Kit introduction: 1/20 Fujimi McLaren MP 4/6 Grand Prix of Japan 1991

I guess that most of you guys who are frequently browsing the modeling shop sites are familiar with this picture:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4452.jpg

Fujimi released the famous MP 4/6 in 1/20 scale. I just like to show you the parts to hand you a first impression of the kit.

brake and suspension parts:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4444.jpg

cowl and underbody:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4439.jpg

The cowl shows some carbon-fibre-like texture. I don´t know how this looks when you just paint these parts. I don´t think that it comes near to the effect of doing th carbon-fibre-decal-job.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4440.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4441.jpg

body and wing parts:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4443.jpg

instructions:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4436.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4435.jpg

The engine parts. As you can see they are chrome plated. Fujimi put a great effort into using some sort of matt chrome plating. Nevertheless I think that the plating needs to be removed to get the coloring of these parts correct.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4448.jpg

The kit comes with seat belt material and PE-parts for the belts:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4438.jpg

Fujimi supplied the kit with the non-tobacco-markings. Several aftermarket companies offer you the tobaco-markings. The decals you see here are the museum collection markings. The red used is a little brighter than used in the Fujimi decals. As you can see Fujimi offers a decals for the front red section. I think that I will paint this part using the decal as base for a paint-template.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4437.jpg

When ordering this kit I couldn´t resist buying this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4453.jpg

Here you´ll find great (sometimes too small) pictures of all the Senna-rides in F1. Sadly I can´t read or speak japanese. So I´ll stick with the pictures.


Overall this seems to be a great kit offering lots of potential for aftermarket detailing. Some parts will need to be removed and replaced with aftermarket parts to achieve a more relaistic look.
I hope that fitment won´t be an issue. Besides all the other projects I´ll need to finish, I´m happy that Fujimi decided to do this kit.


Robert

Thanks for this kit review! :)

PS: What you call a cowl is in fact the monocoque chassis.

It is a nice kit, I got mine from HLJ a couple of weeks ago. Not planning on building it just yet though, as I haven't built anything for a good while and don't want to ruin the kit.
I'm waiting for the planned Fujimi release of the Ferrari F187/88C in 1/20th scale. I hope it will be a nice and easy, all one colour, straightforward build that I can polish my skills on before I tackle the McLaren........ Well that's the plan anyway...!!

One important thing you neglected to mention, though, is the tires. They are NOT correct for this car, they are actually the Michelins from the 126C2 and not Goodyears - they have the vertical ribbing on them and are not the correct size. On another forum, someone posted a reply from Fujimi that they felt it looked right, and they were not going to be changing it.

The decals are a complete disappointment. The red is a blah red totally incorrect and they forgot to put the chevrons on the "McLaren" in red, they are black, hence the small red decal sheet. Even if you buy MC decals, you still need the numbers to be Fluorescent red. Fujimi has a set printed by Cartograf as an aftermarket set. What the difference is, who knows but why didn't they do the decals correct in the first place?

I was wondering about those tires. What's more correct, the rubber from the 641?

The engraving in this kit is just stupid, though, and that single-piece engine block is a regular orgy of sliding molds.

Some folks like to point out the occasionally blocky, over-geometric parts Fujimi produces (as if nobody else notices it, and as if Fujimi's still in the regular habit of doing it). Tellya right now, gonna bit a bit more of a job finding stuff like that to harp on in this muddafuggah...

Tellya right now, gonna bit a bit more of a job finding stuff like that to harp on in this muddafuggah...

I´ve been in TX for a year. But even reading this three times I don´t get what you mean...



Thanks everybody for pointing out the flaws of this kit. That is one reason I like to introduce kits to the forum. It gives me a chance to get as much information about what´s right and what´s wrong with a kit.

About the tires... I didn´t notice that. To be honest, I didn´t take a closer look at them, yet. These are the only parts still in plastic.

Jano: Of course this is not a cowl. Sometimes, when I write things I´m very sure about the term I´m using. When I read it some minutes again I find out that the word used means something different. But you guys are way too fast pointing this out - hence no need to correct the wrong use of words.

Thanks guys for commenting on the kit. Any more thoughts?


Robert

Jano: Of course this is not a cowl. Sometimes, when I write things I´m very sure about the term I´m using. When I read it some minutes again I find out that the word used means something different. But you guys are way too fast pointing this out - hence no need to correct the wrong use of words.

Next time I'll wait a bit before posting! ;)
Just kidding! :evillol:

Thanks again for the great kit review! :)

When ordering this kit I couldn´t resist buying this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/knobi23232/McLaren%20MP%204-6/CIMG4453.jpg

Here you´ll find great (sometimes too small) pictures of all the Senna-rides in F1. Sadly I can´t read or speak japanese. So I´ll stick with the pictures.

Robert

I have the original release of this great magazine, which has the unfortunate title. "Remains of Ayrton Senna" :headshake:confused:

I have the original release of this great magazine, which has the unfortunate title. "Remains of Ayrton Senna" :headshake:confused:

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but I'm looking at purchasing this and was wondering the quality of the pics? Are they useful for reference?

Thanks!

Daniel

I´ve been in TX for a year. But even reading this three times I don´t get what you mean...

No problem. How about this:

Fujimi used to have the tendency to mix a few compromised, oversimplified parts in otherwise brilliant kits.

Fact is, modelers who noticed this tendency in the first place should also have noticed that Fujimi has been trending distinctly away from this practice in recent years. To such a degree that now, especially in this kit, you're going to be hard-pressed to find any of those those half-done parts.

The tires and decals aren't optimal, I suppose, but the engraving and mold processing are pretty damn good.

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but I'm looking at purchasing this and was wondering the quality of the pics? Are they useful for reference?

Thanks!

Daniel

That depends. Some pictures are very detailed shots of parts you´ll need reference for in modelling. Sadly you won´t find the same amount of usefull reference pictures for every car Senna drove in his F1-career.

Regarding the MP 4/6 there is no relvenat picture to have a closer look at the material of the front suspension parts. You´ll find some on the internet but not in this book.

Also, sometimes you can see that the picture actually shows a car of the teammate. When I´m home this week end I´ll scan you a page to show what I mean.

Hope this helps so far...


Robert

Hey Robert,

Thanks for the review. I am most curious as to the fit of the parts...this is (in my opinion) the biggest reason why a Fujimi kit will never really stack up to a Tamiya one.

Will you be doing any dry fitting soon?

Stuart

Hey Robert,

Thanks for the review. I am most curious as to the fit of the parts...this is (in my opinion) the biggest reason why a Fujimi kit will never really stack up to a Tamiya one.

Will you be doing any dry fitting soon?

Stuart

Interesting point. However the fit on these newer Fujimi kits is excellent (I've done a bit of dry fitting with the McLaren and I can't see any major issues regarding fitment)
I've had some Tamiya kits that were really poor fitting in places, Ferrari 310B engine cover, Benetton B192 engine cover and McLaren MP4/5b engine cover spring to mind as a couple of examples.............

I suppose the test will be when someone builds one of the 'newer' Fujimi kits, then we will really know what the fit is like :grinno: