The official build diary will follow the format of the magazine steps, and will not include any enhancement to the base magazine build. You are of course free to build and enhance the model how you so choose.

Please Note: Official build diary images & text are protected under UK copyright law.

You will require three types of glue for the assembly of this model, one suited to the bonding of ABS plastic to ABS plastic, another being Superglue (cyanoacrilate) for bonding metal to plastic, (a gel or 'thick' type superglue is better controlled), and finally a General Purpose glue.

Grease-free hand cleanliness is important when handling painted parts.

Plastic parts on sprue's should be carefully cut from the sprue with flush cutting side cutters or a modelling knife.

Any remaining screws or parts from each issue's worth of build should be carefully stored for later use.

Issue 1 - Contains front wing parts, a mini '00' Phillips screwdriver and 600 grit abrasive paper; and has build step's for the start of the front wing section.

Miniature screws, ABS glue and Superglue are all used for the assembly of the wing. The build steps contain clear information on the glue/screw points.

Before assembling the wing parts you will need to remove paint from the indicated area's noted within the magazine steps, which is to ensure a good bond; removal of paint can be done by gentle scraping with the edge of a model knife blade and abrasive paper, taking care not to damage the surrounding painted area.

Once the paint has been removed from the indicated area's, the assembly starts with front flap being fixed to one wing end, which is followed by the front wing and then the opposite wing end.

The middle flap and rear flaps are then installed, followed by the front wing centre stay, and finally the two flap stays (avoid applying too much glue to the centre stay).

Later in the series, a decal will be supplied to add on top of the two flap stays to complete the 'n' and 'o' in each of the two Vodafone sponsor decals (left and right).

The wing section and upper front wing should be carefully stored for further assembly at a later point.

This completes the build for issue 1.

Issue 2 goes on sale 6th April, and thereafter will be weekly; the diary build for issue 2 will be posted just before the on sale date as will the builds for the balance of the series.

Forthcoming issue's:

Issue 2 - Contains a front tyre, nose upper section, Mercedes decal and front wing underside fins; and has continues the assembly of the front wing.

Issue 3 - Contains metal upper/lower front suspension arms and pushrod, metal front wheel rim, underside nose section and fixing screws; and has the assembly of the front left suspension.

Issue 4 - Contains metal front lower/upper suspension arms and pushrod along with fixing screws; and has the assembly of the front right suspension.

Issue 2 - Contains a front tyre, nose upper section, Mercedes decal and front wing underside fins; and has continues the assembly of the front wing.

The fins need to be fixed in place with ABS adhesive, take care not to apply too much adhesive and ensure that it does not come into contact with any painted parts.

Identify where each fin is to be located onto the underside of the wing and that each fin is located into its corresponding groove, and that the fins sit upright and at right angles to the wing.

For a good bond of the left/right-hand end plates (parts 6/7), you will need to remove the silver pant from the flat surface of the left/right front wing end plates, this can be done with such as a nail-file emery board.

This completes the build for the underside of the wing, which should be carefully stored pending further assembly.

Carefully store the Mercedes decal and Tyre.

Your model will come together as a series of major sub-assemblies - such as the front wing etc. Whenever you complete a section of the model, be sure to keep the assembly and any carry-over parts somewhere safe until it is next needed, and its a good ides to protect the built assemblies from dust, and use something like soft tissue which will also prevent the painted surfcaes from getting scratched.

That's it for this week!

Future magazines:

Issue 3 - Contains metal upper/lower front suspension arms and pushrod, metal front wheel rim, underside nose section and fixing screws; and has the assembly of the front left suspension.

Issue 4 - Contains metal front lower/upper suspension arms and pushrod along with fixing screws; and has the assembly of the front right suspension.

Issue 4 - Contains the front lower/upper suspension arms and pushrod plus fixing screws; and has instruction for the assembly of the front right suspension.

This assembly of parts in this issue is a mirror image of the left front suspension previously assembled.

Front right upper and lower suspension arms - You'll need to remove paint from the ball-joint stubs of the upper and lower suspension arms as per the indications noted in the magazine, this can be done with careful gentle scraping using the blunt edge of a knife blade.

The pushrod is then screwed to the lower suspension arm with a type 'B' screw, ensure you locate the pushrod onto the correct side of the suspension arm. - Note that the screw is intended to go in at an angle, so that the pushrod will naturally rise away from the suspension arm as you tighten the screw.
Take care not to over tighten the screw, and ensure no pressure is put onto the free end of the pushrod until the assembly is fixed to the car at a later point.

You have now finished the sub-assemblies for the lower and upper front suspension arms, it will be some time before you are ready to fit them in place, so store them carefully to ensure they are not damaged.
It is important that the open ends of the lower suspension arms are not squashed together, as this will put strain on the joints; therefore to prevent this from happening, fold some card into a 'V' form, locating it under each pushrod, and secure by masking tape.

The final photo shows what we have so far in the first four issues.

That's it for this issue!

Future issues:

Issue 5 - Contains a front tyre, nose plate, nose pins & screws; and has instruction for the fixing of the nose plate and nose underside panel.

Issue 6 - Contains a front wheel, pedal unit and flap stay decals; and has instruction for the placement of the flap stay decals.

Issue 7 - Contains front wheel shafts, upright bases, suspension covers & wing stays; and has instruction for attaching of the front suspension covers & front wing stays to the nose, and attaching the nose to the front wing.

Issue 8 - Contains front wheel parts; and has instruction for assembling the right front wheel/brake hub.