all if the main goal with this game is to be able to replicate every existing car 110%. The Orion body is very versatile, and good for an 80s grand tourer (I say 80s, the 928 was after all very futuristic when it came out) build. Being unable to make an accurate Porsche 928 replica out of it doesn’t make it any worse, and I can see segments where it should be a higher priorities to add bodies TBH.
2 Likes
After reshaping the side window, window trim was added in the empty spots.
Also did the same with the rear window. I guess rather uninteresting work but the greenhouse is really what can make or break a car replica, I have noticed.
Added a shutline for the hatch.
Used decal patches to close the targa top seams.
Single axis cutout patches fixed the wider window frames. A surprisingly handy tool I must say.
While a glass coloured regular cutout patch removed the mirror bracket.
Also, window trim was added on the doors.
With all this work going into the greenhouse, I could not leave the sharp corners of the windshield it felt like.
The lower door corners are also rounded on the 928 and not sharp.
While we’re still at the doors, we could as well add door handles (pretty minimalistic flush things, colour matched for I think the first time ever in this series), lock cylinders…
…as well as mirrors. I don’t think I can find a 100% accurate fixture there, so I go for those that are rather similar in their appearance.
6 Likes
Some patchwork for a slightly more accurate rear wheel well.
Added a gas filler door, and as I usually do when needed, a 3D cone as the finger grip.
Tailpipes, seems to be semi-hidden, and facing sideways behind the rear wheel, from what I can see.
Added a rear wiper and a lock cylinder for the hatch, so it looks a bit more finished now from the rear I guess.
Closed the bumper seams, using decal patches.
Used some of these to smoothen out the bumper.
The spoiler could be removed by setting the slot to transparent - thanks a lot for that!
Closed the hood seams, also using decal patches, since not a single seam is correct on this body. Then on the other hand, I feel I can’t complain since the body had nothing to do with a 928 to start with!
With 928 headlights available as a mod, I think I managed to puzzle together a somewhat convincing headlight arrangement.
I tried the regular sealed beam fixture for the low beams but wasn’t impressed by the results. Instead, I used this vent fixture for a base.
Then used the modular truck light fixtures.
Some little fiddling with this and 2D depth placement also gave a good turn signal.
This fixture is somewhat correct in shape for a lower grille.
Here with a couple of horizontal bars added.
4 Likes
Starts looking like sth Clarkson would buy 
Yep, 75% fiberglass filler and spray paint 
I know this will be kind of a mess but honestly speaking, it is also a car looking like nothing else to start with, so I am glad I can even pull this off. Before 2D depth placement, before the new Orion body…I think I would have skipped 1978 altogether. Maybe some more skilled one could have pulled it off better, I don’t doubt that. But I don’t hear a lot of tips in this thread from the more skilled designers how I should solve problems, which was kind of what I hoped for when I started it, so I guess I just have to keep the steam up and keep experimenting with my own ways.
3 Likes
Have you ever tried making 100% custom lights instead of relying on ready fixtures. I suppose there weren’t any occasions to try it in this thread, because we’re just about getting into aerodynamic Cars.
It has occasionally happened. I have taken notice that for simple shape light housings, the door panel fixture is a rather nice thing to use. Did you check out how I made the headlights of the RO80 BTW? I would call them close to fully custom made I guess.
I recently read the whole thread again, Ro80’s headlights are kinda what I’m talking about.
Usually when I do custom lights I start with doing an outline with black painted flat bumper strip thingys, then I cut out the inside with negatape. After that I do the actual reflector and a light source, then it just needs to be closed with a lens of desired colour and pattern.
I can send you some screenshots of how I do the lights if you want.
Nah I understand totally what you mean, and it might be how I had done them if I had not deemed the taillight fixture shape “close enough”. But you could always add it to this thread since it could be interesting for people to see.
Which leads me into a little rant that nobody should take personally.
Overall, I have sometimes seen a less pleasant tendency from some people to put down the more mediocre builds in the community, that maybe doesn’t even look bad per se, but is lacking that last finishing touch that would make them stand out. Yet, I see very few attempts from people to actually share their tips on how to make the cars better. The thing is, this has turned into a very complex game, with a steep learning curve. To a new user, it can at a first look appear like the game actually worked in the kee era. You select a body shape, put on a grille, some headlights, taillights, mirrors etc. and bam! 20 fixtures (yeah, five fixture wonder is an overused term, lol) later, you have something looking like a car. You experiment a little, and they suddenly look integrated and not only slapped on. Wow. You master this game now! Then you find the forums. Oh, there is a challenge. Sure, you’re going to send in your masterpiece here and…
…it suddenly not only gets eliminated purely on design, it even gets mocked, and you understand nothing. Your car has everything! Bumpers! Mirrors! Even go fast stripes and a turbo badge!
That’s nothing strange in itself, rather natural I would say. The thing is just, it is extremely hard to get out of that phase because I sometimes feel that good documentation is lacking. The people that squeezes the most out of the game really isn’t as good at sharing their knowledge as they are at designing. So, I am by no means a top tier player, but that’s why I started this thread, to show a bit about the knowledge I DO have (since there might always be someone that does not have it), and at the same time showcase the evolution of automobile design (granted, from an eurocentric perspective since most winners are european) from the 60s and forward, which also might help when someone is surprised for getting a low design score because their 1987 car “looks like something from 1981” and does not understand the difference.
That’s also why I think people could always, if they have the time and energy, share their tips to the crowd sourced detailing guide too. Even if the knowledge seems minor to you, it might be something that will come in very handy for a new player. I actually remember that when I started playing this game I was afraid of being mocked if I used the “wrong” fixtures, let’s say a fuel filler door fixture as a popup headlight. Today I realize that’s exactly how you have to work if you want to get the results you want to achieve with this game sometimes. Even though it has evolved a lot since I started playing it in 2018. It is easier in many ways today to design a car that does not look terrible - but it is at the same time waaaay harder to reach a top tier level. For the better and the worse, I guess.
5 Likes
Thanks for showing me that thread.
I’m still quite new to the forums and haven’t really gotten to making a thread to showcase my creations. I wouldn’t say that I’m a great builder, but my cars are usually pretty detailed, and I would be happy to help some of the forum members out and show my techniques of detailing.
2 Likes
Used some spoiler fixtures to fill up the gap below the bumper a bit.
Seams were corrected.
Fixed some of the tearing with patchwork.
The 928 clearly looks better without a front plate, but since that’s the law in most of Europe and this is a rather eurocentric design series, it gets one.
OK, I guess it is not a Porsche, it is a Puck.
Added washer nozzles and wipers.
Since I had to set the underbody to transparent, I added a “fender liner” to not get a big gaping hole behind the wheel.
So I actually feel finished with the exterior now, which went faster and smoother than I thought, but the bodyless pictures looks more weird than ever. Like a floating 928 lasagna or something.
My favourite colour on the early 928 is Minerva Blue, so that’s my choice. And the end result? Well, like a 928-924-RX7 I guess, but well, I am happy to even have pulled it off.
The interior? Probably not going to be much fun either.
7 Likes
As you said it looks a bit like a 924 wearing a 928 bodykit, but it’s still a pretty good effort. The 928 has a very unique look but you got close enough, certainly much better than I could do. I probably would have just skipped it lol.
So like a 968 then?
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Makes sense considering the 968 was the final evolution of the 924/944 platform.
So, time for the seats now. I used those as a base.
Then for the piping, I used this fixture and a custom texture to mimic the iconic “pasha” pattern. The 928 pasha seats must be among the coolest in the history of the automobile, no question about it.
I guess it says a bit about how futuristic the 928 was, that this “90s dashboard” fixture looks very close to the dashboard of this 1978 car.
With this, from the “modern modular dashboard” kit for the cluster. Almost weird.
The steering wheel will be a bit problematic, and believe it or not, I think I will actually use the Opel Rekord wheel as a base.
Then, to make a new horn pad, this 4x4 spare wheel fixture…
And three of this “basic prism” fixture. I think we won’t get all that much closer unfortunately.
6 Likes