Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade
Discussion
ajprice said:
Halmyre said:
I'm now wondering why the odd spacing. Common sense would tell you that regular spacing is the most efficient way of dissipating heat.
On the model discs the 2 holes / 1 hole pattern of the outer rim looks like it lines up with the pattern of the inside, erm, tabs(?) of the disc.Halmyre said:
dr_gn said:
Halmyre said:
dr_gn said:
Halmyre said:
dr_gn said:
I suppose it's too late to point out that the spacing of the holes round the rim aren't the same as the photo-etch?
This one is though:
I'm simply aiming for "a 1991 McLaren MP4/6", as I remember them 'in the flesh'.
If you draw it out as a circle, simple radial holes actually don't cover the area very effectively. Grouping them as per my actual disc gives a pattern like this (imagine it's wrapped around the disc, top is the outer diameter, bottom the inner):
\I/\/\I/\/\I/\I/\/\I/
If it was a simple radial pattern of lines, there would be progressively more un-drilled volume as you go from the inner to outer diameter - and the discs get hotter in that area becasue of higher surface speed. In addition, from a structural point of view, becasue the inner ends of the \I/ patterns merge into one opening, there's more meat left between adjagent drillings = more strength where the peak shearing loads in the disc are, and more room for the disc-bell holes.
villageidiot said:
That's the last thing I need - another! Already got two...How about this one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1991-McLaren-Honda-Type-M...
£12K+
Been for sale for years. What a muppet.
Murph7355 said:
How utterly amazing do F1 cars of that era look!?! They sounded epic too - I have very vivid memories of approaching Silverstone on race day and hearing the cars warming up.
Yep. I remember about ‘90, going to a test and stopping at Silverstone village post office to buy some film. The sound in the distance was awesome. Waiting to pay for the film and getting to the pits seemed like the longest journey ever (about 10 minutes).Bit more work on the callipers, painted the bodies Vallejo gold/chrome silver, with a very thin dark wash. Pads NATO black to match the disc base colour. Also added some heat sensitive paint stripes to match the discs:
Still a lot to do - decals, satin coat, bleed nipples, transfer pipes & nuts and pad retainers & bolts. The tape is just so I can keep them matched to their discs so that only their best respective sides are visible...
Still a lot to do - decals, satin coat, bleed nipples, transfer pipes & nuts and pad retainers & bolts. The tape is just so I can keep them matched to their discs so that only their best respective sides are visible...
I used some Mr.Surfacer to fill the small gaps between the p/e and the plastic on the brake ducts:
Last time I used carbon decals was on the XJR-9 many years ago. I started by applying tape to the surface to make a template:
Then cut out the profile on the decal sheet, plus a bit for good luck:
After applying to the duct with copious amounts of MicroSol and heat, the result was a perfect wrinkled mess. So into the trusty pot of brake fluid:
I should have re-read my XJR-9 thread. I’d have reminded myself that these decals need to be applied to flat, or single curved surfaces; they hate compound curves. I must have been thinking about the wood grain decals I used on the ‘bare’ DH Mosquito, which seemed to conform to anything. Oh well, now to make many more templates...
Last time I used carbon decals was on the XJR-9 many years ago. I started by applying tape to the surface to make a template:
Then cut out the profile on the decal sheet, plus a bit for good luck:
After applying to the duct with copious amounts of MicroSol and heat, the result was a perfect wrinkled mess. So into the trusty pot of brake fluid:
I should have re-read my XJR-9 thread. I’d have reminded myself that these decals need to be applied to flat, or single curved surfaces; they hate compound curves. I must have been thinking about the wood grain decals I used on the ‘bare’ DH Mosquito, which seemed to conform to anything. Oh well, now to make many more templates...
generationx said:
I feel your pain with c/f decals doc, sometimes I love them, sometimes I can’t be arsed! BestBalsa always have lovely stuff in stock, haven’t used them for a while, I’m glad they’re still going.
Heads off to website with credit card...
Yep. At least with a hobby like ours we’ll never be bored!Heads off to website with credit card...
robemcdonald said:
Something I have done (although it may not be suitable at your level) is to apply the cf decal in pieces trying to align the weave as best as I can. It usually looks okay.
Thanks - yes, that's exactly the plan.I did that with my Jaguar build - I should have re-read my own thread before starting I guess.
In the end it worked OK, but it must have taken a long time.
henryk001 said:
I might be telling you how to suck eggs but i believe the Studio decals are quite fine, if your not already using them
I'm using Scale Motorsport decals, which I've used before - at least I think I did. I bought quite a few sheets to have in stock, so I guess I'll have to try and use them. As an aside, I did a check on scale against a Jordan 191 wing flap I've got, and the 1:12 SM decals are too big - the 1:20 versions are closer to reality (TBH the 1:12 versions always looked too big on 1:12 cars to me eyes).
I ended up doing the inevitable, and templating most of the facets of the duct:
There are 11 pieces in total. Even so, it still took a lot of coaxing with Set and Sol, moist cotton buds and tissues to de-wrinkle everything:
Once finished, I gave it a coat of Tamiya satin:
The outsides are acceptable, but the insides are a bit meh. I think it’s an example of where photo-etch is too thin. It’s also a bit wavy, and has the removable panel etched in. It all looks a bit wrong:
I’m going to start again on another duct, but substitute the p/e with a two-piece plastic card inner plate. I think it will look more defined, and more consistent thickness with the original plastic. The p/e versions will still be OK for the ‘kerbside’ version where the inners are hidden by the tyre:
There are 11 pieces in total. Even so, it still took a lot of coaxing with Set and Sol, moist cotton buds and tissues to de-wrinkle everything:
Once finished, I gave it a coat of Tamiya satin:
The outsides are acceptable, but the insides are a bit meh. I think it’s an example of where photo-etch is too thin. It’s also a bit wavy, and has the removable panel etched in. It all looks a bit wrong:
I’m going to start again on another duct, but substitute the p/e with a two-piece plastic card inner plate. I think it will look more defined, and more consistent thickness with the original plastic. The p/e versions will still be OK for the ‘kerbside’ version where the inners are hidden by the tyre:
mcdjl said:
dr_gn said:
Sometimes I think you go that thing where people overly critisise themselves to get attention. The rest of the time I think you've got something like anorexia where what you see when you look at a model and what the rest of us see is totally different. Or you posted the wrong pictures.henryk001 said:
If you think its wrong then it must be wrong, if you assemble it you will always see it your self even though others might not.
For what its worth either as you say thicker plasticard or feather the inside edges of the cowl to match the PE as the black area inside wont be seen? If you know what i mean.
Yep, that sums it up. There aren’t many excuses for imperfections at 1:12 scale either, especially on a pristine F1 car.For what its worth either as you say thicker plasticard or feather the inside edges of the cowl to match the PE as the black area inside wont be seen? If you know what i mean.
I did feather the front of the duct a bit, but then the back end is pretty difficult to access, so it all looked a bit odd. The p/e shroud has a cut-out, so when viewed from the disc side, the interior is actually quite visible (along with an unfortunately placed ejector pin mark). That is part of the issue. I think its sortable though.
I made some replacement duct inners out of plastic card, and fitted them with thin cement. I'll add the 90 degree vane with PVA afer finishing them separately. Also I have to make the plain black inner piece that will fit behind the cut-out. That was the main reason for re-making them - to get a perfect demarcation and a bit of a step. They're now waiting for decals:
Also finally got some Carbon/Kevlar decals that I liked the look of, from Spot Model in Spain:
As with the brake ducts, templating is essential becasue they don't like double curves:
Lots of MicroSet, Sol and heat required:
I'm surprised my wallet stood up to the weak output of the fan heater - there's not much left in it.
This is the bare-bones result - 7 pieces altogether for the insides. I think I might have a go at one of those WW1 dazzle camoflauged ships next!
You can see from the discarded pieces that the decals are very, very brittle.
I'll give it a few coats of Tamiya Smpke to tone the gold down. This is the real thing - mines obviously not 100% acurate but good enough to suggest reality:
Next jobs to do on these are to apply normal carbon decal to the outer surfaces, make a notional sealing strip to go around the inner rebate (this will neatly demarcate the kevlar inner and carbon outer), then add the trumpets, retainer plates and various fasteners.
Then back to the brake ducts.
Also finally got some Carbon/Kevlar decals that I liked the look of, from Spot Model in Spain:
As with the brake ducts, templating is essential becasue they don't like double curves:
Lots of MicroSet, Sol and heat required:
I'm surprised my wallet stood up to the weak output of the fan heater - there's not much left in it.
This is the bare-bones result - 7 pieces altogether for the insides. I think I might have a go at one of those WW1 dazzle camoflauged ships next!
You can see from the discarded pieces that the decals are very, very brittle.
I'll give it a few coats of Tamiya Smpke to tone the gold down. This is the real thing - mines obviously not 100% acurate but good enough to suggest reality:
Next jobs to do on these are to apply normal carbon decal to the outer surfaces, make a notional sealing strip to go around the inner rebate (this will neatly demarcate the kevlar inner and carbon outer), then add the trumpets, retainer plates and various fasteners.
Then back to the brake ducts.
Thanks guys.
Next job was to decal the sides and top edge with plain weave carbon/carbon. That was a tricky job:
Once the Sol and Klear was set, masked the edge ready for a few coats of Smoke to tone down the contrast of the carbon/Kevlar:
So now I’ve pretty much got the look I was after:
Next job is to fit the trumpet retainers, their fasteners, and the airbox retainers. Then it’ll have a coat of satin to get rid of the unrealistic reflections:
I think this has been to most difficult decal job I’ve done on any model so far - and it’s only a single part...
Next job was to decal the sides and top edge with plain weave carbon/carbon. That was a tricky job:
Once the Sol and Klear was set, masked the edge ready for a few coats of Smoke to tone down the contrast of the carbon/Kevlar:
So now I’ve pretty much got the look I was after:
Next job is to fit the trumpet retainers, their fasteners, and the airbox retainers. Then it’ll have a coat of satin to get rid of the unrealistic reflections:
I think this has been to most difficult decal job I’ve done on any model so far - and it’s only a single part...
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