1:20 McLaren MP4/5B - Grade Up Parts (for Tamiya Kits)

McLaren MP4/5B – a Studio27 photo-etched set, 1:20 (for the Tamiya kit)

This is not a model and not a kit. It is a set of additional parts from the Japanese maker Studio27 that you build into the McLaren MP4/5B plastic kit in 1:20 scale from Tamiya – which has to be obtained separately. The basis of such sets tends to be photo-etched brass sheet (grilles, seat belts, buckles, surrounds, small sheet-metal parts). The exact contents of the package are not stated here.

Beware of mixing them up – this set is for TAMIYA and for the MP4/5B

The photo-etched parts are cut exactly for one particular kit. On another kit they will not fit. Studio27 also makes a similar-looking set for the McLaren MP4/5, which is however intended for the Fujimi kit – they are two different cars and two different kit makers. Before buying, therefore, check which box you have at home. Studio27 also makes a separate brake set for the same car and the same Tamiya kit.

The real subject

The McLaren MP4/5B is the car of the 1990 season – an evolution of the successful MP4/5. It is the second chapter of one of the most closely watched stories in the history of sport: Alain Prost had meanwhile moved to Ferrari and his duel with Ayrton Senna was decided in Japan, where the two drivers collided at the first corner and both ended their race on the spot. The title therefore went to Senna – exactly the other way round from a year earlier, when Prost had taken the title out of their collision in Japan with the MP4/5. If you have the MP4/5, this is its sequel.

Why it pays off

• Plastic cannot do a truly thin edge or a real grille – a molded grille is only a suggested engraving.
• Photo-etched sheet is as thin as real sheet metal in scale – that is the difference that decides things at an exhibition.
• On a Formula 1 car it matters all the more, because it is completely exposed: there is no bodywork to hide mistakes. You see every belt, every buckle, every wire.

Working with the set – honestly

• Photo-etched sheet has to be bent – you need an etch bender, or at least a razor blade and tweezers.
• It is glued with cyanoacrylate glue, not with plastic cement – that does not hold on metal.
• The original plastic detail often has to be sanded away. This step is irreversible – think it through in advance.
• It calls for tweezers, a magnifier and patience. It is work for more experienced modelers.

Who the set is for

• Modelers who already have the McLaren MP4/5B 1:20 kit from Tamiya.
• Collectors of Formula 1 cars who want a model for the cabinet or for a competition.
• Fans of the Senna and Prost era who build the MP4/5 and the MP4/5B as a pair.

The set is an addition to a kit, not a model. The basic kit, the glue, the paints and the tools are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.