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George Williams
94 articles

McLaren MP4/8 F1 car, Tamiya, 1/20

October 4, 2016 · in Automotive · · 17 · 5K

A couple of years ago I set myself a project of building a series of scake Formula One cars. The first one, the MP4/4 kit ground to a halt due my disappointment with the aftermarket carbon fibre decals I bought from Studio 27, for some reason I couldn't get them to settle down satisfactorily. However, a short while ago I dug it out from the drawer of doom and managed to finish it off, although not up to the standard I was hoping for. This kit, the MP4/8 is the second attempt in the series, and, again, I wasn't happy with the Studio 27 decals, some of them went on OK, but others just split and didn't want to go on at all. Anyway, I persevered, and here's the result. I had an aftermarket seat and harness set which I used, and the full sponsorship decals are also from Studio 27, and they went on just fine. The kit is a re-issue from Tamiya, and the decals included in the kit are minimal to say the least. I appreciate this is partly because of the problems involved with tobacco advertising, but even so, why no Shell logos? The kit is finished with Tamiya spray cans, mainly white and florescent red.

The MP4/8 McLaren Ford was McLaren's entry for the Formula One 1993 season. The Ford engine was down on power compared to its rivals but the design was lighter and more compact making the car competitive on circuits where power didn't matter so much. Drivers for this season included Ayrton Senna, Michael Andretti and later Mika Hakkinen. This was to be the last season Senna drove for McLaren (he moved to Williams in 1994) and he will be remembered for one of his most memorable drives in the wet conditions at the European Grand Prix held at Donnington, where he seemed to be able to drive round his competitors with ease. Thanks for looking. George

Reader reactions:
5  Awesome

14 additional images. Click to enlarge.


17 responses

  1. Another stunning build, George...really nice job, my friend.

  2. Looking great George! You did great save with this model.
    I loved watching these cars with these great drivers.
    California Steve

  3. Yes well done George, keep em coming.

  4. 🙂 ... Greetings ... 🙂 :
    Nice clean build George, brings back some memories.

  5. Beautiful job, George.

  6. Congratulations !

  7. As the above George, the garage must be getting full now LOL.

  8. Nice work George - Senna's opening lap at Donnington was probably one of the finest ever driven.

  9. A real beauty !

  10. Very nice! I'm not really a car guy, but since this is basically a missile on wheels, I'm liking it! 🙂

  11. Beautiful George…don't stop with your project.

  12. This is really COOL.

  13. Fantastic George! I remember watching that wet race on a documentary! One of the finest F1 drivers the world will ever see.
    I've not had any problems really with the studio 27 decals, but if I remember right they were easier to apply on the FXX than on the Sauber Merc. Maybe the newer decal sheets have been improved.

  14. Fantastic racer, George. Flawless and clean work well presented.

  15. Thanks for all your kind comments, guys, much appreciated.

  16. Good assembly, congratulations and also by the text...

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