Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

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Jeff
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Re: Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

Post by Jeff »

yes, looks like they're FIA inspection stickers, must be some kind of scrutineering/parc ferme requirement, as member Scaleautofactory mentioned. It says: "void if removed"


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vanhookvintage
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Re: Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

Post by vanhookvintage »

This is fantastic work! Great to see your perseverance. The lumpy engine cowling would have been the end for me! Looking forward to more. :D :D :D

Cheers,
Greg
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SebLeung
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Re: Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

Post by SebLeung »

klinad wrote:Wow nice work so far. I'm planning to build this in the future, I suggest maybe you can airbrush the black colour on the engine cover.The S27 decal also has big black dots pretending to be "shade" look which is not gonna work. Use the decal you applied as a guide and use sliver colour to correct the blace colour where oversprayed.
Thank you! I honestly considered this for a split second but I was 99% sure I'd make a mess of it. Also using silver to repair overspray wouldn't work because of how critical it is to have an even coat of silver over the black base. When I was repairing some of the marks left by Microsol, it became a huge challenge to restore an even silver finish, and in the end the result is an imperfect paint job, where the silver reflects differently in some areas. Thankfully, most of these areas are covered in decals. I did however also consider masking the surrounding areas with blue-tack for a soft edge effect but I decided the decals are sufficient.

Thanks for the closeups and explanations of the FIA parc ferme stickers everyone. I figured it related to that. I love how these stickers are included in the decal sheet, it's a great little detail to add. The kit also includes Mercedes parts stickers for the nose and Pirelli barcode decals. I think FIA stickers and Pirelli tyre markings + barcode stickers would be a great thing for someone like Indycals to sell, they're like the modern F1 equivalent of adding tyre markings to models.

Anyways onto the update:

I started by applying the first layer of 2K, to be the base for sponsor decals. I also started tapering the edges of the thick floor to the point where you'd be fooled looking from the side.
Before:
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After:
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Many many decals applied, including all CF decals included in the kit.
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I also repaired the ill-fitting head rest decal by filling the surrounding area with paint. Looks a bit better now. I had another issue with 2K lifting that was applied over decals, similar to what I experienced on my Lotus 102D. Not sure how to avoid that in the future. It was repaired by the final 2K coat later without issue thankfully.
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One odd thing about my model - in a few areas where parts were bonded with epoxy glue and blended with epoxy putty, there's been some odd white buildup appearing. It started before I painted, continued after I painted, continued after I applied decals, even broke through the surface of a decal at one point. It could easily be cleaned away with water. It seemed to have stopped after applying 2K though. If somebbody knows what this is, I'd love to know.
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Another thing I'm curious about that I haven't seen people mention: I've noticed small hairline cracks appearing in areas where white metal was blended into resin with epoxy putty. I know epoxy putty isn't supposed to shrink over time, so I think they started appearing after exposure to heat? Either from soaking in lukewarm water before painting or using a hair dryer to apply decals, I'm assuming it's because the metal, epoxy, and resin expand at different rates when exposed to heat, and the contraction then leaves then creates hairline cracks? Sorry don't have any pictures right now though, but I noticed before priming stage.

Anyways, after applying all sponsor decals, yesterday I applied the final coat of 2K and it went on brilliantly. I like the effect of gloss over metallic silver, it kind of looks semi-gloss at some angles because of the metallic flakes, but when there is bright light you can see reflections in the glass-like surface.
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There's not too too much left to do:
Prime and paint the floor + wheels
CF decal for the floor, Pirelli decals for the tyres
Semi gloss clear all the carbon parts
Assemble
Done??

My conservative estimate is 2 weeks to completion, 3 weeks if life gets busy. As always, thanks for looking!
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kimi_8
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Re: Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

Post by kimi_8 »

cant wait to see the finished article. stunning job
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Re: Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

Post by lezdep »

Great progress. Hope to see it in person soon.

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Re: Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

Post by SebLeung »

Been on a modelling hiatus for a few months but finally got it in me to pick it back up again this week! (Thanks lezdep)

This is an update consisting of the wheels and tires I did back in March but never posted, and continuing decal work on the floor.

The blue rim decals conformed very nicely (to my great surprise), however of course they didn't extend all the way around... I later touched it up with some Leyton House paint and a brush. Not a perfect match but it'll pass.
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In previous updates I talked about how awful the pre-printed MFH Pirellis are, as well as how poor the shape of S27 tires are. I think this picture really illustrates how much worse the included SF71H tires are.
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This week I finished up CF decals on the floor. I'd done 90% of it back in May so I've just been easing myself back in. Lots of different shapes and CF directions. Again, my first time templating and cutting out CF decals myself, and it's a looooot of work. I genuinely don't enjoy doing it but the results are worth it.
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senninha
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Re: Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

Post by senninha »

Very nice progress, cant wait to see the finished racer also :D
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whatisdeletrazdoing
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Re: Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

Post by whatisdeletrazdoing »

Super impressive scratch/modification work to get that kit up to par. Nice work with the carbon decals as well, and the paint is gorgeous! Looking forward to seeing this done.
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jorgeralvear
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Re: Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

Post by jorgeralvear »

Simply fantastic, what amazing detail work with the carbon fiber decals. Very very nice.

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Re: Mercedes W08 2017 British GP 1/20 MONOPOST

Post by SebLeung »

Didn't take too many WIP photos in the final stretch unfortunately, but this is the final update.

It started with a moment of panic when I opened a new bottle of liquid CA glue, which promptly exploded/squirted onto the floor. I had a minor panic attack and thought I'd set myself back hours of work, but miraculously it only landed on one panel of CF. Only took my about 15 minutes to remove the damaged decal and replace it.
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Things I did not pictured:
Painted sidewalls of Pirellis
Placed rivets on the body
Alclad light sheen on most CF parts
Made the race harness
Cut the windshield
PE everywhere

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Final assembly was easier in some senses and harder in others. The rear suspension was a bit of a nightmare to assemble, but things like the front and rear wings went together much easier than I'd expected, especially the rear wing. Photo etch details were largely a nightmare to attach.

Anyways, after a lot of hard work and sweat, I can't believe my first MM kit is complete!
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I started it last winter and it's crazy when I go back in this thread and look at how this kit started. There are some aspects I wish I'd been able to do better, but realistically I don't think I could have expected any better from myself.

I'll create a post in the Completed Projects thread when I get the chance to take proper photos.

Thanks for following everyone!
http://www.f1modelling.com
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PM me if you have an MFH 1/20 BT55 for sale (resin version, not metal)
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