Thursday 1 October 2015

Mclaren MP4/6

After my efforts with the Williams FW 14B I decided that the only way to go would be to make its stablemate and adversary the MP4/6. I was happy with the way the Williams turned out, even though it was pretty much an off the shelf build. I have looked at other builds and think I could have done a better job with upgrade parts. In other respects I am still happy with the results. One of the sites I looked at made a point of choosing sponsor decals the same, or close as, match to the blue colour of the overall paint scheme but in many of the photographs I looked at the sponsor logo is darker, as per my choice. In hindsight there are always things one would choose to do differently but one is not blessed with the gift so I shall adopt a philosophical approach and say it was my karma.

Perhaps I would never have got round to tackling this new project but to the intervention of my health. I was forced to give up work in May 2015 because my hip joint needed an overhaul, replacing actually, so I am faced with an indefinite spell on the subs bench and what better way to keep myself busy is there?

I bought the kit before my operation as an incentive to recover. The Senna Mansell conflict was my favourite F1 era and the two models will complement each other perfectly. I began looking at the component parts and comparing them to other kit builds and the actual views of the car. There are loads on line, I have printed about 15 pages of photographs so far being confined to my chair, a fatal mistake ! I decided to add more detail, or upgrade parts to enhance the kit. First off the biggest omission is the sponsor logos which I bought online. They came from Italy and were a good colour match on the whole, although some of the smaller ones lack the clarity of some of the supplied ones in the kit but they will not be needed. There was one fatal omission though and that was a logo for the side of the fuel tank inside the outer shell. I was gutted (more on this later). I then found the photo etch parts needed from "Thunder Valley F1" in America. They also supply a number of other upgrades, which are well worth a look and buying if you can. I also purchased carbon fibre decal sheets and braided hose from other suppliers in the UK. Next came some parts from "Bestbalsakits",  a Belgian supplier , which comprised of miniature joints, a huge omission from the kit, and other bits like throttle linkage and 0.6mm allen head screws. I am still waiting for a cockpit detail kit and antenna from Hobby link Japan, just released Oct. 2015 and finally the missing decals from Australia,found by accident. STOP!! That is the biggest problem, where do you stop, how far do you go? I have scoured the internet and got parts from all over the world for this kit.

I could continue to buy other other upgrade parts but enough is enough, costs build up!. I know my efforts will not be up to competition standards but I am going to build this one to as high a standard as I can get. I shall post photographs as I go but now its time to make a start. HI HO SILVER AWAY!!