December 2002 - February 2003 Archive
28-February-2003 Yet another McLaren has been announced by Minichamps - this time it's the Gulf Team Davidoff 1997 car ('Dayoff livery') of Nielsen/Bscher which ran at the Nurburgring 4 hours race, product number 530 174302. Does the announcement of this model mean that all the remaining previously unreleased items are to follow ??
27-February-2003 In addition to the Jos Verstappen Minardi Test car another couple of models have been announced by Minichamps. The first is a BMW Williams FW24 of Nico Rosberg that tested at Barcelona on the 4th December 2002.
The second item will interest Porsche fans - its a '1973 to 2003 Daytona 24hr' set. This features the 1973 winning 911 RSR 2.8 and the 2003 Class Winning 911 GT3 RS and this will be limited to 2,403 pieces worldwide.
A word of warning - if like me you are still awaiting your Sauber 10th Anniversary two car set then it may pay you to check the status of your order on the Sauber website. I set up an account and submitted my credit card details on the 13th February only to find when I checked my credit card account that no charge had been processed, upon checking the Sauber site there is no trace of the order so it appears that the website may have malfunctioned at some point.
If you are looking for a source of the Japanese Minichamps book in the UK then Motorsports Products has them for £35 (Posting & Packing £5 extra)
23-February-2003 Yet another Porsche 911 promotional model has surfaced on German eBay - this time it's a 'Karcher' version. It seems these models put in a regular appearance and regularly reach the 70 Euro mark - if anyone has any information on production numbers I would be pleased to hear from you.
22-February-2003 A Dutch diecast retailer has been sending its customers out newsletters announcing the imminent release of a limited edition 1/43 Jos Verstappen Minardi PS01 which he tested at Valencia with Avon F3000 tyres (part number 400 030189) Now I've searched for the model on their website Click Here! and sure enough it's there and you can preorder now. According to reports if there is enough interest then a 1/18 scale Minardi will be produced (product number 100 030019)
If you can cast your minds back to last year then you may remember the 'Ocher Bend' Porsche 911 Art Car that surfaced. There is currently one attracting a lot if interest on eBay at the moment Click Here!
17-February-2003 Some good news for those of you who missed out on the Jean Alesi Prost First Point model and didn't get sucked in on any of those inflated eBay auctions - the models are now on open sale on the Official Jean Alesi Website for 72 Euros !
15-February-2003 Well yesterday may have been Valentines Day but there was another reason for rushing out to the shops (in Japan at least that is) and that was all to do with the release of the book "Minichamps World".
Our Japanese correspondent states that the book is A4 size and describes it as 'very good quality' which comes complete with over 1,000 photographs and a full list of everything Paul's Model Art have released in 1/43. Click Here! to take a look of the Michael Schumacher page !
There are also two pages dedicated to the Orange McLaren F1 GTR Prototype part number 533 164380 as we can see from the photograph below. As we already know the book comes complete with a postcard in order to apply via a 'lottery principle' for the model which means not everyone is guaranteed one. Apparently on the postcard you can select to order up to a maximum of six models which will mean that the majority of people will be applying for the full possible allocation - these will then be drawn in two 'lotteries' in March and May therefore it is possible that only 125 people in each 'draw' will receive models assuming they opt for the full allocation. Now there are no prizes for guessing what is going to happen to their surplus models.
13-February-2003 Some more news on that Sauber two car 10 year commemorative set we featured a couple of days ago. Well we can confirm that these sets are in fact GENUINE and are on open sale for 72 Euros each at the Sauber Petronas online shop !
Also some interesting information on those other models especially the BMW's - it seems these particular models are also available in France at the moment and are not Japanese exclusives. We know from past experience that models commissioned solely for the Japanese market have come via T2M who just happen to be the importers for Paul's Model Art in France - unfortunately we don't have any confirmation on the Alfa Romeos at the moment.
The Minichamps book titled "Minichamps World" retails in Japan for approximately 2000 Yen - each book comes with a ticket which you have to send off to the publisher together with payment in order to obtain the orange McLaren F1 GTR. That is the only way to obtain this model, it isn't available in any shop.
11-February-2003 Some hot news just in - if you were looking forward to reading the Minichamps 'Bible' as it is commonly referred to then you may have a long wait. According to our source it seems Minichamps are still working on it which means that it may be at least a further twelve months to two years before it hits the shops.
This item is currently up for auction of German eBay at the moment - it's a two car Sauber set to commemorate 10 years of the team in Formula One and claims to be limited to 1,000 pieces. The set features the C12 of Karl Wendlinger together with the C21 of Nick Heidfeld and also comes complete with a Sauber 'pin'. The question is is it real or is it fake - I would be interested to see some close ups photos of the packaging so if anyone out there knows more about this then we will be pleased to hear from you.
Whilst on the subject of fakes it seems the "diecast Police" have recently uncovered a fakes factory within the confines of the Dutch border concentrating on Jos Verstappen models - Click Here! and click on the 'Minichamps Fakes' link.
STOP PRESS ! Some very hot news in from our Japan correspondent ! It seems that FIVE new models AND a book have been commissioned especially for the Japanese market including a McLaren F1 GTR and we have exclusive pictures of them all to prove it !
Firstly there are two BMW E36 M3's in Ice Blue and Dakai Yellow both limited to 1,008 pieces.
Plus two Alfa Romeo 155's again limited to 1,008 pieces
And last but by no means least is the Minichamps book titled "The World of Minichamps" featuring over 1,000 photographs and a list of all 1/43 models. Featured on the cover is the McLaren F1 GTR in Orange limited to 1,500 pieces.
10-February-2003 The eBay auction on that David Coulthard MP 4/16 Schuco Promotional model we featured on the 1 February finished at a whopping £460 Sterling !
Also another interesting item on eBay at the moment is this early limited edition Danhausen Gift Box 1911 "Blitzen Benz" complete with a wrist watch.
09-February-2003 You can always rely on one of the many diecast message boards to come up trumps with some interesting news items and Gareth's F1 News is no different. If like me you are still awaiting your 2003 Edition 1 Minichamps catalogue then you may be interested to know that one collector has kindly scanned in a few images of some of the more interesting F1 items. Click Here! to view the thread.
Amongst them are photos of the Piers Courage De Tomaso 505/38 of the Frank Williams Racing Team and the Sauber C21 Testcar Gift Box. More interestingly Minichamps will be releasing a new collection of models titled "Formula One World Champions Edition" which will consist of the cars of the World Champions commencing from 1950 until the present day. All the models will be individually numbered and limited and the inside of the lid will contain the technical data of the original car and a short piece about the Formula 1 season of that particular year. The first two models will be the 1996 and 1997 Williams' of Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.
The $64,000 question then is have Minichamps secured a sub-licence to produce the recent Ferrari models or are they expecting to regain a sole licence in the not too distant future ??
04-February-2003 According to reports Paul's Model Art announced a Limited Edition "100 Years of Ford" set at the Nurnburg Toyfair. This set consists of 12 Ford cars exclusively produced in conjunction with the Ford Motor Company to commemorate 100 years of Ford. This will comprise of two sets (six cars in each set) and these are as follows :
Set #1
Set #2
Each set is supplied in a coloured outer package but neither set nor the models contained therein are available individually and is only being sold as a complete Limited Edition Collection of 12 pieces. One interesting observation - it seems the sets have been deliberately split in order to appeal to separate markets in European & North America.
The Minichamps Edition 1 Catalogue seems to be available however as we have been unable to get our hands on one yet we don't know what's in it!
02-February-2002 It appears that Martin the proprietor of Motorsport Products received a new digital camera for Christmas this year going by these photographs he managed to take of the Minichamps stand at the 2003 Nurnburg International Toyfair ! As you can see it appears that the release of the remaining Jordan sets and the Damon Hill Brabham don't look too far off now.
The official Minichamps model for the 2003 Nurnburg show appears to be this Mercedes Benz CLK DTM limited to 528 pieces. It may not surprise you to know that this one is already up for sale on German eBay. (Some people would sell their own mother if the price was right!)
01-February-2003 WORLD EXCLUSIVE !! One of the finds of 2002 was the Mika Hakkinen Schuco McLaren promotional model which was produced for the "Interbuild Show" at the NEC a few years back. Well another Schuco model has surfaced, this time a David Coulthard MP 4/16 and is currently up for sale on eBay at the moment. Click Here!
I have actually had the pleasure of examining the Hakkinen version and can categorically state that these models are not fakes and have come direct from a source at Schuco which of course is a partner of Mercedes McLaren. It seems that their next venture into promotional models will be a Kimi Raikkonen version however our source was unable to confirm precisely when this will be.
29-January-2003 If there was an award for fake of the month then the guy who dreamed up this little combination would win it ! Appearing on German eBay at the moment is a West liveried McLaren F1 GTR "Adrenelin Taxi" and Mercedes Benz CLK DTM two car boxed set which just happens to be piece number one out of a limited set of six !
The Cegerer 1:43 Diecast Website initially started the crusade of warning collectors about fakes around six years ago and despite me continuing to post articles on a regular basis it appears that there are some people out there who don't pay any attention whatsoever. What is it they say about a fool and his money ?? If you are still unsure then you can always refer to the guide I produced titled 'How to Spot a Fake'
28-January-2003 Well what can I say ? Minichamps have certainly excelled themselves this time with their list of new releases planned for the coming year - there is something for everyone including a host of new Senna and McLaren models plus a couple of F1 GTR's and early James Bond cars !
It seems that Minichamps have secured the rights to produce all the F1 cars this year with the exception of Ferrari ! The stars of the show have to be the Wolf Ford WR1 and Arrows Ford A2.Click Here! for the full listing. Well done Paul Lang !!
23-January-2003 According to a couple of dealer websites it appears that Minichamps will be producing both Jaguar and BAR for the coming season - check it out here!
If you have purchased the Jordan HART 193/194 twin car set I'm sure you will agree that Minichamps have done an excellent job - I just hope the cars are eventually released in individual boxes complete with driver figures in order that I can fill in the gaps in my collection !
I now know how enthusiasts feel when the stumble across a lost or forgotten treasure - I was checking through a couple of old 3.5 inch floppy disks the other day and stumbled upon this. Click Here! Okay so there are a few broken links but I still think its worth adding to my links page for posterity !
20-January-2003 Just when I thought we had seen the last of the 'sick fakes' this one reared its ugly head on eBay. Click Here! A similar attempt which appeared a few years back reached $250 however this one is slightly different Click Here!
18-January-2003 I received an email yesterday from a collector informing me that there were two special models up for grabs on the Anthony Davidson website, one the Minardi he raced last season whilst the other his BAR Test Car. As I read this I had visions of grabbing my credit card in order to secure another two rare specially produced 'promotional' models for my ever growing collection, however this all turned to disappointment when I investigated further. Click Here! and you will see what I mean.
The quote "We are delighted to offer these superb 1/43 scale BAR and Minardi F1 models, not available anywhere else, exclusively autographed by Anthony!" actually means they are a couple of overstocks with a new helmet decal applied and some 'artwork' on the insert with a black marker pen. Who in their right mind is going to part with £49.99 for these is anyone's guess.
You may remember the story I ran a few months ago regarding Hadrian Models and the fact that it re-launched as 'Triple R Models' (which stands for Rally, Road & Race if you didn't already know) The good news is that they are now back on line with a new website, Click Here! Although there is some work to be done Dylan Atkinson the proprietor advises me that it will be updated gradually over the next few weeks.
15-January-2003 If you still haven't received your Alesi Prost Monaco GP promotional model then don't despair all may not be lost. Our North of England Office returned home today to be greeted with a parcel from France which contained the said model which according to the postmark was only mailed yesterday. As it seems they are still being shipped our non European readers may have to wait a few days longer for their parcel to arrive but in any case it may still be worth chasing up with Collection Passion if you are unsure.
Also some news from our Midlands Office - the 'BMW Williams F1 FW23 Launch 2002 Pitstop Diorama' is now available at BMW outlets in the UK part number 80420149306.
The BMW Dealer Edition FW24 with "HP" logos are also available from stock in 1/43 scale together with the following interesting items :
80420150626 - FW24 "HP" logos JP Montoya
80420150627 - FW24 "HP" logos Ralf Schumacher
80420145804 - M3 E46 Motorcycle GP Safety Car
80420146613 - Mini One, Metallic Blue with Alloy Wheels
And last but not least awaiting liberation from BMW GB is the 80420153042 M3 GTR Street Version Metallic Blue/Green.
One of the biggest things to bug most BMW collectors are those black "clapper" style boxes due to the fact that unless you unscrew your models to display them you are left with something that is cumbersome to put on show without getting dusty. As with all great ideas it's usually something really cheap and simple that is the most effective, in this case clear plastic lids which are available for both 1/87 and 1/43 models.
1/87 scale 80410027866 - £1.71 plus VAT
1/43 scale 80420027869 - £2.56 plus VAT
Unfortunately according to our reporter these two items do not travel too well so collection from your local BMW dealer is a must. Whoever thought of these at BMW should be promoted.
11-January-2003 Here's something different from Minichamps, this time it's a polished chrome Dealer Edition Porsche Cayenne Turbo with a completely new style of "wood effect" base, definitely a first.
At the NEC prior to Christmas I picked up the D & J Fairs 'Programme of Events 2003' which lists all the major toy fairs for the coming year. It is disappointing to note that some of the major fairs like the NEC and Donington Park (the only two major ones for decent diecast as far as I'm concerned) fall on consecutive weekends followed by long gaps until the next one. This can't be good news for collectors and dealers alike - I appreciate that it must be difficult booking these venues but you can't help but wonder if the majority of collectors will only attend one event whereas normally they would have gone to both had they been spaced further apart ?
09-January-2003 According to reports that Mercedes Benz set we featured the other day first surfaced back in 2001 and was produced apparently to promote their motorsports diversity !! It seems they also produced a three car DTM set which also included an Alfa Romeo and an Opel. (Seems strange them promoting a rivals products ??)
And for those of you who wondered what the hell I was referring to when I spoke about the Audi Promotional Seven Car Set in our last update then Click Here! It is limited to 500 pieces but is one of the most difficult Minichamps items to obtain. (Thanks to "Kuroda" for the photograph)
05-January-2003 If you hadn't already noticed there hasn't been much news about over the festive period however we can always rely on eBay to come up with something to write about no matter how slow it is !
There are quite a few of the Alesi Prost First Point models up for auction at the moment and it never ceases to amaze me the prices some collectors are prepared to pay for models. The prices these auctions are heading means that they are in effect paying the same for a mass produced item limited to 999 pieces than they would do for a BBR factory built model to 150 pieces - it's crazy.
This interesting item Click Here! was also spotted on eBay and is being advertised as a limited edition boxed set of 100 pieces containing the following models -
Although it's difficult to make out from the photograph it appears that the case is produced from the same type of thick perspex that was used in the limited edition Audi seven car set that was released a few years back. If anyone has any information on this Mercedes released item then we would be interested to hear from you.
31-December-2002
Review of 2002
Is it really a whole year since I penned my first annual review ?? Well amazingly a full 365 days have passed so it must mean that its time to get sentimental once more and look back on what can only be described as a 'roller coaster' year.
The year started with a touch of de-ja-vu due to the lack of availability of another Kimi Raikkonen model but this time it was his 'First Point' Sauber that was causing collectors a headache in tracking down a reasonably priced item. The demand soon outstripped supply due in part to the bulk of the models going directly to Sauber with the remainder being purchased in bulk by collectors who got wise, needless to say it wasn't long before they were appearing on the secondary market at inflated prices. Unfortunately this seemed to set the trend for the whole of 2002. The sister release Nick Heidfeld 'First Podium' was even harder to obtain due to a much lower production run, the only consolation being for the lucky few who managed to acquire both these models that they were arguably the best presented F1 models for a long while.
Whilst on the subject of F1 there was a new kid in town this year and its name was Toyota. It didn't take it long either to latch on to the dealer editions with their first release hitting the dealerships in March a full two months prior to anything Minichamps could muster in a standard box. They continued to produce models with increasing regularity (unfortunately far too many for a team that weren't to win anything all season) however a couple of the models did become some of the hottest items of the year.
The previously recalled Villeneuve BAR Test Car finally made its full debut this year however some strange phenomena was reported - the model was in fact the previously recalled item which was miraculously re released some twelve months later; evident by the amount of dust on the outdated packaging when it arrived at the retailers !
On the whole the standard of Minichamps just seemed to get better and better, even the F1 cars entered a whole new dimension with their lift off engine cowlings on the earlier McLaren and Williams cars. In fact there was something for everyone and even the motorcycles and tanks were being hailed as state of the art.
One of the greatest models ever produced by Paul's Model Art made its debut in 2002, namely the BMW M3 GTR ALMS. No matter who the driver or whether in BMW or standard packaging nobody cared you just had to have them in your collection. Just as we thought it couldn't get any better the 1/18th version hit the shops and boy did this obliterate the opposition making it one of the finest models ever released in the larger scale by the diecast masters of Aachen. Also worthy of a special mention are the BMW Williams FW22 pitstop diorama, Audi 'hat trick' and James Bond gift boxes with the 1/18th Schumacher Jordan 191 sneaking in before the end of the year.
The year however belonged to McLaren with the release of the long awaited Can-Am and earlier F1 cars, the only downside is that many of the Can-Am cars are now appearing at discounted rates at the many toy fairs around the country. There was more bad news to come for McLaren fans with the announcement that the West Team Editions will not be available in 2003 due to an imminent ban on tobacco advertising.
The most controversial and talked about event of 2002 would be the release of a certain set of 'promotional' models by a Japanese company. As the prices soared out of all proportion it didn't take long for collectors to air their views on the subject and it was perhaps the worst PR blunder Minichamps could have made. It was evident from the comments made that collectors had finally had enough of paying through the nose for these so called rare variations. In some extreme cases some of you had even contemplated selling your entire collections and giving up the hobby completely.
What's top of the wish list for 2003 ?? Well mine is that common sense will prevail and Minichamps will actually reduce the number of F1 cars they release next year - the number of these special models variations for what can only be described as mediocre drivers and events is getting out of hand and is having an adverse effect. I would like to see some fresh impetus with the launch of another collection to rejuvenate interest in the hobby and ultimately attract some fresh blood. As you polish off the remnants of that Christmas turkey I will leave you to ponder my personal wish list for next year
1/43 scale BMW M1 'Kreistelefonbuch'
Panoz LMP Roadster 'Hendricks Field' Sebring 12hrs 2002 pitstop diorama !
Classic F1 Collection including the Wolf WR1 together with some early Brabhams, Ligiers, Tyrrells, Matras and Shadows
Porsche 956 Collection
Le Mans Collection
McLaren Collection #18
Well that's it from me for another year but I would like to take this opportunity to say another big 'thank you' to everyone for the emails of support and encouragement over the last twelve months. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading the updates as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Oh and before I sign off don't forget - just another 359 diecast shopping days until Christmas !!
27-December-2002 The first eBay auction on one of the Alesi First Point Prost models has just finished at a whopping 271 Euros (around £175) with another auction heading the same way.
25-December-2002 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !
23-December-2002 Well my Jean Alesi 'First Point' model arrived today and I must say its fantastic. The French company 'Collection Passion' who commissioned it have certainly put a lot of thought into it including the outer sleeve which can be seen in the photograph below. The bonus is that it is a proper promotional model which has been made exclusively by Minichamps - not something that has been knocked up in the back of some shop in a few hours.
22-December-2002 The Alesi First Point models are beginning to arrive and here is the picture to prove it. I'm sure you will agree that it's a well presented model for the money and isn't overpriced like some promotional models I could mention.
We've also had official clarification from Minichamps themselves that those Porsche models featured a few days ago had the decals applied after they left the factory and are therefore not official promo models just like we suspected.
21-December-2002 The first of those Jean Alesi Prost models is on eBay at the moment, needless to say the auction is currently around the 220 Euro mark with around four days still to go !! As soon as we can obtain a decent photograph of the model we will of course get one uplifted.
19-December-2002 After the news drought of the last few weeks I finally have something to report together with a couple of photos to boot ! There are a couple of models on eBay at the moment which purport to have been made exclusively for the "Porsche-Modelcarcollector-Group" (PMG) for the year 2000 & 2001 respectively.
As you can just about make out from the photographs the models are basically standard PMA releases but contain an additional decal and come complete with a certificate. Now the question is whether these models are actually genuine or not - by genuine I mean left Aachen in the same condition they are displayed or if the decals and printing on the base have been added afterwards. I personally suspect the latter.
It is always difficult to judge what constitutes a 'true' promotional model nowadays but to me this must be a model which has been produced by Paul's Model Art and comes complete with the insert or box and has not been altered in any way once it has left Aachen.
There is some bad news for those of you who were looking forward to picking up the 1/18 scale dealer boxed BMW Williams cars with 'HP' livery from your local BMW dealership - it seems these items are not models but toys. (if you get my drift) Also the eagerly awaited "Bible" documenting the entire product range from Minichamps is not expected to be released until the Nurnburg Toyfair in the new year.
16-December-2002 I took myself off to Birmingham yesterday for the NEC swapmeet and was met by a crowd that were obviously in training for the January sales - the place was absolutely crammed to the rafters and was one of the busiest I have been to in a long long while.
Apart from looking for models for my own collection one of my prime objectives is to chat to collectors and dealers in order to obtain news items for the website. One thing has puzzled me for the last few months and that is why some dealers are taking fewer and fewer F1 models to these shows so I decided to ask a few of them why this was. In each case I was met with the same reply - hardly anyone it seems is buying the more expensive rarer models preferring the newly released items. They also claim collectors are even being more selective in what they buy mainly due to the ever increasing number of models being released. As a result the dealers are no longer prepared to tie up large amounts of cash in stock in fear of being left with it. As we all know the UK in an expensive place to buy diecast however dealers are also paying over the odds too, some of them claimed they can buy stock in Germany in bulk from retailers cheaper than they can buy it wholesale in the UK ! It therefore would be in Paul Lang's interest to sell direct to dealers - that way the middle man is removed and we all get cheaper diecast.
One thing I noticed yesterday was the large amount of discounting that was going on - I managed to pick up a couple of Le Mans Porsches for £15 a throw, annoying if you had paid the full recommended retail price of £27.99 a few months back - and these were limited editions of just over 1,400 pieces. The Honda RA 099 Prototype was another item that was hugely discounted and was on several stalls for as little as £25.
The first F1 models to be released for next season will be the Toyota dealer boxed launch cars which will be hitting the dealerships around March time.
14-December-2002 Well unlike the old adage Christmas is coming but the diecast news is getting thinner on the ground hence the lack of updates over the last week !
It seems Minichamps have announced two very interesting and obscure models from 1970 - the De Tomaso Ford 505/38. The model will come in two variations :
The latter of the two I believe was piloted by millionaire playboy F1 driver Piers Courage. I sincerely hope Minichamps will be producing more models from this era due to the fact that large numbers of collectors I speak to say they are getting bored with collecting the modern day cars which look more or less the same season after season.
What we need is to inject some interest into the hobby with another 'Collection' whether it be Classic F1, Le Mans or even a Porsche 956 Collection covering the liveries not yet produced. Since the demise of the Schumacher Collection understandably Paul's Model Art have attempted to recoup some of their losses by producing variations of a theme be it particular races or with the first point models for some drivers who can hardly be described as "greats".
If your loved one is still at a loss when it comes to buying the diecast collector in their life a Christmas present then how about adding this to your present list. It appeared on the Audi stand at the Essen motorshow and can only be described as the ultimate display for your prized collection. (And before you ask no you can't cook chickens in it!!) Click Here!
07-December-2002 If you ordered one of the Jean Alesi Prost First Point models you may be interested to know that the models will be shipped in the few next weeks. According to a friend who contacted the supplier via an interpreter it seems that their priority was to fulfill all orders to French customers with any residual models going to collectors outside France on a first come first served basis.
Now I don't have to tell you that the James Bond "Die Another Day" models have been selling like hot cakes - well it seems that the three car boxed set has already sold out via pre-orders which will no doubt make it a sought after piece on the secondary market. The individually boxed models are also selling well with the exception it seems of the Ford Thunderbird - as pre-orders weren't up to expected levels it seems Minichamps had to cut back on production which will probably result in the least popular of the three models being the most sought after in years to come.
06-December-2002 I received some unfortunate news today regarding the West branded McLaren Team Edition models. It seems that legislation will shortly come into force which means that as from 14th February 2003 it will not be permitted to supply any products or merchandise to the UK which carries a tobacco brand name i.e. "WEST". As a result Team McLaren will be quickly phasing out all stocks of "West McLaren Mercedes" including the model cars.
