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McLaren 765LT (A55006) 1:43 Airfix McLaren started as a racing team that have done pretty well for themselves over the years in Formula One especially. They eventually turned their hand and considerable expertise with carbon fibre and innovative engineering to creating Super Cars, and now have a range of them, following a plan to bring many more to the market. The 650S was replaced by the new 720 in 2017 that was both lighter, stiffer and more powerful than its predecessor, powered by an evolution of its 4 Litre V8 block that was turbocharged to output over 720hp (where the name came from), with active suspension tuned and lightened to keep the wheels on the road while putting down all that power, propelling it to 60mph in a fraction under 3 seconds. Subsequent upgrades included the 720 Spider, and the 765LT, which had a matching increase in horsepower to equal its name, and a lengthened rear, with handling and performance that was tuned to make it a formidable track day car, although you can probably imagine that the market won’t be exactly huge. The price tag will also ensure that only the super-rich can afford one of course. Only 765 cars were to be made, incorporating lowered suspension, a quad-pipe fully titanium exhaust system, more effective active aerodynamics that increased the downforce and improved handling when cornering. Deliveries started in 2020, although Covid might have had some effect on that. The next consumer variant is the 750S, which started production in 2023, with a facelift, weight reduction and power increase to match its name again, intended as a direct replacement to the original 720S. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling in 1:43 from Airfix, and it is a Starter Set that includes everything you need to make the model in a basic form, aside from a few basic tools. The kit arrives in a red-themed box with a hanger projecting from the top, which shows the glue, paint brush and paints that are included, although the colours differ from what’s in the box. Speaking of inside, there are two sprues plus the bodyshell in bright orange styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet, instruction booklet printed in spot colour, plus a helpful sheet that informs a total novice of the basics of modelling, and suggests a few tools that you might find helpful whilst building this and any future model you might tackle. Airfix’s recent range of car kits in this scale has been a delight to review, as the detail and finesse of the parts have been excellent, with this kit conforming to type and having some impressive details on the exterior. Construction begins with the floor pan, which is nicely detailed and flat to give a smooth airflow under the car, adding a short nose section on a large curved mating point before putting the front axle into position, plus brake discs and callipers at either end. The interior shell is placed over the front axle with glue placement points marked in yellow throughout the build, again to assist the absolute novice modeller. The parts are also located on the sprues by a small diagram in the corner of each instruction step to reduce the time spent searching for parts. The seats are installed into square holes in the interior, and the two door cards are mated to the sides of the tub. The dash is left-hand drive, and has a decal for the large central console display, and a coaming insert over the driver’s binnacle, into which the short column with stalks and steering wheel are glued, then the completed assembly is fixed to the front of the tub. The rear axle and brake disks are glued into position behind the tub, into what would be the engine compartment on the real steel version. The bodyshell is prepped by fitting two small intakes forward of the front wheels, then the side panels that incorporate the rear arches are glued in place on each side, and the glazing is inserted from inside, fixing the front bumper so that the shell and chassis can be mated. A pair of wing mirrors and the rear wing are fitted to the exterior, and at this stage you are shown where a few of the decal badges should be placed, before the wheels are made up from hubs and separate tyres, the hubs having the rear wall of the tyres incorporated to ensure proper alignment. The larger wheels are placed in the rear arches, and have decals supplied for the centres. Markings The back of the box carries drawings of the car from all sides, repeating many of the colour call-outs and decal placement from the instruction steps, and showing the bright orange paintwork, which explains the colour of the plastic, which could suit younger modellers that aren’t yet ready to handle painting their creations. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion I wish I had the time to get into 1:43 scale car kits, as this range from Airfix is growing into an appealing option for those modellers that want to build car models, but at a more modest scale. My son has driven one of this series of McLarens around a track (under supervision), and was quite smitten with it by the time he came back in for his next car. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of