Kirk Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 If I find myself digging through my old photos in the coming weeks (unlikely, frankly) I'll post the picture. The other thing worth digging around for references on is the gearbox colour. I think McLaren used a magnesium alloy in this era and it has a unique finish rarely captured well in models. Hopefully the MFH book has this covered. 🤔🙂 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted July 8 Author Share Posted July 8 2 hours ago, Kirk said: If I find myself digging through my old photos in the coming weeks (unlikely, frankly) I'll post the picture. The other thing worth digging around for references on is the gearbox colour. I think McLaren used a magnesium alloy in this era and it has a unique finish rarely captured well in models. Hopefully the MFH book has this covered. 🤔🙂 I may found pictures from the engine you mentioned, it seems to be on display in a Honda museum and may doesn´t show the status used in the actual racing cars. The gearbox color seems to be a very dark metallic brown on the pictures in my reference book. Mine looks metallic black indeed, but I may pause or bin the MP4/6 project due to reasons, I will explain in the next post. Cheers Rob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted July 8 Author Share Posted July 8 After some bits of progress, the MP4/6 project stalls again. It seems to fight me on all cylinders, but maybe it´s just me. Over the last days, I prepared body parts, front and rear wings for painting and in the process, I test fitted the body over the engine and monocoque. There was a huge gap to the lower floor pan. In the progress, some parts from the engine and monocoque cracked loose and the described gap can only be closed with sheer force. It would be possible to glue the body in place, but that was not what I had in mind, with all the detailing and decaling of the innards of the car. I hate to admit it, but the McLaren is getting on my nerves, which is rare with my projects. Normally, I pull through obstacles, but the constant struggle with this kit let my patience vanish. My whole bench is cluttered with the detail sets and all the partly badly and small printed manual sheets, which should be merged during the project. The kit´s manual isn´t to good either. But the neck breaker was the GAP, which you can see on the pics. I absolutely wanted a removable body and that´s not possible at all, so back on the shelf. Cheers Rob 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 Rob, Several of us seem to have been hitting roadblocks on our builds lately which is a shame. Your work is too good to be wasted on projects that are not well enough engineered from the manufacturer. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted July 8 Share Posted July 8 Rob Right with Chris and better to move to another project then to keep banging your head against the wall and not being happy with the results. Maybe it's time for one of your Tamiya 1/12 F1 kits for a change of pace and a breath of fresh air. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Perhaps another option might be to separate the nose section and depict the body on stands (as it often was during setup)? That way, noone has to know if it fits or not. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 That's extremely disappointing with regards to the gap. I'd be one to leave the body off and showcase the work you've done on the engine and chassis. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 On 7/8/2024 at 10:08 AM, CANicoll said: Rob, Several of us seem to have been hitting roadblocks on our builds lately which is a shame. Your work is too good to be wasted on projects that are not well enough engineered from the manufacturer. 20 hours ago, Peterpools said: Right with Chris and better to move to another project then to keep banging your head against the wall and not being happy with the results. Maybe it's time for one of your Tamiya 1/12 F1 kits for a change of pace and a breath of fresh air Thank you Chris and Peter, it´s not only the kits fault, that I´m now so aggravated with this project. Many aspects of the kit are finely reproduced, but with the GAP, I can´t see any errors, I made. Everything aligns well and is in the right position. F1 cars are always a bit tricky, when it comes to closing the body, as due to their nature, they have so many internal details, crammed in the tinies possible space. For now, I have shelved the McLaren and maybe, I´m willing to finish it later with a compromise, something I´m not good at . 9 hours ago, Kirk said: Perhaps another option might be to separate the nose section and depict the body on stands (as it often was during setup)? That way, noone has to know if it fits or not. 5 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said: That's extremely disappointing with regards to the gap. I'd be one to leave the body off and showcase the work you've done on the engine and chassis. I thought about these options as well, Kirk and Carl, but when I start a project, I have a relatively clear image in my mind, about how the subject should look in the end. With the McLaren, one of the main goals was to finish it with a detachable body, to show the interior. I´m not good with making concessions to my initial plan. Normally I try to dig my way through the obstacles, but the McLaren stomped me on the wrong foot right from the start. Cheers Rob 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomber_County Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 Rob, hmmm send it to the SOD ……..leave to mature for year and then reapply mojo……. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 I think someone else suggested the Tamiya 1:12 MP4/6 as an antidote; the 1:20 MP4/13 is also a Tamiya masterpiece. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted July 10 Author Share Posted July 10 20 hours ago, Bomber_County said: Rob, hmmm send it to the SOD ……..leave to mature for year and then reapply mojo……. I may do that Phil, it´s resting in the box for now and possibly, I will pull it out again, build it closed up and forget about it. Cheers Rob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted July 10 Author Share Posted July 10 8 hours ago, Kirk said: I think someone else suggested the Tamiya 1:12 MP4/6 as an antidote; the 1:20 MP4/13 is also a Tamiya masterpiece. For the price you have to pay for the 1/12 Tamiya McLaren, I would go all in and buy a Model Factory Hiro one, which I considered, albeit a MP4/5b. The Tamiya kit with some extras comes close with it´s price tag. I have several tempting 1/12 car kits and my favorites right now is the MFH Cobra Coupe. For 1/12 F1 kits, I only have the Tamiya Brabham BT44b at hand with some goodies, as well as the MFH Williams FW16. Cheers Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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