Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Author
Discussion

Yertis

18,016 posts

265 months

Wednesday 14th May 2014
quotequote all
I note you're using Modelstrip but did you not once previously suggest brake fluid for that task?

fatboy69

9,371 posts

186 months

Wednesday 14th May 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
fatboy69 said:
I hope that the model will reappear sporting the Marlboro decals.

This thread might give me the inspiration to actually build my MP4/6.

It has been in the box untouched since I bought it god knows how many years ago, along with the Williams FW14, as well as a Porsche 934 & 935.

One day. Maybe!
This is only kerbside - I'm not touching anything under the body apart from the radiators and maybe some other very small details visible from outside the car.

The body will be fully detailed as necessary, but this is really just a starter for the main course which is the fully detailed bare chassis. A lot of work and investment to come (then there's the Ferrari and Williams to do!).

If you want to sell your MP4/6 I'd have it off you. I'm looking for one on EBay at the moment.

Cheers.
No chance at the moment of the McLaren being sold. Too attached to it even though it is just a box sitting in a cupboard along with 20 other unbuilt Tamiya kits!!!!!!

I built the 1/12 Ferrari a few years ago - sits in my mums living room display cupboard. That is another superb kit.

It has been autographed by a certain Mr N Mansell!!!


dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Wednesday 14th May 2014
quotequote all
fatboy69 said:
dr_gn said:
fatboy69 said:
I hope that the model will reappear sporting the Marlboro decals.

This thread might give me the inspiration to actually build my MP4/6.

It has been in the box untouched since I bought it god knows how many years ago, along with the Williams FW14, as well as a Porsche 934 & 935.

One day. Maybe!
This is only kerbside - I'm not touching anything under the body apart from the radiators and maybe some other very small details visible from outside the car.

The body will be fully detailed as necessary, but this is really just a starter for the main course which is the fully detailed bare chassis. A lot of work and investment to come (then there's the Ferrari and Williams to do!).

If you want to sell your MP4/6 I'd have it off you. I'm looking for one on EBay at the moment.

Cheers.
No chance at the moment of the McLaren being sold. Too attached to it even though it is just a box sitting in a cupboard along with 20 other unbuilt Tamiya kits!!!!!!

I built the 1/12 Ferrari a few years ago - sits in my mums living room display cupboard. That is another superb kit.

It has been autographed by a certain Mr N Mansell!!!
Fair enough. It's a fairly recent re-issue, so I'm looking to get one for anout £110 tops, as with the Ferrari and Williams.

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Wednesday 14th May 2014
quotequote all
Yertis said:
I note you're using Modelstrip but did you not once previously suggest brake fluid for that task?
Yes, as noted before, the smaller components went in brake fluid and it worked fine. The body would need a lot of volume, so Modelstrip seemed the better option. The front wing is an assembly, so I used Modelstrip on that becasue I didn't want brake fluid gradually seeping out after re-painting (Modelsstrip is a paste and can be applied with a bit more control).

Yertis

18,016 posts

265 months

Wednesday 14th May 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
Yes, as noted before, the smaller components went in brake fluid and it worked fine. The body would need a lot of volume, so Modelstrip seemed the better option. The front wing is an assembly, so I used Modelstrip on that becasue I didn't want brake fluid gradually seeping out after re-painting (Modelsstrip is a paste and can be applied with a bit more control).
Thanks for that. To be honest I didn't know you could still get Modelstrip - I last saw it being demonstrated at the Model Engineering Exhibition in about 1979...

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Wednesday 14th May 2014
quotequote all
Yertis said:
dr_gn said:
Yes, as noted before, the smaller components went in brake fluid and it worked fine. The body would need a lot of volume, so Modelstrip seemed the better option. The front wing is an assembly, so I used Modelstrip on that becasue I didn't want brake fluid gradually seeping out after re-painting (Modelsstrip is a paste and can be applied with a bit more control).
Thanks for that. To be honest I didn't know you could still get Modelstrip - I last saw it being demonstrated at the Model Engineering Exhibition in about 1979...
I used it on this model when I first built it back in 2000. So even the current crap job was significantly better than my first attempt!

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Wednesday 14th May 2014
quotequote all
The Mr.Muscle didn't touch the last bits of red, so I dunked it in brake fluid. That softened them a bit, but for some reason they still needed more persuasion with the edge of a credit card. Anyway, the whole project is looking distinctly more do-able now:



One issue is that one of the teardrops on the engine cover must have got flatted away last time I painted it:



I'll have to somehow replace it. I'm thinking of sanding the other side down and making a new pair form old aircraft missiles cut obliquely at the nose. That should result in a teardrop-esque shape if my 3-D thinking isn't wrong.

The inside of the body is another story, and is currently in a bag with my old friend Mr.Muscle:



Those foil areas will be a bh to remove...

I got the MFH tyre valves today. I was a bit shocked to find they are cast white metal ratehr than turned, but a few seconds with a fibreglass pencil brightened them up so there's not much difference now. Much cheaper than turned ones too. I might give them a dark wash to bring out the various steps and contours:



Also got the Joe Honda book on the MP4/6. Full of good old film camera images from what I consider the greatest era of F1:


TheHighlander

1,291 posts

197 months

Thursday 15th May 2014
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Excellent progress buddy.

Red Firecracker

5,276 posts

226 months

Thursday 15th May 2014
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Cast a new teardrop using Oyumaru temp mold?

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Thursday 15th May 2014
quotequote all
TheHighlander said:
Excellent progress buddy.
Ta! a bit at a time...

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Thursday 15th May 2014
quotequote all
Red Firecracker said:
Cast a new teardrop using Oyumaru temp mold?
Someone on F1M also suggested that. I've got a resin casting kit ready to try so I might have a go.

Red Firecracker

5,276 posts

226 months

Thursday 15th May 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
Someone on F1M also suggested that. I've got a resin casting kit ready to try so I might have a go.
I think I've got a spare stick if you fancy trying it. Interesting stuff to play with and reusable into the bargain.

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Thursday 15th May 2014
quotequote all
Red Firecracker said:
dr_gn said:
Someone on F1M also suggested that. I've got a resin casting kit ready to try so I might have a go.
I think I've got a spare stick if you fancy trying it. Interesting stuff to play with and reusable into the bargain.
Thanks for the offer! I'll try the resin kit first and see how it goes - I've been meaning to show the kids how it works (plus I want to have a go).

Another incredibly exciting update; the wheel rims are drilled for tyre valves. Wohoo:



The body is almost stripped, suffice to say there are some stubborn patches of paint that only a combination of stripping products and scraping will remove. Luckily these are mainly confined to the underside.

Red Firecracker

5,276 posts

226 months

Friday 16th May 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
Thanks for the offer! I'll try the resin kit first and see how it goes - I've been meaning to show the kids how it works (plus I want to have a go).

Another incredibly exciting update; the wheel rims are drilled for tyre valves. Wohoo:



The body is almost stripped, suffice to say there are some stubborn patches of paint that only a combination of stripping products and scraping will remove. Luckily these are mainly confined to the underside.
No worries. It's fun stuff to play around with.

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Friday 16th May 2014
quotequote all
I re-assembled the discs today after splitting them to remove the captive nuts and open up the axle holes:



I guess I'll give the bolts a dark wash and re-matt them before refitting. I'll not bother filling the circuferencial joins, nobody will ever see them again once complete. Not so for the next version of course...

I added the valve stems to the wheels and was about to cut some Bare Metal Foil to make some wheel weight tape. Then I remembered: This is a McLaren, so probably would have black tape to match the wheels! A quick look at my reference pics confirmed this was usually the case. I made some lead chocolate block weights by scribing some plastic card:



and cutting into strips:



Then PVA'd them to the wheels and covered them with some old black decals cut into tape widths. Microsol and Klear made the tape look like it had been roughly smoothed over the blocks, leaving a few wrinkles here and there:





Do they look realistic? I don't know. I'm always wary of modelling something that was imperfect on the prototype, becasue it makes my modelling look cack-handed. I'll leave them on, at least id adds interest to the wheels.

tr7v8

7,186 posts

227 months

Saturday 17th May 2014
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NOt sure on the dizzy heights of F1 but all the race cars I've been involved in the weights are standard stick on ones with some duct tape across to stop them coming adrift. Also don't forget they'll be on the inside & outside of the rims & in different locations as it'll be for dynamic balance.

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Saturday 17th May 2014
quotequote all
tr7v8 said:
NOt sure on the dizzy heights of F1 but all the race cars I've been involved in the weights are standard stick on ones with some duct tape across to stop them coming adrift. Also don't forget they'll be on the inside & outside of the rims & in different locations as it'll be for dynamic balance.
Yes, that's what I've seen on F1 cars too. I found a few pictures of the McLaren, and it's pretty much what I've ended up with. On the XJR9-LM I built (and on many F1 cars from the past), they seemed to use silver duct tape for some reason., even though teh wheels were black.

Red Firecracker

5,276 posts

226 months

Sunday 18th May 2014
quotequote all
I believe the silver is foil tape rather than gaffer, which has/could have a tendency to fray and then remove itself into the brake setup. I think your decals will look fine once they have had some dulling down.

dr_gn

Original Poster:

16,140 posts

183 months

Sunday 18th May 2014
quotequote all
Red Firecracker said:
I believe the silver is foil tape rather than gaffer, which has/could have a tendency to fray and then remove itself into the brake setup. I think your decals will look fine once they have had some dulling down.
Yes, I used BMF for the XJR9 to get that effect.

From what I remember the other tapes, such as on the McLaren were fibre reinforced, but a much finer weave than normal duct tape, and as you say a dull finish rather than gloss. Maybe a coat of matt will do the trick.

MonkeySpanker

319 posts

136 months

Tuesday 20th May 2014
quotequote all
As an ex tyre fitter the weights look spot on although they're 'silver' lead in real life. Also the wheel balancing machine's can be set so all the weight goes inside the rim but I have to admit to not balancing many (any) F1 wheels. The silver tape's adhesive is a bit more heat resistant than that used on the gaffer/duct tape. Generally tape's used to temporarily hold the weight on so the position could be fine tuned before being stuck down. Keep up the excellent work smile