Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Finished models...

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lvndeva
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Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Post by lvndeva »

The Mp4/12 will always be a special car for me, it was only my 2nd year of watching f1, and the black and silver paint scheme was certainly an eye-catcher. I attempted this model several years ago, but ran into major problem (keep reading to find out More). So I purchased it again, and purchased a set of spare decals just in case. For years, it’s been on my shelf, just waiting to be build. So here goes the story…

First step is to remove kit imperfections. That means all the seam lines, injection marks etc. I started by sanding using 400 grit sandpaper, followed by 600 and finally 1000. For flat surfaces i sometimes used sanding sticks. There’s a lot of thick mould lines and flashes on some parts. Then, I studied the instruction sheet to understand the sequence of assembly, as well as to see where I can join 2 or more parts prior to painting. This would simplify the final assembly process. So, I joined the front wing and end plates together. I know that I can paint the wing gloss aluminium first, then mask it, and paint a mixture of gloss black + metallic grey on the end plates. As I’ve built a few Revell F1 kits of this era, I’m well aware that gluing surfaces for the body panels are almost non-existent. So, I did some modification. For example, to join the front wing assembly, I drilled 4 x 0.5mm holes on the 2 font wing holders, and glued in 0.5mm brass rods, using CA glue. To receive these rods, I drilled 4 x 0.5mm holes on the front wing as well. Similarly, to ensure the main body has plenty of surfaces for gluing later on, I glued in place some cut styrene blocks on the undertray. For the rear wing, since the end plates and lower wing element is painted the same colour of gloss black + metallic grey, I choose to glue these 3 parts together. Only the upper wing element needs to be assembled later.

All other parts and suspension parts are dry fitted to make sure everything fits well. Some light sanding is done at this stage to improve overall fitting.

I always start painting the body and related panels first, because if there is any major screw up, I can easily either restart, or move on to other projects. This saves time and money which would have otherwise been spent on the rest of the car.

I started by spraying Tamiya Grey Primer straight out of the can, 3 coats. Then I sprayed Tamiya Gloss Aluminum, 3 coats. Then, I made masking templates for the fluorescent red colour, based on the kit decals, and applied the masking tape body. I then sprayed the fluorescent red (Mr. Colour Fluorescent Red) using airbrush, mixed with Mr hobby thinner (50:50), with some drops of retarder. Point to note regarding Gunze Sangyo paints; there’s a difference between Aqueous Hobby Colour vs. Mr. Colour. The former is water based, and it will run if you spray solvent based clear over it. I learnt the hard way once!

After this, once again I carefully cut masking temples and applied to the body, leaving only the area for the black/metallic grey paint exposed. Careful cutting of these masking tapes was necessary using the decal sheet as a guide. I choose the paint the black/metallic grey last, as it can go over the aluminium areas without affecting the tone. I used Tamiya Lacquer Gloss Black + Metallic Grey (50:50), sprayed through airbrush. I must admit, I felt the tone was a little lighter than expected. A better mix would be 70% Black 30% Metallic Grey. However, I choose to leave it as is. Once dried, I removed all the masking tapes, and to my delight, no issues was observed. i.e. paining was a success! Note that there are some discrepancies between the revel instruction on painting vs actual car. Whenever i encounter this, I choose to follow actual car.

Now came another tricky part, applying the decals. The first attempt was done several years ago, where couldn’t get the faded white decal to sit properly and the frontal cockpit area, and I let the decal completely dry. It was an eyesore, and i couldn’t remove it. This time around, I had a lot more experience, and I got an extra decal sheet from ebay, as backup. Once again, the decal was a pain to apply. I think its just that this kit is old (more than 20 years old!) and it shows in the decal. Plenty of Micro Set + Micro Sol was needed, but as important was the handy hair dryer. Without it, surely this attempt would have been a failure as well.

This time around, I cut the front faded white decal in 2, and applied separately. It went on a lot better this way. However, the line where the 2 decals met is somewhat visible. I’m satisfied with it though, it’s the best I can do. I wanted to add the aftermarket ‘West’ decals from Museum Collection. But Revell decided the print the ‘West’ logo (without the wording) on the white decals. So, for the front, I applied 2 cut square aftermarket white decal to cover the printed logo, followed by another layer white decal, slightly smaller than the revel one on the model (to ensure the faded area is not covered) and applied it before applying the ‘West’ decal. For the side pods, I cut square holes on the original Revell white decal, and placed aftermarket white decal in its place, before applying the West decal. Similar story on the rear wing.

Once all decals were applied, I started by painting 2-3 dust coats of Mr. Colour Super Clear Gloss straight from the can. Some ‘bubbles’ were beginning to form above the revel decals, probably due to poor adhesion of the old decals. I had to gently sand using 2000 grit Tamiya sand paper as I build up the clear coat layers, eventually reaching 10 layers (at least 5 were dust coats). Then, I applied some rivet decals from F'artefice, using pictures of the real car as a guide. These decals a tiny, but has strong adhesion. Finally, i used Tamiya ‘Fine’ and ‘Finish’ polishing compounds, followed by Tamiya Wax.

The rest of the model got plenty of Tamiya paints, except the drive shafts which received Mr. Metal Color Copper. It’s a buffing type paint, and looks convincing. The original kit tyres were in poor state, with cracks appearing on the rubber, also 1 tyre had a chunk missing. I had to use a set from my B194 kit. The tyres were sanded using 400 Grit Tamiya sandpaper, sprayed using Mr. Colour Super Clear Gloss, decals applied, then finally Mr. Colour Super Clear Flat. This technique really camouflages the transparent tyre marking decal, making it appear painted on. For the antenna, I used 0.5mm brass rods, cut to length, the ‘round’ tip was achieved by using CA glue and leaving it to dry, upside down. This collects the CA glue only at the tip, a technique I learned from my local hobby shop more than 20 years ago. I must admit it looks over scaled, but on a 1/20 F1 model, it looks spot on. For the mirrors, I used mirror sticker applied on clear plastic sheet, before gluing onto the mirror housing.

Final assembly was nerve wrecking, even with all the drilling and pre-gluing of parts, was still very difficult. I would consider myself lucky to be able to complete it this time, with no major issues. This is one tough model kit to paint and complete, but I’m glad it’s over. And it looks spectacular! The west decals certainly is a big factor in making the car attractive.

I have uplodad a youtube video of the final assembly process (together with some pictures I took along the build). See the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYxYCz5KvtE&t=1349s

Hope you enjoy the pictures!
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vekkuli
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Re: Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Post by vekkuli »

Good Job :) ! The Car was later in the Season adjusted by Mr. Newey, if I remember correctly, only like in A1-Ring the poor M-B-Engine blew up in both Cars early in the Race after brilliant Qualification :mrgreen: .
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daveyman
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Re: Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Post by daveyman »

Nice result on a very tricky livery. I was very interested to read your approach to this livery as I'm in the process of making the Tamiya MP4/13 and I'm painting the whole livery, other than sponsors names/logo.
Thanks for taking the time to share your build.
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Shiiya
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Re: Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Post by Shiiya »

Congratulations ! beautiful paint job ! This car was my first ever built and I just used school scissors , paint brush and glue to assemble it , was garbage :(
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allnie
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Re: Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Post by allnie »

SUPERB. :D :D :D It is a super tricky paint job.
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feelgood
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Re: Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Post by feelgood »

Well done! Looks really good.

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lvndeva
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Re: Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Post by lvndeva »

vekkuli wrote:Good Job :) ! The Car was later in the Season adjusted by Mr. Newey, if I remember correctly, only like in A1-Ring the poor M-B-Engine blew up in both Cars early in the Race after brilliant Qualification :mrgreen: .
Yes mate. Newey definitely had a huge role to play in the success of Mclaren in the coming years. :D

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lvndeva
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Re: Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Post by lvndeva »

Thanks for the comments guys. Appreciate it
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marlborored
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Re: Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Post by marlborored »

Very nice build!!
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CK
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Re: Revell Mclaren Mp4/12

Post by CK »

It is very nice. both the paint work and decal work are great.

I have quite a number of Revell F1 kits, including this one. The early ones are quite a beast to build.

Again, good effort to produce this one!
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