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Richard Mcstay
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McLaren F1 GTR

January 1, 2015 · in Uncategorized · · 27 · 2.2K

Happy New Year everybody! This is the completed article from my recent work in progress that some of you have been following. Thanks for the kind words and advice along the way.

To many this car will not need an introduction! It is the 1995 Le Mans winning #59 car from the GT1 class. The car itself was actually on loan to Kokusai Kaihatsu racing and if my sources are correct, this is the original GTR prototype. The drivers were Yannick Dalmas, Masanori Sekiya and JJ Lehto. Between them they managed to rack up 298 laps of the famous circuit between the 17th and 18th of June, and were followed closely in second place by the Courage Competition C34 #13 with 297 laps, and the Harrods Mach One Mclaren GTR #51 in third with 296 laps.

The engine is a BMW S70 6.1 V12 and had to be restricted to 600 bhp in accordance to the racing regulations at the time. This actually gave it less power than the road version! But due to the stripped out cockpit and replacement carbon fibre and brakes, the end product was still a lot faster overall. The McLaren was not as fast as some of the other prototype racers competing at the event, but was said to have the advantage of reliability due to its production based origins. So there you have it, slow and steady wins the race!

The kit itself is from in 1:24. I would have liked more engine detail, and if you followed the WIP I tried my best, but I can't really fault what was in the box. The fit was perfect and the decals were brilliant. It is pretty much built out of the box with the exception of the Scale MotorSport carbon fibre decals and the cockpit electronic wiring. The Sparco racing harness was aftermarket also.

If I was to have any criticisms of the kit though, I would have to say that the ride height at the back of the car is a little to high... I double checked in case this was my own error but it isn't... for a change! And the instructions and box are in Japanese! But that's my fault for not having a basic grasp of Japanese!

Cheers for the interest and happy modelling in the New Year!

Reader reactions:
3  Awesome

5 additional images. Click to enlarge.


27 responses

  1. Lovely build Richard.
    As for the Japanese destructions, English is my second language, profanity is my first.
    The ride height of the rear end can be adjusted by lowering the pressure in the rear tyres LOL.
    Nice work mate.

  2. Simply AWESOME! This is my dream car!

  3. Nicely done Richard……great photos as well.

  4. Great looking build, Richard. Mean and moody.

  5. Great build !
    you can build her winner sister at LeMans ?

  6. Great model Richard! I like the way you photographed it on a shiny black base. The reflections are a nice effect. I think you should send it to me so I can get a closer look. I'll send it back? No really I will. Really..Tee Hee Hee.
    This is also one of my favorite cars.
    Happy new year!
    California Steve

  7. Very nice mate, a good way to start the year, still rather be on two wheels, sometime even one. 🙂

    Happy New Year Mate

    Danny

  8. Wow how cool is this!
    You got it and its perfect. And great presented as well, the glossy black underground and good photography looks simply cool Richard.
    Congratulations !
    Now the big Heli ?

    • Thank you mate, appreciated! The big heli won't be for a while yet! I've got the challenger almost done, but I have to return to work tomorrow so it will be on hold for 2 weeks.
      Then it's the cobra after that. I need to clear the workbench before I start anything else!

  9. Turned out great Richard. This car definitely shows an attitude.

  10. It turned out brilliantly, Richard, I really like the extra interior detailing, and the black finish is immaculate, looking forward to seeing the Challenger next!

    • Cheers George thanks! The challenger is almost done, but then I had to come back to work. I was hoping to finish it before I came back here but I didn't want to rush the weathering. Two weeks till I'm home and it will be finished, I promise this time!

  11. Hi ,
    I receive mine today ! I read the notice but which colors you use for the body ? Fujimi provide 2 colors : steel and burnt iron but the body seems to be black and grey
    thanks

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