gt6mkiii Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 I'm continuing my history of F1 in 1/20th scale but I skipped the 80's and went right to 1992. After the Tyrrell 003, which I don't think is the most beautiful F1 car, to what is my favourite F1 design of all time, the McLaren MP4/7. The overall shape is so pure - no extra winglets or aerodynamic furniture and one of the most iconic liveries of all time. This was built right out of the box with the exception of the tobacco decals which were the "Museum Collection" set that I ordered from Hobby Link Japan. The Marlboro part of the decals were fine, but the orange parts of the decals were way too light in my opinion. The Tamiya decals had the McLaren logo in the orange/red, so I ended up cutting down the McLaren chevron into the Marlboro flag shape to use alongside the cockpit. The kit went together pretty well for the most part, and I built this as a curbside as I won't be displaying it with the engine cover removed (see below). The engine is in there, but all in semi-gloss black. Issues I did have were mostly related to the side vents. Tamiya molded them as separate pieces, but I found it difficult to glue them in and get a consistent panel line all the way around, especially since you have to fill the edges along the bottom. I ended up pretty much filling the whole thing until the panel line was just visible, but when I cleared over the paint and the decals, it completely disappeared - it looks like one continuous piece instead of the changeable size vent insert that I believe they used that year. I used Tamiya masking tape for curves to paint the red sections and it worked pretty well, although there's a little bit of bleed in the pointy parts where the tape overlapped. Overall, Im happy with the result - just a few nitpicks that I hope I'll improve on with the next model - I'm jumping right up to 2017 with the Tamiya SF70H. I'll go back and fill in a few blanks like the 80's and 2000's after that one. I just got the Tamiya 1986 Williams FW11 that will look good next to this one. The paint is Tamiya white and a custom mix for the orange. After looking at 100 photos online that all looked different, I ended up just trying to match the colour of the original Tamiya decals. Clearcoat was again using Mr. Color GX100 with the levelling thinner although this time I thinned it to 1 part clear to 3 parts thinner. It flowed very nicely, but with the weather being quite cold, it took a while to fully cure. I ended up leaving some of the parts for 10 days before sanding and polishing. I also thought I'd share how I'm displaying the models so far. I've been building shadow boxes out of poplar and then mounting the cars vertically in the frame. I created some graphic panels to sit behind the model with a large year displayed. At the bottom, a technical panel has the manufacturer logo, driver name, car dimensions, engine type and output etc. I thought it was a cool way to see the visual differences in the cars from decade to decade, and to see the changing overall sizes and engine output over time as well. I also like the way they feel like scientific specimens preserved for future generations to learn about. Thanks for looking, comments and critiques always welcome. Martin. 38 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 Lovely build and a fantastic way of displaying them.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 Beautiful model and I agree it's an excellent way of displaying what's becoming an excellent collection! How do you secure them to the backboard in the frame? Just glued? Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srkirad Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 Fantastic build, fantastic photos, and fantastic way to display models! Don't have much more to say.. except BRAVO! Cheers, S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy J Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 Superb builds all of them. I have a Red Bull RB6 in the stash and you have inspired me to give it a go. Looking forward to seeing more of your work Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt6mkiii Posted December 5, 2019 Author Share Posted December 5, 2019 Thanks for the comments! Keith, I've been running a 1/8" bolt through the chassis before final assembly and using that to bolt through the back panel to keep the whole thing secure. Andy, the RB6 is definitely on my list - it's a significant car and great looking in my opinion. I've been keeping an eye on ebay etc, but most of them on there start at about $130US. There's less expensive kits to check off first. I'd also like to go earlier than 1965 with the Model Factory Hiro kits when I'm out of Tamiya/Ebbro/Fujimi kits to build. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy J Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 Hi Martin I waited a long time for the RB6 due to ridiculously high prices but eventually got hold of one for £25 a real bargain. Having checked the stash again I also have a MP4/12 to build a kit I don't remember buying ! As you say there are many kits out there lots of choice but another of my favourites is the yellow Jordan one I look out for regularly Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt6mkiii Posted December 5, 2019 Author Share Posted December 5, 2019 That is a good deal! I like the Jordan as well - the only one I've seen is the Studio 27 one. I'm a little unsure of the quality/difficulty of the Studio 27 kits - have you ever built one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy J Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 4 minutes ago, gt6mkiii said: That is a good deal! I like the Jordan as well - the only one I've seen is the Studio 27 one. I'm a little unsure of the quality/difficulty of the Studio 27 kits - have you ever built one? Revell made a Jordan kit that pops up on Ebay from time to time though I don't know how good the quality is as for studio 27 I haven't built one though I've been told they are decent kits to build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR2Don Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 Beautiful build and I do like that display method. Got me thinking!🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 2 hours ago, Andy J said: Revell made a Jordan Don't forget that's 1/24 though... Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy J Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 26 minutes ago, keefr22 said: Don't forget that's 1/24 though... Keith Yes it is I forgot that 🙄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peekay Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 Beautifully clean building style and museum-worthy display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windy37 Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 Great build . Such a smooth , flowing shape . I agree the F1 cars of the 90’s were so pure in design . I think the current crop of cars look terrible with all their aerodynamic add on’s . I know F1 is all about progression , but ........ I remember the Marlboro colour scheme was a dayglow red/orange . I used to go to F3 races back then and the Marlboro backed cars always stood out . Gary . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisygriff Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) Stunning. Great idea for displaying the car. Why did you go for the museum collection decals rather than the kit decals? Edited January 4, 2020 by Noisygriff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt6mkiii Posted January 5, 2020 Author Share Posted January 5, 2020 @NoisygriffThis was the reissue kit that only had McLaren decals - no Marlboro decals or Shell for that matter. I ended up using a bit from the original sheet and a bit from the new ones. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Absolutely gorgeous model, and that display method.....wow Did you make the display cases yourself or buy them from somewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt6mkiii Posted January 5, 2020 Author Share Posted January 5, 2020 Thanks @Nev I made the cases myself so that I could add to the collection whenever I wanted and keep a consistent frame size and style. I buy a piece of 1” x 4” poplar ($12) and mill it to the profile I need to hold the glass ($10) and the 1/4” hardboard backing ($2). The cost is certainly more reasonable than buying a frame from a store. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codger Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 16 minutes ago, gt6mkiii said: Thanks @Nev I made the cases myself so that I could add to the collection whenever I wanted and keep a consistent frame size and style. I buy a piece of 1” x 4” poplar ($12) and mill it to the profile I need to hold the glass ($10) and the 1/4” hardboard backing ($2). The cost is certainly more reasonable than buying a frame from a store. Brilliant, museum presentation. Everything - proportions, frame and signage. Assume the cars are screwed into base-looks very sturdy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt6mkiii Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 Thanks @Codger - the models are bolted to the backing board with a 1/8" bolt - I drill it through the chassis of the model before final assembly and then assemble on a scrap board with a hole drilled in it so I can check stance/ride height etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F1Fan Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 A little late to the party I know (New here). I currently have a MP4/4 on the bench and this looks absolutely outstanding! I haven't built F1 at all and the MP4/4 is my first. Do you have a build thread on this one? Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesa Jussila Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 Really nice build. I have this in my stash waiting to be started. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigeG Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 Looks stunning and those display cases are a great idea. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toftdale Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 I can only echo what everybody else has said, fantastic work in every aspect. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt6mkiii Posted December 20, 2020 Author Share Posted December 20, 2020 On 12/19/2020 at 12:20 PM, F1Fan said: Do you have a build thread on this one? No, sorry, no build thread on this one. I've tried to create a couple of WIP threads but get too distracted by actual building! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now