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 Rank: Super-Elite        Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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Hello you guys.
I've been lurking, reading and occasionally posting since the kit first started but I saved all of my parts so I could build the car without having to wait for bits each week. (Month actually, as I subscribed to the postal version)
I wasn't going to start until around October time, as I retire from teaching (34 years!!!) at the end of July, then a nice big holiday - then time to play!!!
However.... I now have the 1/8 Pocher Aventador on order, as well as getting the 1/8 Pocher Rolls Royce Phantom.
Both of these arrive in Sept/Oct.
I've also stashed away a HUGE pile of kits (76 at last count) and about 20 of them are 1/8 or 1/12, so I'll be busy for a while.....
Forgot to mention - I want to start a Garden Railway after years of planning.
SO!!!! ------ The McLaren is on the blocks.
I will be following the amazing diary of Mr T as well as ideas pinched from Kev and others.
Off we go....... (Pic's very shortly)
Roy.
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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First off. I assembled the front wing and nose as per instructions and used a rattle can of clear acrylic gloss on the red bits to try out the gloss for later. No adverse effects and a good shine. I also discovered that 2K clear destroys the silver!! I used it on the upper part of the wing as a tester. (I have a complete spare front so I could afford to test things out.) After letting my now mottled dull grey/silver wing dry out, I looked around for a good silver to match the car. In my paint hoard I had a rattle can of Humbrol chrome silver so gave it a go. Absolutely PERFECT match!!! The front struts/hubs/wheels all went together without a hitch but I've been painting many of the plastic 'carbon effect' parts with Ford Graphite grey as the plastic colour looks too much like plastic! Also, many of the (hard to find) pictures of the real car seem to show most of the structure to be a dark metallic grey, carbon fibre, but NOT black. I'm going to add C/F decals to much of it all later on but where the black plastic remains, I'll paint a lot of it graphite anyway if only to give a bit more colour variation. Engine assembly - all straight forward but I have applied the airbox 'fix' mentioned on the forum - as it was me who translated and posted the fix, I'd have been a bit daft not to have used it! I also jumped ahead to issue 80-ish and used the 'revised' upper airbox. I did remove the horrible join seam on the upper airbox where the two halves glue together, and then spray the unit satin black. MUCH more satisfactory than seeing a joint line running along an upper part of the engine. Also, I dumped the thick plasticky gold foil heat shields and made my own from gold Bare Metal Foil. Much easier to crinkle and fix in place. Again, most of the rear uprights/hubs have been sprayed graphite grey. Roy. roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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I've been Googling for reference and came across a great photo of a guy in the pit area in 2008, stacking a large pile of Potenza tyres, identical to the ones in the kit. However, the 'real' tyres had green and white bands running around the treads, on the inner two grooves. Hey presto - now mine have the same bands. Just a little addition, but hopefully it will add to the overall look at the end. Roy. roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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 Rank: Vice-Master  Groups: Registered
Joined: 31/08/2011 Posts: 629 Points: 1,963 Location: Plymouth
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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I've assembled the 'rear end' and as already mentioned, I've painted a lot of the black plastic parts graphite grey as I'm not keen on unpainted plastic in a model especially when it looks like plastic. The colour might not be 'correct' but as any half-decent reference pics are virtually impossible to find, who's likely to know??? The base went together with no issues and as a bit of interest - Well, to me anyway - I placed the parts together to see how the thing looks so far. Roy. roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Nice work Roy and certainly making fast progress!!
Keep up the good work!!  
Kev 
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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Just a quick addition.... I've been looking at the radiators and pipes and felt that they were too all-over 'bland' in the same old silver. I gave the cores a spray over with a darker silver and Bare metal foiled the edges and core spars. I also de-seamed the pipes (I hate seams on kit parts...) and repainted the pipes and foiled the connectors. Again, it's all to add a bit more colour and texture variety in the finished car as I'm a bit concerned about the preponderance of black and silver everywhere. Roy. roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Hi Roy looking good there Andy Current builds:-C57,Zero, Lamborghini Countach, Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon,Robi,R2-D2, MFH Cobra .
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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Another update on the radiators. I found a couple of nice images of the car with the upper bodywork removed, so you can see the radiators. On the real car, the rads have what looks like silver/metal tape about 2-3" wide running around the airboxes underneath. They also have what look like 2 almost triangular spring fixings holding the rads/airboxes together. One near the top, one near the bottom. There are also a few indistinguishable labels or decals on the rad sides. There are a couple of pipes and wires coming from the angled part of the edge, and an electrical connector near the bottom of the right hand rad. I have no idea what these pipes/wires do, but I added them anyway.... The extra silver 'tape' is just that - Aluminium tape. The decals and black fixings I made from scrap and unused 1/24 decals. The wiring, braided hose and pipe/fittings is made from paper clip wire, headphone braiding and fine ally tubing. A bit of addition that hopefully helps break up the blandness of the radiators. Roy. roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Excellent stuff Roy and I like your radiators very much - well done!!
If I may add a word of warning/caution my friend, just be careful how much you extend the detail such as your extra pipework along the outer edges of the radiators as the fit between the edge of the rad and the lower body cowling is a little snug to say the least and you might just find that there isn't enough room after adding your detail?
Also, the instructions suggest to fit the cowlings several issues before the radiators, but I found it a heck of a lot easier to fit the radiators first and then the cowlings, which if you did it that way might help to accommodate your extra pipework more easily as otherwise it is a slightly awkward sort of 'twist and jiggle' fitting procedure which could end up ruining your detail?
Hope that helps and looking good - keep up the good work and looking forward to your next update?!
Kev
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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Many thanks for the info Kev.
I did wonder about the clearances - but 'hey-ho' as they say.
Fingers crossed......
Roy.
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Rank: Pro  Groups: Registered
Joined: 09/08/2011 Posts: 386 Points: 1,129 Location: Hertfordshire
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Coming along nicely Roy I'm a little jelous in a way, you've got so much ahead to do!! Might have to buy a 3rd kit now after seeing yours in its early stages again
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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Another whole day on the McLaren today. I started on the cockpit and controls etc - pretty much as per kit - but the steering wheel needed attention! I noticed in the instructions a nice clear photo of the real one - the grey grips are a completely different shade. Mine are now light grey, as per the picture. Still a bit of C/F to add to it. The seat was also masked and sprayed a very pale silver grey to match a reference pic I trawled on Google. I'm not sure if it's completely accurate as the picture I found only shows part of the interior so I just masked the bits seemed to fit with the pic. The belts went in - no troubles there. Next up was the exhausts. I gave the parts a dusting of pale bronze to brown them a bit but it doesn't show very well in the pictures. The suspension decals were added using a generous dose of Microsol. TIP for anyone who hasn't started the build yet.Apply the decals BEFORE assembling ANYTHING!!! Much easier! The the front suspension units were fitted with a LOT of cursing and wine! Fiddly, or what???!!! Those flippin' clear plastic 'C' rings were pinging around my room nineteen to the dozen!!! Still, all fitted now. One other thing I noticed - the rear flip-up panels don't fit very well to their panels. I had to do a bit of trimming and filing to get a decent join. I'll begin assembling the main bits tomorrow hopefully. Roy. roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Rank: Vice-Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 31/08/2011 Posts: 629 Points: 1,963 Location: Plymouth
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Making good Progress Roy! Love all the extra little details too! Keep up the good work. Chris
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Crikey Roy!! At this rate you'll be finished in time to enter it in this weekends' British GP!! 
Some nice subtle enhancements there, that's what it's all about and the little 'extras' make such a difference to the finished build - well done!!
Kev
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Nicely done Roy Current builds:-C57,Zero, Lamborghini Countach, Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon,Robi,R2-D2, MFH Cobra .
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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A bit more done today, but no pics yet I'm afraid.....
I've got the main tub, engine, seat, steering etc all together, the lower side panels in and I've added the sensor wires/pipes to the exhausts.
Airbox cowl all assembled and I'm all set for the final stretch of putting the front assembly in place, and then the upper bodywork.
I'm going to 'try' to leave it alone until next week, as I really DON'T want to finish this wonderful build just yet.
Pics tomorrow.....
Roy.
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 Rank: Elite   Groups: registriert, Registered Joined: 20/03/2011 Posts: 2,356 Points: 7,122 Location: UK
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Coming along very nicely Roy
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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I've done a bit more assembly of the main components. I added gold BMF around the rear of the cockpit tub, and silver foil on the lower chassis plate around the engine. I've also added the sensor wires to the exhausts. Everything has fitted together really well so far (touch wood)and the only 'waste of time' I've discovered is my own... All the added pipes and wiring etc to the radiators is totally hidden! Oh well - at least I know it's there. Final leg this coming week.... Roy. roymattblack attached the following image(s):
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Official Builds, Administrators, Moderator, Global Forum Support, Registered Joined: 04/06/2011 Posts: 4,511 Points: 13,693 Location: ipswich
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Just a quick update.....
I've assembled most of the car and body now, (pics to follow) and I think I might be one of the 'lucky' ones......
My upper bodywork fits!!!
I've added a few 'tweaks' I'll explain when I add some photo's, but so far my body panels fit without hot water, hair dryers, bending, twisting or praying.
All will be revealed.....
Roy.
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