Motoholic Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Hi all, Ever since I was a young lad the 1/12 series of Tamiya's F1 cars have represented for me the holy grail of modeling. Back then they were way beyond my skills and budget. They are still most likely beyond my skills but this time around I'm not going to die wondering. I decided on the re-issed kit of the McLaren M23. The kit includes some PE bits and obviously newer decals, which of course are sans the tobacco markings. Some aftermarket TABU decals will take care of not only the missing ciggy markings but also a font option for the racing number. Along with this there is some reference material; the excellent Haynes manual and the not so excellent MFH Joe Honda pictoral. The build will depict Emerson Fittipaldi's Championship winning car from 1974, Specifically chassis M23/5 from the 1974 Belgian GP which he won. Over the season McLaren used two differnt noses and several different airbox configurations. The wide nose and early season airbox that comes in the kit narrows the choice to only a few races from that season. This car represented the first World Championship win for McLaren. 1974 was also when McLaren wore the iconic Marlboro livery for the first time. My aim is to do my best to make the car look like it might do today so I'm gonna try my hand at some weathering to dirty up the old girl, which is a technique I've not tried before. The box and extras. The end result will hopefully depict the below. The first step was doing the seat and belts. There was PE provided in the kit for the buckles and connectors. The 'tub' as I call it was finished in Vallejo Metal Color Aluminium, everything else was done in Tamiya Acrylic. I havent really used the Vallejo Metal very much, once thinned slightly it was a relly nice paint to spray. It has virually no smell and is as 'acrylic' as you can get. It does need sealing with the reccomended clear varnish to make it more durable. Good stuff! touched a few spots around the shift linkage with some black panel line wash as well. I used some Abteilung 502 'engine grease' along with panel line wash to weather the tub/pedals as I wanted to dirty it up a bit. I also scratched and dry brushed the pedals to try achieve the same result. Lastly I decided to add a throttle cable. Done with a little shrink tube, fishing wire and a Top Studio wire clamp. Everything seems massive compared to the 1/20 I've just completed. Onto the monocoque next. Cheers, Andy 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noeyedears Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 love these big tamiya cars. have fun. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 Hi Andy! Great start on the Maclaren, not seen this one built before, so following with great interest! Keep Sticking! Cheers, Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motoholic Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 Got a little more done on the M23. The lower monocoque only required a little sanding of a few mould lines to get it looking straight. Primed in Mr. Surfacer 1200 thinned with Mr Color Levelling Thinner. She was then painted in de-canted Tamiya TS26 Pure White. For the clearcoat I'll be using Mr. Color Super Clear II Gloss again as its so easy and forgiving to spray. I think 2K clear will give it to much gloss as a 44 year old race car shouln't look too pristine. and with the 'tub' fitted. Really enjoying this build so far, onto the front suspension next. Cheers, Andy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGA Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 This is really nice Andy! Wonderful work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motoholic Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 Unfortunately I'm not getting as much time as I'd like to spend on the M23 build, I'm not alone there I'm sure 😊 The front bulkhead/suspension has been completed. This bit took some time as there are quite a few parts in this section. Used a combo of Tamiya/ Vallejo Metal Color. Staying on my aged weathering theme for the old girl I've tried to dirty it up a bit using Tamiya panel line colour and some Mig Ammo Oilbrushers. The master cylinders came out a bit too dirty though! All part of the learning process! I also added in some extra detail with the hoses/connectors coming from behind the master cylinder mounts. This was done with some 1.2mm Top Studio hose joints and some .6mm fishing braid. This kit has been spot on so far, everything is fitting really well. Onto the top part of the monocoque next. Cheers, Andy 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flemming Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 Hi. Obviously your first build of the 1:12 M23. You will get a humongous seamline where the bottom and top part of the tub will meet. That will require filling and sanding. Which is why I will question your choice of painting and decalling the lower part already... It is possible to assemble the top part and lower part without inserting the other parts first. All you have to do is to remove a couple of pins where the central tub (silver part) attaches to the body. In that way you can slide the part in from behind and carefully build up the front suspension. It will require some lateral thinking, but it can be done and the glory part is that the seamline on the body can be handled. As well as the body can be painted in its entirety. By the way. Drop that weathering stuff you intend. It is not a rally car. It is not left in a shed somewhere. It is flawed. This car - TODAY - yes march 2019 - is looking pristine at MTC (McLaren Technology Centre) Best regards Flemming Chairman in the committee to prevent cruelty done to 1:12 M23 kits anywhere! 😉 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarylH Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 I love your work so far. The visible seam line is only at the outside of the radiator pods so you should be able to fill and sand it without damage to your lower tub paint. I agree with Flemming about the weathering but it's your project so keep on with what you're doing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicarage Vee Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 You'd probably need to weather it if it were Nelson Piquet's car... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Sorry I haven't spotted this before now. Anything McLaren usually catches my attention. The 23 is one of my favourite McLarens in its Lotus 72 look alike way, I loved the cars of that era, I was at my enthusiastic pottiest back then. I'll enjoy watching it come together. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coors54 Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 I'm currently in the middle of a very long build of this kit into James Hunt's car from the 1976 Race of Champions, the first F1 meeting I attended and I can endorse Flemmings point about the joint line along the tub. I have modified the front suspension to the later type and although I joined both parts of the tub together before sliding in the cockpit I had a bad join behind the suspension that required quite a bit of filling, this can destroy the rivet detail in that area, I hope you don't have the same problem. Nice work so far though. I think a bit of weathering (or wear) is more applicable to cars of that era, the team image was not quite so important then, budgets were very much smaller and the sport was transitioning into the corporate world. So cars were modified and showed more signs of use, during my pit visits in the '70's I was always amazed at the rough finish of body parts and the profligate use of gaffer tape! My M23 will be shiny, waxed body shiny not the deep 2K finish so loved by a lot of car modellers, it's not realistic for 70's racers. This also happens in the real world of restoration, the car at McLaren is undoubtedly cleaner, shinier and more perfect than it ever was when Emmo drove it. Just my two bobs worth. Dave 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicarage Vee Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 6 minutes ago, Coors54 said: I think a bit of weathering (or wear) is more applicable to cars of that era, the team image was not quite so important then, budgets were very much smaller and the sport was transitioning into the corporate world. So cars were modified and showed more signs of use, during my pit visits in the '70's I was always amazed at the rough finish of body parts and the profligate use of gaffer tape! My M23 will be shiny, waxed body shiny not the deep 2K finish so loved by a lot of car modellers, it's not realistic for 70's racers. This also happens in the real world of restoration, the car at McLaren is undoubtedly cleaner, shinier and more perfect than it ever was when Emmo drove it. Just my two bobs worth. Dave Completely agree, that’s how I remember the cars looking in period. They clearly looked hand made and often patched up as you say. Some of the chassis went on for years with multiple repairs so they did look used, and as you say there simply wasn’t the time or corporate pressure to keep every nook and cranny pristine. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flemming Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 The age old discussion... The amount of scruffyness will be depending on the team. McLaren were at that time a worldchampionship team - not a tail end of the field with This is the M23 at the end of the season - note the reflection in the bodywork. Not any rust, dents or nicks in the paint. Just say'in scan0024 by Flemming Hansen, on Flickr Flemming 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicarage Vee Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 We’re not saying that they weren’t ‘clean’ nor that the bodywork wasn’t shiny, it’s just that they didn’t have the surgically clean look that the modern cars built in spotless workshops have. With bodywork off you could see where stuff was spilt, repaired, slightly dinged etc. And yes, some teams were more diligent at keeping them shiny than others. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motoholic Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 Gents, thank you for all the replies and advice, especially about the tub join/seam. This is only my second model so I'm well deep into the learning curve and the weathering angle comes more from trying to learn new techniques rather than historical or contemporary accuracy. I'm not trying to offend any passionate fans of the M23 and @Flemming does make a good point, I'll ease it back a bit and leave the weathering for a rally car or plane build. @Vicarage Vee @Coors54 exactly! I am certain that this chassis is right now more pristine and clean than it was in 1974 when such attention to detail wasn't such a priority. Now on to tackling that seam... Cheers, Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coors54 Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Hi Flemming, I agree that McLaren were the team with most attention to detail and cleanliness, but even your picture shows that the shine on the cars was not the wet look, 5 cms deep clear that seems to be the accepted norm for car models. That might be true of cars from the nineties onwards (in real life) but putting it on a model, although VERY attractive and eye catching still makes the model look a bit .....toy like.....to my taste anyway. A quick cast through one of Joe Hondas photo books from the era shows the conditions the cars were prepped in, tiny dirty garages at some tracks, under awnings slung from the side of transporters and even one of McLaren mechanics working on the front end of Emmo's car whilst it's perched on a front wheel! Look at the photo above and that bit of corrugated trunking by the mirror held on with a cable clip, bet Mercedes wouldn't allow that these days. All this and Vicarage Vee's points about rebuilds and repairs contributes to a more worn and used look, but hey, they're our models to finish as we like. Back to the build Motoholic!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan R Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 (edited) Hi All, The topic of how glossy should a model be is a minefield. In reality, if you want to display a model in 'show-room' condition, you still, in my opinion, should tone the shine down a bit . My last car I finished, I polished the top coat (Halfords' spray can red - don't ask which) with Halfords' polishing compound until I got a good shine, but not 'glass-like'. To me, it looked correct and not particularly toy-like, I hope. Obviously, we all do this for pleasure, and can decide how shiny/weathered/pristine/grubby... we want to finish them. In all honesty, there is no absolute correct or incorrect answer, just what we like to do. Cheers, Alan. Edited March 9, 2019 by Alan R 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coors54 Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 12 minutes ago, Alan R said: Obviously, we all do this for pleasure, and can decide how shiny/weathered/pristine/grubby... we want to finish them. In all honesty, there is no absolute correct or incorrect answer, just what we like to do. Cheers, Alan. Totally agree. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coors54 Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Any progress on this build Motoholic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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