In progress - McLaren MP4/5B

[Scuderia.]

This is my first model, the inspiration came after I saw pictures of Bil’s Mp4/6, and I found the model on sale for A$24. I started it about 15 months ago and decided it should be a super detailed model. However it got put on hold for about a year because of the learning (mistake) overload it was causing. Instead I decided to work on a few curbside models so that I could get my body painting skills to a passable level.
A few days ago I pulled it out of the box and decided to start working on it again. This is the progress I have to date.

The small monocoque sections on the base plate were cut off and glued onto the monocoque, and the holes for the rivets were also drilled. The monocoque was then primed and sanded several times until all the mistakes were gone. The side pods were also sprayed grey.



Then the complicated process of trying to replicate the black/amber colour of the monocoque began. The process was quite lengthy and involved sanding/stripping paint several times. I now know bad things happen when you mix acrylic, enamel and lacquer. I new it before, but now I really know.



The final effect was obtained by laying down a mixed of dark copper and black, followed by a light coat of turn signal amber and several coats of smoke. Sections of the monocoque were then taped off and several more light coats of smoke were applied to give the panelling effect. The decals were then laid down and several coats of satin clear were applied.





The upper A arms were then detailed with pins and PE washers and glued into place.



Putty was then applied and sanded so there was no gap in the nose cone section. The nose cone was then sprayed black and CF decal was applied. Unfortunately I sprayed a light coat of smoke over the CF before it had fully dried and a bubble formed. I was able to fix most of the problem, but I think I will glue the front wing in place so that it is hidden. SMS PE rivet were also painted black and then sanded before being glued into all the holes in the monocoque.



The tamiya model also lacks the steering column and has poor dampers on the front so I decided to scratch build them using some styrene sheet and sprue. I stole the universal joint from an Alfa model and stuck a pin through the middle.



The lower A arms were then cut away from the central fixing piece and 0.5mm pins were inserted in the ends. The ends of the A arms were then placed through the holes in the monocoque and the pins inserted into the central fixing piece. Thin needles were then cut and used for the uprights as the plastic ones were way out of scale.





The brake ducts were coated in CF decal and clear coated and the brakes were simply painted as they will be hidden. The electronic boxes were cleaned up and some extra detail was added with F1 specialties connectors and some PE and electrical tape.





The cockpit was covered with CF decal and clear coated. PE and pins were used to add extra detail. The roll bar adjuster was scratch built (after I lost the other one). The molded seat belt was also removed (an awful job) and replaced with and F1 specialties set. The PE is very detailed and looks good, however, the belts I found to be very stiff and hard to position. The supplied decals also do not stick to the material so you need to clear coat the material first.







I also detailed the roll hoop with pin heads I turned in my dremel, and removed the fuel filler and put in my own. It looks a little basic, but is better because I could paint it separately.



I have also CF’d the floor and coated it with smoke, but I don’t have any pictures. I will now start working on the body. I have the detail set from F1 specialties with the thin endplates which look much better. I hope you like it and sorry about the bad pics. I was still learning to use the camera.

[generationx]

That is fantastic work! Is this 1/20th? Really impressive, especially with clever solutions to scratch-building.

[Spitfire7]

Great work so far. I saw an amazing MP4/5 model in the BMOM competiton not long ago, they look great when completed.

[builder77]

WOW! Very nice work!
Can you get some better pictures of the belts?
Any problems getting them together?

Keep up the good work!

Chris

[sjelic]

Very very nice looking Mclaren, keep it on same level and it will be fantastic.

[lumpulus]

Best MP4/5x I've seen to date. Keep us posted!

[Tikiman]

That is brilliant work. With all the effort you are putting in i am surprised you are using non photo etch brake discs.

[robrex]

It's looking very impressive so far!

[RallyRaider]

Great, great stuff, please keep showing us your progress. I love the colour you achieved on the monocoque.

Welcome to AF great to have yet another Aussie master modeller on the board.

[willster127]

This si beautiful ,I love the monocoque colour.

Thanks for sharing, can't wait to see more.

[bvia]

Love the monocoque detail and the paint effects you've achieved. Can't wait to see more!

Thanks for sharing,
Bill

[Captain Mark]

Excellent 'experimenting'!
I'm also curious about the scale?

[scudera]

Thanks for all the comments guys. This is the 1/20th Tamiya McLaren MP4/5B Honda (20026). So far I have found the model to be pretty good. However, my body cowling is warped and doesn't fit on the model cleanly. I started to fix the problem, but then decided I was going to display the model with the cowling off so I didn't bother. Also the method Tamiya used to model the front suspension requires a lot of work to make it look realistic. I have also started working on a jordan 191 and this model seems to be engineered much better.
The f1 specialties PE belt buckles are fantastic and look really good. However, some parts require complex bending and a lot of care is needed to make sure they all fit together. I stuffed up the first one I did. You also get a lot of decals and belt materials in different colous and widths. But like I said before, the material is very stiff and the decal won't stick to it. I don't have a camera at the moment so I can't take any close up pics.
I am also moving so no more updates for probably a week.

[Technoman]

Curiosity demand s I ask why your username has changed from scuderia to scudera??

[Guido]

you may find these ref pictures interesting.

Huudo's References.