Note - Instructions are available for those who wish to gloss the McLaren MP4-23 model.

Please note - This is for the experienced modeller only.

If you opt to gloss your model then do not progress your build beyond Issue 77.

Here are the glossing steps: http://forum.model-space...aspx?g=posts&t=5133

The official build will follow the un-glossed route, this is purely an option should you wish to have a gloss finish on your model.

Issue 78 - Contains the cockpit side protector, mini-wings, mini-wing stays, mini-wing holders and a head protector., and has instructions for assembling the main body 5 - Installing the brake master cylinders, add the decals to the front suspension arms, assembling the rear cowls, assembling the mini-wings and attaching the mini-wings to the rear cowl.

Items to have ready: Master cylinder – assembled in Issue 72, Suspension decals – provided with Issue 66, Induction box cowl – assembled in Issue 76 Transmission cowl – provided with Issue 66.

Installing the brake master cylinders - Take the brake master cylinder assembly from Issue 72 and test-fit it to the nose mounting plate. The L-shaped bracket fit into the slots so that they end up flush with the plate.
Apply general-purpose adhesive to the brackets with a toothpick. Press them into place, then secure with two narrow strips of tape. Turn the front hubs from left to right and make sure that the master cylinder does not foul the steering crank. If it does, reposition the master cylinder until it clears. Then leave the tape in place for allow the glue to set.

Adding the decals to the front suspension arms - Take the front suspension carbon decals that were provided with Issue 66. Note the numbers next to each one, which indicate where they are placed on the model as per the layout plan.

You may find it helpful to refer to Issues 65 and 66 for more details of the technique for applying suspension decals. This time, you are going to apply decals 7-14 to the upper sides of the suspension arms, and the colourcoded photograph shows where each one is positioned. Before you start, make sure that all these surfaces are clean and dust-free. Dust them with a dry brush if necessary, then clean with a little water on a cotton bud and allow to dry. To apply each decal, cut it out of the sheet, leaving a small border.
Using tweezers to hold the decal by the part number, soak the backing paper in lukewarm water for 20-30 seconds until the transfer slides off easily, then quickly apply this to the model. Do not touch the glue on the back of the transfer. Use a soft tissue or cotton bud to remove any excess water once the decal is in place.

Start by applying decal #7 to the left lower wishbone. Hold it with tweezers to insert it from the front, aligning the ends as shown in the steps. Apply decal #8 to the right wishbone in a similar way.

Apply decal #9 to the left pushrod, sliding the outboard end down the pushrod until the tip lines up with the part of the moulding as shown in the steps. Repeat the process to apply decal #10 to the right pushrod.

Apply decal #11 to the left upper wishbone, fitting the semi-circular notch with the mounting, and matching up the ends with the points as shown in the steps. Be careful to tuck the rear part of the decal on the forward arm under the pushrod without creasing it. Then repeat on the right of the car with decal #12.

Apply decal #13 around the top of the left upright. Start by fitting the W-shaped notch to the corresponding area on the moulding as shown in the steps. Keep the edge parallel with the edge of the moulding. The two ends will fit into recesses in the moulding. Apply decal #14 to the right upright in a similar way.

Assembling the rear cowls - Take the induction box cowl assembled in Issue 76 and the transmission cowl provided with Issue 77. They fit together along the V-shaped lines as shown in the steps, so that the pin goes into the hole.

Use a cocktail stick to apply general-purpose adhesive along the contact area identified earlier, then press the parts together and hold until the adhesive bonds. You can use use masking tape to hold the parts together until the adhesive has bonded fully, then remove the tape.

Assembling the mini wings - Each mini-wing is made up from three components, provided with this issue. Start with the three elements (numbers 3, 5 and 7 in the parts list) used to make the left-hand mini-wing. Do a dry assembly following the steps to make sure that you have not mixed up the left and right parts.

Carefully scrape the paint off both ends of the mini-wing (part 3) as shown in the steps, taking care not to damage the locating pins. Also scrape the paint off the end of the mini-wing end holder (part 7).

Use a cocktail stick to apply small dots of general purpose adhesive to the end of the mini-wing with the two pins in it. Then carefully insert the pins into the mini wing holder as shown. Press and hold for 2-3 minutes until the adhesive bonds.

Apply four dots of general-purpose adhesive to the end of the mini wing and the mini wing holder as indicated in the steps Fit these ends into the matching recesses in the mini-wing stay. You may need to apply some pressure and even flex the miniwing holder a little to do this. Hold the assembly until the adhesive bonds.
You can use a strip of masking tape to hold the assembly together firmly, making sure that both wings stay in place. Then repeat the steps to make the right-hand mini-wing. Leave the assemblies taped up for 24 hours to allow the adhesive to bond fully.

Attaching the mini wings to the rear cowl - Remove the tape from the mini-wing assemblies. Then check the ends of the mini-wing stays. If there are bumps around the edge, scrape these off flush so that the stay will fit cleanly in the next step. Do not try to remove the locating bar across the centre.

Take the left mini wing and test-fit the end into the matching recess in the transmission cowl. The locating bar fits into the slot arrowed as shown.
Cut a strip of masking tape and attach it to the mini-wing stay as shown, making sure that it does not cover the end of the stay.

Apply two dots of general-purpose adhesive to the recess in the cowl, then press the mini-wing in place, attach the tape, but hold the parts together until the adhesive bonds.

Place the cowl on a flat surface and make sure that the mini-wing is accurately positioned. Its upper edge should be parallel to the flat surface. Ensure that the tape will hold the assembly securely while the glue hardens.
Repeat the steps to fit the right-hand mini wing. Leave the assembly taped up for 24 hours to allow the adhesive to bond fully, then remove the tapes.

Assembling the cockpit side protector - The two arms of the side protector are joined by a moulding sprue that needs to be removed. Cut through the sprue at the two points indicated in the steps, then remove any remaining  flash on the underside, to leave these ends  flush and smooth.

Scrape the paint off the raised square area on the back of the head pad. If there is any moulding  flash in the area indicated, remove this to leave a flush surface.

Scrape the paint off the rectangular recess at the back of the side protector as shown. Do not go too close to the edge, and leave the last 2mm of paint in the area hatched with yellow lines. Test- fit the head pad in place to make sure that it will  fit  flush.

Apply a little ABS adhesive to the area that you stripped of paint earlier, then press the head pad into place and hold it for 2-3 minutes, then leave the assembly for an hour or so to allow the adhesive to harden.

That's it for this stage.

Future issues:

Issue 79 - Contains the front fairing, upper border wings and the induction pod spacer., and has instructions for assembling the engine cowls, applying the decals to the front wing and bargeboard, and fitting the bargeboard.

Issue 80 - Contains the left-hand mirror, cockpit canard, cockpitpfin, pushrod & monocoque cover, and a revised induction box., and has instructions for assembling the main body 7 - Fitting the induction box and fitting the induction box cowl.

Issue 81 - Contains the right-hand mirror, cockpit canard, cockpit fin, pushrod & monocoque cover., and has instructions for fitting the pushrod covers on the main body, applying carbon decals to the fins & canards, fitting the display panel, pitot tube & camera, and installing the canards and on the body.

Issue 82 - Contains the mirror lenses & reflectors, tail light, windscreen, screws and a long reach screwdriver., and has instructions for fitting the mirrors and mounting the tail light onto the rear wing.

Issue 83 - Contains the side camera top & bottom, kill switch, antenna and gold reflector., and has instructions for fitting the gold reflector to the main body, installing the radiators into the sidepods and attaching the side camera.

Issue 80 - Contains the left-hand mirror, cockpit canard, cockpit fin, pushrod & monocoque cover, and a revised induction box., and has instructions for assembling the main body 7 - Fitting the induction box and the induction box cowl.

Assembling and fitting the induction box - The rear cowl can be a tight fit around the existing induction box, therefore an alternative has been provided.

Assemble the induction box as before using ABS adhesive.

Remove the existing induction box from the car by first removing its four securing screws, then place the new induction box in place and secure with the screws.

Fitting the induction pod cowl - Take the induction pod cowl that yiou assembled in Issue 71, and test-fit the pod over the induction box.

Carefully apply a little general purpose adhesive along the contact lines then fit the cowl back in place and hold until the glue bonds.

That's it for this stage, carefully store the remaining parts.

The final issues:

Issue 81 - Contains the right-hand mirror, cockpit canard, cockpit fin, pushrod & monocoque cover., and has instructions for fitting the pushrod covers on the main body, applying carbon decals to the fins & canards, fitting the display panel, pitot tube & camera, and installing the canards and on the body.

Issue 82 - Contains the mirror lenses & reflectors, tail light, windscreen, screws and a long reach screwdriver., and has instructions for fitting the mirrors and mounting the tail light onto the rear wing.

Issue 83 - Contains the side camera top & bottom, kill switch, antenna and gold reflector., and has instructions for fitting the gold reflector to the main body, installing the radiators into the sidepods and attaching the side camera.

Issue 84 - Contains the front and rear skid blocks, muffler decals and exhaust connectors., and has instructions for fitting the exhaust connectors and fitting the skid block.

The final Issue (85) - Contains a decal set, and has instructions for fitting the wings, wheels, antenna, kill switch, remaining body panels, and applying the decals to the side cowls, body lines, nose, rear bodywork, and fitting of the optional windscreen, (provided with Issue 82, but was not fitted to the car when it raced in the 2008 British GP).

Issue 82 - Contains the mirror lenses & reflectors, tail light, windscreen, screws and a long reach screwdriver., and has instructions for fitting the mirrors and mounting the tail light onto the rear wing.

Preparing the mirrors - Take the left and right mirrors that were supplied with Issues 80 and 81.

Peel one of the silver reflectors off the release paper and apply it to one of the mirror lenses, then trim off any excess. Leave the blue protective film in place for now.

Apply small dots of general-purpose adhesive to the recess in the left mirror. Carefully press the lens into place and hold it for 2-3 minutes until the adhesive bonds. Then repeat the process for the other mirror.

Fitting the mirrors - Test-fit the left mirror to the recess on the front left corner of the cockpit. Then apply a little multi-purpose adhesive to the contact area of the mirror as shown in the steps. Press the mirror into place until the adhesive bonds, then secure it with masking tape.

Fit the right-hand mirror in the same way. Make sure both are correctly aligned and leave for 24 hours before removing the tape. Then peel off the blue protective  lm from the mirrors.If it is diffcult to lift this, try sticking a piece of adhesive tape to the surface to pull the film free.

Fitting the tail light on to the rear wing - Retrieve the rear wing assembled in Issue 16.

Test-fit the tail light to the rear wing to make sure you have it the right way round. The upper corners are slightly rounded and the outer surface is  at while the inner surface is dimpled.

Apply small dots of general-purpose adhesive to the recess in the wing as indicated by the red dots. Carefully press the light into place and hold it for 2-3 minutes.

Secure the light with masking tape and leave it for at least 24 hours before removing the tape.

Thats it for this week, carefully store the remaining items.

Final Issues:

Issue 83 - Contains the side camera top & bottom, kill switch, antenna and gold reflector., and has instructions for fitting the gold reflector to the main body, installing the radiators into the sidepods and attaching the side camera.

Issue 84 - Contains the front and rear skid blocks, muffler decals and exhaust connectors., and has instructions for fitting the exhaust connectors and fitting the skid block.

The final Issue (85) - Contains a decal set, and has instructions for fitting the wings, wheels, antenna, kill switch and remaining body panels, also applying the decals to the side cowls, body lines, nose, rear bodywork, and fitting of the optional windscreen, (provided with Issue 82, but was not fitted to the car when it raced in the 2008 British GP).

Issue 84 - Contains the front and rear skid blocks, muffler decals and exhaust connectors., and has instructions for fitting the exhaust connectors & decals, and skid blocks.

Detailing the exhaust pipes - Take the exhaust connectors and separate four of them from the sprue by cutting along the lines indicated in the step. (There are two spare connectors on the sprue).

Note the eight flanges on the exhaust manifolds and pipes. Then use a cocktail stick to apply small spots of general-purpose adhesive to the ends of each connector. Then glue the connectors across each pair of  flanges.

Cut-out and apply the two self-adhesive muffler decals into the ends of the exhaust pipes.

Fitting the skid blocks - Make sure that any moulding marks on the blocks are flush, by scraping them with a craft knife if necessary.
Carefully protect and support the model upside down, then test-fit the front part of the skid block to the underside of the main body, locating its alignment pin with the hole on the chassis. Then slide the tab on the end of the rear block the slot in the front block.
When happy with the fit, apply general purpose adhesive in the area's shown in the steps and fit the blocks into place, making sure that the shorter one is fitted first.
Make sure both are exactly centred, then tape down along the edges, and leave for 24 hours to allow the glue to harden completely before removing the tape.

Store the car the right way up until the final stage.

The final Issue (85) - Contains bodywork decals, and has instructions for fitting the wings, wheels, antenna, kill switch and remaining body panels, also applying the decals to the side cowls, body lines, nose and rear bodywork.