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Re: Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2020 8:37 am
by gp-models
Looking great! :D
Like it, know the H M V paper models, build the Titanic with the children from my brother, realy cool stuff and very well constructed!
This will be very special, hope you post a pic of the finished Bismarck once, the other builds look fantastic too, good job!

Re: Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:31 pm
by dr_gn
Just to keep this going I fitted the inlet trumpets. They were a real nightmare to align. I used standard Araldite to give some adjustment time, but even so, I’m not sure they’re 100% right even now.

I polished them up a bit with Autosol on a cotton bud:

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Couldn’t resist balancing a few bits of engine together to see how it looked:

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Re: Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2020 4:52 am
by Seema
Nice that this building goes a little further. The tray looks great. Good decal work. The Autosol is a very good product. I use it on the rims with great results.

Re: Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2020 1:13 pm
by dr_gn
Thanks Seema! I use Autosol on a lot of metal projects. Simichrome is also very good.

Re: Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2020 4:11 pm
by senninha
That will be the new number one MP4/6 worldwide.. absolute stunning work, thank you for sharing your fantastic work.

Re: Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2020 5:18 pm
by dr_gn
senninha wrote:That will be the new number one MP4/6 worldwide.. absolute stunning work, thank you for sharing your fantastic work.
Thanks very much! My aim is always to do so the best I’m capable of, no matter how many times it takes. However, with this model there are still two big hurdles: the tub, and the exhausts. Everything else, I have a plan, and can’t see much issue (given enough time!). But with the tub especially, I really still don’t know how to approach it. Even input from the designer of the chassis just complicated things further (and added some more pressure to get it right):

https://www.f1m.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=31306

Re: Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2020 5:42 pm
by daveyman
Intake tray looks spot on. Superb!

Re: Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:12 am
by dr_gn
Thanks guys - long time no post, but enough’s enough. Today, come what may, I wanted to do something to move this millstone forward a bit. This is where I left the modified rear rockers, with the unpainted, scratch built bits. I hesitate to say “corrected”, but they are far closer to reality than the kit/Top Studio parts:

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So once the relevant bits were painted and satin coated, assembly was pretty straightforward. Springs are too thin, but easily fixed later if I can source some more realistic items:

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Then on to the gearbox casings, which I fitted with PVA - just in case...

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I ended up getting some Top Studio brass fasteners for the suspension brackets - I think the real ones may have had a gold coating:

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You can cut them to whatever size you need:

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Here they are fitted:

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So far so good. Next job will be to give the other gearbox and suspension mounts a coat of Mr.Hobby Aqueous satin, and get the rest of the gearbox assembled.

Re: Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:26 am
by dr_gn
Roll bar components:

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Brackets Araldited to the gearbox casing, and brass bolt heads added:

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And the rocker assemblies fitted, and the a.r.b. links temporarily pinned in place:

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Might lighten the links a bit to give some contrast to the bar.

Re: Tamiya 1:12 McLaren MP4/6 Rebuild/Upgrade

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:18 pm
by dr_gn
This one is taking its toll on my mental health! Nothing seems to fit without some fettling, and fettling invariably means damaging paint somewhere or other. It’s a viscious circle. and experimenting with matt/satin varnish is a pain.

Anyway, I decided to test assemble what I’ve got so far, just to make sure it fits before going any further. The modified rocker geometry looks way better than the original kit, and the a.r.b. mounts and linkages are now pretty accurate:

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I kind of wish I’d not satined the fasteners - they look a bit dull now, then again previously they were a bit too bling. Anyway, it is what it is.

Still needs all the wiring, hoses and anodised fittings, and the gold coloured suspension arm bolts. Before that though, the upper wishbones need their camber shims dealing with.