Lego McLaren MCL35M (2021 Italian GP first and second place) - Bags 2

 

Bags 2 almost ready to go

Here are the pieces for the second set of bags.  Like all the activities that follow, I have a beginning and end for each of the sets of bags, so I can work out how long each took.  Neither this nor bags 3 & 4 were completed at a single sitting, so I'm going to have to work out the timings carefully.

Part of the way through bags 2 and I can start to see the basic shape of the car.  Here, the front axle and the steering assembly are taking shape.  At the end of bag 2 there is a clear chassis and both axles are evident.

The engine has also been mounted.  There were a couple of dis-assemble / re-assemble of parts, particularly around the front axles, as I realised that the car did not look symmetrical. Other than that Bags 2 was a straight forward build and gave a good sense of progress.

Lego McLaren MCL35M (2021 Italian GP first and second place) - Bags 1

The kit was given to me by my daughter and son-in-law as a thank you for letting them stay with us while they were between houses.

The full kit

Here it is, unboxed, and ready for assembly to begin. There are 1432 pieces to provide a model car 13 cm high x 65 cm long.

As usual (I've only done a few, but I doubt they differ that much), there are a number of bags, and multiple bags will have the same number.  So I start by opening each bag and putting the small pieces in trays (old take away containers), and arranging the larger pieces, so they are easily found.

The first part to be assembled is the differential:

Differential assembled from the 'bag 1' set

This is a reasonable working model of a differential (no lubricants involved) and allows the wheels to turn at different speeds.

Next it is placed on a frame and some suspension added:

Basic frame holding the differential

 Then the engine is assembled:

Engine added to the differential

The engine has 6 cylinders and pistons that move when it is turned over.  All very impressive as this is all hidden inside the car.  But where is the gear box?

Lewis Hamilton

After round 6 (Canada) of the 2007 F1 championship Lewis Hamilton, a new driver this year, is in the lead. This is true whether you use the FIA current point system, or the old one. Even my own system, which is probably too complicated, has him on top of the table. To date he has been on the podium in every race. A remarkable achievement. It shows what can be done when everybody concerned take the long view. Lewis has been working towards this for years, so has his father, and so had Ron Dennis, although for slightly less time.
I have supported McLaren since 1997, when Williams dumped Hill. I like the style of this team better than any of the others - they really do encourage there drivers to race, and I think they are fair to them as well. It really does appear that there is no lead driver, and the one who does best will be supported. I'm hoping (obviously) that they can win the championship this year.