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Belkits MG Metro 6R4


Windy37

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I’ve been busy masking up the body ready for painting. Basically the top half is blue , the bottom half white . I’m going to spray the body Tamiya TS44 Brilliant Blue , as recommended by the instructions. Masking up took ages , but it will all be worth it ! The fuel filler flaps are photo etch .
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Suspension legs wrapped in cotton for coil spring painting. Always remember to label them , when removed from the sprue .

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Rear subframe ready for fitting . Brake disc faces are photo etch and look good . 
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The instructions show the subframe built up and fitted but also says not to glue the bottom links of the suspension legs . This becomes clear why , as it’s impossible to fit the legs around the driveshafts . So I removed the legs , fitted the subframe , left to dry and then fitted the legs ......  Dodgy instructions again . 

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Thanks for looking , Gary . 

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Looking as though this builds up very well, keep up the good work.

 

It does look very much as though you're having a similar Belkits experience to me, namely that they are very good at anything which doesn't involve paper (i.e. beware of instructions and decals).

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43 minutes ago, Spiny said:

Looking as though this builds up very well, keep up the good work.

 

It does look very much as though you're having a similar Belkits experience to me, namely that they are very good at anything which doesn't involve paper (i.e. beware of instructions and decals).

I remember the troubles you had with the Fiesta . The instructions don't seem to match the order of build . I'm definitely dry fitting first on this one . 

 Gary . 

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I really have to psyche myself up when it comes to spraying.
It usually turns out fine, but you only need a couple of disasters to make you think the next one will be too ...

 

Cheers,

Alan.

Edited by Alan R
typo
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16 hours ago, Alan R said:

I really have to psyche myself up when it comes to spraying.
It usually turns out fine, but you only need a couple of disasters to make you think the next one will be too ...

 

Cheers,

Alan.

I agree with your thinking there , Alan . 

 Gary . I 

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5 hours ago, FunkyChiken said:

That paint work is excellent! Will you be decalling then clear coating, or the other way around? 

I will give it a clear coat , decal then clear coat again . As long as it has a shine , its good for me . Rally cars are never deeply polished even when new . 

 Thanks for your interest  

 Gary  . 

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This weekends progress on the Metro . Front axle assembly. 
The car is steerable , the steering arm connected to the hubs with tiny metal pins .

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I put the brake discs onto the hubs , before building the steering arm up . The pins were a tight fit , so I opened up their holes a bit , this made the job easier , but was very fiddly . As I assembled the arm upside down, the pins kept falling out , so for the final finish the pins needed their flat tops to be on top of the arm so they hold position. Leaving the brake discs until all this part was done would have made this job easier , I think .  The suspension legs then fit onto the hubs , none of this is glued to allow the steering to move . 
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Next job was to fit the front differential.If I had realised, this could have been fitted about 3 stages ago , as the dif has to fit under the prop shaft , so a bit of manipulation was needed . The instructions letting the side down again ..... There’s a very fragile anti rollbar to fit too . You’ll notice I’m using Blue Tac to hold everything together at this point . Already I’m not happy at the geometry the front wheels will be at , the steering arm seems slightly too long and is pushing the hubs out . 

 

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Finally the subframe is fitted . This fits well and holds everything in place . 


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The underside now finished , apart from the protection panels , which I will leave til the end as i hate covering up all that hard work !

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I think if anyone following this is thinking of building this kit  , dry fit everything because the instructions don’t show the build order in the most logical way  . Overall though, I’m pleased with how it’s progressing. 
Thanks for looking, 

 Gary . 

  


 

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Despite your arguments with the instructions, this is coming along very nicely and you're doing a very good job with it, certainly not moving this down from being top of my to-buy list. I wish I could offer advice about that toe out on the front wheels but I fear it may just be something you have to live with short of hacking up the suspension - looks as though it'll be a model to display with the wheels turned.

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Very nice progress, coming on well!! I don't think it's  the steering arms that are too long, more the steering rack that is too short and not allowing the hubs to go fully out. If the steering rack is too short you can easily cut it in the middle and use a piece of hollow plastic tube to rejoin it, sort of like a sleeve arrangement.  Don't glue it at first, simply push the two outer parts back into the 'new' centre sleeve, adjust them until you're happy with the alignment, then use some Tamiya thin or equivelant to glue it together when you're happy with the final position. You could even use a piece of rubber tubing if you want it to be permanently adjustable.

Edited by Steve Noble
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Thanks for your kind comments.  I had thought of playing about with the steering arm , Steve , but now it's all in and glued I think I'm going to live with it . If , however , it looks wrong when finished I might take it apart and have a look . Sometimes I wonder whether all the effort to have a steerable model is actually worth it . 

 Gary . 

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1 hour ago, Windy37 said:

Thanks for your kind comments.  I had thought of playing about with the steering arm , Steve , but now it's all in and glued I think I'm going to live with it . If , however , it looks wrong when finished I might take it apart and have a look . Sometimes I wonder whether all the effort to have a steerable model is actually worth it . 

 Gary . 

It's not the arms themselves, it looks like the steering rack part, I think it clips onto each side of the hub, no glue? If you unclip it and can make the hubs straight/square in the arches, it's either too long, hubs toe in, or too short, hubs toe out. I've had this happen on a few models over the years, even some Tamiya kits. It's a simple fix to cut it in the middle with side cutters, align the hubs into the correct position and use a sleeve of plastic tube to rejoin the middle together. Takes a couple of minutes only. It's difficult to explain, but easy to do.

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Gary, it's part number H18, your hubs are toe out, so, it's too short. If you lengthen it, just a little the hubs will be straight. You only need it to be a fraction short and the hubs will toe out. Cut it where I've put the red mark and adjust accordingly..

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/9/2020 at 3:49 PM, Steve Noble said:

It's not the arms themselves, it looks like the steering rack part, I think it clips onto each side of the hub, no glue? If you unclip it and can make the hubs straight/square in the arches, it's either too long, hubs toe in, or too short, hubs toe out. I've had this happen on a few models over the years, even some Tamiya kits. It's a simple fix to cut it in the middle with side cutters, align the hubs into the correct position and use a sleeve of plastic tube to rejoin the middle together. Takes a couple of minutes only. It's difficult to explain, but easy to do.

What I thought would be a simple job turned into a nightmare ! I followed your guide , Steve ,  but unfortunately I didn’t have the correct bit of plastic to put  into the steering arm once it was cut . I eventually found a piece to fit and glue into place . I left it to set for a couple of days then tried to refit to the car . I didn’t want to remove the sub frame so tried to thread the arm through and back into position . Then the arm snapped while I was reattaching ..... At this point I decided to leave the kit and do something else for a bit . So I’ve decided to glue the steering in place and attempt a repair on the steering arm . 
  Meanwhile it’s onto the topside of the car . In the engine bay I’ve detailed the various moulded in pipes and suspension top  mounts . The floor pan I sprayed satin black . On the floor is the jack and wheel brace . 

 

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The handbrake seems to be back to front and upside down ! 
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Thanks looking , 

Gary . 

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On 10/28/2020 at 3:18 PM, Toftdale said:

Looks good and just in case your interested and have a spare couple of quid Silverstone  Auctions have a real one for sale.  The Auction takes place on the 13th and 14th of November 😃

The 6R4 mentioned above made £575,000 ! 
Gary . 

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11 hours ago, Windy37 said:

The handbrake seems to be back to front and upside down ! 

 

Is it a fly off? 

 

Set up follow on your thread but for some reason didn't get notifications until this morning so have missed some tidy modelling going on - really like the paintjob! And I feel your pain with the front suspension/steering as I've just been having similar problems with an old Hasegawa Ferrari 348 and with which all 4 wheels are now solidly superglued on using nearly a bottle of the stuff! I guess such problems are more acceptable on an old kit rather than a brand new one though. I'm sure you'll get it sorted though.

 

All looking good anyway!

 

Keith

 

 

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