Alright, so today I wanna talk about this thing I got into recently, the Honda RA106. Not driving one, obviously, wish I could! Nah, I decided to get my hands dirty with a scale model of it. Been a while since I tackled one of these, and that car, well, it’s got a bit of a story, hasn’t it?
Getting Started on this Beast
First off, finding a decent kit. You’d think it’d be easy, but some of these older F1 models, they’re either super expensive or just disappear. Took me a bit of digging, but I finally snagged one. Box arrived, all shiny, and I was pretty keyed up to get going. Opened it up, and man, the sheer number of tiny plastic bits. It’s always a bit daunting at first, you know?
Spread everything out on my workbench – which is really just an old desk in the spare room. Instructions looked okay, mostly pictures, which is good for me. Words and I, we have our moments.
The Nitty-Gritty: Building this Thing
So, I started with what felt like the logical bit: the monocoque and the driver’s seat. Lots of fiddly bits here. My fingers felt like sausages trying to get some of those tiny dashboard decals on straight. Patience, I kept telling myself, patience. The engine assembly was next. That was a whole little project in itself. Lots of small pipes and components that needed to be painted silver or black before even thinking about gluing them together. I reckon I spent a good few evenings just on that motor.
Then came the bodywork. This is where things get serious for me. Getting those panels to line up just right, filling any tiny gaps with putty, sanding it smooth. It’s slow work. If you rush it, it looks like a dog’s dinner. I learned that the hard way years ago on a different model, totally messed it up.
Paint, Decals, and a Bit of Swearing
Painting was the next big hurdle. That RA106 had that distinctive white, with the blue and green Earth livery. Getting the white smooth and even, that took a few coats. Spraying, letting it dry, light sanding, spraying again. You get the picture. It’s a whole process.
And then the decals. Oh boy, the decals. That Earth livery, it’s basically one massive decal that wraps around the car. I was dreading this part. You gotta soak ’em, slide ’em into place without tearing ’em, and then get all the air bubbles out. There might have been a few choice words muttered under my breath, not gonna lie. One or two bits didn’t quite want to conform to the curves, so it took some gentle persuasion with a soft cloth and some decal solution. Honestly, this part probably took the longest and stressed me out the most.
Putting It All Together
Once the decals were on and sealed with a clear coat, it was time for final assembly. Attaching the suspension arms, the wheels, the front and rear wings. This is when it starts to actually look like the car, which is super satisfying. Seeing it come together, piece by piece. The little aero bits, the bargeboards, all those tiny winglets – they all needed careful gluing.
I remember one evening, I was attaching the front wing, and my hand slipped. Nearly snapped one of the endplates clean off. Heart-in-mouth moment, that was. Managed to save it, luckily. You just gotta take a deep breath and carry on, right?
The Finished Article
And then, it was done. Stood back and had a good look. It’s not perfect, mind you. If you get real close, you’ll see a wobble here or a tiny imperfection there. But it’s mine. I built it. From a pile of plastic sprues to a pretty decent looking Honda RA106. It’s sitting on my shelf now, and every time I look at it, I remember the hours I put in, the tricky bits, and the satisfaction of finishing it.
It’s funny, you get a different appreciation for the real car when you build a model of it. You see all the complex shapes, the way everything is engineered to fit together. That RA106, it might not have won the championship, but it was a bold design, especially that livery. And now, I’ve got my own little piece of it, built with my own two hands. Good times.
