McLaren F1 LM. Finally. Even if it's a Fujimi kit.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

This is a holy-grail kit for me, even though it's the Fujimi kit that's never going to be more than a decent curbside without a ton of re-engineering.

Glad I'm working on the #24 Gulf car right now to learn the kit, so I'll have a better idea of what faces me when building a decent LM from the Fujimi kit. I do have an old, early Profil24 #24 kit to use for some extra parts, perhaps under the engine cover, the wheels/tires are going under my Fujimi #24.

[tonioseven]

Nice!! Finally!!

[TvD]

Excuse my ignorance, but what's the difference with the earlier Fujimi short tail kits (like the #24 you mentioned)?

[bradfordian]

Originally Posted by TvD

Excuse my ignorance, but what's the difference with the earlier Fujimi short tail kits (like the #24 you mentioned)?

Rear wing?

Dunno

[da_ashman]

Originally Posted by TvD

Excuse my ignorance, but what's the difference with the earlier Fujimi short tail kits (like the #24 you mentioned)?

Awesome!!! But sadly ive just started turning my Gulf F1 into the LM.

TvD - theres barely any difference between the 2, the interior would sport 3 seats instead of 1 seat & electronic equipment. on the exterior, some pics I've found have the LM with the same oil/raditor cooling inlets on the sides infront of the rear wheels & some dont have either inlet. Alot of the F1s that raced have been sold & turned into race cars, McLaren only ever made 3 LMs & 2 are owned by some skek (dont know how to spell it sorry) in Brunei / saudi...

McLaren have been releasing 10min documentries on YouTube about the F1 & its LeMans debut. Really interesting, the 5 cars that raced at LeMans in 95 & won were roadcars with spoilers & racing slicks, they barely changed anything!!!

[hirofkd]

It'll probably the same short tail kit with a set of different wing parts. The earlier short tail kits have a switch on the sprue where different parts can be molded, so I guess Fujimi already planned on this kit when they designed the short tail kits.

That means, this LM road version will probably have the same problems as the short tail kits, so keep your expectations low.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by hirofkd

It'll probably the same short tail kit with a set of different wing parts. The earlier short tail kits have a switch on the sprue where different parts can be molded, so I guess Fujimi already planned on this kit when they designed the short tail kits.

That means, this LM road version will probably have the same problems as the short tail kits, so keep your expectations low.

My expectations are plenty low...but still glad it's coming. I'm practicing on my #24 car that will be done by the end of the 24 Hours of LeMans in a few weeks. My new side skirts are a lot better than Fujimi's, but I should have been more vigilant while the skirts were drying (from Tamiya extra thin cement) as they dried in place a bit too vertical; they were splayed out better when I first glued them.

[stratos75]

Originally Posted by da_ashman

McLaren only ever made 3 LMs & 2 are owned by some skek (dont know how to spell it sorry) in Brunei / saudi...

Sorry for correcting you. There were built six LM's including one prototype.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren_F1_LM

It's my album with LM on the Geneva Motor Show 2013
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjEhstkB

Besides of a different rear wing and absence of a left side air inlet I have detected that LM's have their own wheels with logo on them, three pairs of headphones, soft trim on a race dashboard, no roll cage, a race driver's seat with soft orange pads, no passenger's seats (only soft pads on a monocoque), orange covers on the engine and some other little features like logos, plates, sticker, etc.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Thanks for those detail photos for those of us who probably never will see one in person

[MPWR]

Damnit.

This is one of those icon cars for me. I fear I must have it- even if it is a crummy Fujimi kit.

Originally Posted by ZoomZoomMX-5

Thanks for those detail photos for those of us who probably never will see one in person

[hirofkd]

I started to wonder if the kit was designed years ago, during the dark age of Fujimi.
They have the same level of WTF errors as in RX-8 and DC5 Integra.
Fujimi's more resent kits, designed in China, don't have so many problems.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by hirofkd

I started to wonder if the kit was designed years ago, during the dark age of Fujimi.
They have the same level of WTF errors as in RX-8 and DC5 Integra.
Fujimi's more resent kits, designed in China, don't have so many problems.

I've been slowly doing a bit of work with my Fujimi MX-5 (NC/3rd gen), and it's actually an amazing kit in so many ways, you can tell whoever designed that kit absolutely loves the car (I would love to see them do the new ND Miata if they go to the same lengths of detail as the NC). I dare say it's Fujimi's best modern car kit below "Enthusiast kit" level of detail, or on par with their R35 GTR. I have no idea why they did such a half-hearted job w/the McLaren, but I guess it's possible it was either done years ago and mothballed, or they had their "C" team design it.

[MPWR]

Originally Posted by hirofkd

I started to wonder if the kit was designed years ago, during the dark age of Fujimi.

Your pessimism is infectious.

[BVC500]

Totally agree that for a few years, their kits were amazing. I'm thinking of the Lexus LS600 as an example. WTF happened?!

[da_ashman]

I read something years ago (think it may have been here), That Fujimi outsource everything! The kit design is farmed out to designers, the mold making & casting is done in China (not that any company does that anymore), the design & printing of packaging, & packing & shipping done by someone else.
They effectively are middle men... & think the article said they had 3 full time employees, to cover there varse range of products. Which is why they have such discrepancies between their model range.