Post by fazmodeller on Oct 13, 2020 20:05:51 GMT -8
The Can Am (Canadian American) racing series as a road racing series that ran from 1966 to 1973 in its original designation.The McLaren M8A was the first of an unbeaten series of McLaren Can Am cars from 1968 to 1971......in a series where almost anything goes in design and engineering....the likes of which we will never see again.The M8A was an evolution of the previous M6A design, and featured an all-aluminium seven-litre Chevrolet big-block V8 as a semi-stressed chassis member. The engines were built by Gary Knutson and initially developed 620 bhp. Two complete M8A race cars and one spare tub were built. Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme were the drivers and shared the championship wins......it came to be called "The Bruce and Denny Show".
Having finished the Lola T-160TS from the same 1/18 Tamiya series created in 1969, I am proceeding to build the Mclaren. The kits are similar in layout and simplicity and whilst it can be argued that the 7 Litre Chev block has been resized to fit the oh so popular at the time motorisation of kits,again as with the Lola it will build into a great replica - one that we should be thankful for as there are not only few larger than 1/43 scale kits of cars from the CanAm series cars but in the larger 1/18 scale it has a great presence.
Starting this kit with the body requires work to modify the battery compartments to transform it back to being a static model. A bit more work than normal due to the metallic aluminium finishes that show everything and require a few test coats of metallizer to show the imperfections. Otherwise things fit well and it is just a case of how far you want to take the detailing. I painted the body colour a while ago with Zero Paints colour matched McLaren Orange. Then started the trial and error with trying to achieve the most realistic metal finishes. I believe i have mastered Alclad (and it does require mastering!) and as with the Lola found the smaller and curved parts turn out with very realistic finishes. With the Mclaren I wanted to extend the use of Alclad to the larger aluminium panels which were predominant on CanAm cars of the period. After several attempts and much paint stripping I succumbed to the dust factor in the gloss black undercoat thwarting me at every turn and returned the my trusty Testors metallizer range which doesn't give the same shine as Aclad but does provide a realistic scale aluminium finish without the heartache. Haven't given up un the Alclad yet....still developing techniques that I am trying on a Ferrari 126C2 1/24.
I have included photos of progress so far having finally painted the aluminium panel underneath and looking forward to building up the engine and ancilliaries with some extra detailing. Unfortunately I can't use turned aluminium intake trumpets as the Mclaren has longer angled ones that are not available aftermarket.
Here is my first update and am looking to move on full steam ahead and will update further as I go.
Steve Hansford,
Melbourne, Australia.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fazmodeller
Having finished the Lola T-160TS from the same 1/18 Tamiya series created in 1969, I am proceeding to build the Mclaren. The kits are similar in layout and simplicity and whilst it can be argued that the 7 Litre Chev block has been resized to fit the oh so popular at the time motorisation of kits,again as with the Lola it will build into a great replica - one that we should be thankful for as there are not only few larger than 1/43 scale kits of cars from the CanAm series cars but in the larger 1/18 scale it has a great presence.
Starting this kit with the body requires work to modify the battery compartments to transform it back to being a static model. A bit more work than normal due to the metallic aluminium finishes that show everything and require a few test coats of metallizer to show the imperfections. Otherwise things fit well and it is just a case of how far you want to take the detailing. I painted the body colour a while ago with Zero Paints colour matched McLaren Orange. Then started the trial and error with trying to achieve the most realistic metal finishes. I believe i have mastered Alclad (and it does require mastering!) and as with the Lola found the smaller and curved parts turn out with very realistic finishes. With the Mclaren I wanted to extend the use of Alclad to the larger aluminium panels which were predominant on CanAm cars of the period. After several attempts and much paint stripping I succumbed to the dust factor in the gloss black undercoat thwarting me at every turn and returned the my trusty Testors metallizer range which doesn't give the same shine as Aclad but does provide a realistic scale aluminium finish without the heartache. Haven't given up un the Alclad yet....still developing techniques that I am trying on a Ferrari 126C2 1/24.
I have included photos of progress so far having finally painted the aluminium panel underneath and looking forward to building up the engine and ancilliaries with some extra detailing. Unfortunately I can't use turned aluminium intake trumpets as the Mclaren has longer angled ones that are not available aftermarket.
Here is my first update and am looking to move on full steam ahead and will update further as I go.
Steve Hansford,
Melbourne, Australia.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fazmodeller
