not really a short track car, but still open wheel

[18degrees]

hey y'all, i don't think that i have made mention of this at all, but i am fortunate to have retired from my full-time job last month.  my last full day of work was Dec 10, i burned up all the saved up time off hours i had, showed up Dec 27 for a few hours, and i was done.  20 years with my local sheriff's department... miss most of the people but definitely not the job itself.  i haven't found a job yet (i'm only 51 ), thankfully my wife is a nurse who is well-paid and i am on her health insurance now (which is a huge sticking point for most of my co-workers when it comes time to retire)... staying unemployed for the time being, waiting for my pension to kick in and see whether i really need to work.  been taking a lot of afternoon naps.  been doing some "gun stuff" in my basement.  first thing i did was paint our bathroom, was an ugly pistachio green and now it's a medium tone of grey.  removed the trim and door casing and repainted that, did the ceiling... don't know how the people before us picked that green color, i had a hard time looking at it for the last 3 1/2 years.  next up is a backsplash in the kitchen, got all the stuff, just waiting to find the inspiration to get started.  never worked with tile in the past, gonna be an experience.  also got Federal taxes filed today.

anyway, if you made it through that last paragraph and didn't click off this thread, here is what it's about.  was looking at my stash of unbuilt models and since i have more time now, i decided to start on one that has always intrigued me but never found the motivation to start on.

1972 Indy 500 winner, Mark Donohue, Penske McLaren car sponsored by Sunoco.  Penske's first Indy 500 win.

old school Fred Cady decals (that are still great to work with, accumulated 2 sheets over the last few years just in case), AMT 1974 McLaren kit (that has to be modified in some spots), Tamiya TS-51 (racing blue) paint.

here is the target car-




and here is what is done so far









the kit is pretty simple, nowhere near a Tamiya kit.  there are some modifications that have to be done, like re-positioning a fuel filler location (already done).  some details won't be accurate but won't be noticeable on the shelf in a case.  the rear wing was bought off Shapeways some years ago as the kit one doesn't work for the year, it's a really nice piece.  the dividers that go in the wing are starting to curl after being painted, not sure what that's all about, but i should be able to straighten them out when installed.

more to come once i apply the decals that i have cut.  the thin yellow pinstripes are gonna be a pain, may have to leave some decal film around them so they aren't too flimsy.

[Volzfan59]

Hey brother, Congratulations on your retirement! Best thing I ever did. New Indy car is off to a good start.

[jh63fan]

Congratulations on your retirement, several friends have or had worked with our sheriffs department and it's no easy occupation. I am about a year away from joining the club (retirement). Sort of got a part time job lined up, at a hobby shop. Only thing is it's close to an hour away.

[HAWK22]

I retired 21 years ago (at a young age) from the fed gov't (NASA). Never missed working at all.

I always liked INDY cars when every car did not look alike...

[18degrees]

Added a few more decals, got the rear wing all ready for assembly. Went to line the pieces up and realized that i put the wrong decals on 2 of the 3 parts, ie. "NO" and "66" on the part where the "CO" was supposed to go and vice versa.  Had to apply MicroScale to soften the decals and then scrape them off. This, my friends, is why i always get 2 sets of decals when i can. Otherwise the project woulda been scrapped.

[Rattlecan Dan]

Congrats on your retirement. Thanks for your service, now it's time to take some time for yourself. That build is looking nice.

[18degrees]

some updated pics.







sorry for the sideways pic of the rear wing, didn't think to check the orientation before i uploaded it to imgur.  on the bottom section you can see the residual decals that i didn't scrape off

[18degrees]

Had a chemical spill last night was working with some Plasti Weld and managed to spill in on a wing section and a wing spacer.... Uugh. Ended up using lacquer thinner to strip the pieces, they are being repainted now. Thankfully it was a section that i still had extra decals for.