My first post of this GB if it’s the wrong can moderator please move to correct location
Anyway I don’t have any sprues so to speak so will this do for the contents
1/8 ey? Looking forward to see how this unfolds. Must be quite big when finished.
I built an MP4/5B in 1/20 couple of years ago and enjoyed it. Which colors are you going to use? Zero Paints got great McLaren 80's paint.
Shouldn’t need any the model is already pre coloured and most of the decals are already applied as well it’s basically glue and screw it together see 1st page of instructions below nose cone already coloured and decalled
Stage 1 comeplete I haven’t done any modifications yet as there isn’t enough to modify have sanded down the tire so the sheen had gone from the surface
I am disappointed by the front wing it does fit tightly and the screws frankly are rubbish they won’t go into the recess far enough and the heads are getting chewed up by the screwdriver this means the end plates wobble not what I expected given the positive comments about this kit
just a small correction to the text in previous post it should read do not fit tightly not as posted do fit tightly which is completely wrong given that the end plates wobble although I have stopped that with some glue you shouldn’t have to resort to such measures in this class of kit
Pack 2 complete not much to say or do at the moment just basically follow instructions this pack saw the rear wing built a bit more on the engine namely the cam covers and the clutch and alternator along with timing chain and finally the plenuium chamber along with skids for the front wing like I said not much to it at the moment pack 3 tomorrow
Ok Pack 3 and things are getting more like it 1st off is the brake disc and calipers which are assembled unusually using a piece of tape and strip of paper threaded through the calipers why I have no idea but I did as instructed incidently the scratches and bits of paint missing from pieces is where I scraped off the top layer so the glue is actually gluing the plastic layer and not the top coat of paint
Next came the inking in process whereby you black in the hollows of certain pieces to give the impression of depth etc you can see I used a whittled down toothpick to apply matt black paint yes it should be proper Indian ink but I haven’t got any of that nor will I be acquiring any soon so paint it is
The pictures show the pieces that have been inked in finally the grey alternator gets the treatment and lastly the intercooler which I painted black then using a cloth with meths on it wiped all the top surface of paint off the part leaving the sunken bits still painted not perfect but it will do
Coming along nicely Colin, It should turn into a really impressive kit once completed. as for the screws you really need to find a screw driver that fits perfectly, the one's supplied if you got one are usually naff.
Your’e right about the supplied screwdriver I now have a precision set which are miles better anyway onwards pack 4 was done tonight and comprised of another brake disc along with the calipers built and finished as per previous also this time was numerous bits of pipework which had plastic tape wraparounds the black banding you can see etc see the enclosed photo’s and finally a rear tyre and wheel which I sanded the shiny sheen off the tyre again as in the previous construction and finally the 1st brake disc and calipers are attached to the front wheel by way of a black nut which there are a further 4 on the small display card photo
Onto pack 4 this is where the radiators start to take shape and again further detailing blacking hollows in the meshes using paint then a cloth soaked in meths to remove all excess paint and just leave the background then finally take all pieces for this stage and assemble them together
Previous entry should have read packs 4 , 5 & 6 construction this time is the the main monocoque has some attention namely the square of dark satin black at the front of the cut out for the cockpit and the turbo boosters the rest already having been done in the previous what I thought was pack 4 but in actual fact was packs 4 5 & 6 I have only 1 photo so next up will be pack 7
Ok pack 7 as there is now more smaller parts I have upped the photo detail shots to illustrate the build stage
So 1st off is a shot of all the parts involved which includes numerous small screws I know some people are replacing these with more releastic bolts but to be honest most of them won’t be seen so I’m sticking with the screws
In this part are 2 shock absorbers the balance control a couple of bulkheads and the cockpit with the gear stick I have laid the photo’s out in the sequence 1st the actual parts then the finished component the only deviation from this is the ink wash on the shock absorbers which the top one is before and the bottom one is after the wash was done by dipping a brush into some white spirit then using the residue paint left on the lid of the black paint this produced a flowing effect capillary action I think it is called anyway what it did was to flow the diluted paint into the grooves of the shock absorber leaving the ridges clear worked brilliantly anyway as always comments good & bad welcome
Pack 8 well 3/4 of it was started last night it didn’t get finished due to waiting for glue to set on various sub assembies before they could be joined together
1st off was to stick and screw the shock absorbers to the left & right front end plates as illustrated the connecting rod was threaded onto a projecting screw it was the pinned into position using another connecting rod then tapped so it stayed in that position
After the glue had set the tape was removed as per photo showing both shock absorbers in place
Next the 2 end plates were joined as per photo using that connecting permanently fixed this time
Next the front and rear monocoque end plates were added after which the whole shock absorber assembly was also added to the inside of the monocoque it was such a tight fight I deemed glue unessccary
The final piece of the assembly done last night were the upper & lower steering joints the last photo shows the monocoque in its most recent update in way of components and structual
Conclusion of pack 8
1st off the rear of the monocoque is added basically screwed on in 3 separate places looks a real mess in there will need repainting to remove all that white staining anyway the outside looks ok at least
Next up we’re the fluid resivours and the foot pedals attached to the cockpit floor along with the fire extinguisher that’s the silver thing also on the cockpit floor
This then left the 3 remaining wheels and tyres to finish off pack 8 which were then sanded down to remove the shine from the tyres as they would look like fitted to the real car
Start of Pack 9
This is mainly concerned with the construction of the front suspension 1st up is the installation of the brake & clutch cylinders to the front of the monocoque
Next comes the bush attachment to the left front brake from this the 1st whishbone gets attached this then gets bolted onto the main monocoque by way of 2 brackets
Next a pull rod is attached to the brake assembly which is attached to the inside of the monocoque onto the shock absorber a right fiddly pia job
The second whishbone is then attached to the inside of the monocoque and the end again attaches to the front brake assembly
Finally a push rod is attached to the rack and pinion steering assembly and this attaches to the front brake assembly on the top via a locating bracket all I have to do now is repeat it for the right hand side I have just attached the 1st whishbone to the right hand front brake assembly in the next part of this diary I will show each stage to the completed right hand suspension assembly
Conclusion of pack 09
Front suspension I have now finished the front suspension building and have broken it down by photo’s to illustrate how it was done
1st of the whishbone was hooked under the bush on the brake then a cover was attached to the other side trapping the bush in between next a bracket was glued onto the top
Next the other whishbone is attached as illustrated and finally the push and pull rods are attached
Finally I attached both wheels just to see how they looked alignment wise and came across a major problem when turning the wheels as you would with the steering wheel one of the push rods detached from the steering slide and now is a weak spot I have no faith in it holding whilst turning the wheels so mine probably won’t turn as I intend to lock it to prevent it from breaking again