Tamiya 1/20 Tyrrell P34 Six Wheeler

[Gary30]

This is my tribute build to an old friend of mine's father who sadly passed away much too young when we were both school kids, his dad was building this very kit when I went round to their house once and I was fascinated, sparked my interest in model making and they were both mad petrolheads too, which has stayed with me until now, so when a cheap kit popped up, I had to have it.

It's a fairly old kit now, and I'm sure most of you reading this will be aware of the car and the kit, built by a certain Romain Grosjean a few weeks back when Saturday qualifying was rained off at the Japanese GP, I'm hoping I can do a better job than him at least (he built his in a day!)

https://tamiyablog.com/2019/10/f1-drive ... rrell-p34/

Box, 1976 'Elf' car:



Sprue shots:





Chrome, I'll be stripping and re-painting this:


FAT rear tyres:

Tiny front tyres:


Body and chassis:


For paint, I did some head scratching, and there seems to be a few different shades of blue in the photos I've seen of this car, but I wanted a deep darker shade of blue, similar to this:



So I've gone with:


The original decals were showing their age, so I ordered some from 'Indycals' in the US, not used them before, but they look pretty nice, I'm hoping they behave themselves with the 2K, I did cut a small test decal off and abuse it with all kinds of substances, seemed to hold up well, so we'll see! Also the original decals are a dull yellow for the stripes and the numbers, but the original car has a much more vibrant yellow which Indycals have reproduced a lot more faithfully, so should be a nice contrast with the blue.
Original Top, Indycals bottom:


So on with the build, this kit is definitely showing it's age, a fair bit of clean up to do on all of the parts, I'm starting with the body and then building the chassis whilst it's curing.



So all I've done so far is build the cockpit cover and cleaned up all the body panels and rear wing, not much to show in photos, but lots and lots and lots of sanding and clean up, stuff that 99% of people would never notice looking at it, but that's all part of the fun right?

"Why did it take you three months to build when Romain Grosjean built one in a day?"

"Erm........well.........."

[digger303]

It's a interesting car

[Kevthemodeller]

Loved this car at the time, the 70's - 80's had many very interesting cars testing alsorts of technology

Looking forward to following along

[jmurphy18]

Very cool car and build Gary! Having just started my 1st F1 I understand the extensive cleanup that no-one will see or notice but you
Good luck

[Gary30]

Very cool car and build Gary! Having just started my 1st F1 I understand the extensive cleanup that no-one will see or notice but you
Good luck

Cheers buddy! I have seen your build, it's got pretty much the same Cosworth DFV engine in the back as this Tyrrell, I think my 'A' parts are the exact same sprue as yours, lots of care required, slow and steady wins the race Dry fit everything multiple times before you commit to glue.

[jmurphy18]

Thanks for the tip Gary!! I just cut the engine parts out yesterday and trimmed. I going to apply some primer on the parts today. Just waiting for the temps to raise a bit more. it's 44 deg here (6.6 C). I spray in the garage.

[Gary30]

Some minor progress to update, body panels are mostly prepped for primer now, just need a wash in soapy hot water and they will be hit with Ultimate White primer



Seam in the cowling should completely disappear, it’s silky smooth to the touch



Tyre seams have also been sanded out, I’m really happy with how the rear tyres have turned out



I’m on the lookout for a PE ‘Good Year’ paint stencil set, I know they are out there just rare as rocking horse muck by the looks of things

Fronts are made out of a completely different material than the rears and want to tear up rather than sand back, but they look like a scrubbed set of slicks, and will look ok on the car I think



And tonight, two hours went into building the bare engine block, cleaning up and making sure everything is square, I prefer to build the block up and then paint in one go, it’s all the same colour after all so makes sense to me and makes the joints even cleaner imo



Same deal with the gearbox, all sanded flat where it will join the engine, and made sure everything is square as there is quite a bit of ‘slop’ in the parts compared to what you would expect from Tamiya



So that’s where I am, and while all that was going on, I managed to knock a full bottle of Tamiya extra thin over on the table FFS, what an idiot!!!! It was time to call it a day after that so further updates to follow in due course once I’ve given myself a stern talking to over the next few days

[Kevthemodeller]

Nice finish on the tyres

[Pete75]

Very cool car and build Gary! Having just started my 1st F1 I understand the extensive cleanup that no-one will see or notice but you
Good luck

Cheers buddy! I have seen your build, it's got pretty much the same Cosworth DFV engine in the back as this Tyrrell, I think my 'A' parts are the exact same sprue as yours, lots of care required, slow and steady wins the race Dry fit everything multiple times before you commit to glue.

Kinda wish I was familiar with this "dry fitting" concept before my first & only F1 build!! Great choice, Gary. Loving the care & attention - will enjoy watching.

[Gary30]

I have done a little more on this over the last few days, the body parts have now all been primered, the cockpit cover was being a pain where the seams met, I had to prime and sand and fill and prime and sand and prime....you get the idea Its all good now though, hoping to lay the base colour down tomorrow and I’ll update with some pics if I’m successful

[Gary30]

Further to the above, and happy with all my seams and primer....yesterday, I hit the body panels with the blue (Mr. Color 322) I'm really happy with the shade of it, seems to 'pop' under a bright light but then be quite dark in low light, exactly what I was going for.



The seat/tub, from my reference pictures this seems to have no padding whatsoever, not sure if that's right or not, but it looks to be body colour in all the pics I've seen, can't imagine it being a nice place to sit for an entire grand prix The kit makes no allowance at all for belts/harnesses, and no holes etc where they would locate, I think I may just choose to completely ignore belts, not sure yet


Seems to me that the seam seems to have seemingly dissapered:



Rear wing:


So that's all the body parts set up and curing for a few days now, decals mid week and clear at the weekend is my current plan.

I also removed the chrome from the kit parts, came straight off with mr. muscle oven cleaner:



I removed the wing mirror glass and will use those as they are.

Thanks for looking.

[Kevthemodeller]

Nice looking colour coat

[Donkeywalloper]

No interest in Racing cars per se but do get what a sterling (Moss, see threw in a Racing joke ), job you have done on this. Lovely prep work, and the paint job is a joy.
DW

[Gary30]

No interest in Racing cars per se but do get what a sterling (Moss, see threw in a Racing joke ), job you have done on this. Lovely prep work, and the paint job is a joy.
DW

I don't think we can be friends any longer Thanks though, I'm happy with it, still getting to grips with using my air brush really, particualrly for large areas, I always seemed to be a bit weary of opening the AB up too much and subsequently never quite got the coverage I was looking for, but on this one, after two light coats, I really hosed a wet coat on and the finish looks smooth and even (for me!) always learning!

[barryf1fan]

Man!! Looks great, and am loving that blue as well. You don't need to be weary of the AB, seems to be in very capable hands. Looking forward to the decals going on.

[jmurphy18]

Good luck! I did experance this yesterday when I built the motor for the Lotus. Keep on worked and your tips did help as my parts did fit better. The blue is looking really good on the body.

[Tomcat64]

Love the P34 and was lucky enough to see it racing (although in Historic F1 series) and another kit I have lurking in the stash so really interested in seeing how this all comes together.

Really tidy job sorting out the seams and applying the paint job mate. The tyres look good too, odd that they've used a different material for the fronts, but wondering if that's due to them being a non-standard size so a special run for this kit.

[Gary30]

The tyres look good too, odd that they've used a different material for the fronts, but wondering if that's due to them being a non-standard size so a special run for this kit.

Yeah it is weird, they were supplied on the same floppy 'sprue' as the poly caps, so a lot more plastic than the normal Tamiya rubber you'd expect.

A further progress update, I managed to lay down all the decals last night, my first time using Indycals decals, VERY time consuming as I had to cut each one out individually, no pre cut decals, so the scissors were in overdrive, as was my concentration. Thankfully there aren't 100's of decals, but this still took a good 3-4 hours. My coffee cup warmer was a life saver, I don't know how I've managed without one, just 5-10 seconds and they were loose enough to apply straight away.



I'm pretty happy with how they've gone down, the carrier film is VERY thin, so the bits I couldn't trim off are pretty much invisible.

Leave to dry for a few days now, and clear at the weekend, and pray they behave themselves.

[Kevthemodeller]

Those decals look superb

[Pete75]

Bodywork looks awesome. Great work

[Tomcat64]

Stunning work on the bodywork & decals

I just checked in my box and the front tyres are the same as yours - really odd way of doing it.

[Gary30]

I've somehow managed to stick to my programme on this one, so over the weekend I laid down the 2K on the body parts, the Indycals decals were solid, fair play, not a hint of them reacting. I laid down a mist coat and let it settle for 15 mins, and then I knew I would be ok.

This was yesterday afternoon, 24 hours after spraying, I braved a quick look to see how it was settling down:

Ignore the orange peel looking fuel tank, that will be painted aluminium, and is compeltely covered by the seat anyway, so I didn't bother trying to get a smooth finish, it is just overspray more than anything else.




I'm not sure if I'm going to polish yet, will think about it.

And heres all the parts in their tub, the lid is now back on and is hibernating in the airing cupboard for a week to fully cure


I'll crack on with some chassis work this week if I get some time.

[Pete75]

Glassy & classy!!

[Kevthemodeller]

Very nice looking 2k

[barryf1fan]

Lookin' great!

[DaveMac]

My wife got me this kit for Christmas in 1997 (I think). I opened the box to read the instructions, put the lid back on and it's sat on a shelf ever since because life got in the way. Great work BTW

[Gary30]

My wife got me this kit for Christmas in 1997 (I think). I opened the box to read the instructions, put the lid back on and it's sat on a shelf ever since because life got in the way. Great work BTW

I know that feeling! I won't get a chance to even look at this until at least the weekend, and even then 'the boss' already has some things planned for Saturday, I might get an hour or so free on Sunday, who knows

Thanks for looking.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Superb work
2K is either a home run or a miserable failure...I have had both
Yours looks great and the decals have responded well
Great build

[Tomcat64]

All I can do is repeat what the guys have already said - that looks superb, it really does

[Gary30]

This is still simmering in the background chaps, life isn't helping though!

I've been slowly plugging away prepping all the chassis parts ready for paint, lots of clean up required to get things where I want them, seam lines and ejector marks galore! We are getting closer though. I'm trying a slightly unorthodox method with the exhausts and have fully built the entire assembly up off the car prior to painting, as some of the builds I have seen of this car, the exhausts have looked obviously pieced together and not straight through like they are on the real car, so I'm hoping that will pay off and it changes the assmebly order somewhat!

I've also decided to order a PE harness kit for the car as there is no provision for belts in the Tamiya kit whatsoever, so that is due to arrive today, first time making harnesses, so that will be 'fun' I'm sure!

I'll take some pics of the exhausts and other bits and bobs before I get it all painted up so you can see my thought pattern and whether it works out or not!

[Gary30]

Intake trumpets, again I decided to build these up off the car, de-chromed and will be painted with Alclad, getting itchy trigger finger to start painting things now

[Gary30]

As promised, here is my idea with the exhausts, this is actually 13 separate parts! And the rear part was all bent out of shape in the box, meaning the exhausts would never be straight if I assembled as per the kit instructions. Doing it this way, the manifolds can be spread slightly to fit the engine and the exhausts will be perfectly straight through as they should be. I just need to remember to install all the rear suspension components AFTER the exhausts, and not follow the instructions or I won't be able to fit the exhausts once all the suspension parts are fitted



And a lot of other bits in various stages of finishing, most waiting for paint now:

[Hawkmoon]

Looking good and nice solution on the mufflers

[Kevthemodeller]

Great save on the exhausts Gary

[Pete75]

All coming together - not far off now! That reminds me: gotta get a divider storage box...

[Gary30]

All coming together - not far off now! That reminds me: gotta get a divider storage box...

I got it this week, very handy, this is the one I bought if you're looking:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28-COMPARTME ... 2749.l2649

Beware, ebay is a minefield, and I'd advise you to DOUBLE CHECK the overall box dimensions before ordering, don't order based on the photos......don't ask me how I know, just trust me on this

[Gary30]

The belts have arrived!

[Pete75]

All coming together - not far off now! That reminds me: gotta get a divider storage box...

I got it this week, very handy, this is the one I bought if you're looking:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28-COMPARTME ... 2749.l2649

Beware, ebay is a minefield, and I'd advise you to DOUBLE CHECK the overall box dimensions before ordering, don't order based on the photos......don't ask me how I know, just trust me on this

Nice one, Gary - will investigate

[jmurphy18]

Looking good Gary! This build is really coming along!

[Gary30]

Thanks guys, slow progress, but it's going in the right direction.

[Gary30]

I’m still plodding away whenever I get a spare 5 mins, another couple of decent sessions and it won’t be far off I reckon. Done a bit of painting this evening, loads of parts still drying so haven’t taken any photos, but I did get a couple of some dry fit mock-ups.

The aluminium parts of the body and front splitter have been painted after lots of masking:


Gearbox and shafts mocked up:


And a quick mock up against the bare engine block:


My exhausts have also been painted now and I’m over the moon with how they’ve come out, I’ll take a pic for the next update.

Hope everyone is getting in the Christmas spirit now!

[Kevthemodeller]

The top coat looks amazing

[Pete75]

Body looks great. That front wing makes me wonder where the de-icer is! Seriously though, she's by gonna be a beauty

[Gary30]

Making progress on this now, starting to come together, lots of detail on the rear end, but the fit of a lot of the parts leaves a lot to be desired, lots of fiddly suspension tie rods etc fighting me all the way, it definitely doesn’t ‘fall together’ like more modern Tamiya kits, but I’m persevering and it’s turning out ok:

Engine block:


Engine and gearbox:


Mounted onto chassis:


There’s still LOTS to do, more details on the rear to go on and the all four front wheels and suspension, getting there though.

Thanks for looking.

[Kevthemodeller]

Very nice

[markske]

nice work and a special car
keep on going

Mark

[Gary30]

I’m getting to the end of my patience with this one now, I don’t want to invest much more time in it. The rear end has given me all kinds of problems, the rear wing mount is way off, I’m not sure what Tamiya we’re thinking, but it just doesn't fit With lots of ‘manipulation’ I have managed a workable solution, I’ve had to open up the slots in the wing itself to get it to engage with the mount at all, and it doesn’t sit straight on its own as the mount is all skewed, it’s sapped the fun out of the end of the build a little bit, but hey ho, finish line is in sight now. All that’s left to do is the PE harness and bond the clear plastic windows in the front cowl.





Oh and Happy New Year everyone!

[Pete75]

I've only done one F1 car and the rear wing didn't even remotely fit; the only consolation is that nobody will be looking under there, so fixes will be well hidden & soon forgotten - hopefully! She looks fantantic

[Gary30]

I've only done one F1 car and the rear wing didn't even remotely fit; the only consolation is that nobody will be looking under there, so fixes will be well hidden & soon forgotten - hopefully! She looks fantantic

Cheers Pete, yes, that is my saving grace, it might look a little 'agricultural' under the rear wing, but it's unlikely to ever be seen, so I can almost make my peace with it. Just annoyed me as the slots in the wing are pre-moulded, and the spacing of the wing support is dictated by a fixed part as well, so I can only assume Tamiya got their measurements wrong I can't believe my beloved Mr Tamiya San would let me down like this

[Shunter]

Missed this one and I car I have always been drawn to with a fascination.
Nice work and Shane about the wing mounting issues.