mrmike Posted May 4, 2011 Posted May 4, 2011 Someone once said, "There comes a time when one must up their status in life." I don't know who said that, but this is a status machine! Designed to combine the look, feel, and functionality of a sports and a GT car, the SLR McLaren did. This is my new project, Tamiya's SLR McLaren. I don't understand why Tamiya uses colored metallic plastic for the body only to have the molded product full of swirls. This body would have really shined with a little polishing. My paint will be Tamiya TS-17 Gloss Aluminium. More to come...
Erik Smith Posted May 4, 2011 Posted May 4, 2011 (edited) Great to see this kit in a WIP thread Mike. The colored plastic thing with Tamiya is a mystery to me also - not too many people are going to pick this kit up for a first, no-paint build. I'll keep an eye on this build. Edited May 4, 2011 by Coyotehybrids
High octane Posted May 4, 2011 Posted May 4, 2011 That's a beautiful car Michael as I had one next to me on the highway. It is out of production now as the contract between Mercedes & McLaren has ended almost two years ago. The base price for that car was only $450,000. A bit out of my league but a nice lookin' car just the same. Good luck with your build.
RodneyBad Posted May 5, 2011 Posted May 5, 2011 THat is One Sexie looking Car. Be even More sexier in Red I want one. A model one too.
mrmike Posted May 5, 2011 Author Posted May 5, 2011 IIRC, Richard Hammond of the BBC's Top Gear got himself buckled into an SLR and then he couldn't reach the door to pull it down! Not made for the verically challenged! As I scan through the instructions, this kit will be a bit of a challenge to build, but I am up for a challenge! While prepping the body parts for paint, I noticed that what I thought was mold lines are actually swirls in the colored plastic. And, the swirls are percisely placed leading me to think that they were mold lines. I had thought about paint it red, but decided on Gloss Aluminium instead.
niteowl7710 Posted May 6, 2011 Posted May 6, 2011 I have the 722 Edition version of this kit...so I'll be watching this one develop.
mrmike Posted May 8, 2011 Author Posted May 8, 2011 I started on the chassis with paint and some assembly. The body and other panels were painted Gloss Aluminium to cover the swirls in the plastic. More to come...
mrmike Posted May 11, 2011 Author Posted May 11, 2011 I got the front and rear suspensions installed along with the brake rotors and calipers. I installed the engine plate and inner fenders. I'll start detailing the air intake and engine cover. More to come...
mrmike Posted May 22, 2011 Author Posted May 22, 2011 I got back to the bench, finally! I clear coated the body, hood, and other parts with Tamiya TS-13 Gloss Clear. More to come...
Jim Gibbons Posted May 22, 2011 Posted May 22, 2011 This is looking really good, Mike. I'm impressed how well the Gloss Aluminum with clear looks. I have a Mercedes Benz 300SLR #722 that has been abandoned for a number of years. The chassis is completely done, and is just waiting for the body and decals. I stripped the body twice because I just wasn't satisfied how the other silver/clear paint jobs I applied looked. This looks like the perfect solution.
mrmike Posted May 23, 2011 Author Posted May 23, 2011 Thanks Jim! I can't take all the credit, which partially goes to the Tamiya paint. I also seem to be better at a spray can than with my airbrush!
mrmike Posted June 5, 2011 Author Posted June 5, 2011 Now that my Starliner is complete, I can get back to the SLR. One of the features of this kit is the diecast metal plate for the chassis. Why this is, I don't know. It does add some weight to the model and may even strengthen the interior and chassis assembly. A unique item to the SLR is the exhaust tips mounted behind the front wheels. The engine cover is still in progress. More to come...
crazyjim Posted June 5, 2011 Posted June 5, 2011 Great looking car and it looks like the build is going to be fantastic too.
charlie8575 Posted June 7, 2011 Posted June 7, 2011 I have to say, that aluminum paint does look pretty good as a body color. Nice build so far, Mike. Charlie Larkin
XJ6 Posted June 9, 2011 Posted June 9, 2011 Great Build on the Car....I have built this kit myself...and indeed it is another fine Tamiya product.. Would like to add be careful of the layers of paint you apply...i had put several coats of Tamiya TS-14 (Black) on the body of the car and due to the close tolerance of the door fit...i had a problem with the doors fitting right...ended up doing some sanding just to make them fit..Good Luck.. Looking Good...Don.
mrmike Posted June 10, 2011 Author Posted June 10, 2011 Thanks for the warning, Don! Hopefully it won't be an issue since I only added two thin coats of paint and two thin coats of clear.
mrmike Posted June 10, 2011 Author Posted June 10, 2011 I had some time this afternoon and started painting some interior pieces. The interior back panel. Seats and instrument pads. Door panels. More to come...
XJ6 Posted June 11, 2011 Posted June 11, 2011 That color you have for the interior...should go very well with the Body Color...Watching this one...Looking Good...
charlie8575 Posted June 11, 2011 Posted June 11, 2011 Silver with the red/black interior looks very nice with that, Mike. I'll look forward to seeing this at one of the shows. Charlie Larkin
mrmike Posted June 12, 2011 Author Posted June 12, 2011 Thank you Don and Charlie! Charlie, you might see this one! The interior is coming along nicely. The dash is in progress. I need to add the instrument decals and the instrument pod to the dash. More to come...
mrmike Posted June 12, 2011 Author Posted June 12, 2011 The dash is finished and installed into the interior. A closeup of the dash showing the decals and the SLR metallic letters on the center stack. A view of the seats from over the dash. More to come...
XJ6 Posted June 17, 2011 Posted June 17, 2011 I really like the color you have chosen for the interior...May i ask what color that would be...It looks Great...
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