DocRob

Thank you Carl, I´d like to see your McLaren, but are even mor intrigued by your Stratos. I think, I will continue with the Cobra Coupe now or maybe another rapid car build. Cheers Rob

Absolutely Hubert and if you do a full build with all the components shown, there is nearly nothing hidden with a F1 car. The construction is somewhat inside out. Cheers Rob

Thank you Chris, I don´t dare to open the body again, at least for now. I don´t know, if it is a kit flaw, or my doing, but it is impossible to fit all the components under the body shell. I can´t see any misalignments, but it´s the nature of these F1 cars, that there is a maximum of technology under a body as tiny as possible. Cheers Rob

Thank you Hubert and Kevin. The difficulties were leading to two SOD visits of the McLaren. Some issues were self induced, some were strange decisions with the kit design, like the plated engine parts, which wouldn´t fit properly, because of the plating. Other issues of the McLaren had only black plastic for the engine and the engine block of the real one is black. The carbon fiber decals didn´t help my cause, but in the end they looked ok. The build was a bit complicated at times, because I had five different manuals plus photo reference on my desk, because of my chosen AM, completely my fault, naturally. Anyway, I´m happy that the MP4/6 is finished and looks relatively good in my display case. Cheers Rob

Nothing better than a little side project from time to time, to reignite the mojo flow. I never heard of the Quickie (Quirky), but like it, especially with your careful treatment. The Shirt is fantastic. Cheers Rob

I call the McLaren done. The build got me some grieve, in fact, more than expected, but from the distance, the vibrant paintjob hides some shortcomings . Assembly of all the components was not so easy due to the fragile character of the subassemblies, paired with the also fragile carbon fiber decals. I used mainly CA glue for the job, as it doesn´t attack the decals. The Goodyear branding of the tyres was a bit different, as they were "negative" decals. You had to peel away a protective sheet, than the decal from the base layer and place it on the rubber. Then, a wet cotton swab was used to loose the backing layer and the decals were tattooed on. I brush painted the tyre walls with acrylic matte, to hide carrier film residues. I also sanded the tyres, to get rid of the moulding seam. I don´t dare to re-open the body, as I suspect, there will be some loose parts. Anyway, I made some photos without the body in the final stage. With wheels ....And finished Cheers Rob

Looks fantastic, Carl and seems to be a nice kit. Cheers Rob

Yup, looks perfect Cheers Rob

It´s 95% ok, which is better than the rest of the kit and therefore sufficient . I like the Zero lacquer clear, which is great to spray and levels good with added leveling thinner. It didn´t attack my decals luckily, but the first coats were only misted and dried rapidly. Strangely, the finish looks always worse in my photo box. The numerous LED lights let the body finish look like orange peel. You can see it on the last pic. Cheers Rob

It seems, there is/was such a thing. I couldn´t find a shop, but Scalemates has one listed from New Scratch. Not my pair of shoes, I stay with the classics . Red Bull RB19, NewScratch 20F23N111Rd05 (2023)

You have to take care, not to sand through the clear coat and damage decals and base colors. I recommend some layers of clear. Cheers Rob

Thank you Kevin and Chris. Dust is always an enemy with clear coats, specially with high shine car bodies. I will try to source a plastic container for the future. Cheers Rob

After some elbow grease, I call the body done and I´m 95 percent satisfied with the outcome. There are tiny imperfections, but they are barely visible to the human eye. I wet sanded the body parts with 6000 grit, followed by 8000 grit and then worked my way through the Tamiya polishing compounds from coarse to finish and finally used the Tamiya modeling wax. I could have gone further, but the McLaren will not be perfect in any way, so I took the easy way and tried to learn as much as possible. I didn´t polish the rear wing due to it´s fragile character and I didn´t want too much contrast between the wings and body also. Lessons learned: I should have added one or two more wet coats of clear, even heavier thinned with leveling thinner and use a plastic container for the drying time, as there are some tiny dust particles in the clear. Cheers Rob

Thank you Hubert and Carl, now I have to polish the body parts and then, I´m nearly done with this unruly build. @HubertB, if you are getting older and balder and ask yourself, why the hell do I possess a hairdryer................. Cheers Rob

De nada, Hubert and you are absolutely right, it´s fun to just take part in a GB with some buddies and has to ponder about a given theme. Your rendition couldn´t be more sandy and the figures tie everything together to my eye. Verdict: Balls or no balls, the camel has to stay and the Arabian guy as well . They complete the story, supplying the Potez with precious fuel. Cheers Rob

Indeed Carl, what an icon. I haven´t realized, its for sale now. Please do a WIP Cheers Rob

A sure GB winner, i would say Hubert. I love the Potez, looking fantastic and the setting as well, somehow you managed to let it look like a snapshot. The dio could have easily gone south with it´s relatively widely spaced items, but the composition is great and tells a story of a wide desert area and the windsock adds to the real feeling. Cheers Rob

Some little mock up shots after decaling and clear coating, but before that, it was necessary to assemble the wings. The rear wing gave me some resistance, as it was very difficult to glue all parts together, without destroying carbon fiber surfaces. All assemblies of painted parts were done with CA glue. I didn´t want to destroy my finish or decals with plastic cement. Clear coating was done with two misted coats of pure Zero lacquer clear, with about 2,0 bar air pressure and a 0,4 mm nozzle. This was only to seal the decals without harming them with a heavy coat of clear. I tested the process on a paint and decal mule, prepared with exactly the same sequence of steps. Then, after a drying time of about half an hour between coats, I sprayed two heavier "wet" coats on, which had about thirty percent of leveling thinner added for a better finish. Cheers Rob

Yes, I think it is stronger, Mike. I think every type of decal reacts a bit different to solutions, that´s why it is hard to generalize. My greatest weapon of choice here was definitely the hairdryer. Cheers Rob

Thank you Mike, the branding decals were easy and fast to apply, the time consuming part were the carbon fiber decals, which are fragile and stiff at first and need to be settled, by heavy doses of Mr. Mark strong and lots of heat. Many of the carbon parts have delicate, often undercut shapes and you need a good process, to profit from the overlays of the decals perfectly, to cover the corners. Cheers Rob

These wheels look extremely good, FA. Do you plan to weather/tear the rubber tyres? That hull tub looks gigantic. It will take half a bottle of cement to glue it shut . Cheers Rob

A fantastic looking Potez, Hubert. Is that really a spare wheel on the fuselage side, cool. Cheers Rob

I sanded the body with 8000 grit sanding sponges, cleaned it and gave it another coat of Zero lacquer clear, this time with about 20% leveling thinner in the mix. After drying, I started to apply carbon fiber decals to the wings and air baffles. This is very time consuming and at first, I always think, the decals will never settle around the delicate shapes, but with patience, lots of strong decal solvent and applied heat from a hairdryer, they start to melt in place slowly. It took two days in total and still need a lot of touch up, but they are on. Next was the branding. The TB Decals went on perfectly, with matching colors, not too thin, not too thick, what can I say, it took only two hours, what a relief after the delicate carbon fiber decals Cheers Rob

Watch out Carl, car kits can be addictive . Cheers Rob

Nice Carl, this strange bird will look fantastic in your magic hands. Cheers Rob