caterhamnut

Typical of these models - I noticed this tie rod had come off the roll bar (I assume) attachment arm...so I carefully re-attached the components - and then proceeded to cover this area, never to be seen again!! Two small access panels cover the area around the wishbones and steering arms. They fit ok - awkward to reach, but the fit is good. The TINY washers and quarter-turn fittings are just for show - and TINY! Top tip - the turntable you can see in these pictures came with the generic grey spray booth (as far as I remember) - VERY useful at this stage of the build - the rear of the model is VERY heavy (hence the offset) and twirling the model around on this as opposed to constantly lifting and turning it is so much easier, and puts less stress on the kit... This final photo shows the size of the car (scale on the cutting mat) - anyone know where I can get a display case this big? I don't mean to 'display' - more to protect!

Right - I'm pleased with the results - the photos maybe exaggerate the texture through reflections, and I will make the finish more matt - but overall, as a first time impulse experiment I think I have got away with it! This photo makes it look rougher than it is... A final few photos of the additional wiring I have finished... Lots of little small jobs to do - I'll touch up all the paint at the end, but i wanted to tweak the colour of the gear changing rod joints, MFH said orange, but pictures of the real car show a darker red-brown colour... Both shown here: Paint on the wire rods is a bugger not to scratch, so more touching up on that later!

I smoothed it out more last night, and hopefully I'll add some black tonight and we'll see how it looks - bit of an experiment, but I'm hoping it will look ok! Going from pics of the real car, the finish is not like those laid-up carbon sheet finished you see on the MP4/4 chassis - more like the inside of a GRP canoe we used to make at school! I also added the radiator mesh covers - gradually getting there - last big job is going to be that very complex rear wing!

Some nice clear middle-of-the-night hrs to welcome F1 back meant I could get on with some bits and bobs.. Some more wiring - given up on the MFH tie-wraps - just cannot get more than 1 in 10 to work... Wings needed more decals, and I did a bit of sanding, respraying the large main wing section. The white decals go on well enough - but they are thick, the clear coat almost exaggerates this... Folded the gurney flap pieces - not sure if I will use these or not...the potential for mucking them up and damaging the rest of the paint finish is high! One of these PE folding clamps is vital for this sort of thing. So then I went off-piste a bit. The inside of the cockpit is flat black and quite rough - laid-up carbon fiber/composite. Having just done the laundry, I thought I would try using the USED laundry dryer fragrance tissues, and line the inside of the bodywork, sticking it down with watered down PVA glue. I know that tissue paper has been used to create this rough (smooth-rough!) effect but it is quite delicate - thought I would give it a go - these USED tissues are actually very tough, so easy to pull around and handle. I say used because the pre-used ones are stiffer and full of....smell! I'll hand paint this area tonight with flat black and see how it looks...it might be too crude...

Incidentally - once I have finished this kit I will do a 'write up' about the experience. Although I started a few engines at once, this will be my first finished MFH kit - in fact any kit for decades! I have hidden the cock-ups well, and the light cube makes anything look good, so a quick mention of my process and the mistakes I have made, what i would do differently etc may be of help... Right - those slicks... I fitted these to a dremel and ran them whilst holding coarse sand paper to get that scrubbed-in look. ....and next a few shots with bodywork literally just placed in situ - not fixed down, or tabbed etc, so ignore the panel gaps!! ....and that is it for now. I think the main reason for the positive responses to this kit is that it is a beautiful car - so pure, and shaped like a rocket. There are so many 'red' kits, and McLarens, that this blue just looks a bit different. Thanks you Gordon Murray!!

Thanks guys - sorry about 'teaser' - just ran out of time to post the other pictures... A bit pic heavy I'm afraid! ...of course I could not resist adding the bodywork to see how it was looking - the rear section fits ok, but the front will need some work over the front suspension. Although to be honest, I am not likely to want to hide all that chassis work, so may display 'sans bodywork'. back to more fittings... Then, after the distraction of an accident down on the street below... ...I set up the photo cube for some sexy shots. Loads to still do, but it is nice doing these shots because it makes the model look so cool! (So lots of wires don't go anywhere yet!) I added the decals to the wheels, and used some TS air valves - the kit came with some of course, but these are a little sharper... So - now a shed load of pictures! Photos not cropped or edited yet - just for ref. I need a bigger cube, as this model is now really long! Jobs to do - find the front wing end plates!! Rear wing, lots more detail wiring, wing mirrors and fittings.... You can see I have also added the brake cooling ducts.... ...and next, my favorite shots - getting those big slicks on!

Lots more pics to come... Teaser

So, it was in with the big lump! It fixes by 4 locating pics on the bulkhead, and there is one model screw up from the base into the engine block. It weighs a ton, but is well supported by the floor once in position - the floor fixes to the cockpit base with 4 screws and a decent surface area. But lifting it into place whilst trying to flex radiators apart, stop tubes popping off etc etc is a real job! Gradually closes up... At this point I realized I was going to have to separate rear chassis floor from bulkhead/tub to get to some tubes to fit - luckily I had not applied any glue at this point, so no big deal... Mainly because of this little pipe, which you will probably never see again, but it slipped! Had to prop the engine up to the level it would be once supported by the bulkhead - so heavy (for a kit!) Eventually got it glued in place. So it was then back to sliding everything together again! ...and refitting/tweaking all the water pipes that had moved, or needed squeezing in... Both the silver pipe and the thin black pipe in the photo above are metal. But eventually everything seemed to fit together - amazing! At some point in the process, one of the cans on the top of the cam cover came off - no issue, just glued it back after all the mucking around...

Right - got a good bit of work done this weekend....mainly wiring! A few decals... At this point I am just adding wires - they all need to be tied up etc later! I'm keen to fix the ones underneath, so I can 'mount' the rear of the chassis to the front...once the rads are fixed, access will be very difficult! Ok - has ANYONE managed to use these damn MFH tie wraps successfully?!!! This is one of only 2 I have managed to use - the 15 others have always snapped when trying to thread - a real pain - cannot recommend them I am afraid. Had a few fittings break as I try and fit wire - lesson learnt - epoxy is better in some places, than the CA I have exclusively used - I 'pinned/pegged' many fittings this weekend - especially during the engine fitting, that required lots of shoving and bending! I like the heat shrink tube, that you heat to get nice and small - much easier to thread onto pins, and the tiny writing looks cool! Quite a few foil-wrapped cables and wires - kit uses self adhesive foil that works well - to represent heat protection, particularly around the exhaust and turbo... At this point I was impatient to fix the engine, rads etc together, and into the car. This is a b*gger of a job, as there are many 'hard' pipes that connect everything together - ali-water pipes etc - and you have to fit both ends at the same time to hold it all together - you have to glue, but also accept that you then have to line everything up as the whole sub-assembly is lifted onto the floor of the car, and then attached to the bulkhead - but there were no short cuts here - I still had wiring to do that would be impossible to do later... ...including on the bulkhead itself... ...and the electrical box on the chassis floor. You can see from these shots, how many pipes there are that connect the rads to each side. This process is made more difficult by the fact that all this is very heavy! Its all white metal, no resin.The rads are fixed to triangular frames that swing out into position, so everything is moving around as well, until fixed to the floor! Nothing is fixed in those shots. So - it was back to more wiring... (yes, the belt has come off!) But finally I reached a point where I felt I could join it all up.....

Hi Rob - my paint finish is well below the standards of many on here! This is the first 'bodywork' I have sprayed... I have one of those grey spray boxes (with LEDS) that you can find everywhere - small fan sucking, filter etc - works really well. Dust is still an issue - make sure the box itself is clean - the over-spray tends to form paint dust, which is worth vacuuming out before the next job - and get lots of the removable filters to replace regularly - I got a bulk pack of 10 from ebay - much cheaper that way. Top tip I saw on here, as soon as you spray, cover the model with an up-turned plastic container (tupperware) while it dries!

Thanks guys Absolutely try one of these kits - just take it slow, there is nothing that you can't do - you don't need special tools, everything is included. It just takes time! The more recent MFH kits seem to go together really well... Got some of those IDE cables - a great source of colors, as you say I've found some more flexible wire to use, so fingers crossed... ..................... Started the wiring - using small wire 'pins' to make the joints stronger, as I will have to bend and fold the wires when it comes to assembly. Cant see most of these lower ones. I wish MFH did a much better job of showing where the wires routed, and what they joined up - they just give a length and an arrow off the page. Matching them up takes ages, and there are many I simply can't trace! I find the 0.8mm wire in the kit way too stiff - have managed to find some better, softer wire to use, which will be easier to route later. I'll also use some heat-shrink later...early days!

ok - back on this puppy after a bit of a break. Few pics for 'where I am'... So I worked on the front wing - pretty straight forward, except that I should have assembled the brackets and square filling pieces before painting, so I could have filled the gaps - mostly hidden by the winglets, so I'll live! Bit of paint touch up needed as well.... Most of these shots show bits pushed together - I wanted to assemble the side rads and pipe work, but I can't avoid doing wiring - this usually makes the model, and I don't mind the process, but I need to find the right wire to use - the stuff with the kit is too stiff, and can pull tiny components off.... ...oh yes, I I think I lost the wing end-plates - cant find them anywhere....grrrr

Don't worry about any hijack - I'd learn as well!

wow - that looks brilliant. You have the creamy color of the glass fibre/composite much better than mine - I left mine a little bit too clear, and then it was too late to change. Like the weathering on the inner panels as well. Looks great.

Looking great - where was the transkit from? MFH tend to just partially drill the holes IME - actually, they are molded/cast in, really just to show location and diameter of hole - then in most cases it seems you have to go in and open the holes up. In terms of casting I guess it means they don't have to use sliding cores or post-op work...the resin bodywork is often the same - just a pip that still allows the piece to come out of the mold, indicating where you drill... In terms of the MFH instructions - thing I find most difficult is following where all the wires and cables go!! 'Stage 2' will show 6 black wires disappearing off the diagram - you need to figure out which is which when they reappear on 'Stage 14'!

I've been rubbish! I've got furthest with the BT52b - which I need to finish. I may well then start this so I can take pics of the 1/12 917k engine with the jag engine (as both Le Mans cars) - and then crack on with the 917 - especially now I have a little experience of using zero paints on the small amounts of F1 bodywork - that will give me more confidence for the large amount of 917k bodywork!! Did you post any finished pics? Anyone know which red to use for the 917k?

Probably just about my favorite build on all of the forum I look at. I am sure there are many many people who are learning a lot from this, and being inspired to try - I certainly am. Brilliant in every way.

That looks great - I also want to get this to try some weathering...the F1 cars are too clean!

Remember - I haven't even finished a kit yet!!

Firstly, many thanks PC2012! However - genuinely - I am a mere beginner compared to many of the guys on here - seriously, there is some phenomenal talent around - I look to them for tips and inspiration, and am still very much learning! I want to model 'cleaner' - I want to learn how to use oils like Suber, to apply weathering like Little Andy etc etc - all I am doing is taking more pictures than some, and hope some of it helps or inspires people to try anything! I am making mistakes all along, and learning - BT52b is first time I have used Zero paints - need to improve that whole process, but liking them so far - so if I can pass on how to avoid the same mistakes I have made, then cool.... SO - I can tell you MY experience, but by no means take it as gospel - there is always more than one way to do things, and you will develop your own as well - either by accident or otherwise! So far, I have just used CA, yes. If I needed more strength or build up, I guess I would use at two-pack like Araldite (UK) I found the dremel with a BRASS wire wheel (not steel) very effective at cleaning - but it gets to be a pain with the really small parts, where if it catches it can fire them across the room! You still need to clean off flash, and gently sand (or fill) any marks you don't want...I am fortunate to have been able to buy a magnetic ring polisher - the ones that spin parts around in water with steel pins, to polish the metal. It is a 250 quid investment, but as it seems I am making a lot of MFH kits, with many many tiny parts, I deemed it worth it. The majority probably hand finish, and that works fine. But when I saw the size of the fittings on a 1/43rd scale MFH F1 car, I realized I'd lose stuff too easily! The dremel is great - just don't 'press' too hard - biggest negative is the way it fires brass wire everywhere - I added some super glue around the ends of the wires where they are 'crimped' at the centre, which may have helped a bit... So far I don't really have any 'bare metal' finishes on my models - I guess people mean they can tarnish - when I do use bare metal, I may use some satin clear to protect? I also want to use oil washes on the bits, but have not tried yet - F1 cars are so clean!! So happy to answer any questions about how I have done something, but I am by no means a guru yet! lol

Don't hold you breath - I haven't actually finished anything yet!! lol - the BT52 is close... Fit seems to be very good Codger - but the kits I am doing from MFH are pretty new - I am sure they are better than old - the BT52b has just 'gone together' very well - one or two little tweaks of course, but not bad at all. I don't have years if experience to compare with other makes. The resin parts are very sharp, and it seems to be only the thin rod/bar metal stuff that requires tweaking sometimes... I think the older MP 4/4 kit is going to require a little more fettling - but not got that far yet!

Latest kit from MFH - this will be another sleeper - got plenty on the go, but if anyone is interested on what is in the box of this latest 1/12 offering from MFH... New box design! Quite a few plastic parts Grrr - my pet MFH hate...delicate, thin parts, wrapped in tight cling film. Another minor point - MFH include templates for cutting out ali-foil, masks etc etc - but you have to cut them out yourself - which is no problem, except they are printed within the instruction booklet - ie: they have other stuff on the back - so you have to copy and print your own. No big deal if you have a printer etc, but be nicer for these to be supplied on a separate sheet of paper. Red circle shows a useful visual guide to all the similar pipe fittings you have to sort through... This will be fun! Decals... Lovely detailed PE parts... Detail parts... Big canopy to trim... Body is huge! Full size keyboard behind for scale... ....so, a very quick over view. I am sure someone will start this soon. I'll probably do my usual and start with the engine shortly.... cheers

Right - back with another 3 years of work Visa for the States....and now back to the model. Small detail stuff now really - apart from final assembly, which looks a pig - getting all the radiators, joining pipes and chassis framework lined up and fixed is going to be a pain - I can tell already!! Nothing above is actually fixed yet! Adding brake pipes to the front suspension struts... I wanted to use these - the tie-wraps that MFH now make - they look 3D printed - BUT - I have not successfully managed to use one yet. They are so brittle and fragile. They have used a similar strip for the belts on the engine, and they just crack. You get the tooth detail, but it snaps off - prefer the molded or rubber bands!! Anyone managed to use these on anything with success?! More detail never to be seen - seat belt mounts behind the seat molding...

Ok -some more weekend work! Finished the 'pedal box' area - and promptly covered it, never to be seen again! ...also added the brakes, having first painted the pads with the same carbon look... Gear linkage and gear shift. The kit says silver, the photos show it as black, with a hand-worn grip that I created by sanding the paint back to the metal finish, and then using flat clear... Now MFH had sent me the part I lost, I could carry on with the turbo/exhaust area.... Sadly, it was now a case of covering up a lot of that lovely engine with heat shield foil! See that very thin, arcing black metal support, that the turbo 'hangs' from? That was one part - waaaaay too small a joint that snapped even before I came to use it - so I had to drill a very very thin hole in both parts and join with some wire - works fine - led to a stabbed thumb as the drill slipped, but all went ok in the end!! There is a lot of weight in this bit, with radiators etc, that will be supported by the floor when assembled, but at this point it is a bit delicate - I'm not gluing the rads until I have done a lot more wiring and cabling, and the engine is fixed to the floor... More heat shielding to hide the sexy stuff! Then moved on to some wing action. I had sprayed the blue on one side, now had to spray white on the other - the outer side, which would have the 'Fila' decals on. Was worried about spray finding its way through or around holes, but was careful with the masking tape - EXCEPT TAMIYA TAPE LEFT A RESIDUE ON THE BLUE SURFACE! I cleaned it off with very fine wet n' dry, but I was not expecting that - real pain. Need to find an alternative... ...white 'edges' came off with gentle sanding of edge...most of the holes are located 'behind' wing ends, so won't be seen. I sealed the white (zero) with one layer of clear and went direct to the decals - the ones on the largest end plates are full coverage, so I was worried about bubbles etc, but actually they went on very well - and actually lucked out on positioning right away with decent spacing around that outer red line! Result! Once dried over night, I added more clear - touch wood it has gone on ok!

lol - thanks, but not yet! Lots of touching up where I've scratched it, glue to hide etc etc