Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade
Discussion
Forgive me if I go a bit freestyle with the order of assembly - I’m just doing whatever I think looks interesting while some other sub-assembly dries.
Here’s the parts for the gear selector u/j, shaft, and part of the original left side gearbox end:
First bits of p/e folding done, and the moulded u/j fork sawn off:
The turned parts are so beautifully machined it seems a shame to paint them, but there we go.
Here’s the parts for the gear selector u/j, shaft, and part of the original left side gearbox end:
First bits of p/e folding done, and the moulded u/j fork sawn off:
The turned parts are so beautifully machined it seems a shame to paint them, but there we go.
The throttle return spring was the kit original, which I always thought was too big, even when I first built the kit. It was a pain to fit on the T/S bolt heads too, so I made a new one out of fuse wire wound round a micro drill. I made two separate ends so I could get the length perfect before pva’ing them into place:
With the wiring fitted to the left side head, that pretty much completes them, apart from some stud nuts on the bulkhead mounts:
With the wiring fitted to the left side head, that pretty much completes them, apart from some stud nuts on the bulkhead mounts:
Painted the fuel rails Vallejo steel, and gave the crevices a very light wash followed by light gunmetal Tamiya powder. The larger the scale, the less highlighting is needed, especially on a racing car. Then assembled to the inlet ducts. There are 24 fuel injectors, and each has a cover plate from the T/S set, which I painted satin black as per my references. Attached with PVA:
Each one now needs its electrical connector fitting, and associated wiring. I’ve temporarily assembled the heads and rails to figure out the best orientation for these:
Each one now needs its electrical connector fitting, and associated wiring. I’ve temporarily assembled the heads and rails to figure out the best orientation for these:
Before the T/S sets became available for these models, I’d bought some Formula Perfect stuff, including the turned trumpets and resin tray. There was also an extensive pre-cut p/e set:
There’s one slight bubble in the resin tray that needs addressing, then it’ll be ready for some satin black and the first of the carbon decals.
There’s one slight bubble in the resin tray that needs addressing, then it’ll be ready for some satin black and the first of the carbon decals.
Hmmm. I temporarily assembled the FP trumpets in their tray, but they dont look right to me. The spacing is too much, and there is no radius on the edges:
Here's the real thing:
And the TS version, which I think is slightly better:
Although ironically, the original kit items are probably the closest in terms of spacing, but they're obviously plasticky and lack the surface realism of turned parts:
Net result - I've ordered the TS versions. For less than £20, didn't seem worth the compromise.
Here's the real thing:
And the TS version, which I think is slightly better:
Although ironically, the original kit items are probably the closest in terms of spacing, but they're obviously plasticky and lack the surface realism of turned parts:
Net result - I've ordered the TS versions. For less than £20, didn't seem worth the compromise.
With the inlets on hold, I continued with building up some other stuff:
The jack plates and a.r.b. Brackets are made up of laminated p/e, to simulate cnc’d plate. There’s also a base plate for the oil catch tank. There was a lot of residue from the plastic backing on these parts, easily removed with enamel thinners:
Considered soldering, but in the end went for thin cyano, wicked into the corners with some fuse wire (sanded to make the glue cling to it better. I lightly sanded the mating faces for better wetting. I also applied cyano around the periphery of the parts and sanded it back, to eliminate the mating line:
Cleaned off any excess with a blade and fibreglass pencil, and ready for priming:
The a.r.b. links are turned brass, with two part rose joints on each end. I assembled these with Araldite:
All primed and ready for a dry assembly run:
The jack plates and a.r.b. Brackets are made up of laminated p/e, to simulate cnc’d plate. There’s also a base plate for the oil catch tank. There was a lot of residue from the plastic backing on these parts, easily removed with enamel thinners:
Considered soldering, but in the end went for thin cyano, wicked into the corners with some fuse wire (sanded to make the glue cling to it better. I lightly sanded the mating faces for better wetting. I also applied cyano around the periphery of the parts and sanded it back, to eliminate the mating line:
Cleaned off any excess with a blade and fibreglass pencil, and ready for priming:
The a.r.b. links are turned brass, with two part rose joints on each end. I assembled these with Araldite:
All primed and ready for a dry assembly run:
This is the rear a.r.b. Assembly. A lot of it is pinned together with brass rod you have to laboriously cut and file to length. To be correct you then have to glue a false fastener head on the end. Would have been easier to use nut studs, but there were go:
The brackets are fitted in the same way to the gearbox casing, but the holes are different sizes. I’ve made plastic spigots instead:
Ditto for the jack bracket:
It’ll all look much better when it’s properly painted.
The brackets are fitted in the same way to the gearbox casing, but the holes are different sizes. I’ve made plastic spigots instead:
Ditto for the jack bracket:
It’ll all look much better when it’s properly painted.
generationx said:
Hi Doc
The quality of work and the patience displayed is just humbling!
This thread is my daily pleasure and where I direct friends/colleagues if they starting saying things like "oh they're just toys".
Marvellous.
Thanks! I was hoping to keep progress up, but today started with a cold. At least I hope it's just a cold!The quality of work and the patience displayed is just humbling!
This thread is my daily pleasure and where I direct friends/colleagues if they starting saying things like "oh they're just toys".
Marvellous.
Stay safe everyone.
The rear pushrods and track-control arms are resin items supplied in the T/S set. Reason is that the ends are far more detailed, with rose joints and lock nuts. The turned brass spigots fit into the ends of each arm; the original white metal arms would be difficult to prepare like this:
The Rose joints are laminated from three brass profiles. I Araldited these together:
Obviously in reality they are solid metal, so I tried to blend the laminations with Micro mesh pads:
Much better:
Another small bit done:
The Rose joints are laminated from three brass profiles. I Araldited these together:
Obviously in reality they are solid metal, so I tried to blend the laminations with Micro mesh pads:
Much better:
Another small bit done:
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