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Belkits MG Metro 6R4


Windy37

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5 hours ago, Malc2 said:

Love a 6R4, I remember them testing each one as they were finished on the Longbridge site up and down 'heart attack hill' next to the onsite fire station.

Should have bought one - they were offered to employees for 14K after group B was cancelled. I think full list price at the time was around 40/60K depending on spec.

 

Malc.

I've seen all the photos of the cars parked up waiting for buyers . Just look at what they are worth now....

 Gary . 

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3 hours ago, Toftdale said:

Nice save with the grill logo, it doesn't look the easiest of thing to get a decal to confirm to.

I should have fitted the grille before applying the bonnet decal , that way everything would have lined up better. 

 Gary .  

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12 hours ago, Windy37 said:

I've seen all the photos of the cars parked up waiting for buyers . Just look at what they are worth now....

There was plan to create one make series for gr.B Metro in Finland, and factory would have sold these very reasonable cost. I understood that cars would have been in clubman tune then.

Planned start was -87 and governing  body took strict line for gr.B cars.  Only non turbo below 1600cc were allowed to use in Finland during transition period. So we got Fiat Uno turbo cup instead...

I would have love to see that national cup running.

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1 hour ago, Vesa Jussila said:

There was plan to create one make series for gr.B Metro in Finland, and factory would have sold these very reasonable cost. I understood that cars would have been in clubman tune then.

Planned start was -87 and governing  body took strict line for gr.B cars.  Only non turbo below 1600cc were allowed to use in Finland during transition period. So we got Fiat Uno turbo cup instead...

I would have love to see that national cup running.

In Britain we had the 6R4 Super cup,  a series of rallies and races for 6R4s . They raced around Birmingham as a support race for the1988  F3000 race !

 Gary .

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Great build to follow - I've got this kit in my stash as I have a soft spot for the 6R4 just haven't started it yet as have just finished my R5 Turbo and Mitsubishi Galant rally builds over the Christmas hols - so feeling a bit rallyed out at the moment, planning to do some armour for the Desert Storm group build then this will prove invaluable when I finally get around to starting mine!

 

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14 hours ago, Scargsy said:

Great build to follow - I've got this kit in my stash as I have a soft spot for the 6R4 just haven't started it yet as have just finished my R5 Turbo and Mitsubishi Galant rally builds over the Christmas hols - so feeling a bit rallyed out at the moment, planning to do some armour for the Desert Storm group build then this will prove invaluable when I finally get around to starting mine!

 

Thanks for your interest.  This is a good kit to build  , Just a  few niggles with poor design to overcome most of which I have tried to highlight.  

 Gary  . 

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Last day of Christmas holidays for me , back to work tomorrow , so did a bit with the Metro today . Built up the front bumper / wing . There are separate fittings if car is to be displayed with spotlights on . I be have built up the spots , but will be displaying without  . My quandary over the colour of the splitter , well , I decided to use Mr Hobby H79 Sandy yellow . Maybe a bit dark but it looks right to me . 
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Then came the big moment.... fitting the body to the chassis . This went very well , the rear pegs needing gentle persuasion into their holes . The front just pushes down onto the chassis ..... easy !  Just a few bits left now , wheels , mirrors and  aerial mainly . Early in the build I had some grumbles , but overall I’m so impressed with how it’s turned out . 
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Thanks for looking , Gary . 

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45 minutes ago, Steve Noble said:

Looks great Gary!! Really enjoyed watching it come together. I think it's given you a few problems along the way for sure, but the end result will be worth it 🙂

It's definitely turning out to be one if my best builds , Steve . I'm sure more detail could be added and I would love to be brave enough to open up that rear hatch , but I'm well pleased with what I've achieved.  Thanks your interest  , Gary . 

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4 hours ago, Windy37 said:

but overall I’m so impressed with how it’s turned out . 

I'm pretty darn impressed at how it has turned out too. That is lovely work on it, one of those quirky somewhat ugly subjects its really easy to like & you've done it more than justice.

Steve.

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48 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

I'm pretty darn impressed at how it has turned out too. That is lovely work on it, one of those quirky somewhat ugly subjects its really easy to like & you've done it more than justice.

Steve.

Thank you very much .

 Gary  .

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Was hoping to have the Metro finished this weekend , however , building  time ran out ! Been wheel fitting . There are two types of wheels included in the kit , the Monte car set , which I will be using , and a set to be used on the Belkits  Jimmy McRae Rothmans 6R4 . People may recognise these as Revolution RFX wheels , popular on rally and road cars in the 80s and 90s . The tyres fit well , but the backside doesn’t have a sidewall to match the front side . So when viewed from underneath they look like ultra low profile road tyres ! 
Revolution RFX spare wheel set . 

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The difference between the front and back sides of the tyres . 
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Fitting wheels to kits is a nervous job , usually involving breaking steering arms or brake discs off . But on recent builds I have sanded the edge of the pin inside the wheels to create a champhered edge and then use a blob of liquid soap on the pin to help slip the wheel into position . The wheels went on well using this method . After my early troubles with front wheel camber issues , I was glad to see the fronts sit straight and true . 
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Just a few jobs left now , thanks for looking 

 Gary . 

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11 hours ago, Windy37 said:

Fitting wheels to kits is a nervous job , usually involving breaking steering arms or brake discs off .

 

Ha, so glad I'm not alone! I do use the soap trick you mention, but haven't tried bevelling the edges of the pins, as knowing how clumsy I am I'd probably break them off! The other thing I've taken to doing is masking the pin with tape and sticking a cocktail stick or similar into the receiving hole before painting anything, as I think even a thin layer of paint on both makes the wheel more difficult to fit.

 

Must say I wish Belkits would just do their wheels and tyres like most other manufacturers - the inside of the tyres on the Metro do look a little daft in that rear view pic. (and the method of mounting the tyres in their Mk1 Escort is a nightmare if like me someone has arthritic fingers!), but they in no way spoil what is a cracking little Metro! If it wasn't for the forthcoming Ascona 400's and Sierra Sapph Cossies (and the fact I already have far too many cars to build!) I'd also crack and get one of these!

 

Lovely job Gary

 

Keith

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13 hours ago, Windy37 said:

But on recent builds I have sanded the edge of the pin inside the wheels to create a champhered edge and then use a blob of liquid soap on the pin to help slip the wheel into position .

I find that chamfering the pins helps a lot as well. never thought of using liquid soap to ease putting the wheel on.
I'll remember that for my next projects (More later, I hope!)

 

Cheers,

Alan.

Edited by Alan R
Typo
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Superb Model Gary!            Sod's law isn't it. I built a 6R4 by cutting off and grafting all the useable bits from the horrible old MRM Resin Kit to a Burago Metro Die Cast, and then this kit gets released just as I finished mine!

The MRM and Burago models are supposed to be 1/24th scale but look nearer to 1/20th when built.

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Would painting the inner rim of the wheel in black help to disguise the "low profile" inner sidewall?  Although if you've got the wheels on, I'd leave it rather than risk messing up your excellent work.

 

There is a Computervision MG Metro 6R4 in the British Motor Museum, although I can't claim to know every detail (which might not match the car you're modelling anyway) your model looks like a great representation of this distinctive rally car.

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