Pg265

Good evening, The thermoformed rhodoid windshield is cut. It is then installed (forced) onto the hull to be drilled. Pins allow it to be held in place for final adjustments. The different parts of the rollbar are prepared, presented on the hull and then welded. The electric pump is detailed with a banjo fitting equipped with its washers, as well as an A/N fitting. Some details and appearance/cosmetic defects have been taken up on the hull which should soon receive a new coat of white. Pascal

Hi, The sides are masked before receiving the McLaren color. They should now receive the line of rivets located at the rear. Once the tails of the rivets were cut, I decided to cover this area with a thin aluminum sheet for a better finish. The aluminum is quickly primed. McLaren Orange is then sprayed on. Pascal

Good evening, Work continues on the rear bulkhead. A little satin black and some aluminum fixings. This is also the start of the detailing of the fuel pump with coloring: polishing wax for the brass of the upper part, chemical burnisher for the lower part. The part had been prepared and drilled yesterday. She's waiting for her Banjo fittings. Here it is temporarily mounted on the bulkhead. The radiator and its support also benefit from some additional details and some oil nuances. I made some masks for the roundels and the body sides. I plan to mix the rivets on the hull according to the places to be treated. More soon. Pascal

Hi, Thank you. I use the Gravity Colors McLaren Orange GC-129. Passcal

Good evening, Thanks! Yep, wrist is not that bad and yes I use low temp (70°C) solder. A small session of sanding and refinishing certain elements, re-priming, then painting. White is White! Masking to follow before the Papaya Orange and a saving for the numbered circles. The rear partition, now varnished, we can start working on it. This is only the beginning of the (light) stage of highlighting this partition stuck to the engine. More soon. Pascal

Good evening, Thanks! Yep, wrist is not that bad and yes I use low temp (70°C) solder. ;) A small session of sanding and refinishing certain elements, re-priming, then painting. White is White! [img=https://i.servimg.com/u/f12/12/38/43/52/6e269910.jpg] [img=https://i.servimg.com/u/f12/12/38/43/52/833d6710.jpg] [img=https://i.servimg.com/u/f12/12/38/43/52/24627a10.jpg] [img=https://i.servimg.com/u/f12/12/38/43/52/f7d20f10.jpg] Masking to follow before the Papaya Orange and a saving for the numbered circles. The rear partition, now varnished, we can start working on it. [img=https://i.servimg.com/u/f12/12/38/43/52/f45f7810.jpg] This is only the beginning of the (light) stage of highlighting this partition stuck to the engine. More soon. Pascal

Good evening, Thanks a lot 1959scudetto! The radiator frame is made. Test fit on the front part. The white touch-up is done on the rear bulkhead, all that remains is to add the white rivets (not installed to facilitate masking) and varnish. All the body parts, the horizontal planes of the rear wing, the scoop, the “whiskers”… have been prepared. Long-term work, to say the least! And primer. The primer revealed some very limited surface defects that will need to be repaired. The vertical fins of the two fins and the rear fin partitions have been prepared for blank assembly and will be primed later. The fit check of this assembly is complicated, acrobatic and requires a lot of attention for the positioning and drilling of the upper plane. But it is better to have checked everything before the final assembly of the painted and varnished parts. Pascal

Good evening, It’s time to get back to work on the M19. The body parts have been prepared for the first phase of painting: the primer. The rear hull bulkhead was riveted and masked. The various parts of the rear wing If they are also prepared, the main horizontal plane is drilled to receive the rivets. The front fin locations are drilled, the muzzle support bar on the frame frame is made of a brass round. It is turned to drill the ends at 0.8 in order to make it solidly attached to the fins. The lower part of the anchor points and air-vents are fixed. As usual, a lot of work in preparation of the White Metal parts to get what I want. Some job needed on the radiator frame: drilling, alignment, filing... Followed by the primer on the frame and the rear bulkhead. The radiator was fitted with its pipes which had been prepared at the same time as the armature parts. So we get the iron, flux and solder. Checking the appearance of the previously glued scoops, I changed my mind about the nose attachment axis. Out the brass piece. I installed the originally intended steel part (which I could not find...) and modified the fins for a solid, horizontal fixation. Necessary job on the hull to adjust the hatch to its opening which was too small. Easier said than done to keep a straight opening... but the Dymo tape helped me. After the primer it’s Paint time. The white has sprayed on the partition. More a veil than a full coverage on the sides, but it is not worse for the layer that follows. Papaya Orange There is a quick touch-up to do, no need for masking. The radiator frame is painted black. I had to make a small repair on the lip of the air inlet: a little primer validates the good condition of it. Same thing for the scoops. More soon. Pascal

Good evening everyone, Thank you so much! The build continues peacefully, slowly, much more than I would like... The two front half axles are almost finished, the brake connections are installed and the calipers are just waiting for their bleeding. The steering bellows will be painted later, the discs patinated to follow. The front rims are finished, balanced, center polished. I preferred machined valves to those from the kit. One of the tires is mounted on the other rim. It is lightly sanded and will be detailed soon. And here is the wheel shown on its half train. I was also finally able to complete the rear calipers by fitting them with the missing bleeds. The engine should cool much better: The braided hoses connect the tank to the oil radiators. The whole thing will of course be connected to the engine a bit later. More soon. Pascal

Good evening, As usual, a lot of research work, preparation/modification and assembly. The front of the chassis is assembled, its photo-etched upper part is drilled, installed and riveted. Everything is masked for the painting phases. The upper suspension arms made up of 4 parts are assembled by welding: it's stronger and more fun. They are drilled and tapped to receive 1.4x3 screws. The majority of parts intended for the front axle are awaiting the primer coat… ...with which they are now adorned. The fire extinguisher was painted and varnished yesterday and received its decal this morning: Classic chronology! However, in my opinion, details were lacking; I tweaked 2-3 things. I turned the tip and a small gauge then assembled them. The Mano is 2.4mm with a small shoulder of 1/10th to center and give a little depth to the dial. Serflexs are added, equipped with cruciform screws. The decal is deliberately placed forward (as if the cylinder was turned), and the Serflex slightly offset to give a little dynamism. Of course, you can't see much once everything is installed, but it's there and it was fun to make! The fire extinguisher handle cable is held using a small photo-etched Top Studio part. The shock absorbers are assembled and decorated. The previously prepared parts, painted varnished... allowed the front train to progress. The whole thing is riveted where it seems necessary. The pedal assembly is installed and the accelerator pedal is equipped with its control for the cable (clevis, nut, bolt, washers.) Let’s go to the lathe for the discs and hubs. They are equipped with their spindles and installed on their hub carrier. The calipers are temporarily positioned, awaiting bleeding and fittings for the braided brake fluid lines. More soon. Pascal.

Good evening, Here is some progress again, still in the cabin. Sewing workshop today! The fabric straps provided in the kit went into the cabinet box. New ones, made of lead sheet, are primed, painted, “sewn” and partly installed. A few oils will finish the job. The dashboard is completed and put in place. The fire extinguisher bottle is the next step: need to paint it and turn a part to make it a little better and connect the pull cable to it. More soon. Pascal

Good evening, Work on the interior continues, particularly on the dashboard. I started from the principle that, although pretty, it was possible to add 2 or 3 details. Some modifications are made to the pressure gauges (pressure connections, specific cable for temperatures) the starter push button is turned, the switches and other indicator lights connected, the support for the small panel created... The rev counter is on stand-by: the needles must be painted. The glasses will finalize the assembly of the meters. It's progressing slowly, but it's moving forward. Pascal

Good evening, The “bathtub” is: - Polished, - riveted, - assembled (welded) The gearbox control linkage has been modified: the White Metal part is cut and replaced by a blued brass one. The selector is detailed with the addition of welds, a bolt accompanied by its nut and washers. It’s more coherent, pretty… and I like it! The original knob is very good. I told myself that rather than painting it in wood tones, I would make one… in wood. I cut a “cube” from a piece given to me by a friend (stratospheric model maker!!), of a species that I don’t remember. I then simply turned it and varnished it. This type of wood is very hard, but very beautiful. Not much image today (Las Vegas this morning, flight this afternoon), but work and lots of preparation and modifications which should quickly make progress in the cockpit. Besides, since I like simplicity and think of everything… I decided to drill the left side of the bathtub. This is of course the thickest part, for a large diameter hole... with all my rivets next to it. It was necessary to take out different diameters of drills and finish with the step drill. Here is some of the prepared pieces. I reproduced the appearance of the anti-slip engraving on the pedals; for what we will see… but it’s there! And here is some of the painted pieces waiting for all their details. That's it that's all. Pascal

Good evening, The can straps are done, the Serflex in place and a Gulf sticker brightens up the oil tank. I drilled a hole in the axis of the cap and slipped a little “oil” in for more consistency: it comes from the top, flows down the side of the can to the bottom. A terminal, screws and cable: the rear light is ready to be connected. Time to take care of the interior. The first step is to start giving a little shine before riveting the aluminum sheets. More soon. Pascal

Good evening, Thank you for your comments. Progress on the gearbox is laborious but rewarding: we are starting to see the end of it! The battery, its wiring and the starter are done. The gearbox oil circuit completed. The oil radiators are assembled and equipped with the rear light. I made a small part for the back of the rear light. It will later be equipped with its wiring. The oil tank is installed, the recuperator is temporarily put in place: photo-etched collars to be formed should soon fix it and the clamps which hold the hose are on standby. I made a little “oil” for the hose and the can got a bit of it. The exhausts are painted. More soon. Pascal