Second R500 model under way. Engine bay is 99% complete, and roll cage has just been assembled in place. It will be removed for finishingand painting.

R500 wheel hub being machined from aluminium. The 3D computer image on the previous page is used to create a cutter path for the milling machine. The job was left over night to complete.

The finished wheel. It must now be trimmed by hand. A 1mm cutter was used to mill the wheel, which is about 26mm across.

The 'backing' to the wheel is carefully removed with needle files.

Getting there! Big thanks to Vince for helping in this process. The metal wheel will now be used to create a mold, and then hubs will be vacuum cast. The rim is to be turned.

Roll cage was scaled from the many pictures I had taken, and the paper prints used to create formers. Plastic tube had wire inserted in it, and this was then bent around the formers.

Although the formers helped, most of the shaping was done 'by hand'. Super glue is used to fix the plastic tube together. Where possible I have also used pins to strengthen the joints.

Windscreen surround. The aluminium tube is used to model the mounting point on the corner of the SLR cage which mounts onto the side of the scuttle.

Rear and front sections of the cage in position. Not fixed at this stage as the cage will have to be removed in order to clean joints and paint.

Constructing the cage in situ is the only way to get the curves right, but its a fiddle trying to hold it all together whilst trying to fit each bar!

Gradually coming together and the addition of the cage gives the model a better sense of proportion.

Cage completed. A full days work. Just got to do the other one now!

First cage - thankfully it had not stuck to the model during construction! Joints needed cleaning up, bit of filling and some primer.

Yellow is primer - the cage will be black. Looks great in one colour.

Note: I shall not be usingthe carbon finish as supplied in the kit, as seen on the rear wings here. It is too strong. I have found that a very light spray of semi-gloss black paint allows the pattern to show through in a more subtle way.

Second cage under way. Frustratingly I have just run out of the correct diameter plastic tube....grrrr

The two R500's.