WIP - Tamiya McLaren MP4/5B

[Zurbert82]

This is my latest WIP.



I have actually been working on this for quite a few months. I was just too lazy to post another progress thread. I have since completed the engine, monococque, cockpit, and suspension. I still have to sand and paint the various body parts and it should be complete. I chose to cut off the nose cone from the rest of the body. I used the back of a hobby knife which worked out pretty well, but the end result was a 1-2 mm gap in between both parts after I test fit them on the monococque. I have since extended the body forward with 1-2 mm of putty which as been sanded to shape. Here are the pics for now.









The monococque was airbrushed with semi gloss black and titanium gold (3:1). I then clear coated this with model master metalizer sealer to give a semi gloss shine. I cut off the tips of the electronic boxes, drilled holes with a very small drill bit, and used spark plug wire from PSF hobbies (eBay seller, highly recommended). The sidepod and rear wing supports were covered in Scale Motorsport CF. After that, I drilled holes in the sidepods and inserted a bent staple. Yes, a bent staple, to simulate the fasteners or whatever they use to secure the various wires. I used Alclad chrome on the intake trumpets and exhaust headers. The headers were sprayed with clear yellow to simulate the copper-bronze color found on the real life exhausts, but I'm not sure if this is accurate. My only complaint about this kit is the front suspension mount, it doesn't sit flush with the monococque. I should have filled this earlier in the build, but it doesn't look that bad.

[builder77]

Great Start.
Very clean build.
Keep up the good work.
Chris

[935k3]

Originally Posted by Zurbert82

This is my latest WIP.
The headers were sprayed with clear yellow to simulate the copper-bronze color found on the real life exhausts, but I'm not sure if this is accurate.

Looks good so far. The color you want for the exhaust is Testor's Jet exhaust.

[DerXL]

Very clean and very impressive.

Never been a fan of any McLaren, but that does not deter from this great build.
I'll be following your progress !

[billypee]

Nice start. Very clean and good photos. Keep it up.

[Zurbert82]

Nearly 11 months later and I've resumed working on this kit. I'll post photos soon, but the bodyshell has been painted and decaled, and the chassis is nearly finished. I considered building the Emanuele Pirro test version as he was their test driver in 1990 but I didn't have the proper decals. I've also glued the nose/wing assembly to the monococque, and much to my delight the bodyshell fits perfectly.

[Captain Mark]

Lookin' forward to pictures...!

[Zurbert82]

Here are some more progress photos as promised. The car is nearly complete except for the mirrors and rear wing whose pieces have been giving me fits. My last error was mistakenly spraying TS-26 white over a fluorescent red piece, rather than clear. Turns out I put the TS-13 clear cap on my TS-26 can. The inside of the wing end plates have received plain weave carbon fiber decals from Scale Motorsport. I left the inside of the nosecone white while it should have been black, but it only shows up in some angles. Surprisingly the body fits perfectly and lines up well with the nose, thanks to some prior putty work.

[builder77]

Looks good.
We all have mistakes we end up having to cover up!